KMU kay Lucio Tan: hiling ng PAL workers, sundin

A Philippine Air Lines aircraft. (travelph.com)

MANILA - Sa gitna ng nagbabantang welga ng mga ground employees at cabin crew ng Philippine Airlines, nanawagan ngayon ang sentrong unyong Kilusang Mayo Uno kay Lucio Tan, may-ari ng PAL, na kagyat na sundin ang panawagan ng mga manggagawa ng PAL. Ayon sa grupo, sumobra na si Tan sa pagpapatupad ng mga patakarang kontra-manggagawa.

“Malinaw ang mensahe ng mga manggagawa ng PAL kay Lucio Tan: itigil ang pagpapatupad ng mga kontra-manggagawang patakaran. Sobra-sobra na ang dinanas ng mga manggagawa ng PAL. Ang hinihiling lang nila ay ang karapatan nila bilang mga manggagawa – para sa disenteng trabaho, seguridad sa trabaho, tamang kabayaran, at karapatang sama-samang makipagtawaran,” ani Elmer Labog, chairperson ng KMU.

“Para makahamig ng malaking tubo sa nakaraang mga taon, pinababa ni Lucio Tan ang mga sahod at benepisyo ng mga manggagawa. Ginawa niyang kontraktwal ang maraming manggagawa sa pamamagitan ng outsourcing at spinoff. Nagpataw siya ng 10-taong moratoryo sa negosasyon para sa CBA at pinalawig pa ito. Gusto nang tapusin ang lahat ng ito ng mga manggagawa,” dagdag niya.

Sa pamumuno ng PAL Employees’ Association o Palea, nagbabala ang mga manggagawa ng PAL na maglulunsad ng welga. Idinahilan nito ang planong i-outsource o i-spinoff ang mga seksyon ng operasyon ng PAL, na magtatanggal sa trabaho sa 2,600 manggagawa. Inireklamo rin ng Palea ang pagtanggi ng PAL management, sa loob ng dalawang taon, na simulan ang negosasyon sa unyon para sa isang collective bargaining agreement.

Sa kabila ng ibinibidang P80-Milyong alok sa mga flight attendants ng PAL, nagpahayag ang Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines o Fasap ng kahandaang magwelga. Idinahilan naman ng grupo ang pagtanggi ng PAL Management na ibigay ang kanilang kahilingan na itaas ang edad ng pagreretiro mula sa 40 anyos at ibasura ang umano’y “no-motherhood” policy ng PAL.

“Sa pamamagitan ng mga tagapagsalita niya sa PAL Management, idinadahilan ni Tan ang kabawasan sa tubo para ipatanggap sa mga manggagawa ng PAL at sa publiko rin ang kasalukuyang kalagayan sa PAL at ang mga hakbangin ng management na hindi naman tumutugon sa panawagan ng mga manggagawa. Kalokohan ito. Ang mga manggagawa ng PAL ang unang makakaalam kung nalulugi o kumikita ang kumpanya,” sabi ni Labog.

“Si Tan ang pangalawang pinakamayamang tao sa bansa ngayon, at patuloy pang lumalago ang kabuuang halaga niya. Malaking dahilan nito ang mapagsamantala at kontra-manggagawang mga patakaran niya sa PAL. May hangganan sa pagkaganid niya, at ito ang ipinapakita ng mga pahayag at aksyon ng mga manggagawa ng PAL. Habang nakikipaglaban siya para sa kanyang supertubo, nakikipaglaban ang mga manggagawa para sa katarungang panlipunan,” dagdag ni Labog.

Binanggit ng KMU ang isang ulat ng Forbes Asia Magazine na nagpapakitang si Tan ang pangalawang pinakamayang tao sa bansa, na may kabuuang halagang P1.9 Bilyon. Binabanggit din ng mga manggagawa ng PAL ang pagbayad ng kumpanya sa mga utang nito at ang pagbili nito ng mga bagong eroplano.

Farmers' group condemns violent dispersal of protesters in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - The series of violent dispersal and the killing of a political activist all on President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s first week in office put his promise to uphold democracy and peace in serious question, Kilusang Mayo Uno said on Monday.

Farmers from Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog, including those from the Aquino-owned Hacienda Luisita who demanding the new administration to implement genuine agrarian reform were violently dispersed on Saturday in Manila. At least 40 farmers and militants were arrested while dozens more hurt.

Following the arrest of farmers, about 30 students who staged an indignation rally at the police headquarters in Manila were also violently dispersed.

