NTF-ELCAC Marks 7th Year, Warns vs ‘Spy-Tagging’ and Highlights Gains in Peace and Development

December 04, 2025

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday warned against the continuing use of “spy‑tagging” by communist terrorist groups and called on the media and the public to help defend the country’s peace and development gains.

“Spy‑tagging is not propaganda—it is a death sentence,” said Ernesto C. Torres Jr., Executive Director of the NTF-ELCAC National Secretariat, in a press conference ahead of the Task Force's 7th anniversary with the theme, “Beyond Conflict: Seven Years of Sustaining the Gains Toward Unity, Peace, and Development.”

“When people are falsely branded as spies, they become targets for execution. Entire communities are terrorized into silence,” he said.

Torres urged media organizations to help expose and counter such tactics and to amplify accurate information about government programs.

“We need the support of media to reach even those still in the mountains and show that government programs truly care for them,” he said. “Truth is our strongest weapon against terrorism.”

Peace and Development Gains

Torres cited the Barangay Development Program (BDP) as a cornerstone of the government’s peace strategy.

“Development—not terror—wins,” he said. “These are real roads, classrooms, water systems, health stations, and livelihood projects that extremists can never provide.”

Since 2021, the BDP has delivered ₱36.82 billion worth of projects to 4,830 formerly conflict-affected barangays, benefiting more than 15.8 million Filipinos.

Responding to calls to defund the program, Torres clarified that NTF-ELCAC does not handle BDP funds.

“Barangays identify their needs, local governments implement the projects, and we ensure transparency and strict monitoring,” he said. “Attacking the BDP is an attack on the poorest communities.”

Reintegration and Amnesty

Torres also reported significant gains in reintegration through the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) and the government’s Amnesty Program.

“Thousands of former rebels are choosing the path of peace,” he said. “They are returning to society with restored rights, livelihood, and renewed hope.”

From 2019 to 2025, a total of 50,907 individuals from various threat groups have returned to the fold of the law, including 15,670 NPA members. Over 10,000 firearms have been surrendered nationwide.

“These are not negotiations on paper—these are concrete collapses of armed structures,” Torres emphasized.

Civilian-Led Peace Roadmap

Torres said the next phase of peacebuilding is guided by the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace, and Development (NAP‑UPD), adopted through Memorandum Circular No. 83.

“This is now a civilian-led, governance-driven, and rights-based peace roadmap,” he said. “Peace is embedded in local governance, not just in security operations.”

Under the peace and security pillar, multiple guerrilla fronts and underground regional units have been dismantled across the country, and 15 Peace and Development Centers have been established. The President has earlier declared that there are no more active guerrilla fronts nationwide.

Recent field data from November 1 to December 3, 2025, recorded 12 armed encounters, the recovery of 63 firearms, the surrender of 91 insurgents, and the capture of three others.

“We mourn two soldiers who died in the line of duty,” Torres said. “Their sacrifice reminds us what is at stake if we allow terror to return.”

Call for Unity and Vigilance

As NTF-ELCAC marks seven years since its creation under Executive Order No. 70, Torres called for sustained unity and vigilance.

“The gains are real, but they are fragile if we grow complacent. Peace is not the job of one agency. It is the shared responsibility of a whole nation,” he said.

“If we want conflict never to return, if we want communities to remain safe, if we want our children to grow up free from fear, then we must all defend unity, protect peace, and sustain inclusive development," Torres ended.

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