Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Cabinet Officer for Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (File photo) MANILA - The Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) for Central Luzon vowed to sustain its critical role in putting an end to the decades-long communist insurgency. Presidential Adviser for Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said the decisiveness and whole-of-nation approach of the RTF-ELCAC in implementing peace initiatives have resulted in significant results for the peace process. Galvez, who is also the RTF Central Luzon's Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security (CORDS), said among the milestones of the anti-insurgency task force were the dismantling of guerrilla fronts, surrendering of communist mass organizations, as well as keeping safe the youth and marginalized sectors against the communists' deceptions and illegal recruitment. On top of these, Galvez said developments in the countryside have been pushed while socio-economic gains have continued because of the improved security conditions in the region. "The milestones achieved, which we consider our contribution to the national government's overall efforts towards ending the local communist armed conflict, is not merely the success of the RTF. Rather, this is a success of all our partner institutions which have played key roles in our intensive peace and security campaign," Galvez said in a recent virtual meeting of the RTF-ELCAC for Central Luzon. Galvez said the RTF-3 vowed to continue to sustain the government's localized peace engagements and peace-building initiatives until President Rodrigo Duterte's term ends on June 30. "While the RTF has faced a lot of challenges as we implement our crucial mandate, I believe that we have managed to rise above these difficulties because of our steadfast resolve and commitment to our mission," he said. "Moving forward, let us sustain our localized peace engagements and peace-building work, as we implement a comprehensive transformation program that will cut across all levels of society," he added. Galvez urged the Central Luzon's RTF-ELCAC member-agencies to "continue bridging the gaps in all our initiatives so that they will have a greater impact among the people we serve." He encouraged former rebels to partake in pushing for a peaceful nation and sustain the socio-economic gains of addressing the communist insurgency in the country. (PNA) }