Zambo City women cut ties to GABRIELA

By: Jayson R. Aucensillo

ZAMBOANGA CITY, May 31 (PIA) -- Around 100 members of Association of Tulungatung Innovative Women’s Agriprenuer (ATIWA) resolved to disaffiliate themselves to Gabriela in a ceremony held recently, here.

This, as Gabriela –The National Alliance of Women, was identified as one of the Communist Terrorist Group (CTG)–affiliated organizations by the government.

“Namulat yung kanilang mga mata at narealize nila na yung Gabriela ay ka-alyansa ng komunistang grupo. Sila na mismo ang nadesisyong tumiwalag sa grupong ito,” National Intelligence Coordinating Agency-9 Deputy Regional Director Alben Venturanza said.

[Their eyes have opened and they realized that Gabriela is an ally of the Communist Terrorist Group. They themselves decided to leave this group]

ATIWA formally severed their affiliation with Gabriela through a resolution expressing the decision to disaffiliate with Gabriela immediately, and then send it to its national leadership.

A parent leader and the current business manager of ATIWA, Ms. Almalyn Iraji also confirmed that they no longer have communications to the group and representatives from Gabriela never came back to the community after laying down several promises to the organization.

Naging member po kami ng Gabriela noong 2017, nangako silang tutulungan ang aming mga anak sa pag-aaral ngunit ang kanilang mga pangako ay hindi naman naging totoo,” Iraji said.

[We became members of Gabriela in 2017, they promised to help our children with their studies but their promises did not come true]

She also wanted to have their names cleared from the list after ending their correlation with Gabriela.

More so, it is never true that the government left behind women.

“Hindi na natin kailangang maging miyembro ng GABRIELA dahil ang daming programa ng gobyerno para sa atin at hindi totoo na tayo ay naiwanan. Ito ay isang leksyon sa amin (kababaihan) na huwag agad maniwala at sumali sa mga grupo na layunin ay kontrahin ang gobyerno,” Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) and ATIWA President Gemma Bahani Casipe said.

[We no longer need to be a member of Gabriela because there are so many government programs for us and it is not true that we have been left behind. This is a lesson to us (women) not to immediately join groups whose purpose is to oppose the government]

Moreover, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-9, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)-9, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-9, and Philippine National Police (PNP)-9 were present in the disaffiliation ceremony and have shared their respective programs and services that ATIWA members can avail of.

The women here expect their lives to become more comfortable with the help of the government agencies. (RVC/JRA/PIA9-Zamboanga City)