Utilization of NTF-ELCAC budget has become politicized, says Lacson

The utilization of the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has become politicized, according to presidential aspirant and Senator Panfilo Lacson. 

Lacson said on Saturday's The Mangahas Interviews that he is frustrated with the agency's budget allocation.

“Supportive ako sa NTF-ELCAC kaya nga lang [over] the course of time nung iniimplement na nahaluan na ng politika. May mga siyudad at bayan dahil malapit sa administrasyon yun pa ang nabibigyan ng barangay program miski walang surrenderers,” Lacson, who sponsored the NTF-ELCAC’s budget for 2021, said.

(I am supportive of NTF-ELCAC. However, over the course of time, when it was being implemented, it became politicized. Even though there were no surrenderers, cities and municipalities close to the administration were given allocations under the barangay development program.)

“Kung susundan lang yung tamang konsepto ng NTF-ELCAC na barangay development program napakaganda kasi pinag-aralan din namin ito sa aming counter-insurgency campaign,” he added.

(If we just follow the right concept of the NTF-ELCAC barangay development program, it was very good because we also studied it in our counter insurgency campaign.)

Lacson said that he wanted to improve the program's implementation.

“Dahil sa politika minimisuse yung budget, yun ang gusto kong itama. Ilagay natin talaga sa needs and priorities,” he added.

(Because of politics, the agency’s budget was misused. That's what I want to correct. Let's really focus on the needs and priorities.)

Under the P5.024-trillion national budget for 2022, the NTF-ELCAC was allotted more than P16 billion.

During the Senate plenary debates on the proposed 2022 budget last year, it was revealed that only 26 out of the 2,318 projects have been completed by the NTF-ELCAC.

Some lawmakers had called for the defunding or abolition of the task force because of the reported red-tagging activities of some of its officials. — VBL, GMA News