Marcos security adviser cites ‘important’ Church role in ending violence, terrorism

THE government's anti-insurgency task force is open to suggestions from the Catholic Church in adopting “moral and ethical approaches in addressing communist insurgency,” President Ferdinand Marcos' security adviser said on Saturday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Screengrab from RTVM

At the same time, National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Año welcomed the membership of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) into the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC),

“through its Episcopal Commission on Public Affairs and we look forward to working with them in pursuing peace and development in all parts of the country, especially in conflict-affected areas.”

Año, who sits as co-vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, said they were opening the doors of the anti-insurgency task force to the Church “because it has an important role to play in ending violence and terrorism in the country.”

“For more than 50 years, we have lived under the scourge of the communist armed conflict. With peace now in sight, the Church has an important role to play in ensuring peace and development in the long term,” he said.

Año said with CBCP in NTF-ELCAC, they can immediately address concerns raised by the Church or by cause-oriented groups supported by them.

“Because of this development, the Church will have more opportunity to relay its concerns, since its mandate is to act as a liaison of the CBCP to the government,” he said.

The CBCP's Fr. Jerome Secillano attended the NTF-ELCAC's Execom Meeting on Thursday presided by the President in Malacanang.

The CBCP had clarified that it was engaging with the NTF-ELCAC precisely to address some Church issues particularly about the red tagging of some cause-oriented groups and Church organizations by the said body.

“It's not exactly CBCP as a conference but the Episcopal Commission of Public Affairs that is there as a private sector representative,” said CBCP president and Kalookan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David in a statement.

“As such, this Commission has access to the NTF-ELCAC ExeCom and more opportunity to express the Church's specific concerns, since its mandate is to act as a liaison of the CBCP to the public and private sectors and to advance some of the social concerns and issues of the Church,” Bishop David added.

He further noted that the Commission also has the intention of providing moral-ethical approaches to dealing with the problem of insurgency.

David said they intend to tackle the matter and come up with a concrete resolution on it in the forthcoming meeting of the CBCP's Permanent Council.

“Can this Commission engage the said government body in a dialogue without having to join its ExeCom as member — i.e. as private sector representative? We hope to come up with some resolutions on this matter soon,” the Kalookan bishop said.

NTF-ELCAC was organized by the government to respond and raise awareness of the ongoing communist rebellion in the Philippines.