Anti-insurgency fund can be tapped for typhoon-hit areas, says Palace

November 4, 2020

The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict's budget could be used in typhoon-hit areas in Bicol Region, which is also a "hotbed" for insurgency, Malacanang said on Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that one of the objectives of NTF-ELCAC is to promote development in areas with ongoing insurgencies.

He noted that poverty is the root cause of insurgency.

"So, I don’t think there is any inconsistency with the proposal to actually spend funds in the typhoon damaged areas because, it’s I think, a fact that Bicol also is a hot bed for insurgency, so, that would be within the mandate of ELCAC," Roque said.

In a Senate defense committee investigation into government's red-tagging practices on Tuesday, opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros urged the government to reallocate part of the NTF-ELCAC's proposed P19 billion budget for next year for disaster recovery in areas devastated by Super Typhoon "Rolly" on November 1.

As of Wednesday, 532,794 families or 2,083,222 persons were affected by Rolly in six regions, including Bicol. Celerina Monte/DMS