QUEZON CITY, (PIA) — Officials from the National Capital Region Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NCRTF-ELCAC) on Tuesday hinted on how everyday citizens can contribute to national peace and inclusive development.
“Our citizens can approach the nearest branch of our government,” said Dennis Godfrey Gammad, regional director of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA-NCR), the agency that heads the Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM), one of the operational clusters of the NCRTF-ELCAC.
“If they are in a sitio, they can go to their sitio leader and then to the barangay captain. This is a whole-of-nation approach, which means that it is not just the government workers involved but the entire community, including fisherfolk, drivers, nurses, teachers, and vendors,” Gammad said during the weekly Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas media forum presented by the Presidential Communication Office and Philippine Information Agency-NCR.
The official emphasized the importance of a civilian-led strategy in addressing the country’s longstanding insurgency issues.
Gammad noted that for over 56 years, the responsibility for tackling insurgency had been largely placed on the police and military, resulting in minimal progress.
However, he believes that through NTF-ELCAC, not only are insurgency problems being addressed, but the standard of living for citizens is also improving.
Gammad highlighted the role of barangay captains, who serve as chairpersons of the barangay task forces, thus empowering them within the ELCAC framework.
Gammad said many citizens are unaware that barangay captains serve as local task force chairpersons in the government’s leadership structure, which begins with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., as National Chairman and cascades to regional, provincial, municipal and barangay levels.
He called for all barangays to establish their task force offices, citing successful implementations in areas like Barangay Sta. Ana in Pateros and Barangay Malinta in Valenzuela City.
Department of the Interior and Local Government-National Capital Region (DILG-NCR) Assistant Regional Director and lawyer Ana Lyn Baltazar-Cortez with Lt. Col. Arniel Tormis of the National Capital Region Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines join other panelists at the media forum.
The forum also included insights from lawyer Ana Lyn Baltazar-Cortez, assistant regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG-NCR), where she emphasized the significance of citizen engagement and participatory governance within the Local Government Empowerment Cluster of the task force.
“We value community participation in governance,” Baltazar-Cortez said. “We expect citizens to engage in community programs and capacity-building activities, particularly with NGOs (non-government) and civil society organizations, so that the government can prioritize pressing issues.”
The official also underscored a collective responsibility among citizens and government entities to work together in fostering peace and addressing community needs effectively. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
