Courage National Office

27/07/2026

𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍: Nakiisa ang Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE), kasama ang iba’t ibang unyon at kawani ng pamahalaan, at ang sambayanang Pilipino sa pagmartsa upang igiit ang mga makatarungang panawagan sa ika-limang State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Mula sa mga bitbit na placards, malinaw at matibay ang mensahe, itaas ang sa nakabubuhay na antas, pataasin ang National Minimum Wage sa ₱36,000, ibasura ang Optimization Act at tiyakin ang tunay na seguridad sa trabaho, at dagdagan ang Personal Economic Relief Allowance (PERA)!

Ngayong ika-lumang SONA ni Marcos Jr, ipinaabit natin na panahon na upang dinggin at tugunan ng administrasyong ang mga nararapat na karapatan ng mga kawani ng pamahalaan at ng buong mamamayan.

Hindi tayo titigil sa paglaban hangga’t hindi nakakamit ang nga tagumpay, at katarungan ng mamamayang inaapi!

24/07/2026

𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍: PAGKILOS NG CONFEDERATION FOR UNITY RECOGNITION AND ADVANCEMENT OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (COURAGE) KASUNOD NG ISINAGAWANG STATE OF THE GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ADDRESS (SOGEA)

Matapos ang matagampuay na konsultasyon at kumustahan kasama ang kawani ng iba’t ibang pamahalaan, nagsagawa ng maikling pagkilos ang COURAGE, sa harap ng Quezon City Hall, upang ipaabot sa mas malawak na hanay ng masa ang totoong kalagayan sa publikong sektor.

Giit ng COURAGE, malaking sagka sa kanilang kabuhayan at buhay ang maliit na sahod at nagtataasang presyo ng bilihin at bayarin.

Isa pa, dagdag pasanin at bigat din ang panukalang batas na Optimization Act, na di umano ay huwad na regularisasyon sa hanay ng mga kawani ng pamahalaan.

Kaya naman bitbit ang mga panawagan, inirehistro ng COURAGE ang kanilang paglahok sa darating na SONA ng Bayan, upang singilin ang pamahalaang Marcos Jr., sa mga pagkukulang nito at patuloy na pagpapahirap sa mga kawani at buong sambayanang Pilipino.

Sahod itaas, sa nakabubuhay na antas!
Regularisasyon, hindi tanggalan!
Lahat ng sangkot, dapat managot!

24/07/2026

𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐍𝐀𝐍: Isinasagawa ng CONFEDERATION FOR UNITY, RECOGNITION AND ADVANCEMENT OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES (COURAGE) ang State of Government Employees' Address (SOGEA) kasama ang mga kawani ng pamahalaan mula sa iba't ibang ahensya at tanggapan upang ilahad ang kasalukuyang kalagayan, mga pangunahing suliranin, at sama-samang panawagan ng mga lingkod-bayan bago ang State of the Nation Address (SONA) ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa Hulyo 27, 2026.

Nagsisilbing plataporma ang SOGEA upang marinig ang tinig ng mga kawani ng pamahalaan at sama-samang igiit sa pambansang pamahalaan ang pagtugon sa matagal nang mga suliraning kinakaharap ng sektor ng serbisyo publiko.

Binibigyang-diin din nito na ang dekalidad na serbisyong pampubliko ay nagsisimula sa pagtiyak sa kapakanan, dignidad, at mga karapatan ng mga lingkod-bayan.

Ipinanawaganan ng COURAGE, mga unyon, asosasyon, at pederasyon sa administrasyong Marcos Jr na itaas sa Php 36,000 ang Pambansang Minimum na Sahod, upang matiyak na nakabubuhay ito ng pamilyang may limang miyembro, at nakasasabay sa tumataas na gastusin at pangunahing bilihin, at magbigay ng marangal na pamumuhay sa mga kawani ng pamahalaan at kanilang mga pamilya.

