Chapter 15
Urban Industrial Mission, Moved to 6 Municipalities in Central Panay
The CPBC expanded Urban Industrial Mission (UIM) project in Iloilo was implemented in mid- 1980. From our UIM pilot project in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental, most of our experiences were brought to the 6 municipalities in Central Iloilo - Duenas, Paasi, Calinog. Bingawan, Lambunao, in Iloilo and Tapas, Capiz.
From 1972, when martial law was declared to 1985, Kabataang Makabayan, despite many of its members had been arrested and sent to Camp Delgado Stockades and in Negros Occidental Stockades, KM continued to get members from students in colleges and high schools in Western Visayas.
Young people, both men and women, students and out-of-school-youths, joined Discussion Groups (DGs) in the cities, munipaliities and villages in the countrysides led by KM activists.
Many of them joined the struggles against martial law. Some joined the New People’s Army. Some became cadres of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Others continued their participations in activist movements for social and political transformation. Some Catholics and Aglipayan priests, Nuns, Catholic Sisters and Baptist pastors joined the Christians for National Liberation (CNL). They became member of the National Democratic Fronts of the Philippines (NDFP).
NDFP was the coordinating body of different revolutionary movement in the country, that include the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New Peoples Army (NPA), Moro Resistance & Liberation Organization (MRLO), MAKIBAKA, a womens revolutionary organization, Christians for National Liberation (CNL), Kabataang Makabayan (KM) and other revolutionary organizations in the country.
As we implement some the CPBC’s development projects, then, known as New Frontier Ministries from 1977 to 1985, we have seen the growing strength of the CPP and the NPA operating in many villages in the areas of UIM operations – Duenas, Lambunao, Calinog, Bingawan, Passi in Iloilo and in Tapaz, Capiz.
I heard Josil Jaen, former KM member and his friends were operating in the hinterland villages of Calinog. Maria Luisa Posa and her groups were working in Lambunao. Pastor Hortada and his group were working in the hinterland villages of Tapaz.
Charles De la Fuente and his friends were in Libacao and other towns in Aklan. They have strengthened their organizations, and the revolutionary movements can be felt in the different hinterland villages of Panay and Negros Occidental.
Then, the movement organized in Iloilo, the “white areas” in the municipalities surrounding Iloilo City – San Miguel, Pavia, Sta. Barbara, Leganes, Zarraga, Barotac Nuevo and Dumangas. In the barangays of these municipalities, the NPA expanded trying to build their organizations in the villages. They were, I think, starting the revolutionary theory of Chairman Mao, of circling the cities from the countrysides.
By this time, the military has become very aggressive and deadly. Our personnel in the CPBC development projects and our organized associations among villages, were subjected to harrasments. Some of our community workers and organizers were questioned by the military.
The municipalities targeted as base for the UIM ministries were barangays with heavy sugar cane plantations. At the center of this areas, 3 Sugar Centrals operating, two in Passi and one Calinog. It was the ideal area for Urban Industrial Ministries.
Our UIM project had a component of 5 full time staff. Pastor Job Santiago, a graduate of the College of Theology was the team leader. With him were Hernani Bautista, with training on agriculture. Hector Belloga, Barangay Captain of Poblacion, Bingawan and Bonifacio Castronuevo, a an education graduate. They were the community organizers and helped in community organizing, trainings, livelihood project for communities, conscientizations and labor education.
A special training on labor education and organizing were organized for the sugar cane plantions workers. They need to learn basic laws, labor laws and laws on human rights. These knowledge were needed for community leaders in the sugar industry.
I provided the initial training with my experiences in labor educations and organizing, from the Philippine Associations of Nationalistic Employees, Laborers and Farmers Union (PANELFU), few years earlier.
I shared with the staff the trainings and exposures I learned from the NCCP with Rev. Henry Aguilan, -UIM Director who exposed me to some labor situations in Metro Manila. I also learned some skills from Ms. Jorgette Honculada Malonzo, an official of National Federation of Labor (NFL), headed by Ibarra (Bong) Malonzo in Mindanao and Visayas.
NFL heads the labor union in Maarinduque Mining Corporations in Sipalay Mines. She helped provide me with trainings on new approaches on labor unionism in Manila. She also recommended me to a union officer of Sipalay Mines, to see how mining operates and learn the life of workers in the mining industry..
To further prepare the UIM staff for effective project implementions, I asked Rev. Edwin Lopez, General Secretary permission and requested two staff of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Bacolod City for a one week live-in training at Camp Higher Ground, Barotac Viejo. After this training, I requested them to further assist the UIM staff for a two- days assessment and re-directions processes every month, for the next 3 months.
These helped ground the staff on the demands of UIM project implementations. The two persons sent by NFSW to help CPBC in training UIM staff, were veterans of the long Sugar Central strikes that nearly paralyzed the sugar central in La Carlota City sometimes in 1976 to 1978.
The CPBC project was supported financially by EZE of West Germany under Hienz Havercorn, in cooperation with the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva. We have a strong financial resources. With proper management, we will be able to build strong works in the villages – education, livelihood traiings w/ pigs, goats and chickens dispersals, fresh fish culture, cooperative educations, labor education, labor organizing and practical farming and animal raising technology transfers.
In 3 years time, from 1982 -1984, UIM worked hard to develop a strong core group in the 6 municipalities targeted for the project implementations. A core groups of about 1000 farmers and sugar cane workers in 100 barangays in 6 municipalities with training on different aspects of developments and advocacy works.
