NTF-ELCAC: 74% OF VILLAGE PROJECTS FOR 2023 COMPLETED

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) announced that around 74 percent of its Barangay Development Program (BDP) projects scheduled for 2023 have been completed. This includes 100 new classrooms to enhance the educational opportunities for children in these underserved communities, the anti-insurgency body said in a statement late Wednesday. In addition to school buildings, the BDP has also completed 511
farm-to-market roads, 99 water and sanitation systems, 91 health stations, and 127 rural electrification projects.

National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Año commended the concerted efforts of the BDP, highlighting its role in bringing meaningful change to conflict-affected areas and bridging the gap between these communities and stable governance. “The significant strides made by implementing the BDP through electrification, infrastructure, health
services, and livelihood programs ensure that essential services reach our most vulnerable communities,” he stated.

Año, who is also NTF-ELCAC vice chair, said the transformation of these areas is a crucial step toward achieving long-lasting peace and development as they are being exploited by communist insurgents as a source of recruits
against the government. The NTF-ELCAC vice chairperson also emphasized the effectiveness of the whole-of-nation approach, highlighting the crucial role of all agencies and stakeholders in fostering lasting peace and creating meaningful opportunities for communities affected by decades of conflict.

The BDP, a flagship initiative of the NTF-ELCAC, aims to improve the quality of life in communities affected by local
communist armed conflict by delivering essential services and socio-economic development projects. This approach is designed to reduce local support for insurgents and foster stability in these areas. Since its inception in 2021, the
BDP has implemented socio-economic projects in over 4,000 barangays, encompassing housing, agricultural infrastructure, training and livelihood programs, and assistance to indigent families.

As of Oct. 9 this year, the BDP continues to make progress with 23 projects in the pre- procurement phase, involving
detailed engineering design and program of works preparation. Meanwhile, 31 projects are currently in the procurement and bidding phase and 269 projects are actively being implemented. For fiscal year 2024, the BDP has allocated PHP2.5 million to each of the 864 participating barangays, with a total of 885 projects planned. As of this time, nine projects have been completed, including two farm-to-market roads, one health station, and six rural electrification projects.

Meanwhile, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. underscored the BDP’s crucial role in countering the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front’s long-standing strategy of exploiting vulnerable communities in conflict zones. “The BDP has bridged development gaps in
Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs), which have historically been exploited by communist violent extremism,” he said, highlighting the program’s impact in disrupting the cycle of conflict.

(PNA)

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