Mindanaotoday.com | NICA: Leftist group lured gov’t workers
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – A leftist group masquerading as a legitimate organization has lured thousands of government employees for promised benefits once they affiliate with them, an official of the state’s intelligence agency said Wednesday, August 10.
Mauel M. Orduña, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-10 regional director, in a forum at an uptown mall in Cagayan de Oro, said the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) – a creation of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines – has a mass-base of 150,000 members in more than 30 government agencies.
Orduña, who attended the formal disaffiliation of the Department of Agrarian Reform Employees Association Region 10 Chapter (DAREA-10) from COURAGE that day, following its national executive committee’s defection from the same group in March this year, urged other organized government workers to do the same.
But the NICA-10 chief said DAREA-10 with 423 members in Northern Mindanao were not aware of their affiliation with COURAGE and that, for years, they have not benefited from the leftist organization.
In her message, Zoraida O. Macadindang, Department of Agrarian Reform-10 regional director, commended DAREA-10’s decision to cut off of its ties with a leftist group, adding that “continued attachment may result to the inconvenient ramification to the association who are government employees.”
Macadindang, who was once with the rank-and-file personnel, said DAREA is a legitimate organization with more than 6,000 members nationwide and has proven to be “an invaluable partner of the DAR proactively engaged in impacting the welfare and protecting the best interest” of members.
“I have my full trust and confidence in DAREA and that they remain steadfast in their respect and loyalty to the government,” said the DAR-10 top official, in the presence of DAREA-10 leaders and, her assistant regional directors and provincial agrarian reform officers.
Earlier, Modenita A. Mabaylan, DAREA-10 chapter president, read their statement supporting DAREA Resolution No. 2 of the National Executive and Legislative Officers, dated March 10, 2022, disaffiliating from COURAGE effective immediately.
Brig. Gen. Benjamin C. Acorda Jr., Philippine National Police-10 regional director, and Lt. Col. Henry Pabilona (representing Brig. Gen. Wilbur Mamawag) of the 4th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, also expressed support to the formal disaffiliation of DAREA-10 members from COURAGE.
Both said DAREA-10’s decision could pave the way for more successes in the implementation of Executive Order No. 70 of former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, putting an end to local communist armed conflict (Elcac).
Last year, the Social Welfare Association of the Philippines of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, and employees union of the National Food Authority cut off their linkages with COURAGE.
In 2019, the Alliance of Concern Teachers (ACT) of the Department of Education reportedly distanced itself from COURAGE.
COURAGE affiliates
Through a multimedia presentation, Orduña showed that two of COURAGE’s biggest affiliates used to be the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) with 376,000 and 33,000 members, respectively.
Aside from these, the NICA list of agencies infiltrated by communists at various levels include the Supreme Court of the Philippines, the Senate, the Civil Service Commission, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Labor and Employment, National Housing Authority, National Economic and Development Authority, and the National Wages and Productivity Board.
Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigration, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Transportation, Fiber Industry Development Authority, National Irrigation Administration, National Commission of Indigenous People, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
COURAGE affiliate members are also in state-owned and controlled firms such as the Government Service Insurance System, Home Mortgage Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG), Land Bank of the Philippines, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, Philippine Postal Corporation, and the Social Service System.
The NICA list of infiltration also includes San Lazaro Hospital and Doctor Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital and academic institutions such as the University of the Philippines, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. Even the National Printing Office is in the NICA list.
COURAGE objectives
Orduña said COURAGE’s objective is to gain access to funding sources and vital information so that they, with other left-leaning organizations can influence policy formulation and crafting of legislations that would benefit their members.
He said that by simply encouraging and mobilizing government employees to go against rules and regulations of their superiors, COURAGE affiliate members can derail the delivery of basic services to the people.
He said salary standardization, tax reforms, privatization of utilities, contractual work arrangements, and Elcac (E.O. 70) are among the introductory topics for would-be COURAGE recruits.
Organized in 1986 after the ouster of the late dictator President Ferdinand E. Marcos Jr. through People Power Revolution, COURAGE formed part of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), a front organization of the CPP.
COURAGE founding members were organized workers of the Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, NFA, NHA, PNRI, Quezon City Hall, and the Metro Manila Development Authority.
###