Gayundin, ang tunay na Seguridad sa Trabaho, marrin nating tinututulan ang huwad na regularisasyon sa ilalim ng ipinanukalang Optimization Law, ito ay isang neoliberal na polisiya at mapanlinlang dahil sa huli ay magdudulot ito ng pag-downgrade ng mga posisyin, merging, at abolisyon na sa madaling salita ay malawakang tanggalanh. Dapat tiyakin na ang tunay na seguridad sa trabaho, sapat na benepisyo, at ganap na proteksyon sa mga karapatan ng lahat ng empleyado ng pamahalaan ay maipatupad, at wag pahintulutan ang huwan na mga polisiya kagaya ng Optimization Law o Rightsizing.

At huli muli nating iginigiit ang paggalang sa ating mga Demokratikong Karapatan. Marapat na igalang at pangalagaan ang karapatan ng mga kawani ng pamahalaan na mag-organisa, magpahayag ng kanilang saloobin, sama-samang kumilos, at ipaglaban ang kanilang kapakanan nang walang pananakot, panliligalig, o red-tagging.

Ang mga ito ay hindi lamang mga kahilingan kundi mga lehitimong karapatan ng mga lingkod-bayan na araw-araw na nagsisilbi sa mamamayang Pilipino.

Kasama ang COURAGE, patuloy na naninindigan ang mga lingkod-bayan para sa makatarungang sahod, tunay na seguridad sa trabaho, paggalang sa mga demokratikong karapatan, at isang serbisyong pampubliko na tunay na nagpapahalaga at nangangalaga sa kapakanan ng bawat manggagawa sa pamahalaan.

22/07/2026

📣 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 📣

On July 27, 2026, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. will deliver his annual report on the state of the nation.

As the national center of government employees' organizations, the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) believes it is equally important to present the true state of government employees after four years under the Marcos administration.

Beyond official reports, government workers continue to grapple with low wages, rising prices of basic goods and services, understaffing, contractualization, attacks on union rights, and other longstanding issues that affect both public servants and the quality of public service.

To bring these realities to the fore, COURAGE will hold the State of Government Employee Address (SOGEA) 2026 on:

📅 Friday, July 24, 2026
🕐 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Committee Room 1, 3rd Floor, Quezon City Hall Legislative Building, Quezon City

SOGEA 2026 will serve as a platform to assess the conditions of government employees, present our collective situation and demands, and call on the Marcos administration, Congress, and other decision-makers to take urgent action on issues affecting the public sector.

We warmly invite you, your fellow union officers, and your members to participate in this important gathering. Your presence and solidarity will strengthen our collective voice in advancing the rights, welfare, and legitimate demands of government employees.

Together, let us amplify the voices of government workers and push for genuine reforms that uphold decent wages, secure jobs, union rights, and quality public services.

See you at SOGEA 2026!

15/07/2026

𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐃𝐁𝐌 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟

Government workers, public school teachers, health workers and contractual workers led by the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Workers (COURAGE), Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), Kawani Laban sa Kontraktwalisasyon (KALAKON), Alliance of Health Workers (AHW), and Filipino Nurses United held a lunchtime picket-demonstration in front of the Department of Budget Management (DBM) office in Quiapo, Manila today to press for their economic demands.

Among their demands are: salary increases, higher and more inclusive personnel economic relief allowance (PERA) and job security against policies such as the optimization law especially for contractual and contract of service workers.

COURAGE President Santiago Y. Dasmarinas Jr. Said that the take home pay of government workers have been eroded so much by inflation especially after the successive oil price increases early this year followed by increases in prices of basic commodities and utility services like water and electricity. He added that coupled with economic hardships, government workers, particularly contractual and contract of service workers, are burdened by the threat of losing their jobs because of the government optimization law which aims to streamline the bureaucracy to generate savings for government.

“We are very saddened and angered the fact that those who actually serve the public are the first to be made to sacrifice while those who are on top of the bureaucracy with greater salaries, benefits and privileges, and are even involved in graft and corruption cases, continue to remain in power, unaccountable and unaffected by the sufferings of the public they should be serving.” ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo exclaimed.

