CHR urges NTF-ELCAC: Review your mandate

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Monday called on the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to review its mandate following the call of UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Opinion and Expression Irene Khan to abolish the task force.

''The Commission also acknowledges the recommendation regarding the mandate of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC). We extend our reminder to fellow duty-bearers that Philippine democracy thrives at the core of promoting and protecting the dignity of every Filipino, including their right to participate in public governance,'' the CHR said in a statement.

''As such, we urge the NTF-ELCAC to review its mandate and assess how it can attend to the current needs of the country,'' it added.

The CHR said that it is ''more than ready to put forward policy advisories and offer relevant training aligned with our promotion mandate to further equip the NTF-ELCAC in fulfilling its mandate through a human rights-based approach.''

The agency mentioned that it held a forum on red-tagging last December 6, 2023 where representatives from the civil society, alongside the NTF-ELCAC, took part in discussions to gather insights on the matter and foster constructive dialogue among stakeholders.

''This year, CHR is slated to hold its Inquiry on Red-tagging to further nuance the dialogue between the government and civil society on the harms brought by these actions to the life, liberty, and security of the public,'' it said.

Khan called for the abolition of the task force as she called it “outdated” and stressed that it “does not take into account the ongoing prospects for peace negotiations.”

Reached for his comment, Jonathan Malaya, assistant director general of the National Security Council, guaranteed that the NTF-ELCAC is prepared to work with the CHR on its continuing assessment of its mandate; and the proposed transition of NTF-ELCAC to NTF UPD (Unity, Peace and Devt).

''Such assessment and transition were already being done by the NTF ELCAC since May of 2023 under the Marcos Administration,'' Malaya told GMA News Online.

''As clearly stated by NSA Eduardo M. Año, once all 11 remaining weakened guerilla fronts are dismantled, the NTF ELCAC will transition into a new task force hopefully this year,'' he added.

Earlier, Malaya said it would “not be proper at this time” to abolish the task force, given two supervening events, such as the government’s “strategic victory” over the communist rebels and the exploratory peace talks with the Communist People’s Party-NPA-National Democratic Front.

"The NTF-ELCAC has been the game-changer in the government’s fight against communist terrorism," Malaya told a press briefing early this month. "Please take note that this is a 52-year old running insurgency. Now that we have reached this stage in the campaign, we feel it is improper to call for its abolition," he added.

Violence against journalists

Meanwhile in the same statement, the CHR also echoed the call of the Special Rapporteur for the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) to also review their approach in viewing and investigating violence committed against journalists.

It pointed out that this could be done by prioritizing the establishment of a standard definition of a media worker to determine how to approach investigations which involve their line of work.

''To further understand the dangers and challenges which hinder journalists from fully performing their work, it is incumbent upon the Philippine government to recognize that their duty to deliver the truth to the public comes with a heavier risk in their safety,'' it said.

''As such, CHR also expresses its hope that the PTFoMS will strengthen its coordination with the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies in ensuring that the investigations concerning media-related violence are attended to with a keen eye on considering their work and that rule of law is consistently upheld,'' it added.

For his part, PTFoMS Undersecretary Paul Gutierrez said that while ''we always recognize that there will always be room for improvement and the task ahead of us always proved challenging, it would be unfair to downgrade the current inter-agency effort to address violence against the media headed by the PTFoMS as lacking ‘institutional capacity, proper systems or a clear policy framework on the protection and safety and prevention of attacks on journalist,’ as mentioned in the preliminary observations by UNSR Irene Khan.''

Gutierrez said of the four cases of media killings under the current administration cited by Ms. Khan—Renato Blanco (September 18, 2022), Percival Mabasa (October 3, 2022), Cris Bundoquin (May 29, 2023) and Juan ‘DJ Johnny Walker’ Jumalon (November 5, 2023), ''she must have been misinformed that only ‘one case’ has been prosecuted and ‘another’ is in the process of investigation.''

“This conclusion is erroneous as the facts of these incidents showed that all the suspects have already been identified, some of them already in detention and already undergoing trial, with the exception of the Jumalon case where the complaint for murder and theft against the 3 identified suspects are presently under evaluation by the provincial prosecutor of Misamis Occidental,'' he said.

Gutierrez said the developments on the case were a product of close coordination between the PTFoMS and the law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez thanked the CHR for their strong partnership in upholding press freedom and human rights in the country.

''We always view our partnership with the CHR in a positive light as we are on the same page when it comes to the promotion and strengthening of human rights in general and the right to freedom of opinion and expression in particular. Thus, we welcome any suggestion or constructive criticism coming from it,” Gutierrez said.

The CHR said it acknowledges the findings of Khan ''to pave the way towards a safer environment for Filipinos in upholding their right to opinion and expression.''

''Particularly, the Commission reaffirms its call to partner with the government in bolstering efforts that put an end on the practice of red-tagging. We must remain mindful that red-tagging is a human rights violation on its own and may lead to a multiplicity of other acts of violence which put the welfare of the general public at risk,'' the CHR said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News