IP, Anti-Poverty Chiefs Named to Lead NTF-ELCAC's Grassroots Development and Empowerment Drive

June 15, 2026

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has designated National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Nancy Alaan Catamco and National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Lead Convenor Secretary Lope B. Santos III as the government's new grassroots development and empowerment leaders, placing indigenous peoples and the country's basic sectors at the forefront of the Task Force's unity, peace and development campaign.

The designation was formalized during the Sectoral Unification, Capacity Building, Empowerment, and Mobilization (SUCBEM) Cluster Meeting held at the PSR Compound in Manila, where leadership of the cluster formally transitioned from Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Marlo L. Iringan to the NCIP and NAPC as co-chairing agencies.

The move represents a significant strengthening of the government's Whole-of-Nation Approach to address the root causes of insurgency by expanding the role of grassroots communities, indigenous peoples, and marginalized sectors in sustaining the country's hard-earned peace gains.

NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr. described the designation as a timely and strategic step in broadening citizen participation and ensuring that peacebuilding efforts remain deeply rooted in communities.

"Peace is sustained not only through security interventions but through empowered communities, responsive governance, and meaningful participation by every sector of society," Torres said.

"By designating the NCIP and the NAPC to lead the SUCBEM Cluster, we are bringing the voices of indigenous peoples and the country's basic sectors directly into the center of our peace and development agenda. This strengthens community ownership of the peace process and ensures that government interventions remain inclusive, responsive, and sustainable," he stressed.

Chairperson Catamco brings to the SUCBEM Cluster decades of public service experience, including her tenure as Governor of North Cotabato and member of Congress, among others.

Her leadership is expected to deepen government engagement with Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas where peace and development efforts must be sustained and protected.

Meanwhile, Secretary Santos assumes a key role in ensuring that anti-poverty initiatives and social development programs are closely integrated with peacebuilding efforts. As Lead Convenor of the NAPC, Santos represents the interests of the nation's fourteen basic sectors, including farmers, rural workers, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous peoples, workers in formal and informal labor, women, children, youth and students, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, victims of disasters, non-government organizations and cooperatives.

According to the NTF-ELCAC Secretariat, the expanded leadership structure reflects the government's recognition that lasting peace cannot be achieved solely through security measures. It must also be anchored on social justice, inclusive development, citizen empowerment, and meaningful participation by communities themselves.

The designation likewise operationalizes the objectives of Memorandum Circular No. 83, which adopted the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025–2028 as the country's strategic roadmap for consolidating peace gains and advancing development in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.

Under the NAP-UPD, government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, faith-based institutions, academic partners, and the private sector are aligned under three strategic pillars: Unity, Peace and Security, and Socioeconomic Development.

The inclusion of the NAPC in the leadership of the SUCBEM Cluster is particularly significant because it institutionalizes the participation of the country's basic sectors within the government's peace architecture. At the same time, the leadership of the NCIP ensures that indigenous communities remain active partners in safeguarding peace, preserving cultural integrity, and advancing inclusive development.

Torres emphasized that the designation of Catamco and Santos reflects the continuing evolution of the Whole-of-Nation Approach from a conflict-management framework into a broader nation-building strategy anchored on citizen participation and community resilience.

"As we move forward, our goal is not merely to end armed conflict but to build stronger communities, expand opportunities, empower citizens, and ensure that every Filipino sector becomes a stakeholder in peace and development," Torres pointed out.

With Catamco and Santos now serving as co-chairpersons of the SUCBEM Cluster, the NTF-ELCAC expects to accelerate grassroots mobilization, strengthen sectoral partnerships, expand civic participation, and further institutionalize community-driven peace and development initiatives across the country.