The protest action today is meant to get the support of the DBM to their cause the protesters said. Similar protest and lobbying actions shall follow after with them joining the mass demonstration on the July 27 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to demand the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to take heed of the clamor of people for decisive actions to address the economic suffering of ordinary people, eradicate corruption and undertake just and meaningful social reforms. # # #

14/07/2026

06/07/2026

𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐒 𝐀𝐂𝐄-𝐔𝐏!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 (𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄) 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 (𝐀𝐂𝐄-𝐔𝐏).

There are more than a million job order and contract of service (JOCOS) workers in government nationwide at present. This makes the Philippine government the number one employer in the country with the largest number of contractual employees. The job order and contract of service arrangement of employment is a labor only contracting arrangement which violates the Philippine Labor Code and the 1987 Philippine Constitution which guarantee security of tenure as a basic right of all workers.

Worse, the present civil service policies denies the existence of an employee-employer relationship between the JOCOS workers with the government entity employing them to escape the responsibility of the government agency hiring the JOCOS workers of providing the benefits due to these workers such as overtime pay, hazard pay, 13th month pay and others. But actual practice and Supreme Court jurisprudence shows that there is an employee-employer relationship in accordance with the four-fold test rule: Who hires them? Who fires them? Who pays them? Who controls them?

Moreover, most of these JOCOS workers have worked in their respective government agencies for more than three, five, ten, twenty and even thirty years as in the case of many COS workers in the Department of Social Worker and Development (DSWD) who have “retired in service” without receiving any retirement pay.

To remedy this, and as a response to growing protest over this unjust and inhumane employment arrangement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and the Commission on Audit (COA) came up with Joint Circular No. 1, Series of 2017 and reiterated again with the same JC number and content in 2025. The gist of these circulars is that in order to provide these workers with social protection such as SSS and Philhealth coverage, government agencies are restrained from hiring more JOCOS workers unless duly justified and approved by the DBM. Henceforth, government agencies are directed to hire workers through third-party institutional arrangement or manpower agency hiring, a labor contracting arrangement allowed by Philippine labor laws but protested by labor groups as a worse form of labor employment arrangement. COURAGE, and the Kawani Laban sa Kontraktwalisasyon (KALAKON) protest this employment arrangement policy of the DBM-CSC-COA JC #1 and calls for its junking.

Instead of this, COURAGE, KALAKON and other government workers organization supports the house bill filed by Makabayan legislators calling for the end of all forms of contractualization in government and giving regular position and substitute civil service eligibility to all JOCOS and contractual workers in government who have rendered more than six months of satisfactory services in accordance with the labor code

COURAGE therefore supports the call of ACE-UP: MAKATAONG KONTRATA TUNGO SA REGULARISASYON!

The non-consultation and lowering of wages effect of the new contract template for UP JOCOS workers is unjust, undemocratic and inhumane especially in the face of worsening economic conditions of majority of our people in our country.

We call on the UP Management to live up to the public expectation that UP should be a bastion of human rights and a progressive public school institution championing labor rights and reforms

We also call on our fellow government workers especially our JOCOS workers, our fellow workers in the private sector, and our public, to support the cause of ACE-UP. Ang laban ng isa ay laban ng lahat! Manggagawa magkaisa at magtagumpay!

01/07/2026

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘, 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐆𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐃𝐕𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐘𝐄𝐄𝐒 (𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄) 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐕𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒

Today, as we mark the sixth year since the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 and the continued implementation of the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act, COURAGE stands firm in joining the call: Ibasura ang Anti-Terror Act at Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act!

For government employees and public servants, these laws are not instruments of security — they are weapons of fear and repression. Under their vague and overbroad provisions, union leaders, progressive public servants, and our organizations are easily tagged, designated, and targeted by the State, even when our only cause is to fight for the rights and welfare of government workers and deliver quality public service to the Filipino people.

