President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. presided over the 9th Executive Committee meeting of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday at Malacañang Palace, emphasizing a unified “whole-of-nation” strategy to permanently resolve the country’s decades-long insurgency.
During the high-level session, the President administered the oath to newly designated Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) and other key task force officials, reinforcing the administrative backbone of the government’s peace and security agenda.
Assessing Progress and Tactics
The committee conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the evolving tactics employed by communist groups. Central to the discussion was the status of the Barangay Development Program (BDP), the government’s flagship initiative aimed at transforming former conflict-affected areas into productive communities.
According to official reports, the BDP has successfully funded nearly 10,000 projects with a total investment of ₱46.85 billion. These initiatives have reached approximately 15.85 million Filipinos across more than 5,600 barangays nationwide.
The completed infrastructure and service projects include:
- Farm-to-market roads to boost local economies.
- Classrooms and health stations for essential social services.
- Water systems and electrification to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
Reintegration and Amnesty
The task force highlighted a significant milestone in its peace-building efforts, noting that the National Amnesty Program has already received 13,647 applicants.
Officials viewed this high turnout as a positive indicator of increasing trust in the government’s reintegration process.
Moving forward, the committee discussed several policy directions to sustain these gains, including:
- The potential extension of the amnesty program.
- The expansion of development funding for grassroots projects.
- Strengthened inter-agency coordination to combat recruitment and misinformation.
Addressing Emerging Challenges
While celebrating development milestones, NTF-ELCAC officials underscored the need for vigilance against “emerging challenges such as recruitment activities, misinformation, and external support networks.”
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to ensuring that the transition from conflict to sustainable peace is supported by continuous government presence and economic opportunity in the countryside.