Go hails order for military to refocus

We hope that the government’s efforts will be successful in achieving sustainable peace and development across the country

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go welcomed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s order to the military to refocus on aiding the peace process in order to end insurgency.

“We hope that the government’s efforts will be successful in achieving sustainable peace and development across the country,” he added.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity said that President Marcos Jr. has instructed the military to shift its focus to supporting the peace process.

The OPAPRU is the primary agency in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict involved in negotiating peace with communists on a local level.

Go has been supportive of NTF-ELCAC. Last year, he expressed his support for the institutionalization of the task force, noting that it has been effective in addressing local insurgency and in restoring peace in conflict-riddled areas in the country.

Go pushed for additional budget for the Support to Barangay Development Program of the NTF-ELCAC in the 2023 national budget.

The senator argued that rather than just attempting to quell the insurgency, it is crucial to address its underlying causes by giving Filipinos a means of subsistence and enticing rebels to reintegrate into society, both of which NTF-ELCAC was successful in doing.

Task Force

Go continued to commend the task force, stating that it had successfully carried out its tasks and purpose.

In 2018, then president Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 70 which institutionalized a whole-of-nation approach to attaining inclusive and sustainable peace. The order also directed the adoption of a National Peace Framework to ensure the harmonized and synchronized delivery of services in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas as well as provided for the creation of the NTF-ELCAC.

According to EO 70, the whole-of-nation approach addresses the root causes of insurgencies, internal disturbances and tensions, and other armed conflicts and threats by prioritizing and harmonizing the delivery of basic services and social development packages by the government.

It also includes facilitating societal inclusivity, and ensuring active participation of all sectors of the society in attaining the country’s peace agenda.

The government agencies involved in the NTF-ELCAC provide assistance through various programs dedicated to help NTF-ELCAC achieve its target goals. One of which is the Department of Social Welfare and Development wherein it provides assistance through cash grants to former rebels.

The Sustainable Livelihood Program’s Livelihood Settlement Grant of the agency, in support of the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government, aims to provide financial aid to such individuals so that they can become productive members of their communities.