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House leader says calls to defund NTF-ELCAC a ‘knee-jerk reaction’
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO,GMA NewsDeputy Speaker and Cagayan De Oro City Representative Rufus Rodriguez on Wednesday deemed calls to defund the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), following its alleged red-tagging spree, as a "knee-jerk reaction."
In a television interview, Rodriguez pointed out that there should still be a proper investigation on how the anti-communist insurgency task force has utilized its P19-billion budget for fiscal year 2021.
"That is a very knee jerk reaction to what the head or the spokesman have said," Rodriguez told ANC.
"There has to be a proper investigation. [Had] this money been earmarked, [had] it been given properly... this is a matter of evaluation," he added.
The lawmaker noted that Congress had approved this budget to bring money to more or less 800 far-flung barangays, which were not reached by the government before.
He said lawmakers should be careful in considering to "cancel" the budget of the NTF-ELCAC.
"You know sometimes we have to carefully think on what is good for the country, especially those who are less served," Rodriguez said.
Audit
Some lawmakers from the House of Representatives have called for an audit of the NTF-ELCAC's budget
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Deputy Speaker Michael Romero has pushed for a congressional inquiry into how NTF-ELCAC is using its budget, saying that its bulk "could be rechanneled to giving more direct financial aid to the unemployed workers displaced by the pandemic, upgrading contact tracing abilities, and providing more hospital beds."
Misamis Oriental Representative Juliette Uy also asked the Commission on Audit and the National Privacy Commission to immediately conduct their respective special audits on the NTF-ELCAC.
Members of the Makabayan bloc, on the other hand, called for the defunding of NTF-ELCAC and instead utilize the budget to assist those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the Senate, at least three senators have called for defunding the NTF-ELCAC over the red-tagging issue on community pantries.
But Senate President Vicente Sotto III thumbed down the suggestion, saying its officials should be replaced instead. On the other hand, Senator Ronald dela Rosa said defunding the NTF-ELCAC is a "wrong move" as it would only benefit communist rebels.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has clarified that the NTF-ELCAC does not hold the funds for the barangay development program as it is being given directly to provincial and city governments.
For 2021, the NTF-ELCAC was allocated with a P19 billion budget, of which P16.4 billion will go to its Barangay Development Program. — RSJ, GMA News