The “Magdalena Mission: Alagang Ate,” supposedly a program in protecting the interests and ensuring the welfare of women, officially partnered with the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
Magdalena Mission’s head, Miss Globe Philippines Michelle Gumabao stated that they aim to empower women “to become fruitful members of society.” She further stated that the mission promotes the image of an “ate,” a vital member of the Filipino family.
Actress Arci Muñoz regarded that as a public figure, she seeks to serve as a good example to young Filipino women. She added that, through the Magdalena Mission, she wishes to instill in young women that there are people “here for them, ready to listen to them, to their problems, and to speak up and to stand up for them.”
Recruitment of the youth into communist groups, Muñoz noted, must be addressed to protect them. This comes after she made blatant and false accusations on the University of the Philippines (UP) as a recruitment hub, going as far as to say that professors within the university openly “encourage” students to be recruited. Muñoz went on to vilify particular organizations, and claimed that Magdalena is “ready to answer the pleas of the women, especially young women.”
Other advocates include broadcast journalist Pia Roces Morato, who claims that “education derived from insurgents” destroys the family, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) executive director Mocha Uson, who is allegedly in support of teenage mothers.
Meanwhile, in two decades of its struggle to champion women’s rights, Gabriela Women’s Party-list has long protected and promoted the interests and welfare of Filipino women. Gabriela Representative Arlene Brosas co-authored House Bill (HB) 9943 that criminalizes child marriage in the Philippines, recently approved by the Lower House.
“This is a historic step towards the criminalization of child marriage, which has trapped several Filipino girls into unwanted and early child-bearing and child-rearing responsibilities and even into cycles of abuse,” Brosas stated.
Gabriela further underscored that NTF-ELCAC’s “beautification project” through Magdalena Mission can never halt rebellion nor hamper dissent. The women’s group asserts it can only be done through addressing the “roots of armed conflict by instituting genuine political and economic reforms, state accountability to the people, and respect for human rights, especially the rights of marginalized women.”
They urged the female personalities to reevaluate their judgment and support to the Duterte administration, infamous for its lack of regard and respect for women, further citing the regime’s long account of bloody killings, plunder, and negligent response to the pandemic.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon has previously called for the cancellation of the Gabriela Women’s Party-list in the elections for its alleged receipt of millions worth of funds from international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Belgium and the United Kingdom. Gabriela has firmly denied these false accusations and has been supported by various women’s rights formations as the party-list remains as the sole representative of women to the Congress.
NTF-ELCAC’s collaboration with Magdalena was announced alongside the launching of the League of Youth of the Philippines for Peace and Development Movement last September 6, Monday. The group asserts their aim to expose the so-called “communist terrorist groups and its front organizations.”
As an alleged representative of the youth, the group expressed its full support for the NTF-ELCAC which has endangered the lives of several youth activists.
The task force highlighted that “insurgency” in remote areas has decreased due to their Barangay Development Program (BDP) which has been allocated a huge sum of funds by the state, with NTF-ELCAC’s proposed 2022 budget amounting to Php 28.1 billion. The said program has been exposed by student leaders and activists as a means for the state to further arm its attacks on government critics, funding the task force’s red-tagging, surveillance, and harassment.
Brosas regarded that the large sums of funds for the said task force must be questioned as it can be used for President Duterte’s campaign war chest for the 2022 elections. She cited that a major portion of the funds is channeled to Davao City, the President’s hometown, which should have been distributed all over the country, had it been strictly implemented as part of the NTF-ELCAC’s BDP.
Brosas further exposed that around Php 500 billion worth of special-purpose funds, inclusive of the NTF-ELCAC, is handled by the President and asserts this may also be used for the elections.
The BDP budget is underscored as vital for infrastructure in remote areas which has been condemned and questioned by Brosas, asserting that this must be rechanneled for financial assistance amid the pandemic.
“May program dapat at definite funding para sa cash assistance dahil ‘yan ang hiling ng mamamayan,” Brosas stated.
Gabriela Rep. Brosas furthered that the NTF-ELCAC budget is a “discretionary fund and a lump sum,” defining such budget allocation as “pork barrel.”
Featured image courtesy of Magdalena Mission.
