The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has withdrawn its membership to the controversial National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
“Our engagement remains, but we are no longer in the ExeCom,” Father Jerome Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP Commission on Public Affairs, said in an interview with Teleradyo Serbisyo on Monday morning.
“It’s better that we preserve our independence, if we are actually going to engage with them,” he added.
The CBCP drew flak after reports that it joined the NTF-ELCAC, which was previously criticized for its counter-insurgency measures, including the alleged red-tagging of some individuals and progressive organizations.
The Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) criticized the inclusion of the unit of the CBCP in the country’s anti-insurgency task force because the CBCP had been vocal on the “excesses” of government on human rights and red tagging.
Some Church members have been the target of red-tagging in the past, including Catholic nun Sr. Mary John Mananzan, a known political and feminist activist.
Earlier, NTF-ELCAC Executive Director Usec. Ernesto Torres said the body agreed to have a member from the religious sector as one of the private sector representatives.
THINKED TV 
Leave a comment