Manila, Oct. 15 -- The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) said over 16 million Filipinos residing in areas formerly controlled by communist rebels have benefited from development projects under the Barangay Development Program (BDP).

These individuals reside in about 5,638 villages formerly controlled by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), the task force said in a news release on Thursday.

The PHP44.9 billion-worth of developmental projects, set for implementation from 2021 to 2026, transformed the formerly "conflict-affected communities into emerging centers of peace, economic opportunity and public service delivery."

For this year alone, ...