On Monday, Bayan Muna party-list coordinator Fernando Baldomero was shot dead in front of his house, marking the first extra-judicial killing under the Aquino administration.

“These series of violent dispersal and the killing of our fellow activist portend a repressive climate for militants and ordinary people under the new administration. It is an unwelcome sign from a new government which promises respect for democracy and peace,” KMU vice-chairman Joselito Ustarez said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

Condemn the dispersal

“What happened in Mendiola (bridge near the Presidential Palace in Manila) last Saturday was a violent repression of democratic calls for genuine land reform right in front of the President’ seat of power,” Ustarez said, adding, that Aquino should condemn the incident rather than defend his family’s interests in Hacienda Luisita.

Over the weekend, Aquino merely said that dispersed Luisita farmers should give him time to distribute the sugar estate in Tarlac town.

“Is that what this shows? That when the new president feels pressure from below, he agrees to use pressure against demonstrators? He asks for much time for him to implement reforms while he does not waste time in using force against dissenters. Not a good sign,” Ustarez said.

It’s the least which the people expect from Aquino, who promised in his inaugural address that farmers will finally be cared of under his administration,” he added.

Probe the killing

KMU also urged Aquino to order a swift investigation into the first case of extra-judicial killing under his watch.

“How Aquino will handle the case of Baldomero will be a measure of his administration’s sincerity to seek justice for all victims of human rights violations,” Ustarez said.

Workers bring wage hike agenda to Malacañang on Day 1

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino workers led by the group called Kilusang Mayo Uno have trooped to Malacañang to bring the wage hike agenda on President Benigno Simeon Aquino’s first day in office, as he did not hint on any wage increase in his inaugural address.

Anakpawis Party-list, meanwhile, also filed Thursday the P125 nationwide wage hike bill for the 15th Congress.

“If President Noynoy can’t feel it much yet, the people’s demand and need for a substantial, nationwide wage increase is very urgent. We re-filed the P125 bill in Congress and troop to the President’s office in his day one to let him know very well,” KMU Chairperson Elmer Labog said in a statement, referring to the President, whose nickname is Noynoy.

“His grand promises for change sounds so inspiring, but we may find it hard to imagine change if our wages would not change substantially,” Labog added.

“We already did our part by immediately filing the P125 bill sponsored by Anakpawis partylist the morning after the inauguration. President Noynoy should now do his partby certifying the bill as urgent in order to get things going.”

KMU said the president has historically influenced the start of deliberations and passage of many bills filed in Congress by certifying those as urgent bills.

“Arroyo has pinned down wages to lowest levels during her term, may Noynoy really bring significant ‘change’ in this aspect at the very least.”

Labog recalled that only four wage increases were granted in NCR during Arroyo’s 9-year term, and the current minimum wage has been brought down to only one-third of the cost of living.

KMU noted however that pressure for Aquino to deny any wage increase could directly come from his Cabinet. Four Cabinet members are members of big business chambers and corporations: Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim (Makati Business Club), Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo (SM Investments Inc.), Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras (Manila Water Company), and Rogelio Singson (Maynilad Water Services).

“President Aquino should prove that the people is his real boss by defying the wishlist by top business executives in his Cabinet to further freeze wages. He should immediately heed workers’ long overdue call for a substantial wage increase,” Labog said.

Foreign Affairs Chief Reappointment Means Unequal Ties Are Here To Stay - KMU

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Simeon Aquino III's reappointment of Alberto Romulo to the Department of Foreign Affairs sends a dangerous signal that the incoming administration wants to retain the highly unequal foreign relations that the Arroyo administration nurtured in the past years, the labor group called Kilusang Mayo Uno said.

"DFA Secretary Romulo has actively defended a number of highly controversial agreements including the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement or JPEPA. Retaining him sends an unequivocal sign that unequal foreign relations are here to stay beyond June 30, 2010," KMU chairperson Elmer Labog said in a statement.

For years, the VFA has allowed the free entry of US troops in the country and has spawned human rights violations, displacement of many people from their homes and livelihoods, and abuse of Filipino women, including Subic rape victim Nicole.

Since VFA's implementation in year 2000, 1,600 to 6,000 US soldiers were 'coming and going' to the Philippines yearly, not considering all the clandestine operations they have withheld from the public.

JPEPA, meanwhile, has licensed the dumping of toxic wastes from Japan and the unfettered entry of huge Japanese fishing vessels in Philippine waters.

