PBBM ASKED TO HEED U.N. EXPERTS’ CALL TO ABOLISH NTF-ELCAC

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Following the recommendation of two United Nations (UN) experts to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), two creative artists’ groups have urged President Ferdinand “Bongbong ” Marcos Jr. to heed the call.

Raymund Villanueva of AlterMidya, said the President should personally address the recommendations, rather than allowing other government officials to speak on his behalf.

“Una, magsalita naman si Presidente. The president as chief executive must not let people like [Jonathan] Malaya, [Eduardo] Año, and others like them to speak for his policies and his government. Kasi kinokontra na siya directly ng mga underlings na ito. We need to hear the president and hear directly from him kung ano ang reaksyon niya doon sa mga recommendations na ito,” Villanueva noted.

Lito Ito of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) also exhorted PBBM to consider the special rapporteur’s recommendations.

“The best way of engaging is to act in the recommendations of the special rapporteur. [Former president Rodrigo] Duterte was quite offensive and loud but on the other hand the total or polar opposite na spineless and silent, that is not a good thing either,” Ito quipped.

On Friday (February 2), UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan on Friday recommended the abolition of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to “address critical drivers of red tagging” and allow for more inclusive peacemaking platforms.

Khan made the recommendation after she concluded her 10-day investigation in the country, which included meetings with government officials, civil society members, journalists, and activists to determine the state of the freedom of opinion and expression in the Philippines.

Before Khan’s visit, UN Special Rapporteur Ian Fry also recommended the abolition of NTF-ELCAC.

But National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año shot down Khan’s recommendation to scrap the NTF-ELCAC.

“We respectfully disagree with UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan’s recommendation made this morning to abolish the NTF-ELCAC,” Año said in a statement.

(el Amigo/MNM)