Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday lauded the Armed Forces of the Philippines for being able to maintain its autonomy as an institution.
During her radio program BISErbisyong LENI over dzXL, she said she is “very appreciative” of the AFP despite its imperfections.
“To me, I am very appreciative even if the AFP is not perfect. Until now, it has really maintained its independence as an institution. It has not allowed itself to be an instrument (of anyone),” she said.
“I am always thankful to the AFP,” Robredo added.
However, Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares slammed Robredo’s change on her previous stance to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), saying the Vice President’s turnaround is “worrisome.”
He said just like Bayan Muna, Robredo shares the same view that insurgency could only be resolved by “decisively addressing its roots and by pursuing peace negotiations,”
Earlier, the Vice President said different agencies under the task force ended up terrorizing the countryside, illegally arresting activists, and red-tagging persons, including her.
The government’s anti-insurgency task force on Sunday expressed gratitude to Vice President Leni Robredo for supporting its mandate, especially efforts to bring development to former conflict-ridden communities.
On Friday, Robredo, who previously called for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC, said she supports its mandate but the “careless” statements of its members put the body in a bad light.
“The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict would like to thank Vice President Leni Robredo for her support of the task force,” spokesperson for Sectoral Concerns Lorraine Marie Badoy said in a press statement.
“We thank her for standing on our shared ground of love for our country and the complete defense and protection of our people from the communist scourge that, for 52 years now, has brought so much grief and destruction to our country and our people,” she added.
Robredo earlier paid AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino a courtesy call at the AFP headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City and discussed national concerns and issues.
“The information is confidential. That is why we do not divulge anything, but it is important that we know how far we have gone already,” she said.
The Vice President stressed the significant role of the AFP during the pandemic response operations of the Office of the Vice President.
Colmenares said in a statement: “May I respectfully point out to the
Vice President that the problem with the NTF-ELCAC cannot be merely attributed to its ‘careless members’ but to a systemic policy that includes harassment and attacks against anyone perceived to be left-leaning or critical of the administration.”
Colmenares hit President Rodrigo Duterte for the creation of the NTF-ELCAC “precisely to expand his violent and militarist approach to the armed rebel movement, to include the entire civilian bureaucracy in the guise of a ‘whole of government’ approach and targeting unarmed civilians by vilifying them as communist-terrorist supporters and fronts.”
