President Rodrigo Duterte gathers concerned government officials and cabinet members today, November 18, 2019 to discuss anti-insurgency move of the government. The participating agencies include National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, Cabinet Officers Responsible for Development and Security, Regional Peace and Order Council, Regional Development Council, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Philippine National Police. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. explains, “In his ongoing directive to enhance existing mechanisms of good governance, the President had repeatedly called on members of his administration to address the economic and security concerns in conflict-prone and conflict-affected areas.”
In December 2018, the Chief Executive inked Executive Order No. 70 entitled “Institutionalizing the Whole-of-nation Approach in Attaining Inclusive and Sustainable Peace, Creating a National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and Directing the Adoption of a National Peace Framework” to end the menace of armed communists and restore the peace on affected areas.
