Manila: National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) Chairperson Nancy Alaan Catamco and National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) Lead Convenor Secretary Lope Santos III on Monday were designated as the body's new grassroots development and empowerment leaders, the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said.

According to Philippines News Agency, NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr. stated that their designation was formalized during the Sectoral Unification, Capacity Building, Empowerment, and Mobilization (SUCBEM) Cluster Meeting at the PSR Compound in Manila.

"By designating the NCIP and the NAPC to lead the SUCBEM Cluster, we are bringing the voices of indigenous peoples and the country's basic sectors directly into the center of our peace and development agenda. This strengthens community ownership of the peace process and ensures that government interventions remain inclusive, responsive, and sustainable," Torres emphasized.

He highlighted that the expanded leadership structure reflects the government's recognition that lasting peace must be anchored on social justice, inclusive development, and meaningful participation by communities themselves.

"The move represents a significant strengthening of the government's whole-of-nation approach to address the root causes of insurgency by expanding the role of grassroots communities, indigenous peoples, and marginalized sectors in sustaining the country's hard-earned peace gains," Torres explained.

Torres noted that Catamco brings to the SUCBEM Cluster decades of public service experience, including her tenure as governor of North Cotabato and as a member of Congress. Her leadership is anticipated to deepen government engagement with Indigenous Cultural Communities and Indigenous Peoples, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas where peace and development efforts must be sustained and protected.

Meanwhile, Santos takes on a crucial role in ensuring that anti-poverty initiatives and social development programs are closely integrated with peacebuilding efforts. As Lead Convenor of the NAPC, Santos represents the interests of the nation's fourteen basic sectors, including farmers, rural workers, fisherfolk, urban poor, indigenous peoples, and others.

The designation operationalizes the objectives of Memorandum Circular 83, which adopted the National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD) 2025-2028 as the country's strategic roadmap for consolidating peace gains and advancing development in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.

Under the NAP-UPD, government agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, faith-based institutions, academic partners, and the private sector are aligned under three strategic pillars: Unity, Peace and Security, and Socioeconomic Development.

With the inclusion of Catamco and Santos, the NTF-ELCAC executive expressed his expectation to accelerate grassroots mobilization, strengthen sectoral partnerships, expand civic participation, and further institutionalize community-driven peace and development initiatives across the country.