Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vowed full support for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in its battle against insurgency.
Marcos assured the task force of additional funding if he gets elected in the May 9 polls.
He had previously lamented the Senate Finance Committee’s decision to slash the NTF-ELCAC’s budget, saying this may put to waste the inroads government achieved in its anti-insurgency efforts.
Marcos commended what he described as an excellent performance of the anti-insurgency body.
He also noted NTF-ELCAC’s vital role in providing rebel returnees livelihood opportunities and a chance to re-integrate into society.
“I think we should continue that. It is something that has a good effect and rebel returnees are given the chance to start anew and to rejoin the society,” Marcos said.
Marcos also pledged to give more funds to the task force’s Support to Barangay Development program that aims to provide P20 million to communities that are declared communist-free.
“We have to invest in success. If the program is successful, we have to give it more funding,” he added.
In 2021, more than 822 villages all over the country benefited from the Support to Barangay Development program.