MANILA, Philippines- Kinumpirma ni Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Prospero de Vera III na isa siya sa pinakabagong miyembro ng National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) na mangangasiwa sa information dissemination sa mga unibersidad at kolehiyo.
Tiniyak ni De Vera ang kanyang bagong posisyon sa pagdinig na ginawa ng House Committee on Appropriations sa panukalang CHED budget para sa fiscal year 2025, dahil na rin sa kahilingan ni Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel.
“The list of agencies has been expanded, Madam Chair. Even in the previous administration. The additional members were sworn into office by the President recently,” ayon kay De Vera sa panel.
“CHED is one of the additional members to the NTF-ELCAC, just like the secretaries of all major departments. That’s why I’m a member of the NTF-ELCAC,” dagdag na wika nito.
Tinanong naman ni Manuel si De Vera kaugnay sa legal basis o guidelines para sa CHED na maging miyembro ng NTF-ELCAC, kung saan sinabi nitong siya ay “bothered” sa development.
Ayon sa mambabatas, hindi inilathala ng NTF-ELCAC ang anumang amendments sa Executive Order (EO) 70 na lumikha sa task force sa layuning tapusin na ang local communist armed conflict sa bansa country. Nilagdaan ito noong Disyembre 2018 ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte.
“Unfortunately, Madam chair, walang na-publicize na amendments o kahit anong supplemental guidelines ng EO 70. Kaya ang nangyari parang arbitrary or highly discretionary kung sino ang nagiging bahagi ng task force,” wika ni Manuel.
Bilang tugon, ipinaliwanag ni De Vera ang mandato ng CHED bilang bagong miyembro ng NTF-ELCAC ay “information dissemination” sa higher education institutions.
“The NTF-ELCAC disseminates government programs and information to the students. Doon kami pumupuwesto sa (we are tasked with) information dissemination. Kung may mga request ang agencies or may mga activities na popondohan (if the agencies have requests or there are activities to be funded), we mobilize the higher education institutions to be venues for information dissemination of government agencies,” anang opisyal.
Napaulat na kinumpirma ni National Security Council (NSC) assistant director general Jonathan Malaya na ang pinuno ng CHED, Department of Science and Technology (DOST), at Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) ang mga bagong miyembro ng NTF-ELCAC.
Sinabi nito na dinagdag sila bilang mga miyembro noong Abril 4, sa isinagawang executive committee meeting kung saan ang chairman ay si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Sinabi ni Malaya na ang lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno ay may mahalagang papel para tuldukan ang communist insurgency sa bansa.
“These agencies were added as approved by the President so I don’t understand how it can [be] considered arbitrary or discretionary. The guiding principle behind the NTF ELCAC is a whole of society approach to end Communist terrorism so it stands to reason that more government agencies will be added,” pahayag ni Malaya.
“Why is Rep. Manuel so concerned about the membership of NTF-ELCAC. Doesn’t he want to end the more than 50 decades of communist insurgency?” tanong ng opisyal.
Base sa E0 70, ang Pangulo ng Republika ng Pilipinas ang magsisilbi bilang chairman ng NTF-ELCAC, habang ang National Security Adviser ang vice-chair.
Ang mga miyembro ng task force ay kinabibilangan ng mga Kalihim ng Department of Education (DepEd), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense (DND), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), at Department of Budget and Management (DBM), bukod sa iba pa. Kris Jose
