Manila, May 13 -- Contrary to critics' claims that it is a wanton and cruel executioner, a ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC) said the body embodies the will of the government to protect its people.
"It is also important for everyone to understand that the NTF ELCAC is actually a human rights mechanism because it embodies the determination of the government to protect its people and to provide all the services that will uplift their dignity," Presidential Human Rights Committee Secretariat (PHRCS) Undersecretary Severo Catura said in an online briefing on May 10.
He also stressed that the NTF ELCAC is an instrument in the government's quest for lasting peace.
"We do recognize the...