Both treaties have licensed foreign exploitation of our resources, markets, and manpower.

KMU added that Aquino's decision to recycle Romulo hints that the US sees the DFA secretary as a reliable ally in securing its interests in the country.

"His reappoinment to the DFA could mean that he received a thumbs-up mark from the US government and governments of other imperialist countries for his good record of defending one-sided agreements under Arroyo," the labor leader said.

Transport Strike, Inakong Tagumpay Ng KMU, Militante

Ang protesta ng mga transport groups sa Davao City sa Mindanao sa mga larawang ipinadala sa Mindanao Examiner.(Kuha ni Keith Bacongco ng AKP Images)

QUEZON CITY, Pilipinas (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 14, 2007) – Inako ngayon ng Kilusang Mayo Uno at iba pang mga militanteng grupo at transport organizations na malaking tagumpay ang naganap na protesta kontra sa patuloy na pagtaas ng presyo ng langis at iba pang bilihin sa bansa.

“Sa panimulang arangkada pa lamang ay tagumpay na ang pambansang protesta at welgang transportasyon na inilunsad ng PISTON at mga samahan sa transport sa ilalim ng All Transport Forum Against Oil Price Increase,” ani ng KMU sa ibinigay na pahayag sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Kahapon lamang ay nagsabi si Kal. Angelo Reyes ng Department of Energy na wala nang magaganap na anumang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo hanggang katapusan ng taon, na tahasang bumabawi sa pahayag ng mga kumpanya ng langis na may underrecovery pa sila na P1.50.

Pinatutunayan din nito na hindi tutuong “walang magagawa” ang gubyerno. Mas mahalaga, napatampok ng pambansang pagkilos ang tatlong pangunahing panawagan ng mga driver at mamamayan: ang pagpapatigil sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis; ang pag-alis sa RVAT o buwis sa langis; at ang pagbabasura sa Batas Deregulasyon sa Langis, ayon pa sa KMU.

Dahil sa kampanyang inilunsad ng PISTON, naging usap-usapan ang paggamit ng oil cartel sa Oil Deregulation Law para lalong palobohin ang tubo nito mula sa produktong petrolyo.

Naging tampok din ang kainutilan, kundi man ang pakikipagsabwatan ng gobyerno ni Arroyo sa mga kumpanya ng langis. Laluna't nagdagdag pa ito sa presyo ng langis sa pamamagitan ng P3 per litro na RVAT.

Nakatulong sa ibayong pagsigla ng kampanya ang pagkakabuo ng People's Unity Against Oil Price Increase na naging lunduan sa pagsama at pakikiisa ng mga manggagawa, kabataan, kababaihan, empleyado ng gobyerno, migrante, mga guro, at iba pang sektor at grupo sa kilos protesta-welga ng mga driver.

Nabuo ang All Transport Forum Against Oil Price Increase na binubuo ng PISTON at mga independienteng samahan at mga kasapi ng ibang transport groups na nagkaisang maglunsad ng mga kilos protesta at welgang transportasyon.

Mahalagang karagdagan dito ang mga samahan sa Marikina, San Juan, Eastern Rizal, Alabang, at ang Makati Transport Group na binubuo ng mga jeepney at tricycle associations.

Naidaos ang isang mapayapang kilos protesta at welga sa harap ng mga pagtatangka ng pamahalaan na ilihis ang isyu, at pananakot hinggil sa posibleng pagbawi sa prankisa ng mga lalahok na operator.

Lumahok sa Pambansang Koordinadong Kilos Protesta at Welgang Transportasyon ang mga sumusunod na ruta.

Ang partisipasyon na masasalamin sa pagkawala ng mga jeepney at iba pang tipo ng sasakyang pampubliko ay: 90% sa Tanay, Morong, Angono, Binangonan, Cardona, Taytay, at Cainta sa Rizal; 90% Pasig Tramo; 50% sa Pasig Palengke; 90% sa Commonwealth at UP; 90% sa Novaliches; 100% Kamias; 80% sa Cubao; 80% sa Pier South; 70% sa Baclaran; 95% sa Alabang; 90% sa Zapote; 100% sa Tramo Pasay. Sa mga probinsya, 95% sa Davao at Cagayan de Oro City; 90% sa Gen. Santos City, 98-99% sa Iloilo, Roxas at Aklan; 90% sa Negros Occidental; 85%-98% sa Bicol Provinces; 90% sa Sta. Cruz, San Pedro at Calamba, Laguna; .80% sa 3rd District ng Batangas (Tanauan, Sto. Tomas, Lipa);

”Simula pa lang ito ng laban. Nabuksan na ang usapin ng pagbabasura sa Batas Deregulasyon sa Langis sa Kongreso, laluna't may mga panukalang batas na inihain na sa Mababang Kapulungan at Senado,” dagdag pa ng KMU.

