President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos honor the country’s most outstanding choirs in a ceremony titled Gintong Parangal: Honoring the Champion Choirs of 2024 at Malacañan Palace on November 24, 2024. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool

MANILA -- President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has rejected the call of Gabriela women’s party-list Representative Arlene Brosas to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), NTF-ELCAC Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya announced Wednesday. 

Malaya in a Palace briefing said that the President, who is also chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, “recognizes the success of the task force in decimating the terroristic activities of the CPP-NPA-NDF.”

“In response to the calls of Gabriella Partylist Congresswoman Arlene Brosas asking the President to abolish the NTF-ELCAC, I am sorry to relay the bad news to them – that the President made it clear today that he will never abolish the NTF-ELCAC,” Malaya said. 

"If I may quote the President this morning: 'I’m encouraged by the reports, our efforts are bearing fruit, we have to continue. It has been successful and we need to continue to invest in its success'," he added, 

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Malaya says that as many as 89 by the time the task force was established, there is currently only one remaining weakened guerilla front currently operating in the Philippines, which authorities hope to dismantle within the year. 

“At present, there are only 1,050 remaining NPA armed members scattered and isolated in some parts of the country. When NTF-ELCAC was organized, 89 po lahat iyan – 89 guerilla fronts and  now we are at one weakened guerilla front – that is equivalent to 98.88% accomplishment rate from the original target,” the official said. 

The NTF-ELCAC noted the death of CPP founder Joma Sison as well as the neutralization of several key communist leaders resulted in the significant decline of the CPP-NPA in the country. 

They also credited the effects of key government programs including “focused military and police operations that has led to the dismantling of almost all guerilla fronts; socioeconomic investments through the Barangay Development Program; and, of course, sustained localized peace engagements.”

“The CPP-NPA-NDF is also impeded in its recruitment efforts in schools and in universities because of the anti-terror grooming and anti-radicalization program of the NTF-ELCAC,” Malaya said. 

“With the loss of their mass base, the CPP-NPA is no longer able to impose their revolutionary taxation nor are they able to impose their permit to win or permit to campaign rules as in the past election. ‘Di po ba habang lumalaki tayo, laging isyu ‘yan – permit to campaign, permit to win, revolutionary tax. For this coming May elections, the CPP-NPA-NDF will no longer be a significant threat to the peaceful conduct of elections.” 

The NTF-ELCAC also denied what they call as the “baseless” allegations of red-tagging by the Gabriela Women’s Party. 

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Party-list nominees of the Gabriela Women’s Party on Wednesday filed a complaint against the NTF-ELCAC at the Commission on Elections for its supposed “continuous vicious and systematic vilification campaign” against the party during the election period. Gabriela alleged that the NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging as well as gender-based sexual harassment against them violate Comelec Resolution 11116 or the Anti-Discrimination and Fair Campaigning Guidelines for the May 2025 and BARMM Elections. 

“Red-tagging has never been the policy of the NTF-ELCAC. If any, it is the former rebels who are the ones red-tagging them ‘no. We have many individuals who were part of the communist movement who have now joined mainstream society and they are the ones exposing these individuals, those people they were part that they know for a fact who are part of the communist movement,” Malaya said. “So, I think the Gabriela Women’s Party list is barking at the wrong tree.”

Malaya says the allegations is part of efforts of the Gabriela Women’s Party to harass and intimidate the NTF-ELCAC. 

“These efforts will not bear fruit because as the President himself said very clearly this morning, the fruits of the NTF-ELCAC are very clear to see it’s bearing fruit and government must sustain these efforts so that we can finally put an end to communist insurgency in the country,” he said.