Anti-insurgency task force to get P500 million

MANILA, Philippines — An inter-agency task force created to end the insurgency problem was allocated more than P500 million to fund its programs including the development of conflict-affected communities next year.

The P522-million funding for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) was contained in the proposed P4.1 trillion national budget for 2020 submitted to Congress this week.

Of the amount, P85 million will be placed under the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and P96 million to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Over half of the budget, or P284 million will go to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the remaining P57 million to other member-agencies tasked to handle the development of conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.

The task force is chaired by President Duterte. 

The President created the NTC-ELCAC in December through Executive Order 70 as part of the administration’s “whole-of-nation” approach in ending the 50-year- old insurgency problem and promote peace.

Other members of the task force are the secretaries and heads of the departments of justice, public works and highways, budget and management, finance, agrarian reform and education as well as the Presidential Communications and Operations Office, National Economic Development Authority and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, among others. 

Officials estimated the insurgency waged by the New People’s Army (NPA) killed over 40,000 people.

The NPA is the armed wing of the National Democratic Front, which has the Communist Party of the Philippines as its political arm.

The government revived what it termed as “localized peace talks” with NPA leaders as the NDF has reportedly lost control of some of its communist fronts.