Gordon vows to create special committee to probe NTF-ELCAC budget

Senator Richard Gordon on Monday said he would establish a special Senate committee to investigate the budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) should he win the senatorial race in the 2022 elections.

In an ANC interview, Gordon was asked about his plans for the anti-communist task force’s budget considering that they had requested an increase in 2022 despite allegedly red-tagging certain candidates for the May 9 polls.

“I will call for a special investigation, a special Senate investigation palagi. ‘Yung ongoing katulad sa America. It is an exclusive group of senators who investigate the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) and they report there para at least there are checks and balance,” the senator explained.

(I will always call for a special Senate investigation. One which is ongoing like in America where they have an exclusive group of senators who investigate the CIA and they report there for checks and balances.)

“That’s what I’ll do. I’m going to have a special committee established na walang gagawin ‘yan ‘pag may mga ganyan–tatawagan sila, magpaliwanag sila, hingin ang kanilang budget, anong ginagawa nila para matitigilan sila (they will be called whenever there’s a need to explain what the NTF-ELCAC does or about their budget). It’s an oversight function of the Senate,” he added.

Senator Sonny Angara earlier said the NTF-ELCAC’s 2022 budget was set to at least P16 billion.

During the Senate plenary debates on the proposed 2022 budget, it was revealed that only 26 out of the 2,318 NTF-ELCAC projects had been completed. This was the reason why the Senate panel initially slashed the task force's budget to P4 billion.

Further, Gordon stressed that red-tagging was wrong, despite him not being against the arrest of communists in the country.

“Hindi ko namang sinasabing bawal hulihin ‘yung mga komunista eh. Dapat, wag naman magre-redtagging dahil delikado ‘yan,” he said.

(I didn't say that arresting the communists is illegal, but others should not be red-tagged because that is dangerous.)

Several members of the Makabayan bloc last week filed a criminal complaint against officials of NTF-ELCAC and its spokesperson Undersecretary Lorraine Marie Badoy for allegedly red-tagging presidential bet and Vice President Leni Robredo.

They accused Badoy of engaging in partisan political activity, which is prohibited under the Omnibus Election Code and the Administrative Code of 1987, after she linked Robredo to the communist rebels in a March 14 statement.

Robredo previously belied claims that she would form a coalition government with the CPP, the New People’s Army (NPA), and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDF).

GMA News Online has sought comment from the NTF-ELCAC regarding Gordon’s statement but they have yet to respond as of posting time. — DVM, GMA News