NTF-ELCAC and Human Rights Abuses in the Philippines

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Ever since former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte formed the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) under Executive Order No. 70, NTF-ELCAC has harassed and jailed with impunity human rights and indigenous rights activists.

Anne Marxe Umil wrote the article "NTF-ELCAC spells widespread rights violations" (https://www.bulatlat.com/2025/03/29/ntf-elcac-spells-widespread-rights-…) describing the abuses of NTF-ELCAC:

"Karapatan said that the NTF-ELCAC actively surveils, red-tags, and harasses local activists, coercing them into denouncing their organizations. In its pursuit to quash the revolutionary movement, the group said that many individuals are tricked into attending aid events, only to end up in 'surrender ceremonies' where they are wrongly depicted as 'armed rebels returning to the law.'

Karapatan has documented 560 victims of forced/fake surrender under the Marcos Jr administration.

For Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the NTF-ELCAC has long been used as a weapon to red-tag, harass, and intimidate farmers and peasant leaders who are fighting for genuine land reform and social justice. 'Its existence perpetuates a climate of fear and impunity in the countryside,' said KMP Secretary-General and Tanggol Magsasaka spokesperson Ronnie Manalo."

REFERENCES
"Beware NTF-ELCAC’s barefaced whitewashing" a statement by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers
https://nupl.net/beware-ntf-elcacs-barefaced-whitewashing/

"Philippines: Adopt Recommendations of UN Review to Address Human Rights Situation" a 2022 statement by Amnesty International
https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/ASA3561992022ENGL…

"Groups score NTF-ELCAC for equating human rights work with terrorism" by Christina Chi for PhilStar Global
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/03/15/2251887/groups-score-ntf-…

"‘Disband NTF-ELCAC,’ UN special rapporteur urges PH gov’t" by Iya Gozum for Rappler
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/united-nations-special-rapporteur-u…

"NTF-Elcac rejects Church criticism: P8B for villages not as ‘reward’" by Gabryelle Dumalag for the Philippines Daily Inquirer
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2156492/ntf-elcac-rejects-church-criticis…

"Abolish NTF-ELCAC, stop State-sponsored bombings and IHL violations!" a 2023 statement by Karapatan
https://www.karapatan.org/media_release/abolish-ntf-elcac-stop-state-sp…

#Humanrights #NTF-ELCAC #Philippines #BongbongMarcos #Redtagging #Indigenousrights