Militant Groups Itching To March, Protest High Prices In RP

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 12, 2007) – A broad alliance against privatization and commercialization of basic services in the southern Philippines said it would join the nationwide strike Thursday by transport groups to protest the rising cost of commodities and worsening poverty in the Philippines.

“With the rising cost of almost all basic commodities we cannot feel the strength of the peso that the Arroyo government is boasting about,” said Leon Bolcan, spokesperson of the Consumer Alert (CA).

He said the rising cost of power, water and, as seeming exemplification of how deteriorated the standard of living in the country has become.

Local prices of flour were affected by the global increase in wheat prices due to short supplies. This prompted the Philippine Federation of Bakers Association Inc., Filipino-Chinese Bakers Association Inc, and the Philippine Baking Industry Group to announce that they had been suffering for the past months due to continuous increase of prices of wheat and flour.

Data showed that the prices of flour have increased at least 6 percent a month for the past six months, forcing the bakers to increase the price of pan de sal to P2.50 this month.

CA expects this to have a harrowing repercussion on the prices of other flour-based products including noodles and snack foods.

”Pan de sal (bread) and noodles are common foods in the tables of Filipino families, 'pantawid gutom' even to some. The LPG price has already increased 13 times this year and resulted to skyrocketing prices of other basic commodities. Why can't we feel the so-called boom on the economy? We are still being pushed to the wall and reduced to living on a per day basis,” Bolcan said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

He said they will join the transport strike tomorrow to protest the decline of livelihood and worsening poverty.

“Consumers must not solely shoulder the blows of non-stop price increase. The transport strike tomorrow, in the face of worsening poverty and brazen corruption, is all the more justifiable and needs the united support of the entire Filipino people,” Bolcan said. The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) also urged lawmakers to prioritize and pass bills calling for the repeal of Oil Deregulation Law and P125 wage increase for workers before their Christmas break “for the best interest of the majority of Filipinos.”

Elmer Labog, KMU chairperson, said the succeeding oil price hikes, the scheduled increases in water and power rates this month are enough reasons that workers' salaries should be immediately adjusted and a deregulated scheme in the oil industry be scrapped.

“It is unfortunate that again President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's attention and feelings are so far away from the Filipinos' cries and demands and refused to include the P125 legislated wage hike bill and repeal of the Oil Deregulation Law to the nine priority bills she wanted to be passed before Christmas break.”

“We therefore ask our lawmakers that for the best interests of their constituents to immediately respond to the issues that are nearest to the grumbling stomach of every Filipino,” Labog said.

He also warned that “widespread chaos and unrest” is inevitable in the coming weeks if prices of basic commodities and services will continue to rise while wages are nailed to the floor and accessible forms of livelihood are denied to the poor.

“The nationally-coordinated protest actions and nationwide transport strike on December 13 are just the beginning of a series of demonstrations that will rock the Arroyo government because it refuses to attend to every legitimate demand of ordinary Filipino. The Arroyo government must beware of what hungry Filipinos can do when they are pushed to the wall,” Labog said.

He said tens of thousands of workers affiliated with KMU will troop to the streets to join the nationally-coordinated protest actions against oil price hike.

Labog urged the public to support the nationwide protests and strike since a “one-day collective sacrifice” will be strong statement against the Arroyo government and the oil cartel.

“Majority of the Filipinos will benefit from the legitimate demands of the workers, drivers and other sectors during the demonstrations. The collective howl of protests reverberating nationwide on Thursday will provide a message to the Arroyo government that the Filipino people is serious in its demand for the Oil Deregulation Law be repealed, that the P3.00 EVAT in diesel be scrapped and for oil price increases be stopped immediately,” he said.

GMA Sinisi Sa Kahirapan, Pagmamalupit Sa Bansa

MAYNILA, Pilipinas (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 10, 2007) - Kahirapan pa rin ang umano'y ugat ng pinakamatitinding paglabag sa karapatang pantao ng mamamayang Pilipino, ito'y ayon kay Elmer Labog, Tagapangulo ng Kilusang Mayo Uno(KMU.

Ito ang pahayag ngayon na inilabas ng KMU kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng International Human Rights Day.

