MANILA — The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Thursday decried the recommendation of a United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur to disband the controversial task force.

• UN expert recommends abolition of ELCAC

Ian Fry, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, earlier said the NTF-ELCAC has been “operating beyond its original mandate and is red-tagging people from the community and indigenous peoples.”

NTF-ELCAC StratCom Cluster Head and National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said it was a “biased” recommendation that did not follow due process.

Fry did not even reach out to the task force for an explanation before making the recommendation, Malaya added.

“Hindi naman niya kinausap, never niyang kinausap ang National Task Force ELCAC. So in other words, hindi niya ginawa iyong… hindi niya binigyan ng due process ang NTF-ELCAC at relying on third party sources, on bias sources ay naglabas siya ng rekomendasyon na ipabuwag na wala namang dahilan at in violation of fairness and justice,” Malaya said.

“Kung hindi pa po kayo nakakaalis, daan po kayo sa amin, sa NTF-ELCAC para makapag-usap po tayo para maibigay naman namin iyong side namin bago kayo gumawa ng isang rekomendasyon na walang basehan at nakikihimasok sa internal na policy-making process ng ating bansa,” he added.

Malaya defended the task force, citing its achievements in combatting communist insurgency in the country.

“Isa na lamang ang natitirang active guerilla front ng New People’s Army at 1,400 na lamang ang natitirang tropang armado, we are winning the war against the communist-terrorist groups, nagpapagamit naman ngayon itong si UN Special Rapporteur Fry sa mga kalaban ng pamahalaan,” he added.

Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa also called out the UN rapporteur for his report.

Dela Rosa expressed dismay and believed the UN expert was "misinformed" and was only able to hear the side of the leftist groups.

"Why are they lambasting the NTF-ELCAC? Maybe they are being fed with wrong information,” Dela Rosa stated.

The NTF-ELCAC is chaired by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., while the vice chairpersons are National Security Adviser Eduardo Año and Vice President Sara Duterte.