Manila, March 26 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has "made it clear" that he will not abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), National Security Council (NSC) Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said Wednesday.

"I am sorry to relay the bad news to them - but the President made it clear today that he will never abolish the NTF-ELCAC," Malaya said in a Palace press briefing in response to the call of Gabriela Party-list for Marcos to abolish the task force.

Malaya said Marcos has expressed delight over the NTF-ELCAC's success in dismantling communist insurgency during the 7th Executive Committee Meeting of the task force in Malacanang.

He added that the President stressed the need to ...