Ayon kay Labog, gayong patuloy ang pagdami ng kaso ng extra-judicial killings at enforced disappearence o pagdukot sa Pilipinas, mahirap sukatin ang dami at lala ng paglabag sa pagiging tao ng mga Pilipino sa kahirapang nagdudulot sa kanilang "mabuhay ng mas malala pa sa mga daga".

" Nakakalungkot na nagiging ordinaryong tanawin na sa atin na makita ang ating mga kababayang nagkakalkal sa mga basura upang may makain. Dumating na tayo sa panahon na dulot ng matinding kahirapan, nakikipagkumpetensiya ang maraming bilang ng mga Pilipino laban sa mga daga, aso at pusa para sa mga tira-tirang pagkaing naibasura na."

"Kung makatao pa ito, hindi ko na alam kung ano pa ang ibig sabihin ng makatao o disenteng pamumuhay," ani Labog sa isang pahayag na ibinigay sa pahayagang Mindanao Examiner.

Iginiit ni Labog ang pag-aaral ng International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) na nailabas nitong Nobyembre na 11 milyong Pilipino mula sa humigit kumulang na 1 bilyong tao sa buong mundo ang nabubuhay lamang sa US1$ kada araw. Ayon sa IFRI, nakasadlak sa extreme poverty o "napakalalang kahirapan" ang sinumang nabubuhay sa US1$ bawat araw.

"Hindi maitatawa ng gubyernong Arroyo na sa 11 milyong Pilipino biktima ng napakatinding kahirapan ay ang mga Pilipinong hindi nabibigyan ng trabaho ng pamahalaan. Hindi rin nakapagtatakang kasama din dito ang ibang manggagawang nawalan ng trabaho at kabuhayan dahil na rin sa mga baluktot na programa at mga polisiya ng gubyernong Arroyo," ani pa ni Labog.

Ipinahayag din ni Labog na sa pagdami ng mahihirap na Pilipino sa bansa, isang kasinungalingan ang pagyayabang ni Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo sa mga negosyante sa United Kingdom na siya' y isang magaling na ekonomista.

"Hindi kailanman nakakakain ng mga mahihirap ang ipinagmamalaking datos ng paglago sa ekonomiya ni PGMA. Ang totoo mas lumulubha ang kanilang kalagayan dahil hanggang sa ngayon ipinapain pa rin niya ang mga Pilipino sa mga hayok na dayuhang mamumuhunan at malalaking negosyante upang makakuha ng mga pera na walang kahihiyang kinukurakot naman nila."

"Malinaw kung gayon na maging sa mga pang-ekonomiyang karapatan ng mga Pilipino si Gloria ang numerong unong lumalabag sa mga ito, " diin pa ni Labog.

RP Labor Group Slams Looming Power Rate Increase

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 14 Aug) – A Filipino labor group, Kilusang Mayo Uno, has criticized Tuesday another petition of the Manila Electric Company for a new increase in power rates.

MERALCO has filed a petition with the Energy Regulatory Council (ERC) to once again increase rates on electricity, but the KMU said a new hike in power rates will also add new burden to consumers.

“Prices of electricity in the Philippines is one of the highest in Asia that is why MERALCO posted a PhP 2.34 billion (USD 51,047,120) profit for the first half of the year, a five fold increase compared to PhP 367 million (USD 8,006,108) of the same period last year.”

“Ordinary consumers and even business are already reeling from the high rates, but MERALCO wants to further bleed us dry,” Elmer Labog, KMU national chairman, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Labog said recent floods and drought in the country have resulted in increased prices of basic commodities while wages of workers remain very low. “The Department of Trade and Industry recorded price increase in rice, vegetables and milk and with another round of increase in electricity, life will be more miserable for ordinary Filipinos,” he said.

“Any monetary reimbursement made to the public by MERALCO due to theirillegal billing under the Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA) is being recovered through other charges imposed on the consumer, like System Loss and Transmission charges. They gave us back our finger but MERALCO wants our whole arm in return,” he said.

The KMU is asking Congress for a Php 125 daily increase in wages to compensate for the “never-ending” increase of prices of commodities.

Filipino Activist Risks Life, Liberty To Air Protest vs. Human Rights Abuses

Dennis Maga protested on Monday in a steel cage outside Parliament in Wellington. (Photo by Mark Mitchell)

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 30 May) – The militant trade union, Kilusang Mayo Uno, on Wednesday said local authorities are to arrest a Filipino political activist who led an anti-Arroyo protest in New Zealand during a state visit by the Philippine leader.

