13 January 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict approaches the Chantal Anicoche case with sobriety, restraint, and a clear sense of responsibility. This is not a matter for spectacle or online trial. This is about the safety of a young person, the integrity of our legal process, and the accountability of those who place young people like her in harm’s way. First and foremost, we must keep in mind what matters most: Ms. Anicoche is alive, safe, an

January 08, 2026 “They call her a hero—her family says she was a victim”. The family of Jerlyn Rose Doydora, a young student who died after being drawn into underground activities linked to Kabataan Party-list in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro, has broken its silence—firmly rejecting attempts to portray her as a “hero” and asserting that she was instead a victim of deception, manipulation, and terror-grooming. In a FAQCheck press conference on Wednesday, Anabelle Sabado, Na

January 6, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said the January 1 series of armed encounters in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro have starkly exposed how terror-grooming operates on the ground—systematically drawing young Filipinos away from school, family, and civilian life, and leading them toward violence and, in tragic cases, death. In a statement, Usec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr., NTF-ELCAC Executive Director, stressed that while the

January 05, 2026 The armed encounters in Abra de Ilog, Occidental Mindoro on January 1 have been widely reported, but too often without the context that explains why the operation happened and who has been affected. We extend our condolences to the family and friends of Jerlyn Rose Doydora. No family should have to bury a child, and no young Filipino should be lured away from school and home into armed conflict. At the same time, we must be honest about what current informati

20 December 2025 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict welcomes the recent ruling of the Court of Appeals that affirmed a Regional Trial Court’s conviction in the Talaingod 13 case. It is, above all, a victory not just for the Lumad communities of Mindanao, but for all indigenous peoples across the country. For more than three decades, many Lumad communities have been treated as pawns by the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National

December 18, 2025 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday firmly rejected claims that the proposed ₱8.08-billion allocation related to ending local communist armed conflict constitutes a discretionary “NTF-ELCAC fund,” saying such portrayals are inaccurate and misleading. In a statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr. clarified that the amount being cited refers to the Barangay Development Progra