Iloilo:The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has criticized several groups for what it describes as 'hypocrisy' in their claims of supporting the poor while allegedly undermining Iloilo's Barangay Development Program (BDP).
According to Philippines News Agency, Bayan-Panay issued a statement on October 15 citing the Commission on Audit's (COA) 2025 audit report, labeling 16 BDP projects in Iloilo as 'ghost projects' and accusing NTF-ELCAC of corruption. This prompted a response from the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF-ELCAC) spokesperson, Prosecutor Flosemer Chris Gonzales, who denounced these claims, stating that Bayan-Panay professes to be 'for the people' yet opposes programs beneficial to them.
The task force also alleged that the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) and its purported affiliates are attacking projects aimed at delivering essential services and development to previously insurgency-affected communities. Gonzales criticized the Bayan groups' allegations of irregular or nonexistent BDP projects as intentional misinterpretations of COA's observations.
Dr. Raul Banias, a representative of the Iloilo provincial government, also countered the claims of ghost projects, clarifying that COA's observations pertain to unfinished infrastructure and the return of unutilized funds, not fictitious projects or established corruption. Banias emphasized that approximately PHP196 million was returned to the National Treasury in line with budget regulations, while the provincial government allocated its resources to complete unfinished projects.
Banias highlighted that out of 14 remaining projects, four have secured funding and are in the procurement phase, while the remaining ten are slated for financing under the province's 2027 and 2028 budgets. He noted the high cost of construction in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, citing a project requiring an additional PHP2 million over its PHP1-million BDP allocation and a classroom in Barangay Igtuble needing PHP1.8 million more than its original PHP3-million budget. "That is our commitment. So that allegation is grossly wrong. And there is no ghost project," Banias affirmed.
