Manila, Philippines – Inihayag ng National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict nitong Lunes, na sa loob ng anim na taon nagawa nito ang laging ipinangangako ng mga Communist Terrorist Group limang dekada na ang nakararaan.
Sa pahayag ni Undersecretary Ernesto C Torres Jr. Executive Director ng NTF-ELCAC, sinabi nitong sa limang dekada ng panggugulo ng CPP-NPA-NDF walang natupad sa pangako nitong makapagbibigay ng kaunlaran sa mga kanayunan na tinatawag na mga geographically-isolated and disadvantaged areas.
Sa kabila nito, ayon kay Torres, ang Makabayan Bloc ay patuloy naman sa paninira sa task force.
“This narrative conveniently ignores the reality that the NTF-ELCAC is fulfilling what the CTG has promised for decades but has never delivered,” paliwanag ni Torres.
“While fostering vigilance against CTG forces—whether its armed guerrillas or the “legal democratic” organizations—is part of the task force’s work, it represents only a small fraction of its overall mandate,” dagdag pa ni Torres.
Ang Barangay Development Program ng NTF-ELCAC, ani Torres, ang tanging nakapagbigay ng mga pangako ng mga komunistang-teroristang nagsamantala lang sa kahinaan ng mga GIDA.
“For many of these communities, the BDP became the first development program they have ever received, not because of government insensitivity but due to the armed rebellion that deprived the development projects for many decades. Roads, schools, and health centers continue to be built, and sustainable livelihoods are being introduced,” paliwanag pa ni Torres.
Dagdag ni Torres, mismong mga CTG ang nahpabagal ng kaunlaran sa mga GIDA dahil ginagamit nila itong dahilan para maka-recruit ng kanilang miyembro.
“The revolution will build roads, bring education, deliver healthcare, and provide livelihoods. But what have they actually delivered in 56 years? Empty promises and bloodshed, wrapped up in highfalutin rhetoric,” pinunto pa ni Torres.
Samantalang ang NTF-ELCAC, ani Torres, sa loob ng anim na taon ay nai-deliver ang mga pangangailangan ng mga GIDA.
Ito umano’y nasaksihan ng Makabayan Bloc, kaya naman sinisiraan nito ang NTF-ELCAC at balak pang tanggalan ito ng pondo.
“They (Makabayan Bloc) have gone so far as deliberately distorting facts and outright lying to undermine the Barangay Development Program. They have falsely claimed that the NTF-ELCAC holds and controls the funds for BDP, fueling misconceptions that these funds are misused to harass activists rather than serve their intended purpose. In truth, the funds for the BDP are managed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), a member agency of the task force. The BDP is monitored through a third-party mechanism involving civil society organizations (CSOs), providing an additional safeguard against misuse,” paliwanag ni Torres. RNT