We organize and advocate for a living wage, security of tenure, humane working conditions, sufficient budget for public services, and protection against contractualization and corruption. These are legitimate demands, rooted in our duty to serve the public with dignity and efficiency. Yet under these terror laws, such acts of unionism and advocacy are twisted and misrepresented as threats to national security. We face red-tagging, terror-tagging, freezing of funds, fabricated charges, and harassment — all designed to silence us, break our unity, and demotivate our militant spirit.

These laws have become tools to attack our unions, federation, even our affiliated unions, and every public servant who dares to fight back. They are used to repress the voice of those who work in government, schools, factories, hospitals, and all other places ensuring that only the interests of the ruling elite and corrupt officials and administration prevail. The recent experience of other sectors, from indigenous leaders to human rights advocates, confirms that these laws serve only one purpose: to suppress legitimate struggles for genuine change.

COURAGE stands in solidarity with the Filipino working class and firmly believes that unionism is not terrorism. Demanding better lives for workers and better service for the people is not terrorism.

We join this broad movement to demand and call for the junking the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Terrorism Financing employees, union leaders, and progressive organizations! We also call on the Marcos Jr. government to uphold the rights to organize, speak out, and advocate for workers’ rights and public welfare!

Day of Action vs Terror Law
📌 DOJ, Padre Faura, Manila
🗓 July 3
🕙 10:00 AM

19/06/2026

𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐈, 𝐓𝐔𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐇𝐈𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐊, 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐀 𝐒𝐎𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐀!

Mariing tinututulan ng mga kawani sa ilalim ng COURAGE ang lumalalim na pagkakasangkot ng Pilipinas sa agresyong militar at patakarang gera na pinangungunahan ng Estados Unidos, gayundin sa paggamit sa bansa bilang plataporma ng dayuhang paghahanda para sa digmaan. Ipinapahayag namin ang pagtutol sa lumalawak na joint military exercises, paggamit ng sibilyang pasilidad para sa layuning militar, at mga aktibidad na sa aktwal ay nagsisilbi ring kabahagi ng kampanyang kontra-insurhensya, na nagpapalabo sa hangganan ng sibilyan at militar at nagdudulot ng seryosong usapin sa soberanya, kaligtasan ng publiko, at kapakanan ng mga komunidad.

Bilang mga kawani ng pamahalaan, ramdam namin kung paanong ang malalaking gastusin sa programang militar at dayuhang operasyon ay lalong nagpapahina sa serbisyong pampubliko—habang nananatiling kulang ang pondo para sa ospital, paaralan, serbisyong panlipunan, at makabuluhang umento sa sahod. Masahol sa ilalim ng kasunduang Pax Silica, handing ipamigay ng Pilipinas ang lupa, yamang-likas at soberanya nito para magsilbi sa kampanyang militar ng Estados Unidos.

Dapat batikusin ang administrasyong Marcos Jr sa lantarang pagpapakatuta sa kanyang amo na Estados Unidos. Ang kataksilan ni Marcos sa pambansang interes ay magdudulot ng panganib sa seguridad at kaligtasan ng bansa. Dapat ding ilantad ang mga pahayag at hakbang ni DND Sec. Gilbert Teodoro na nagpapataas ng tensyon sa China upang maikubli ang lumalawak pang presenya at panghihimasok military ng Estados Unidos sa bansa.

Walang saysay ang anumang pagpapalakas ng kapasidad ng sandatahang lakas kung hindi ito tunay na nagsisilbi sa pambansang interes, kundi ginagamit sa pagsulong ng mga dayuhang militar na adyenda.

Bilang tagapagtaguyod ng makabayan at makamasang pamamahala, naninindigan ang COURAGE sa pagtatanggol ng pambansang soberanya at sa pagtutol sa imperyalistang panghihimasok at mga patakarang naglalagay sa bansa sa panganib. Nananawagan ang mga kawani para sa mapayapa, diplomatikong paglutas sa mga usaping teritoryal batay sa internasyonal na batas, at ng isang malayang patakarang panlabas na hindi nakasandig sa anumang dayuhang kapangyarihan.