BACOLOD CITY – Eight insurgency-cleared villages in Isabela, Negros Occidental are set to receive funds totaling PHP20 million each under the Barangay Development Program (BDP) of the National Task Force To End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
As of Wednesday, the list includes Cabcab, Libas, Mansablay, Makilignit, Riverside, San Agustin, Sebucawan and Sikatuna.
Mayor Irene Montilla said certain village chiefs before were sympathetic to the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA), "but now they see clearly that their sympathy should with the real government."
Montilla said of the total funding for each identified village, PHP4 million has been released for the first quarter and PHP5 million for the second quarter of 2022.
The remaining allocation of PHP11 million will be released during the fourth quarter of the year.
"Insurgency is still around. It has simmered down to a certain extent, but we are not insurgency-free," Montilla said.
She said some of the recipient barangays have opted to use a portion of the funds for farm-to-market roads and solar street lights.
Isabela, which has 30 villages, several of which are mountainous communities, hosts the headquarters of the Philippine Army's 62nd Infantry Battalion in Barangay Libas.
The BDP is a hallmark program of the NTF-ELCAC with the end goal of bringing development to former conflict-prone communities.
Under the program, each insurgency-cleared village is allocated PHP20 million for the construction of farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water and sanitation systems, health stations, and the implementation of livelihood projects.
The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The National Democratic Front has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and inseparable part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)
