‘Wrong move’: Dela Rosa rejects defunding NTF-ELCAC

 Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in a hybrid plenary session Wednesday, March 3, 2021. (File Photo: Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate PRIB)

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said he was against defunding the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), warning that this would just benefit communist rebels.

“Hindi ako sang-ayon doon na i-defund ang (NTF-)ELCAC dahil kung gagawin natin ‘yun, alam mo kung sino makikinabang d’yan? Ang CPP-NPA-NDF,” he said in a radio interview Monday, referring to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

(I’m not in favor of defunding the NTF-ELCAC because if we do that, you know who will benefit from it? The CPP-NPA-NDF.)

For 2021, the NTF-ELCAC has an allocated P19-billion budget, P16.4 billion of which will be utilized to fund development projects for over 800 barangays already “cleared” of insurgencies.

“Sasabihin ng mga taumbayan doon na nakatira sa mga cleared barangays na naghihintay, nag-aabang na dumating yung kanilang mga barangay development programs, sabihin nila ‘itong gobyerno na ito walang isang salita. Mabuti pa bumalik na lang tayo sa NPA.’ So, sino makikinabang? Yung NPA, ‘di ba?” Dela Rosa said.

(Those who are living in the barangays cleared of insurgency, those waiting for the development programs to be implemented, they will say ‘this government can’t keep its word. It’s better for us to rejoin the NPA.’ So who will benefit? The NPA, right?)

The NTF-ELCAC has been criticized for sharing social media posts saying that community pantries are being used for propaganda of communist groups.

Furthermre, its spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., said the task force is “just checking” the background of those behind the highly popular community pantries to make sure that organizers do not have any other agenda.

“Para sa akin ay wrong move ‘yun (defunding)…dahil dapat i-separate natin ‘yung personality ni Parlade bilang isang anti-communist at ‘yung National Task Force-ELCAC bilang isang ahensya ng gobyerno na very effective in gaining grounds against the CPP-NPA-NDF,” Dela Rosa went on.

(That is the wrong move…we should separate the personality of Parlade as an anti-communist and the National Task Force-ELCAC as a government agency that is very effective in gaining grounds against the CPP-NPA-NDF.)

The senator’s stance on the issue involving NTF-ELCAC comes as 15 of his colleagues filed a resolution seeking to censure Parlade for his “disrespectful, derogatory and demeaning statements against members of the Senate following their criticism of his persistent red-tagging of civilians.”

JE