TACLOBAN CITY – The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) has hailed the Joint Regional Task Force 8 (JRTF8) ELCAC for their efforts to end the insurgency that has plagued Eastern Visayas for the past 50 years.
In a Consultative Meeting on the Strategic Direction to End Local Armed Conflict in Eastern Visayas held on April 11, the NTF-ELCAC's Executive Director, Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres, Jr., commended the JRTF8-ELCAC's progress and urged the continuation of projects for EO 70 to reflect the people's aspirations.
Meanwhile, Tacloban City Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, Chairperson of the RPOC-EV and JRTF8-ELCAC Co-Vice-Chairperson, lauded the JRTF8-ELCAC's "very good results" from the consultative meeting and called for the provision of the best services to end the insurgency while adhering to the highest legal and moral standards.
The activity, jointly chaired by Usec. Torres of the NTF ELCAC, RPOC Chair Romualdez, and Major Gen. Camilo Z. Ligayo, JRTF8-ELCAC-TWG Chairperson, aimed to discuss the collaborative efforts of the RTF clusters in implementing EO70 in the region.
The consultative meeting was attended by the heads and members of the NTF-ELCAC, JRTF8-ELCAC, city mayors, and provincial presidents of the League of Municipalities in Region 8.
The discussion centered on the updates and successes in strengthening the counterinsurgency efforts of the JRTF-ELCAC and NTF-ELCAC through a whole-of-nation approach. The lead agency of each cluster presented their group's accomplishments, challenges in implementing projects, and plans for the future.
During the activity, DILG-8 LGMED Assistant Chief Adrian Colasito presented updates on the implementation of the agency's peace-related programs, including Local Government Empowerment (LGE), Basic Services (BS), Sectoral Unification, Capacity Building, Empowerment, and Mobilization (SUCBEM) Clusters, Communicating for Perpetual End to Extreme Violence and Forming Alliance Towards Positive Peace and Enriched Communities (C4PEACE), and Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP).
Regional Director Arnel M. Agabe, the Vice-Chairperson for Civilian Government of the JRTF8-ELCAC, highlighted the budget increase for SBDP from 4 million pesos in 2022 to 6.6 million pesos per barangay in 2023. He emphasized that this increase would help fully implement the program.
During the open forum, member agencies of JRTF8 and persons rescued from the Communist-Terrorist Group raised concerns and made recommendations with the guidance of the chairperson. —iTacloban (Source: DILG-8)