At least two senators are leaning towards reducing or removing the funds for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and reallocate its current P19-billion budget to assist people affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

This developed after NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. said the community pantries sprouting in various parts of the country were being used as propaganda against the government. He even likened the Maginhawa pantry in Quezon City to Satan’s apple.

“Oh my! We should move to defund NTF-ELCAC in the next budget. Sayang lang pera ng taong bayan (The money of the people are being wasted),” Senator Joel Villanueva said in a tweet late Wednesday.

“Reallocate the current P19 billion budget for ayuda. Mas kailangan ito ng taumbayan kaysa sa mga ganitong kalokohan (It is the people that need more of the money than jokes like that),” he added.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian sides wiht with Villanueva’s suggestion to defund the task force,

“If these are the kind of people who will spend hard-earned taxpayer’s money, then it’s not worth it.”