What the government has done in applying a whole-of-nation approach to demolish the structure of the communist rebellion is to deny the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) their source of financing.

The legal fronts of the communist rebels are now applying the same strategy to defund the anti-terrorism effort by denying the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) its sources of financing, if not abolish it.

Lawmakers should be wary of the Makabayan bloc’s current campaign to abolish confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) since the success of most of the government’s efforts to combat terrorism using its entire machinery rely heavily on the CIF.

During the sixth anniversary of the NTF-ELCAC, its Executive Director, Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., said the strategy taken by the government involving community-level negotiations with NPA guerrillas resulted in the decimation of the armed organization.

Torres described the NTF-ELCAC, which supervises the peace effort, as a “thorn” and the CPP’s “worst nightmare.”

The involvement of other agencies in the peace campaign helped hasten development in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Since 2018, the NTF-ELCAC has focused on rebel-infested areas, improving the infrastructure and education facilities in those far-flung places.

The Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives, made up of the CPP fronts that exploited the partylist system since they could never win the popular vote, has been pursuing the abolition of the government’s anti-terror task force.

In seeking to end funding for NTF-ELCAC, the front organizations said its budget should be redirected to social services.

Like its strategy with the CIF, the Makabayan members are demanding specifics on how the funds are used.

Torres said the success of the NTF-ELCAC in weakening the insurgency is the reason that “at every opportunity, they would like to have it abolished.”

“We now have our roadmap focused on socio-economic development until we reach the objective of really empowering the people to be more resilient against the threat of terrorist and other groups, particularly the CPP-NPA-NDF,” he added.

Thus far, the NTF-ELCAC’s programs have resulted in the surrender of thousands of rebels, the dismantling of 85 of 89 guerrilla fronts, and the weakening of the remaining four.

As a result of the task force’s approach that integrates development programs, information campaigns and community engagement in the campaign against terrorism, Torres said the communist groups were weakened.

To the distress of the destabilization agents, the NTF-ELCAC will be around for some time.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commended the task force for tackling the root causes of the insurgency and revitalizing remote communities.

The President cited NTF-ELCAC’s programs like the Barangay Development Program, Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, and the ongoing amnesty program as offering a second chance to former rebels.

Marcos rallied the task force to press forward with renewed determination.

The President’s unqualified support implies that the body that the Makabayan bloc so hates will continue to chip away at whatever support is left for the discredited movement, which will result in the partylist fronts’ demise.

With the NPA-influenced areas practically won, the support the partylist fronts derived from coercion will be lost.

The House of Representatives will be better off when the CPP-sympathizing partylist members are removed since the organizations behind them take advantage of the democratic system they want to destroy to advance their sinister agenda.