Baguio City- In a press conference called by the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC), which is a network of various Non-Government Organizations (NGO’s) espousing genuine peoples development in the Cordillera, a call to stop the harassment and persecution of NGO’s and development workers was sounded last Oct 17, 2012.
The press conference was held at the Mandarin Restaurant and was attended by representatives from member NGO’s of the network. Media practitioners from the ABS-CBN network, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Midland Courier, Bombo Radyo and NORDIS also attended the activity. A representative from a peoples’ organization was also in attendance.
The event showcased the various incidents perpetrated mainly by state security forces and even some government line agencies that development workers and their offices encounter in performing their duties.
In a statement read by Ms. Imelda Tabiando, spokesperson for the Defend! Campaign, she mentioned that there are malicious announcements in some interior communities branding the Center for Development Programs in the Cordillera (CDPC) as “member of the New People’s Army (NPA)” and its staff as allegedly being “in the Order of Battle of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). She also added that some government line agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) together with the AFP in conducting an orientation-training activity in Ifugao mentioned that NGOs together with the NPA are regarded as “human disasters”. Furthermore, she said that even community livelihood projects in Brgy. Namal, Asipulo and Brgy. Binablayan, Tinoc in Ifugao that were jointly implemented by NGOs and people’s organizations such as farm tools and vegetable plants are either confiscated or uprooted, with the distorted AFP justification that these are allegedly NPA projects. According to her, these are only among the many documented cases of harassments and political persecution.
Mr. Modesto Hanggoy, a member of a peoples’ organization in Ifugao defended the CDPC and said that: “isuda met ti umay tumulong kadakami” (they are the ones who help us). He further added that “dagiti proyekto nga i-umay da ket tumulong nga mangpadur-as ti pagbiagan mi” (the livelihood projects that they bring help improve our lives).
According to the CDPC, instead of treating NGOs and development workers as partners for development, PNoy’s counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan, treat them as adversaries. This only shows that this government’s “matuwid na daan” is only an illusion.
Although faced with such a predicament where development workers’ movements are monitored and their lives and security are at stake, they remain committed in asserting people’s right to development. #
read: CDPC Statement on Harassment and Persecution of Development Workers