NTF-Elcac rejects Church criticism: P8B for villages not as ‘reward’
The proposed P8.08 billion allocation for conflict-affected barangays was not a discretionary fund or a “reward for peace” tied to counterinsurgency efforts, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) said on Thursday.
The task force, pushing back against criticism from Catholic groups, explained that the amount refers to the Barangay Development Program (BDP), a multi-agency initiative implemented by regular government departments, not by NTF-Elcac itself.
Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., NTF-Elcac executive director, said in a statement that portraying the allocation as an “NTF-Elcac fund” was misleading. He emphasized that the task force does not handle or disburse the money and has no operational control over the projects.
The clarification followed concerns raised by Caritas Philippines and the Episcopal Commission on Social Action, Justice and Peace, which questioned whether the funds functioned as incentives for communities to support the government’s anti-insurgency campaign.
Torres said the barangay program is carried out by line agencies including the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, and the Department of Education, among others.
Corrective intervention
Torres added that projects are identified by barangays, endorsed by local development councils and implemented by local governments and national agencies.
“The BDP is not a prize handed out after compliance. It is a corrective intervention—belated state action to address historical exclusion and governance failure,” he said.
He further explained that the program was intended to address long-standing shortages in basic services in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, including roads, schools, health facilities, water systems and electrification.
Torres also addressed human rights concerns linked to counterinsurgency operations, saying violations were not government policy and should be investigated through existing accountability mechanisms.
He said rights discussions should also include abuses attributed to the communist movement led by the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front, including intimidation and killings of civilians.
He warned that framing development programs in former conflict areas as inherently coercive risks undermine efforts to reduce poverty and underdevelopment, which—the government says—fuels armed rebellion.
The NTF-Elcac said it remains open to dialogue with church groups and other critics. It also urged discussions grounded in the roles of implementing agencies and the experiences of beneficiary communities.
