Año: No to abolition of NTF-ELCAC

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año on Friday expressed opposition to United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Opinion Irene Khan’s initial recommendation to abolish the country’s anti-insurgency task force.

In a statement, Año said there’s a need to continue the government’s strategic efforts to annihilate the communist terrorist groups, perpetrated violence and atrocities in the country, which he claimed effective due to the “whole-of-nation” approach by the members of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

He said the government has already achieved a “strategic victory” in its anti-insurgency campaign against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

“To turn back now will be counterproductive and would render moot the whole-of-nation approach that has been very successful in breaking the back of the CPP-NPA-NDF in the past 5 years. “The fact remains that the Communists are not yet finished,” he added.

Año noted that there are still 11 weakened NPA guerilla fronts across the country with some 1,500 armed members still seeking to overthrow the Philippine democracy.

He said the remaining communist members are still “wreaking havoc and pushing terrorism in the countryside.”

“If the issue is red-tagging, the NTF ELCAC does not encourage nor support red tagging,” Año lamented, citing that the issue of red-tagging might be the primary reason why Khan is recommending the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC.

“We wish to underscore once again the Marcos Administration has not issued any law, rule, or policy instrument that implements red tagging or even uses the word red-tagging,” Año said.

He insisted that the “term has no basis and cannot be attributed to any current government policy, program or activity.”

“It is not a policy of anybody or instrumentality of government,” he added.

Año further explained that there are no legal and binding definitions of the term red-tagging.

He said it is not even considered a crime under the laws of the country.

“Nonetheless, if there are persons who are aggrieved, they have numerous legal remedies,” Año stressed, mentioning progressive groups such as the National Union of Peoples Lawyers, Karapatan, Free Legal Assistance Group, and their allied organizations.

“Instead of going to media, they can always go to court and file cases for against those they consider responsible for libel, oral defamation, or whatever cases that the NUPL, Karapatan, FLAG, and their allied organizations can think of,” he said.

“They can also file administrative cases with the Ombudsman or the Civil Service Commission if the alleged offending party is a government official or employee,” he added.

Meanwhile, Año disclosed once all guerilla fronts have been dismantled "hopefully, this year," the NTF-ELCAC will be transitioned to an NTF-Unity Peace and Development.

“We have relayed this position to UNSR Irene Khan during the Exit Conference this morning and we hope she will consider this in her final report,” he said.