Robredo assures support for AFP in anti-insurgency campaign

Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday has assured support to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)’s campaign to end the country's insurgency problem.

Robredo received a security briefing with AFP chief Lieutenant General Andres Centino, Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Erickson Gloria, Deputy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Erick Kagaoan, and the military’s joint staff in Camp Aguinaldo.

During the briefing, the presidential aspirant assured the military leadership that she supports the mandate and functions of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

“I want to address the elephant in the room kasi I've been quoted so many times already that I'm for the abolition of NTF ELCAC. And I want to emphasize today that I am all for the mandate and the functions of ELCAC,” Robredo said.

“In fact, yung Barangay Development Fund, I think that's the best part of everything. Paniniwala ko, talagang (I believed) it is only through concepts like these that the problems of insurgency can be addressed upfront,” she added.

The Vice President also believed that most of the task force’s members are working to truly address the root causes of insurgency.

“I've been red tagged and the red tagging has been baseless. Kaisa nyo ako sa pagsubok na masugpo ito (I am with you to end the insurgency) by addressing the core of these problems, and the peripheral issues surrounding it,” Robredo said.

Earlier, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson for sectoral concerns Lorraine Badoy slammed Robredo after her remark in favor of the abolition of the agency.

Badoy said the Vice President’s stand against the agency only shows her “ignorance” about the government's mission in ending the local communist armed conflict.

Robredo, meanwhile, disclosed that the Office of the Vice President (OVP) has projects that focus on some of the country’s poorest provinces.

She also reiterated to the AFP officials at the briefing that the Filipinos’ “trust and confidence in the institution is solid.”

“Nagpapasalamat kami (We are thankful) that at no point you have squandered that trust. Masuwerte po kami lahat na kayo yung nandito (We are blessed because you are here). We feel secure that you are with us,” Robredo said.

This was Robredo’s fifth security briefing in the last five and a half years. At Friday's briefing, the presidential aspirant and the generals discussed the AFP Transformation Roadmap and the NTF-ELCAC.

She also thanked the AFP’s unwavering support to the OVP’s projects, especially during the pandemic, in which they helped to deliver PPE sets and medical supplies. -- Richa Noriega/BAP, GMA News