Build on gains, not tear them down

July 16, 2025

When we look at the journey of the Filipino people in finally breaking the cycle of more than five decades of armed communist insurgency, one thing stands out: there is nothing for us to gain, and so much to lose, if we allow the hard-won gains of the past six years to fall victim to narratives that dwell only on the sensational, and ignore the substance.

It is too convenient that only the most dramatic lines of, say, the recent UN Special Rapporteur’s report are amplified, while glossing over the positive reforms under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. For instance, the Philippines climbed 18 spots in the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index this year, recorded zero journalist killings in 2024 according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, and enacted Administrative Order No. 35 that established the Inter‑Agency Committee on Extra‑Legal Killings to seek accountability.

These developments show commitment to strengthening media freedom and human rights beyond mere gestures, but they often remain buried beneath louder headlines. Some of these stories of progress and quiet transformation did not make it to Ms. Irene Khan’s report, but we trust our media colleagues to shine a light on these as well.

As it stands, there seems to be little appetite for stories that highlight the voices of former rebels, the families they have reunited with, or the communities that have finally been freed from decades of communist exploitation and fear. Worse, their dire warnings seem to fall on deaf ears.

In the constant drumbeat to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), what is glaringly absent in the mainstream coverage are the stories of those who have the most at stake: the former rebels, the parents who lost daughters and sons to national democratic activism and armed struggle, the barangays that are now reaping the benefits of peace and security. Those who once lived in the shadow of the so-called people’s war can speak best to the reality that cannot be captured by headlines or hashtags. It is easy to dismiss them as “fake surrenderers,” “traitors,” or “mass surrenderers,” but perhaps we owe it to the public to listen before passing judgment.

For the NTF-ELCAC, the expected barrage of criticism from the CPP-NPA-NDF and its echo chambers in their "white area" operations is part of the terrain. However, we urge all stakeholders, especially those in media and civil society, to dig deeper. Journalism, after all, is not just about amplifying outrage, but about seeking the whole truth, including the perspectives of those who are often written off as mere statistics or “collateral damage.”

It is worth pointing out that while the task force continues to evolve, shifting from mostly security-driven programs to inclusive peace-building and community development, the criticisms against it seem stuck in the past, recycled from the same script. The task force is committed to building peace better; hindi lang basta inuulit ang dati, kundi pinalalalim at pinalalawak pa ang mga tagumpay na naipundar na natin.

The confidence that the President and the government place in the task force is not something we take for granted. It is a call to do better, to engage critics constructively, and to continue reforming where necessary. We recognize that much remains to be done. There is no triumphalism here; only a sober understanding that peace is not an overnight miracle, but a harvest that takes time and patience.

To abolish the task force now would be to rush a hard-earned victory that is still taking root, and the cloaked enemy is still at bay. Mahihinog sa pilit ang ating pinagbubunying tagumpay, and, in the end, it is the next generation who will pay the price.

We invite all sectors, including our fiercest critics, to walk with us, talk with us, and see the reality on the ground. Kung tunay ang malasakit, sana’y mas marami ang makinig kaysa maghusga. After all, the real test of progress is not in the noise we make, but in the peace our people finally enjoy.

Ernesto C. Torres Jr.

Executive Director, National Secretariat

National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict