Arguments will be fielded at the Bicameral Committee for sustaining the tempo of the country's counterinsurgency and reinstating the sharply curtailed budget of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

Appropriations committee chair and Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co stressed that a steady stream of the dedicated fund will demonstrate the House's commitment to the agency that has already eroded significant communist fronts.

To recall, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has assertive action against the insurgents by outlining the item in the National Expenditure Program sent to Congress.

Co urged the NTF ELCAC leadership to expedite its projects and collaborate with ancillary agencies, like the Department of Public Works and Highways, in handling project procurement and implementation.

In 2021, the NTF ELCAC only completed less than half or 48 percent of its projects under its Support for Barangay Development Program, according to Co.

"The situation is even worse in 2022. Only 2 percent of NTF ELCAC's 2022 projects were completed or ongoing. A whopping 98 percent of the projects are still under the pre-procurement or procurement stage, and it's already December," Co said.

The lawmaker stressed that the NTF ELCAC should fully utilize its allocations, or they will go back to the national treasury to be distributed to agencies for implementing support projects for barangays deemed cleared of communist rebels.