Simplicio Diez Villados, who was known as Ka Felicing, was a working class hero who

defied the Marcos dictatorship when it was at the height of its power.

Ka Felicing was born and grew up in Meycauayan, Bulacan. His parents were simple
folk who made a living from making and selling bakya, the wooden footwear common to
many Filipinos up to the 1960s. He studied in the local elementary school where he
excelled and, with his gift of words, was often the school’s representative in local
balagtasan contests
He was in sixth grade when the Japanese forces invaded and occupied the country. Still
in his teens, he joined the guerilla resistance and was given various tasks in the anti-
Japanese resistance movement.

After the war ended, Ka Felicing married fellow Bulakeña Fe Flaviano. They had seven
children.  Like his parents, Felicing and his new wife made a living from making and
selling bakya. He also worked as a truck driver, bus conductor and jeepney driver.
Felicing had another talent: he directed sarswelas during local fiestas in Meycauayan
and neighboring towns of Bulacan. He was invited to direct performances as far away
as Bataan.
History of political involvement
In 1964, Felicing found work as company driver at the Elizalde Rope Factory
(ELIROPE), then a leading producer of ropes made of abaca, known internationally as
Manila hemp. Later he was promoted to machine operator.

He became active in the union, a local affiliate of the Philippine Association of Labor
Unions (PAFLU). He was local president in 1972, when martial law was imposed. At this
time, PAFLU assigned a new organizer named Edgar Jopson (Bantayog martyr), to
assist the union in negotiating a collective bargaining agreement or CBA with
management.

Assisted by the PAFLU organizers, Ka Felicing led the negotiations, defying harassment
and blandishments of monetary gain from management. He refused to sell out. Under
his stewardship, his union gained many concessions and later became one of the
founding locals of the National Union of Garment, Textile and Allied Workers of the
Philippines or GATCORD, an alliance of industry related unions, also under the wings of
PAFLU. Ka Felicing was elected its vice-president.

GATCORD went on to play an important role in the struggle against the Marcos
dictatorship. In 1976, the ELIROPE union went on strike at a time when strikes were
prohibited by the martial law regime. The striking workers were attacked by strike
breakers and scabs. Ka Felicing sustained head injuries and had to undergo surgery.

He became close friends with Edgar Jopson, then a major figure in the underground
resistance. Edjop had a profound impact on Ka Felicing. Jopson often spent the night
with Ka Felicing and his wife at their house in Meycauayan. The Villados couple hosted
Jopson and his wife Joy for about a year. They held long discussions about unionism
and workers’ rights, as well as the political and economic situation in the country.

Ka Felicing and his family provided active support to the anti-martial-law movement,
often at great risk to himself and his family. He opened his home to underground
activists, even though many of them were being hunted down by the military. The family
even looked after the children of activists.

The Elizalde Rope Factory closed down in the late 1970s, unable to meet the
competition from cheaper synthetic ropes. When he lost his job in the factory, Ka
Felicing decided to become a full-time labor organizer. It entailed sacrifices for his
family. Two of his children had to quit school. However, he believed he made the right
decision for his country.

He was founding member of the Kilusang Mayo Uno-National Capital Region where he
became its Vice Chairman.  The early 80’s saw heightened and open defiance to the
dictatorship.  Ka Felicing led the workers in the many protest actions launched against
the Marcos dictatorship, bravely speaking out in rallies, welgang-bayan, boycott and
other campaigns that eventually led to the repressive Marcos government’s downfall in
1986.

Circumstance of death and impact to the community

After the dictatorship was dismantled, Ka Felicing went on with his work in trade unions.
He became the KMU’s national treasurer until 1993. He died from prostate cancer in
1995. He was 70 years old.

Ka Felicing’s deep understanding of the common workers’ plight made him an effective
labor leader, kind-hearted but very principled in advancing their interests. Not a few
have expressed admiration for the evident purity of his heart.  Among others, former
Commission on Human Rights chair Etta Rosales, who described herself as a “fan,” had
this to say:

“Hindi malalampasan ang naging papel ni Ka Felicing noong panahon na iyon – isang
panahon na namamayani ang takot at kaba dahil sa kamay na bakal ng diktadura. Ang
tapang at tinig niya habang kumikilos sa pabrika upang iangat ang kalagayan ng
kanyang sector sa kabila ng takot na namamayani sa marami ay tanyag at matatag sa
mahabang panahon. Para sa akin, dalisay si Ka Felicing. Walang yabang nguni’t
matapang, mapagkumbaba at, higit sa lahat, matapat sa kanyang kapwa at bayan.”

A few months before he died , the KMU gave to Ka Felicing its “Gawad ng Pagkilala at
Pasasalamat” for devoting 37 years of dedicated service for the advancement of the
cause and interests of the working class.