Esperon laments calls to defund gov't anti-insurgency program

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Sunday lamented calls to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's (NTF-ELCAC), saying it would affect efforts to stop insurgency in communities.

Several lawmakers have called for the realignment of the NTF-ELCAC's P19-billion allocation under the 2021 budget, intended for the development of communities recently cleared of communist insurgency and reeling from the effects of COVID-19.

Calls to defund the NTF-ELCAC stemmed from the statements of the national task force's spokesman Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. insinuating that that community pantry organizers had ties with communist groups.

"Of course yung barangay development program is for barangays. Kung aalisin na naman natin yung development fund e, babalik na naman ang NPA (New People's Army), doon yung underground organizations.  So hindi na naman matatapos ang insurgency," Esperon said in a phone interview with reporters.

(If they want to remove the development fund, then NPA would return, the underground organizations will return. Insurgency won't stop.)

But Esperon, who is also the vice chairperson of NTF-ELCAC, said the defunding would affect the task force's P16.4-billion allocation for the Barangay Development Program (BDP), which provides programs in communities to stop insurgency recruitment.

In an e-mailed statement, the military official said BDP's core programs comprise P12 million for 1 kilometer farm-to-market road; P3 million for classrooms and P2 million for sanitation systems; P1.5 million for health stations; and P1.5 million livelihood projects for each community.

"In addition, government agencies and partners from the private sector may come in and contribute to the development of these communities," Esperon said in the statement.

As of April 23, Esperon said 525 out of 822 barangays already endorsed their anti-insurgency programs and projects to the Department of Budget and management.

The DBM already approved projects of 483 barangays worth P9.66 billion, said Esperon.

"The BDP package of 483 barangays have already been approved with projects worth P 9.66B ready for release to the provincial and city governments for the benefit of barangays under their jurisdiction," he pointed out. —LBG, GMA News