Abolish NTF-ELCAC, President Marcos urged

MANILA, Philippines — Gabriela women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas yesterday asked President Marcos to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), which was created by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2018 to supposedly stop communist insurgency.

Duterte is in The Hague to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court.

“Now is the perfect time for President Marcos to prove his commitment to human rights by dismantling one of the most oppressive state apparatuses created under the Duterte regime,” Brosas said. 

She said the NTF-ELCAC has been used to red-tag, harass and intimidate legitimate people’s organizations, activists and human rights defenders.

Brosas said the NTF-ELCAC has never been an instrument for peace.

“Instead, it has been a tool for widespread abuse, suppression and violation of human rights. It is time to end an agency that is spreading fear among communities,” she said.

Brosas said the NTF-ELCAC undermined democratic spaces through red-tagging campaigns that put countless lives at risk. 

She said women activists and community organizers have been targeted by these attacks.

“Marcos is accountable to this because he is allowing Duterte’s anti-people policy to continue,” Brosas said.

She called for accountability for all human rights violations committed under the auspices of the NTF-ELCAC.

Brosas said the task force’s P1.95-billion budget could be better used for social services.