Abolish NTF-Elcac? Solon says admin more careful with insurgency issue
MANILA, Philippines — Members of the House of Representatives Majority bloc have called for the balancing of interests amid calls to abolish the government’s anti-communist task force after the Supreme Court (SC) cautioned against red-tagging.
In a press briefing on Thursday after being asked about proposals to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), Tingog party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration has been careful in tackling the armed insurgency issue.
The Makabayan bloc has called for the repeal of Executive Order (EO) No. 70 creating NTF-Elcac after the Supreme Court said that “red-tagging, vilification, labeling, and guilt by association threaten a person’s right to life, liberty, or security, which may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo.”
“First, we haven’t read the Supreme Court ruling. Obviously, there are reasons that sometimes red-tagging really results in a threat to the security of certain persons, but it has also to be balanced with the goal of the state to ensure the safety of the people. So we want to know from the SC ruling how they balanced the two views regarding red-tagging,” Acidre said.
“With regards to the abolishment of NTF-Elcac, I think the President is proceeding with more caution. The way I read it, Malacañang is proceeding with caution conscientiously with how to deal with the insurgency problem. They have not definitely acted and given that this a policy decision of the Executive,” he added.
Isabela 6th District Rep. Faustino Dy V said that he would trust the decision of President Marcos Jr., regarding NTF-Elcac, noting that there have been successes with the task force’s efforts against local insurgency.
“Again, I trust the decision of the President, also the Executive, in regard to the abolishment or not of the NTF-Elcac […] in our case in Isabela, we have several cases of armed conflict before. It was reduced, but it still exists in certain parts of the country. So that’s what we want to reduce and there have been successes with the NTF-Elcac,” Dy said.
“For example, their community development or their different programs, their assistance to the isolated barangays, bringing a lot of projects in our areas. I can speak for my area because we had these problems in Isabela, but the programs of the NTF-Elcac, they have infrastructure programs, medical programs for far-flung barangays; they were able to help,” he added.
Earlier, different progressive groups called for the abolishment of the NTF-Elcac. Former Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said that since alleged trumped-up cases and harassment including red-tagging originated from the NTF-Elcac, the government must now move to repeal EO No. 70.
EO No. 70 was crafted during the time of former President Rodrigo Duterte. While member agencies have maintained that the task force seeks to counter armed insurgency, several groups have claimed that NTF-Elcac is only out to malign and threaten people expressing legitimate dissent.
On Wednesday, the SC released a 39-page decision saying that the practice of red-baiting or red-tagging threatens “a person’s right to life, liberty, or security, which may justify the issuance of a writ of amparo”.
A writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty, and security has been violated or is threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee or of a private individual.
READ: Supreme Court: Red-tagging threatens one’s right to life, security
This is not the first time though that suggestions to abolish the NTF-Elcac were raised. In 2021, then Vice President Leni Robredo vowed to dismantle the task force should she be elected as president in the 2022 national elections.
Last February 2, United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan reiterated her stand that the NTF-Elcac must be abolished as the conditions for which it was created are already outdated
