VP Duterte remains ally of NTF-Elcac despite objecting to talks with NDFP

Vice President Sara Duterte (Photo taken from a video posted on her Facebook page)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte remains an ally of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) despite her objections to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s offer of amnesty for communist rebels and peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

“Vice President Sara is not only an ally of NTF-Elcac, she is the vice chairperson of the NTF-Elcac and the second highest official of our land,” Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., who serves as the head of the NTF-Elcac, said in a regular press briefing on Wednesday.

“We differ in their views regarding this amnesty and the possibility of the peace process, but of course, we have a body to synthesize all of these things, and we only have one objective — to finally end local communist armed conflict in our country,” he said.

Duterte said the Oslo Joint Communiqué between the Marcos administration and the NDFP  “was an agreement with the devil” as it seeks to come up with a framework to restart the peace talks that stalled under the term of her father, Rodrigo Duterte.

The vice president also lamented Marcos’ move to grant amnesty to fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA).

“We expect that the opinion of our vice president, the co-vice chair of NTF-Elcac will be seriously considered in the discussion in crafting the IRR [implementing rules and regulations for the amnesty] and discussions in peace efforts,” Torres said.