Recent moves by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. clearly point to his desire to consolidate the achievements of the NTF-ELCAC and further strengthen this body which was created by the previous Duterte administration to help terminate the longest running communist insurgency in Asia.
First, Marcos appointed to the NTF-ELCAC Vice President Sara Duterte, the feisty former Davao City mayor who takes her anti-communist advocacy seriously, fighting the New People’s Army, Communist Party of the Philippines and National Democratic Front from her home city of Davao to the Office of the Vice President and further on to the Department of Education.
As task force co-vice chair, VP Duterte will have the necessary legal and political clout to firmly engage the communist rebels, especially in the area of education and recruitment which are most important to the insurgents because the life and survival of their aging organization depends on new blood.
Then just last week, President Marcos and his National Security Adviser (NSA) Secretary Eduardo Año welcomed the membership of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), through its Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs, into the NTF-ELCAC.
‘Let us see how the Church’s participation in the anti-insurgency program will play out before hurling criticisms on this new initiative to attain peace for the nation.’
Año, who sits as co-vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, said they were opening the doors of the anti-insurgency task force to the Catholic Church “because it has an important role to play in ending violence and terrorism in the country.” He added that the government looks forward to working with the bishops in pursuing peace and development in all parts of the country, especially in conflict-affected areas.
“For more than 50 years, we have lived under the scourge of the communist armed conflict. With peace now in sight, the Church has an important role to play in ensuring peace and development in the long term,” the President’s national security adviser said.
Like previous PBBM issuances and initiatives, this one on the NTF-ELCAC was immediately criticized by left-leaning groups, particularly a youth organization calling itself Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) led by one Kej Andres.
Andres said they were surprised by this move, as the bishops had been vocal on the “excesses” of the government on human rights and red-tagging. The Bagong Alyansang “Since the red-tagging of NTF-ELCAC has killed, put into bars numerous church people, it is very disturbing for the religious people… this kind of engagement [of the CBCP] with [the task force],” said Andres.
Makabayan, meanwhile, is worried that the participation of the religious might “deodorize” the work of the anti-insurgency task force.
The critics fail to recognize that by being part of the task force’s executive committee, the CBCP’s episcopal commission can immediately address concerns raised by the Church or by cause-oriented groups supported by them.
“Because of this development, the Church will have more opportunity to relay its concerns, since its mandate is to act as a liaison of the CBCP to the government,” the NSA said. Año is thankful that CBCP’s Fr. Jerome Secillano attended the NTF-ELCAC’s execom meeting last Thursday presided by the President in Malacañang.
Let us see how the Church’s participation in the anti-insurgency program will play out before hurling criticisms on this new initiative to attain peace for the nation.