Our UIM staff in Central Panay proved efficient in there works - labor education, organizing and community development, livelihood training, cooperatives developments. Starting our work with 3 villages in each of the 6 municipalities, in about 2 years. we have established core groups in 120 villages in the 6 municipalities.
By that time, we have developed nearly 1000 farmers and sugar cane workers, who were involved in our education, community organizing, livelihood projects on rice farming, corn farming, pig, goat and chicken raising, fresh fish culture and bananas, fruits and vegetable farming cultures.
Our training were held in the villages where some 15 to 20 farmers and sugar cane workers were recruited, both men, women and youth. The first level of our training were on socio-political awareness and conscientisation.
After we have developed their social and political awareness, we started our community organizing. We slowly and gradually developed them in a farmers associations. About 3 seminars were held, before the participants could be received as members of the association.
The officers of the associations were elected to provide the group with the needed leadership structures that would enable them to function with minimum assistance from the UIM staff. This 2nd level of our training were held in the Convention Baptist Churches in Lambunao, in Bingawan, Calinog, Duenas and in Tapaz.
The UIM project - education, conscientizations, community organizing, training on different livelihood projects labor education. labor organizing and technology transfers. transfers covers less than 40% barangays in the 6 municipalites. But our training and influences reaches to 3 other nearby barangays, enabling us to reach some 80% of the villages in 6 municipalites in Central Iloilo.
We made special training for livelihood developments. These were on rice farming culture, small corn farming, pig raising, goat raising, native chickens raising, fresh fish culture and bananas, fruits and vegetable farming. Our staff with agriculture training, Hernani Bautista held continued educations on this special group of people.
Atty. Cesar Beloria, was requested to serve as Resource Person for Legal and Labor education. He helped those working in the sugar cane industry gain knowledge and skills to stand and fight for their rights – specially on the wages paid to workers by the owners of the sugar cane plantations.
Rev. Eliseo Fantilaga, was requested to help in the education, conscientizations and training on social and political awareness for officers of organized communities.
We organized farmers associations and cooperatives in some of the villages. We saw the force and strength of an organized and trained farmers and sugar cane workers.
The 3rd level of our training, involving officers, training and developing their skills so that they can become Resource Persons in the different villages were new works are bing started and were expanding. This 3rd level training, mostly two or three days, were held in some beaches in Iloilo City and in Oton.
Unfortunately, our education, skills training, conscientizations and organizing works put us on the maps of the military as a subversive group. The same with our staff at URM in Antique. The military began to think that the UIM involved in seminars were helping train new rebels forces that were growing and developing in Central Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan and Antique.
After we have undertook education programs, we provided livelihood projects for the community people, both members of the church and communities. We started chicken dispersals with 6 female chickens and 1 roaster. These were chickens that will lay eggs in 5 months time. We started also goat dispersals and pig dispersals among the Baptist church members and the community people.
The pig dispersals were mostly female piglets, we hoped to raise for breading. It will be raised until it gave birth. And we request the caretaker, to give 2 piglets after, and the mother pig and other piglets will be owned by the raisers. We hoped, as the years go by, our pig projects, will reached many residents of the churches and communities.
Families have started to build small fish ponds near their homes. We provided them with fish fingerlings. We identified families who built small fish ponds to serve as training ground for fish technology transfer. As we worked and reached out to more farmers in the villages, the UIM staff and officers of some barangay associations were subjected to harrassments by elements of the military.
Many community young people and some members of the Convention Baptist Churches in the nearby municipalites of Bingawan and Janiuay, Iloilo and municipalities of Tapaz, Cuartero & Dumarao in Capiz have joined the NPA and the revolutionary movements in Pana
They joined the movement that called the struggle for change. They have stood, resisted and fought against President Marcos martial law regime, fighting to help built a society that were free and progressive, communities that were free from control of feudalism and US imperialism.
As I looked deep into the growing conflicts in the communities, I looked on the faces of the staff of UIM staff. I looked at the faces of the staffs – Rev. Job Santiago, Hernani Bautista, Hector Belloga and Bonifacio Castronuevo.
I sat down. I looked in the areas where we were operates. I thought of the dangers faced by the staff, doing labor education and organizing under martial law carries dangers. I felt a strange tremours in my heart. I prayed. I asked for God guidance. “Lord, the situations is hard. We are afraid. The risked were growing. I feel the burden and possible dangers for our staff. Lord, please teach us what to do.”
We continued with our work. On February 28-29, 1984, we have a UIM seminar on Cabudian Baptist Church, Duenas, Iloilo. We started our seminar at 9:30 -5:00 PM. Dr. Domingo Diel, Jr. was our Resource Speacker from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. He left immediately for Iloilo City. At 5:30 PM, the military put a bamboo blockade on the road from Cabudian to Highway. At 6:00 PM, Hernani Bautista, Hector Belloga and Bonifacio Castronuevo passed. They were going to Calinog market to buy some supplies.
But they were stopped by the military. The were brought to there Constabulary headquarters at the back of Calinog Municipal Hall. They were detained until the following day. Hernani Bautista was separed and undeegone hard military questionings. He told me, a 45 caliber pistol was put on his head. And fired. But he was it was intended to make him afraid.
And, again on July 1984, our UIM and Sacada Development staffs and seminar participants, were raided by the military in Guevara Beach, Oton, Iloilo at 1:00 PM and brought to Camp Delgado, in Iloilo City. Sometimes, we will share the stories of these raids, the dangers and hardship, mental and physical sufferings, felt by the staff and the seminar participants.
That’s the price that have to be paid. Working for equality, freedom and justice has a price. And often, the price were hard.
Part of the series The Ministry Years (chapter 15 of 48)
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