Palace defends P28-B budget for NTF-Elcac
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday justified the administration’s proposal to raise the budget of its anti-insurgency task force, saying its projects were meant to address hunger and provide jobs.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) will get a P28-billion budget in 2022, up from P19 billion this year, to fund development projects in barangays freed from communist rebels.
Militant lawmakers, however, said the task force would just use taxpayers’ money to Red-tag personalities critical of the administration and to buy votes in the 2022 elections.
“These projects would provide livelihood to those who are facing struggles in life that lead them to become rebels,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.
