MANILA, Philippines — The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) on Thursday pushed back against criticism from Catholic groups, denying claims that a proposed P8.08 billion allocation for conflict-affected barangays was a discretionary fund or a “reward for peace” tied to counterinsurgency efforts. The task force said the amount refers to the Barangay Development Program (BDP), a multi-agency initiative implemented by regular government departments, not by the NTF-Elcac itself. NTF-Elcac Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement that portraying the allocation as an “NTF-Elcac fund” was misleading. He emphasized that the task force does not handle or […]... Keep on reading: NTF-Elcac denies P8.08-B barangay funds are ‘reward for peace’