May 10, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) welcomes and deeply appreciates the clear, courageous, and principled statement of Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson affirming the legitimacy of the April 19 Toboso encounter between government troops and remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA). The governor’s declaration carries profound weight because it comes from the highest elected official of Negros Occidental himself — a

May 06, 2026 Southern Leyte was officially declared under a Stable Internal Peace and Security Condition (SIPSC) on May 5, 2026, marking a major milestone in the government’s campaign to end local communist armed conflict. The achievement was made possible through the sustained operations of the 93rd Infantry Battalion (93IB), 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, under the operational control of the 802nd Brigade, in close coordination with LGUs, national government agenci

May 06, 2026 The National Security Council (NSC) has firmly rejected any move to revive national-level peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), declaring that such talks no longer reflect the will or interests of the Filipino people. In a strongly worded statement, National Security Adviser Eduardo SL Oban Jr. backed Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr., affirming that reopening talks with w

April 30, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday said the planned congressional inquiry into the April 19 encounter in Toboso, Negros Occidental must result in concrete legislative measures that will prevent similar incidents, especially those involving the youth. The statement followed the filing of House Resolution No. 968 seeking an investigation into the clash between government troops and members of the New People’s Arm

April 24, 2026 Giving more former rebels the chance to rebuild their lives and return to mainstream society, the NTF-ELCAC Executive Committee (EXECOM) has formally endorsed the extension of the Amnesty Program for another two years, a move fully backed by President Marcos Jr. NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. reported during the FAQCheck press conference on Thursday that while the program technically ended last March 13, the proposal from the N

March 29, 2026 On the eve of the New People’s Army’s (NPA) 57th anniversary, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) delivered a blunt message: there is nothing worth celebrating in a movement built on decades of violence, deception, and shattered communities. In a strongly worded statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Usec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr. said the CPP-NPA-NDF’s anniversary should instead be a moment of national reckoning. “For 57 yea

March 14, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has called on universities across the country to raise the level of discourse on insurgency, youth recruitment, and academic freedom, stressing that honest and responsible debate—not propaganda or slogans—must guide discussions in campuses if the nation is to achieve just peace and genuine nation-building. In a statement, Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr., executive director of NTF-ELC

February 25, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday expressed full support for the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) as it proceeds with the February 26 disqualification hearing against Kabataan Partylist, calling the proceedings a “timely warning” to safeguard Filipino youth from exploitation and violent radicalization. In a press statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto C. Torres Jr. stressed that th

February 23, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), through Executive Director Usec. Ernesto C. Torres Jr., has joined the growing call for justice for civilians killed in Negros Island, following reports from the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) that 28 individuals has been slain since March 2025, an average of two civilians murdered every month. “This pattern of killings is deeply alarming and morally inde

February 18, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has strongly condemned the circulation of so-called “WANTED” posters labeling Gerald Mangao, Erick Simogan, and Zena Punada Candelario Segui as “taksil sa bayan” and placing a token bounty for information on their whereabouts. The materials were posted on the Facebook page “Villagers Point of View 2.0,” which authorities have identified as a propaganda portal aligned with the Communist

February 13, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has raised alarm over what it described as renewed "terrorist-grooming" operations targeting Filipino youth, following a recent speech delivered by Julieta de Lima before the League of Filipino Students during its 21st National Congress. In a press statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Ernesto C. Torres Jr. emphasized that activism itself is not the issue — but organized efforts to

February 07, 2026 The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Saturday denounced the killing of Leonora “Leonor” Anguit, a 74-year-old grandmother, calling the crime a clear case of "spy-tagging" turned into summary execution—a pattern the Task Force says has terrorized civilian communities in Negros. “This was not a robbery. This was not an accident. This was an execution,” said Ernesto C. Torres Jr., Executive Director of NTF-ELCAC. “Leonor

February 05, 2026 NTF-ELCAC MEDIA BUREAU Ref: Dr. Joel M. Sy Egco, DPSSG, MPSA 09155506969 February 05, 2026 From the Countryside to the Cities: NCR now Ground Zero of CPP–NPA–NDF Disinformation With communist insurgency steadily losing ground in the countryside, the battle has decisively shifted to the cities, with Metro Manila now emerging as the primary ground zero of Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army–National Democratic Front (CPP–NPA–NDF) disinformatio

January 22, 2026 The Filipino people have won a decisive legal victory against terrorism and those who finance it, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) declared Thursday. In a landmark affirmation of the rule of law, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 45 of Tacloban City, an anti-terrorism designated court, has convicted Frenchie Mae Cumpio and Marielle Domequil for Terrorism Financing under Republic Act No. 10168, while acquitting them

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