THE PHILIPPINE Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) welcomes the statement of Ian Fry, the United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, who has recommended the disbandment of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and the repeal of the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL).
As peace advocates, we have also made similar demands for several years already because the NTF-ELCAC and ATL have become stumbling blocks in the resumption of the peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).
Mr. Fry, who met with various stakeholders including government officials, noted that authorities have been using the NTF-ELCAC mandate with impunity âto protect key economic interests in the country.â He also mentioned that âvarious clergy and humanitarian workers have been falsely accusedâ under the ATL.
The government of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who officially invited the special rapporteur into the country, should seriously consider the latterâs recommendations which include a full independent investigation into the operations of NTF-ELCAC, and the establishment of a âtruth and reconciliation process to allow people wrongly accused under the ATL to seek redress.â
The proposal to investigate the work of NTF-ELCAC echoes the call of grassroots communities seeking accountability for the abuses committed by state forces.
We deem these recommendations reasonable and crucial as a step forward to remove the institutionalized hurdles that prevent us from attaining a just peace in our country. As church leaders, we believe that the roots of peopleâs vulnerability to climate change like massive poverty, landlessness and inequitable distribution of wealth are also the primary drivers of the armed conflict in the country. Such a complicated conflict will not be solved by a counter-insurgency program with billions of budgets, if the roots that fan its flames are not addressed.
The findings of Mr. Fry, whose work is focused on the intersection of climate justice and human rights, should serve as a reminder to all that too many have been unjustly persecuted for defending local communities from displacement and for affirming the right of our people to live with dignity.
We thus appeal to President Marcos Jr. to implement the recommendations of Mr. Ian Fry including his call to abolish the NTF-ELCAC and revoke the ATL. We also reiterate our call to resume the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations, âlet us then pursue what leads to peace and to building up one anotherâ (Romans 14:19). â PHILIPPINE ECUMENICAL PEACE PLATFORM <peaceplatform2022@gmail.com>
