Senators on Thursday, April 22, crossed party lines to support the proposition to withdraw the P19-billion budget allocated for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and realign the funds to assist people affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

At least six senators made their preference known on the matter after the NTF-ELCAC’s recent red-tagging of community pantry organizers.

“My call to review, and realign the NTF-ELCAC budget to health and ‘ayuda’ (cash assistance), conforms with the existing budget practice of realigning scarce funds to where these are more needed,” Sen. Joel Villanueva said, explaining further his Twitter post that called for the defunding of the government's anti-insurgency task force.

“I believe the people supports this notion. Similar to the concept of community pantries, this kind of proposal is not a crime. It is also not giving comfort to the armed enemies. It is simply giving aid to our hungry people,” Villaneuva added.

The Senate minority bloc, led by Sen. Franklin Drilon, also insisted on the need to realign the anti-insurgency office’s fund to the government’s COVID-19 response.

He said the absence of a law that defines and punishes red-tagging makes it easier for individuals like Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., head of the NTF-ELCAC, to make not only unfounded but dangerous and deadly accusations.

“The recent events make the menacing effect of red-tagging more pronounced. We must put a stop to this immediately,” Drilon reiterated.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she agrees with the call “100 percent” and pointed out that the P19-billion fund gave rise to the suspicion it would be used for electoral purposes in the upcoming May 2022 elections.

“I’m glad that majority of our colleagues are now recognizing the wrong activities of the NTF-ELCAC against the most unlikely and undeserving of targets, community pantries pa,” she said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson also said that while he was one of the senators who defended the budget of Department of National Defense (DND) and fought to retain the anti-insurgency fund of the NTF-ELCAC for 2021, he is "not sure" if he will still defend the task force's budget this year as he did previously.

“Especially if the NTF-ELCAC spokesperson continues to threaten to affect its mission with uncalled-for statements,” Lacson said.

Sen. Grace Poe echoed Lacson’s view, adding that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leadership itself was unsure if Parlade’s pronouncement is supported by other members of the NTF-ELCAC.

“His sensitivities naturally lean towards the military and this presents an irreconcilable conflict,” Poe said.

Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan also said he supports the proposal to utilize the NTF-ELCAC’s fund to augment the government’s dismal COVID-19 response.

“If the P19-billion budget of the NTF-ELCAC is being utilized by someone who has that kind of a twisted mind, it should be withdrawn and rechanneled as cash assistance to the poor,” Pangilinan said.