Over 16M Pinoys gain from P45-B Barangay Development Program
More than 16 million Filipinos in 5,638 barangays formerly controlled or influenced by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) have benefited from P44.90 billion in government development investments from 2021 to 2026, transforming conflict-affected communities into emerging centers of peace, economic opportunity and public service delivery.
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday said the interventions fulfill the promises of Executive Order No. 70 by bringing roads, schools, electricity, potable water and health facilities to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs) previously vulnerable to communist armed influence.
The clearing of these communities, supported by sustained security operations and development programs, forms part of a broader national transition. As of October 2026, 33,381 barangays across 62 provinces had attained Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status. Of these, 21,204 barangays in 45 provinces belong to nine entire regions already under SIPS, while 12,177 barangays in 17 provinces, cities and municipalities are in regions progressing toward full SIPS status.
According to the Task Force, the figures show a communist armed insurgency losing its remaining geographical footholds as communities increasingly embrace peace, democratic governance and government development programs.
Updated Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) data as of 13 October 2026, show that the Task Force’s flagship project, Barangay Development Program (BDP), supported through the Local Government Support Fund–Support to the BDP (LGSF-SBDP), has delivered 1,592.85 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, 964 classrooms, 23,763 streetlights, 1,178 water and sanitation systems, 9,343 electrification projects, and 551 health and medical stations.
These projects restore government presence in communities where communist armed groups once exploited poverty, inadequate roads, limited access to schools and healthcare, unreliable electricity and insufficient economic opportunities to sustain recruitment, influence and armed conflict. Under EO 70, signed in December 2018, the government adopted a whole-of-nation strategy integrating security operations with socioeconomic development, good governance and community participation. The BDP applies this approach by prioritizing communities emerging from communist armed influence for infrastructure and essential services.
The latest accomplishments provide context for the NTF-ELCAC's recent SIPS announcement, which Executive Director Usec. Danilo Pamonag said the expanding SIPS coverage reflects the continuing constriction of CPP-NPA-NDF armed influence and the growing capacity of local governments and communities to sustain peace, security and civilian governance.The nine fully SIPS-declared regions and 17 additional SIPS provinces, cities and municipalities illustrate the scale of the transition from a nationwide insurgent network with rural strongholds to a diminishing armed presence facing increasingly unfavorable conditions for recruitment, territorial expansion and political influence.
Development investments are intended to prevent cleared barangays from returning to the conditions that made them vulnerable to armed exploitation. Roads connect farmers to markets, schools expand educational opportunities, electrification supports local enterprise, and water and health facilities improve daily life. The campaign continues in 2026, with P8.08 billion allocated for projects in more than 800 insurgency-cleared barangays.
For the NTF-ELCAC, the convergence of 5,638 BDP beneficiary barangays and 33,381 barangays covered by SIPS declarations represents a decisive shift in the country's long struggle against communist armed insurgency: the former demonstrates the scale of development interventions in previously affected communities, while the latter reflects the broader expansion of stable peace and security across the archipelago.The Task Force emphasized that the communist armed insurgency is fighting to preserve its last remaining footholds, while communities that once endured its influence are moving toward a future defined by peace, democratic institutions and government-backed development.
The Task Force nevertheless recognizes that remaining armed threats, persistent poverty and gaps in essential services must continue to be addressed. SIPS is an important security milestone, but preserving those gains requires sustained government presence, effective institutions and grassroots economic opportunities. This is the direction of the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD), which seeks to institutionalize the gains achieved under EO 70 and ensure that communities liberated from armed conflict are not left behind.It added, the most enduring answer to communist armed insurgency is not merely the dismantling of guerrilla fronts, but the transformation of former rebel-influenced barangays into peaceful, productive and self-reliant communities.
For the NTF-ELCAC, the 5,638 barangays reached by development investments and the 33,381 barangays covered by SIPS declarations underscore the promise of EO 70: that lasting peace is achieved when government delivers, communities prosper, and the conditions that sustain armed rebellion steadily disappear.