MANILA, Philippines – Senator Imee Marcos scorned the “supremely presumptuous” appeal from UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan to disband the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in a weekend press statement.
“After a mere 10 days in the Philippines, during which she never visited the NTF barangays but only met a chosen few witnesses, she has the knowledge and the right to tell the Philippine government what to do?” Marcos stated.
“Not only are these foreigners meddlesome and out of their depth, she has also threatened that the Philippines’ “ambitious” plan to lead the UN Commission on the Status of Women and obtain a seat on the UN Security Council depends on conforming with her “findings.” Why exactly did we invite her anyway?” the senator added.
However, Marcos also said Khan’s call was “hardly surprising, given her long-standing Amnesty International bias.”
The senator believes that dismantling the NTF-ELCAC would be “counter-productive, even dangerous.”
“Thousands of rebels have peacefully returned to the fold of the law. The government has practically won against the communist insurgency, with only about 1,800 rebels left, according to our military and police,” the senator explained.
“It is important that we maintain the NTF-ELCAC’s presence and strengthen its mandate to continue the peaceful rehabilitation of rebel returnees,” Marcos asserted.
Share