Philippines seeks UN Security Council seat while facing scrutiny for NTF-ELCAC

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines continues to court other nations’ support for its bid for a seat in the powerful United Nations Security Council while maintaining a controversial anti-insurgency task force that two UN special rapporteurs have called to disband. 

During his visit to Mongolia from August 4 to 5, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo assured Mongolia that the Philippines would continue to be a “peacemaker” if elected as a member of the UN Security Council for 2027-2028. The country was last elected as one of 10 non-permanent members of the council from 2004 to 2005.

The Philippines’ planned candidature at the UN’s main body for maintaining international peace and solidarity was first announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during his speech at the UN General Assembly in September 2022.

Tight competition for seats in the 15-member council — widely considered the most powerful international body — has compelled nations like the Philippines to campaign years ahead. 

Countries with a seat in the council can vote on resolutions that will authorize the use of force in maintaining or restoring international peace and security.

“If we become a member, Mongolia can count on the Philippines to participate in the Council in an open, inclusive and constructive manner,” Manalo said at a press conference on Tuesday with Mongolian foreign minister Battsetseg Batmunkh.

Manalo also told Batmunkh that the Philippines will keep being a “committed partner, pathfinder, and peacemaker” if elected to the council, according to a DFA press release.

Prior to this, the Philippines was able to secure the verbal support of 16 members of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) during its 31st meeting in Manila in November 2023, according to then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri.

While the Philippines vies to be among the council's non-permanent members, the five countries serving as permanent members are China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. Security council members, particularly Russia and China, have faced criticisms for human rights violations.

Their seats, however, were historically granted in the aftermath of World War II and there is a lack of mechanism for removing permanent members.

Call to abolish NTF-ELCAC

Marcos’ plan to vie for a seat in the council came under scrutiny in February when Irene Khan, UN special rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, called on the Philippine government to fix its human rights record before seeking international leadership roles.

Khan said that while Marcos’ approach to human rights and engaging with international bodies has “set a new tone” compared to his predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, this is not enough to “turn the page decisively on the past.”  

"It can hardly be a security council member and not manage its own security problems in line with UN standards," Khan said. 

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One of Khan’s recommendations to the Philippine government was to disband the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) — a Duterte-era body that was created “six years ago in a different context” and is now “outdated.” 

Khan said victims of red-tagging often point to the NTF-ELCAC either as the “culprit or the instigator” while others have also identified state security officials, the military and “some media outlets linked to political figures” as perpetrators.

In November 2023, Ian Fry, the former UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, similarly made the call to abolish the NTF-ELCAC for endangering the lives of environmental defenders.

Carlos Conde, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the Philippine government should heed the recommendations made by international experts of the UN and other civil society groups to disband the NTF-ELCAC. 

“While the Philippines has a right to seek a seat at the UNSC, it has a duty and responsibility to heed the recommendations to improve the human rights situation in the country,” Conde told Philstar.com.

“And it can do this by, among other steps, disbanding the NTF-ELCAC. that is behind the harassment and threats faced by activists and critics,” he added.

Marcos said in May that the government still needs the task force to provide assistance to former rebels.

The Marcos administration tripled the funding of the NTF-ELCAC in the proposed spending plan for 2025, raising its budget for barangay development programs from P2.2 billion to P7.8 billion. 

Shared values with Mongolia

During his visit to Mongolia, Manalo also reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to enhancing bilateral relations with Mongolia and stressed the need for both countries to work together “in support of an open, inclusive, and rules-based international order.”

Manalo said the Philippines shares the same values of “freedom, democracy and respect for the rule of law” with Mongolia — the first country in Asia to pass a law protecting human rights defenders.

The DFA chief also drew similarities between the Philippines’ independent foreign policy with Mongolia’s third neighbor policy, which seeks to strengthen the country’s foreign relations beyond its immediate neighborhood. Mongolia is located between Russia and China.