MANILA – The Executive Committee (ExeCom) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday called for stronger inter-agency cooperation to address online radicalization and terrorism financing.
The recommendation was made during the 10th NTF-ELCAC ExeCom meeting convened by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at Malacañan Palace, where officials reviewed the task force’s accomplishments and the implementation of programs under the National Action Plan on Unity, Peace and Development 2025-2028.
NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Danilo Pamonag urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Department of Information and Communications Technology and National Bureau of Investigation to strengthen cybersecurity measures.
The call came amid reports that alleged terrorist front organizations are exploiting social media platforms to raise funds and resources for their political and armed struggles.
Pamonag also urged NICA, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and National Youth Commission to develop programs that engage young people and protect students from campus radicalization and recruitment.
He reported that 27,897 former members and supporters of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have returned to the fold of the law since 2022, receiving a combined PHP1 billion in assistance through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program.
The National Amnesty Commission is also processing 13,841 amnesty applications from former CPP-NPA-NDF members.
Pamonag urged member-agencies to prioritize programs and projects that support the transformation of former members and facilitate their reintegration into mainstream society.
On the security front, the task force reported that sustained operations and peace-building initiatives under its Peace, Law Enforcement and Development Support Cluster have weakened communist terrorist groups.
A total of 1,355 members of communist terrorist groups were reportedly neutralized this year. Most of them, or 1,227, surrendered while 79 were killed in military operations.
Authorities also seized or recovered 49 firearms and 308 anti-personnel mines, and dismantled 57 New People’s Army encampments.
The task force further reported that 33,381 villages in 62 provinces have attained Stable Internal Peace and Security status, marking their transition from conflict toward peace, democratic governance and development.
Through the Barangay Development Program, the government has also implemented PHP44.9 billion worth of community development projects in 5,639 formerly conflict-affected villages.
These include 978 classrooms, 1,601 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, 1,182 water and sanitation systems, 556 health and medical stations, 24,740 streetlights and 9,630 electrification projects, benefiting about 16 million people.
“All these efforts are geared toward continually providing a safer and developed communities to even far-flung areas that would be felt by Filipinos around the archipelago. Hence, debunking the lies spread by the CPP-NPA-NDF,” the NTF-ELCAC ExeCom said in a statement. (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos/PNA)
