NTF-ELCAC rejects call for abolition

THE National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) yesterday took strong exception to the recommendation of visiting UN special rapporteur Ian Fry to abolish it.

“In the interest of fairness and justice, he should have raised his concerns with us to ensure that he has full appreciation of the body’s mandate, operations, and over-all directions,” said National Security Adviser Eduardo Año who is vice chairman of the task force.

Fry, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, met with various organizations and government officials while in the country to assess how the country is addressing the issue of climate change.

In a forum yesterday, he urged the Philippines to “disband” the task force which he said was “operating with impunity,” and sought an independent investigation into its operations.

Human rights groups have repeatedly accused the task force, created in 2018 by then-President Duterte, of “red-tagging,” the practice of accusing rivals or critics of supporting or joining rebels, as a pretext to silence, arrest or even kill them. The government denies that.

Fry said civil society organizations and indigenous people’s organizations told him “horrific stories,” including torture, forced disappearance, and extra-judicial killings.

Fry said these incidents are “totally unacceptable,” and surmised government “has lost control on this military organization and are moving beyond what is considered reasonable.”

Año said Fry, as a UN special rapporteur, was given “the freedom to move and inquire on matters related to his mandate.”

“But apparently, due to reasons beyond us, he has not exercised this to its full potential,” he said.

“Sadly, even if he had issues on the NTF-ELCAC that are relevant to his report, he did not find time to do so,” he added.

Año assured Fry that NTF-ELCAC, which is chaired by President Marcos Jr, “is a working and effective human rights mechanism founded on the principles of good and inclusive governance and we could have helped him define it in his study.”

“Specifically, we would have been able to provide valuable inputs on how the NTF-ELCAC has brought