MANILA, Dec. 5 -- A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has called on the public to help the government maintain and protect the hard-won gains against the communist insurgents and its allies.

"The gains are real, but they are fragile if we grow complacent. Peace is not the job of one agency. It is the shared responsibility of a whole nation," NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. said as the anti-communist body celebrated its 7th year anniversary Thursday night.

He also called on all Filipinos for sustained unity and vigilance.

"If we want conflict never to return, if we want communities to remain safe, if we want our children to grow up free from fear,...