ZAMBOANGA PENINSULA'S PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES TO BE PRESENTED TO THE CHAIR OF THE NTFELCAC

Republic of the Philippines

Office of the President

National Security Council

PRESS STATEMENT

OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

AND DIRECTOR GENERAL

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

01 DECEMBER 2021

The Chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF­ELCAC), President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, shall be visiting Zamboanga City on December 2, 2021 for Region 9's presentation of its peace and development initiatives under its Regional Task Force-ELCAC (RTF-ELCAC). During the President's Hour, the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS) for Region 9, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista, will present the RTF-ELCAC 9 Accomplishment Report.

The Presidential Visit shall be attended by local chief executives of the region, led by Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu, and Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco. Joining the President are Cabinet Members and high level officials from national government agencies, Representatives from Congress, and senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and the NTF-ELCAC. Beneficiaries of the Barangay Development Program (BDP), represented by their respective Barangay Chairpersons, will also be present in the day-long event.

Zamboanga Peninsula's development efforts are managed through the coordination of civilian agencies and security forces in the region. The peace and order in the region is achieved through the joint efforts of the security officials and regional offices of national government agencies. I am proud to report that in Zamboanga Peninsula, two guerilla fronts are now significantly weakened. They will soon be dismantled.

The joint initiatives of member agencies underscore the development component of the NTF­ELCAC, which prioritize the delivery of basic services to conflict-affected communities nationwide through the Barangay Development Program. These undertakings on enhanced social welfare, job creation, livelihood assistance, and infrastructure development are the foundations by which we create inclusive and sustainable growth for those who need it most.

Particularly in Zamboanga Peninsula, a total of 86 projects under the BDP are being implemented for thirty four (34) barangays cleared of the influence and threat of the CPP­NPA-NDF from 2016-2019. For FY 2022, a total of thirty nine (39) barangays cleared of the communist threat from 2020 to 2021 shall be receiving the package of development programs under the BDP. With the strong determination of the local chief executives, who themselves have pushed for these development programs and projects to be implemented by the RTF-ELCAC in their communities, we are now seeing a difference in the living conditions of our conflict-affected communities.

Further augmenting the projects to be provided under the BDP are the grassroots-centered activities of several member-agencies of the RTF-ELCAC. Various other activities have been implemented by the Regional Task Force - ELCAC to aid rural and far-flung communities out of poverty.

Through the leadership of DILG IX, the Basic Services and ECLIP / Amnesty Clusters have taken the lead in fulfilling the politico-economic approaches in the region. A total of 22 convergence activities were conducted among conflict-affected and conflict-prone barangays in Communist Terrorist Group (CTG)-affected · areas. In addition, several programs have been provided to former rebels who have returned to the folds of the law.

In behalf of the President, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the member­agencies of the RTF-ELCAC, the local chief executives, and their private sector partners who tirelessly work to make our collective aspirations for peace and development a reality. True to the spirit of the Whole of Nation Approach at ending communist armed insurgency, the Zamboanga Peninsula has shown us that inclusive development and lasting peace are attainable through cooperation among the government and its stakeholders. Through the BDP, a better life is now possible for communities freed from the CTG.

HERMOGENES C. ESPERON JR.

Vice Chairman, NTF-ELCAC