NTF-Elcac touts 'historic' Southern Tagalog rejection of Reds' ideals

MANILA, Philippines – A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) said that the declaration placing Southern Tagalog (also known as Calabarzon) under “Stable Internal Peace and Security” (SIPS) is a clear sign that the people in the region have rejected the ideals of the communist insurgents.

“Peace works. Development works. Democracy works,” NTF-Elcac Executive Director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement.

READ: NTF-Elcac: Negros epicenter of NPA ‘spy-tagging’ killings

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He also called the SIPS declaration for Southern Tagalog on June 12 a historic rejection of Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army – National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) violence by one of the insurgents’ biggest former strongholds.

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Torres also emphasized that communities prosper not through violence and armed struggle, but through unity, cooperation, and shared aspirations.

“The story of Southern Tagalog proves that no insurgency is stronger than a united people determined to build a better future for their children,” he said.

Likewise, the NTF-Elcac executive said this SIPS declaration marks not only a major security milestone but, more importantly, a victory earned by the people of Southern Tagalog after decades of conflict, intimidation, and underdevelopment.

“This is a moment that Southern Tagalog should celebrate with pride. For more than five decades, the CPP-NPA-NDF sought to establish deep roots in the region. Today, the people of Southern Tagalog have delivered their verdict. They have rejected violence, rejected armed struggle, and chosen peace, development, and democracy,” he added.

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Southern Tagalog’s SIPS declaration comes amid a growing wave of peace gains across the country. Since 2018, a total of 58 provinces have attained SIPS status.

The provinces of Kalinga, Apayao, Southern Leyte, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, and Surigao del Sur have likewise achieved the milestone. Some regions, such as Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Western Visayas, have been declared insurgency-free and placed under SIPS, while Caraga is expected to make its own regional declaration on June 18.

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Torres said these developments demonstrate the steady weakening of communist insurgency nationwide and the growing success of the government’s whole-of-nation approach to peace and development.

The NTF-Elcac executive described the SIPS declaration for Southern Tagalog as unique, noting that the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon were regarded by communist leaders as critical to their revolutionary ambitions, as the region’s mountains, agricultural communities, urban centers, and educational institutions became targets of recruitment, organization, and armed operations.

“The declaration of SIPS is not merely the absence of armed conflict. It is the restoration of normal life. It means communities can focus on development instead of security threats. It means children can dream bigger. It means local governments can concentrate on building roads, schools, health facilities, livelihoods, and economic opportunities,” he said.

This achievement, he added, belongs first and foremost to the people of Southern Tagalog.

“We celebrate the barangays that stood firm against intimidation. We celebrate the families who protected their children from recruitment and chose hope over hatred. We celebrate former rebels who embraced reconciliation and proved that peace is always possible,” he said.

Likewise, Torres said the NTF-Elcac celebrates local leaders who brought government services to communities long neglected by conflict, along with teachers, religious leaders, civil society partners, peace advocates, soldiers, police officers, and public servants who dedicated years of their lives to protecting communities and advancing development.

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“But above all, we celebrate the ordinary people of Southern Tagalog. Their courage, resilience, and unwavering faith in a better future accomplished what decades of violence never could. They proved that peace is stronger than fear, hope is stronger than extremism, and unity is stronger than division,” he said. /jpv