By SHERWIN DE VERA
Northern Dispatch
BAGUIO CITY — Florence Kang was busy coordinating the Ilocos Center for Research, Empowerment, and Development’s (ICRED) disaster response for Super Typhoon Betty when he received the report on May 28 that his name and photo were again posted in several towns in Ilocos Sur. The posters accused him and other Ilocos activists of being New People’s Army (NPA) supporters and recruiters.
For years, his family has been urging him to live with them in South Korea, especially when they learned that he had become the target of red-tagging. This, he said, “became more insistent” after he was implicated in an NPA attack in Abra.
He was one of the seven activists and development workers charged with rebellion for the death of two soldiers in an ambush in Malibcong town in October 2022. Last May, the court granted their motion to quash the warrant and ordered their exclusion from the case.
PREPARATION. Florence Kang discussing strategies on Community-based Disaster Management and COVID-19 response in Bauang, La Union. (ICRED)
Asked what keeps him in the Philippines, doing community work in the Ilocos region, “the work itself is fulfilling,” he said during a June 3 interview.
Kang is the executive director of ICRED, a non-government organization (NGO) established in 1988 with programs focusing on disaster preparedness, response, relief, and recovery. Before this, he was the coordinator for Kabataan Party-list in the region, serving as its 5th Nominee during the 2019 elections.
“Seeing the fruits of our work from slowly helping build the capacity of communities to fight for their rights up to the time they can stand on their own and act collectively for their own benefit, being part of that is so fulfilling,” he added.
SHARING THE WEIGHT. Potable Water System for a poor coastal community affected by Super Typhoon Ompong in Bauang, La Union, facilitated by ICRED as part of its early recovery assistance supported by Citizens Disaster Response Center and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe. (ICRED)
Difficult times
In November 2019, the Armed Forces of the Philippines tagged 18 organizations during a congressional briefing as front of the Communist Party of the Philippines, which includes ICRED. Non-government organizations, like the Citizen’s Disaster Response Center and Oxfam Philippines, immediately warned that these put their partners and organizations in danger and may impede humanitarian work.
Since then, several NGOs have been reeling from the political repercussion of the AFP’s statement. Red-tagging, the practice of associating groups and individuals with communist rebels, has also intensified despite condemnation from international groups, institutions, local groups, and the country’s Commission on Human Rights.
Rhoda Dalang, who heads the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC) and has been serving communities for decades, said red-tagging has made NGO and community development work risky and complicated.
“Without red-tagging, NGO work is fun, satisfying and pleasurable work,” the CDPC executive director said during a June 3 interview.
CDPC is a network of development NGOs in the Cordillera founded in 1986 to assist indigenous peoples’ struggle for the right to self-determination and address their economic marginalization.
According to her, irrelevant regulations related to the government’s counterinsurgency and anti-terrorism campaigns have made their work more difficult, especially for red-tagged NGOs
“For red-tagged NGOs, it is hard to get support or counterpart from the LGUs. Worst some projects are turned down. It has also made recruiting staff difficult,” Dalang said.
HIKE TO PROGRESS. Residents of Sitio Ligayan, Balantoy, Balbalan in Kalinga haul an engine for a two-and-a-half-hour hike from where the road ends to their village for their rice mill, a project assisted by CPDC. (CDPC)
Continuing work
Despite the risks and challenges besetting their ranks, NGOs like CDPC and ICRED continue to work with communities.
Dalang explained that project outcomes depend on the type of service an NGO provides.
“For those who provide direct services, they immediately see the result of their work, but for those working on human rights based development work, which focus more on community empowerment to claim or demand services, it takes longer,” she added.
Dalang explained that direct services include disaster response, potable water and irrigation systems, and small energy facilities. Meanwhile, community empowerment usually includes assisting people’s organizations in local campaigns ranging from defending their land and resources to demanding essential government services.
She believes the empowerment part made them the target of political vilification, adding that “people’s organizations and communities can deal with red-tagging as tangible and direct services are much needed.”
According to her, their work remains well-accepted and pursued by the community, despite being branded as NPA projects. However, their local partners tend to accept the projects and find ways to perform their part but stay silent on red-tagging, citing their experience in Kalinga.
COURTESY CALL. Luncheon meeting hosted by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong with Hon. Michel Parys, Ambassador of Belgium to the Philippines and the CSOs the Belgian people are supporting: Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera, Solidagro, Cordillera Youth Center, and Kiyo. (CDPC)
For Kang, there is still a lot of work for them to do.
“There are those who (community partners) were intimidated, but we have to continue for the ones who remained staunch partners of ICRED,” he said.
In a statement, ICRED said that since 2021, under Kang’s supervision, the institution facilitated several humanitarian projects. These include relief distribution in communities ravaged by Typhoon Maring, benefiting more than 3500 households, and installing four water systems for poor coastal and farming communities in Ilocos.
He added that despite the campaign of the NTF-ELCAC, “there are still local governments and international networks that support our projects because they know the truth.” # nordis.net
