Manila, March 18 -- A ranking official of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) on Wednesday said it is now standard practice for the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) to badmouth government programs designed for its former members to hide their declining influence.

NTF-ELCAC executive director Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., in a statement, made this comment after the CPP has once again attempted to discredit the government's amnesty program by labeling it an "epic fail."

And in making this claim, Torres said the CPP highlighted its growing desperation as its members and supporters continue to choose peace over violence.

"The Amnesty Program is a voluntary, lawful process. No one is forced...