Lacson backs P16.4B budget for NTF-ELCAC in 2021

Senator Panfilo Lacson supports the proposed P16.4 billion budget for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2021.

Lacson clarified that the fund is not directly controlled by the security sector but is part of the Special Purpose Fund for Assistance to Local Government Units.

The budget is intended to finance development projects in barangays cleared of New People's Army (NPA) influence, aiming to prevent the resurgence of insurgency.

These projects include the construction of farm-to-market roads and livelihood programs designed to build confidence and reduce the vulnerability of communities to NPA recruitment.

Lacson expressed hope that these initiatives would also provide an opportunity for NPA members to change their lives.

This comes after a Senate hearing revealed that communist terrorist groups extort an estimated P300 million annually from telecommunication companies.