MALACAÑANG wasted no time and promptly came to the rescue of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) following threats of defunding the anti-insurgency group over its supposed red-tagging of community pantries offering food and other essentials to the needy.
Responding to calls of at least four senators who raised the option of defunding NTF-ELCAC, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque urged members of the Senate to leave NTF-ELCAC alone and let them do their job.
“Iyong pondo ng ELCAC ay para po sa mga proyekto na magbibigay ng asenso at progreso sa mga lugar na meron pang rebelde. Sa akin, hindi naman po justified ‘yan. Hayaan nating gawin nila ang katungkulan nila kung meron talaga silang opisyal na ginagawa d’yan,” Roque said in a press briefing.
Roque reiterated that President Rodrigo Duterte remains supportive of the charity effort.
“Hindi nagbabago ang paninindigan ng ating Presidente. Lahat po ng makakatulong sa mahihirap sa panahon ng pandemya, welcome po ‘yan. Ang atin po, bayanihan, hindi bangayan. Ang general policy natin, we welcome community pantries,” he added.
In a related development, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said that he had already called the attention of Parlade regarding the issue. He, however, would not elaborate.
Earlier in the day, Senators Joel Villanueva and Sherwin Gatchalian assailed NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade for red-tagging Ana Patricia Non, the organizer of the Maginhawa community pantry in Quezon City.
“If these are the kind of people who will spend hard-earned taxpayer’s money, then it’s not worth it,” said Gatchalian, who urged fellow legislators to defund NTF-ELCAC when the Senate starts deliberating on the 2022 national budget sometime in September.