NICA Caraga chief recognizes significant roles of LGBTQIA+ community
BUTUAN CITY – The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Caraga led by regional director Edsel Batalla, recognized the vital roles of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, at asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) community in nation and peace-building efforts of the government.
“Whether we like it or not, the reality is that the LGBTQIA+ community has made a lot of contributions to society, especially in areas where they excel like arts, music and fashion. But, they are not just artists or entertainers, they are also renowned leaders (some are elected officials) and advocates of equal rights and protection. Hence, they play a significant role in making the world more diverse, accepting, and compassionate,” said Dir. Batalla in his message during the recently held online activity dubbed "Perplexing the truth: A forum on communist-terrorist group exploitation of the LGBTQIA+ community."
The official emphasized that being the chair of the Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management (SAKM) Cluster under the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) Caraga, NICA has been initiating activities involving the members of the LGBTQIA+ community particularly in the advocacy and promotion of human rights, gender equality and equity, and gender mainstreaming.
“Unfortunately, individuals who identify themselves as LGBTQIA+ have been persecuted throughout history. The good thing is (in recent years), we have made significant progress towards achieving greater acceptance and equality for them through the efforts of the government in promoting gender equity and equality; however, they continue to be victims of discrimination, ridicule, harassment and violence, and often the targets of hate crimes and abuse. Their vulnerabilities are being exploited by the communist-terrorist groups,” bared Batalla.
“It is very unfortunate that they have to go through those painful experiences. That’s why it is crucial that we all work together towards creating an inclusive society, where all individuals feel valued, respected, and supported regardless of their gender identities. This will be of great help to prevent members of the LGBTQAI+ community from being drawn into terrorism,” he added.
Batalla also highlighted that together with the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Caraga that chairs the Strategic Communications (StratCom) Cluster, the advocacy campaign will continue to reach more communities to prevent them from becoming victims of the senseless cause of the CTGs.
“With PIA being the chair of the StratCom Cluster, we will continue to initiate different activities which are geared towards peace and development of all sectors including the LGBTQIA+ community,” concluded Batalla. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)
