NTF-ELCAC hits Karapatan over alleged CPP-NPA links

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict on Wednesday accused human rights group Karapatanof allegedly distorting realities surrounding insurgency and serving as part of what it described as a “recruitment pipeline” for the communist movement.

In a strongly worded statement, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Ernesto C. Torres Jr. said Karapatan’s criticisms against the task force reflected what he called the “distorted morality” of organizations that allegedly condemn the government while remaining silent on abuses committed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front.

“The latest statement bears the unmistakable trademark of the CPP-NPA-NDF ecosystem: deny responsibility, romanticize death, rewrite narratives, weaponize grief, and convert every tragedy into propaganda,” Torres said.

The statement came after Karapatan accused the government task force of fueling insurgency recruitment through alleged repression and red-tagging. Torres dismissed the accusation as “a breathtaking exercise in hypocrisy,” saying critics continue to question the group’s alleged silence on communist executions, internal purges, extortion activities, and attacks against civilians and government forces.

Torres argued that armed insurgency follows what he described as a systematic process of ideological conditioning and radicalization.

“People do not suddenly wake up one morning and become armed insurgents. There is a process. There is a pipeline. There is recruitment. There is ideological conditioning. There is radicalization,” he said.

The NTF-ELCAC cited several personalities and incidents previously reported publicly, including alleged former Karapatan members whom authorities later linked to armed rebel activities.

Among those mentioned were Alexandrea “Alexa” Pacalda and Glendhyl Malabanan, who authorities allegedly identified as former Karapatan members later involved in NPA activities. The task force also referenced reports involving former Karapatan officials accused of assisting alleged rebel leaders.

Torres said concerns over so-called “terror-grooming” persist because of accounts from former rebels who allegedly experienced recruitment and exploitation within the movement.

“Not scholarships, but rifles. Not communities, but armed encounters. Not a future — but graves,” he said.

The NTF-ELCAC chief also rejected arguments portraying armed rebellion solely as a reaction to state repression, calling such narratives “intellectually dishonest and morally evasive.”

“Human rights cannot be selective,” Torres said. “One cannot claim moral ascendancy while ignoring communist executions of suspected spies, internal purges, and testimonies of former rebels.”