VP Sara Duterte's Message during the NTF-ELCAC Execom Meeting

Assalamualaikum.

[STANDARD GREETINGS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GUESTS]

Madayaw ug maayong hapon kaninyong tanan. Good afternoon to everyone.

My heartfelt gratitude to every public servant who are here today to affirm our commitment to ending local communist armed conflict in the Philippines.

This is a commitment to bring about peace in our country, especially in the countryside, where our armed enemy feed on the innocence of the people and the condition of poverty that these terrorists perpetuate themselves.

This is a show of force — a clear, strong, and powerful statement and warning — against the enemies of the state who slaughter civilians and Indigenous Peoples, abduct and murder and execute members of our security forces, and attempt to pin down our progress as a nation through their ideals anchored on brainwashing, fear, and terrorism.

We cannot let these things continue.

The so-called protracted war must end. And it must end now.

As the Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines, I commend everyone’s dedication to contributing to our country’s fight against the deceptions, injustices, and atrocities perpetrated by the CPP-NPA-NDF.

Our love for this country and genuine concern for the welfare of the Filipino People bind us together in this noble mission of protecting the whole nation and securing a better future for the Filipino People.

The Education Sector

Serving as the Secretary of Education, I have come to realize how deeply ingrained the problem of insurgency in our country is.

They have infiltrated our institutions and sectors and remained a serious threat to the well-being of the Filipino People, particularly our youth.

Education, therefore, is one of the greatest weapons we can use in suppressing the lies and deceptions of these terrorists and their allied organizations.

However, the enemies are also using education as a machine to propagate their violent ideology and systematically recruit Filipino students.

We cannot let them continue preying on the innocence and idealistic nature of the Filipino youth.

In this regard, the NTF-ELCAC plays a very important role in our endeavors to protect them.

Significance of the NTF-ELCAC and EXECOM Meeting

We are fortunate that the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict has remained vigilant and proactive in orchestrating responsive measures to repress the State’s enemy for the past five decades.

Today’s collaborative exchanges and pronouncements will definitely strengthen our shared efforts to promote good governance as our main strategy to end the communist armed conflict.

Our continuing cooperation brings us a step closer to achieving a goal that has eluded us for more than fifty years.

But still, we can never afford to be complacent in our efforts despite their diminishing number.

Our failure will cause more suffering to the Filipino People – and their victory means the fall of our Nation.

Way Forward and Call to Action

Our strength lies in the convergence of our efforts towards a common goal of securing peace for our country.

EO70 provided us with a platform to bring our efforts together to address the issues that the CTG has been exploiting to advance its agenda.

We have already learned that our battle against the CTG takes more than military prowess for us to come out victorious. The whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach proved to be truly effective in this battle against the despicable ways of the CPP-NPA-NDF.

We shall take advantage of strength derived from unity and good governance as we promote sustainable peace and development for every Filipino to enjoy.

Sama-sama nating buohin ang isang bansang MATATAG: Kabataang Makabansa at Bansang Makabata.

Lahat- para sa Diyos, sa bayan at sa pamilyang Pilipino.

Shukran.