It said it uncovered a plot by the Philippine government to arrest Dennis Maga, spokesman for the “Free Ka Bel Movement” and a senior KMU member.

Maga’s protest during President Gloria Arroyo’s state visit in New Zealand drew international media attention after he was joined by hundreds of unionists in denouncing the spate of political killings in the Philippines and the continued detention of a militant lawmaker Crispin Beltran, also known as Ka Bel.

In Wellington on Monday, Maga stood in a cage outside The Beehive as Arroyo and Prime Minister Helen Clark held a media conference.

Maga said his country needed to stop human rights abuses and free Beltran who has been in prison for more than a year on what his supporters said were spurious coups plotting charges.

“Arroyo is known for her vindictiveness and we will not be surprised if she personally instructed the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID) to arrest Dennis Maga once he gets into the country,” Elmer Labog, KMU national chairman, said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Labog said they were informed by BID sources that an arrest order has been issued for Maga once he arrives home Sunday.

“Dennis even e-mailed us and verified the information from his own sources inside the BID. He said in his email that they would create trumped-up charges and arrest him.”

“The case of Maga will serve as a litmus test on whether Arroyo’s word to New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark on respect for human rights will hold water. Any harassment on Maga will erase Arroyo’s ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ strategy when it comes to human rights,” Labog said.

Labog group also appealed to Clark to issue a statement against the possible arrest of Maga.

“Many of our brothers and sisters in the trade union movement in New Zealand have expressed concern on Maga’s safety and have made commitments to pressure their own government to uphold human rights," he said.

The National Distribution Union on Wednesday also said that supermarket distribution workers in New Zealand have walked out in support of Maga after learning news of his possible arrest in Manila.

It said Maga was calling his one-year old son, Elijah, to say happy birthday when he learnt that his house was under surveillance by police and that he faces arrest on his return.

Maga was invited by the NDU and Unite Union to talk to workers about the repression and killings of trade unionists, journalists and church leaders by the Filipino military and police.

Two-hundred previously locked out NDU Progressive distribution workers gave Maga a standing ovation and walked out to mount a spontaneous show of solidarity on the same spot where they held their pickets last year.

NDU site delegate Daniel Patea said that Filipino workers and unions had supported the locked out workers.

“Filipino workers helped us when we struggled during our lockout last year and so giving support to Dennis who faces arrest and even assassination is the least we could do.”

“President Arroyo has told Helen Clark, your government and the interfaith dialogue that she is addressing human rights violations in our country,” Maga said. “But here I am, facing arrest for simply exposing the continuing abuses by our military and police.”

The NDU and the Council of Trade Unions said they would ask the Prime Minister to get assurances from Arroyo that Maga will not be arrested.

Maga told reporters in New Zealand that he feared he would be assassinated or arrested for his stand. He said human rights abuse was continuing in the Philippines.

"I am really worried for my family's safety because they might invent a charge against my father and my wife and my family just to pressure me to return to the Philippines," he said.

The Filipino leader ended her three-day state visit in New Zealand and Presidential Assistant Heherson Alvarez said Arroyo is bringing home at least $1.22 billion in investments.

From this amount, the biggest beneficiary is the environment sector with $1 billion going to a reforestation project, $150 million in a gold mining deal, $40 million for the local wood processing industry, and $30 million for the export of Philippine tropical fruits to New Zealand.

Alvarez said the $1 billion reforestation project which Arroyo announced during the meeting with the Filipino community in Auckland would be financed by CK Tan of Shannolane, based in New Zealand.

The reforestation project in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province in Mindanao is scheduled to start as early as October this year.

After the New Zealand visit, Arroyo headed for Australia, the first Philippine President to visit the country in over ten years. Australia is a major ally and strong economic partner of the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

Protests, Rallies Shame Arroyo In New Zealand

(Video by gbgcommunications)

Anti-Arroyo protests in New Zealand. (KMU photos contributed to the Mindanao Examiner)

MANILA - Delegates to the interfaith dialogue hosted by Prime Minister Helen Clark at Waitangi in New Zealand, were left in no doubt about the real issues of peace, security and tolerance that should be on their agenda, the National Distribution Union said on Tuesday.

Banners reading "Stop the Killings Gloria" and "Stop the Killings in the Philippines" highlighted the appalling record of human rights violations under President Gloria Arroyo, a co-host of the forum, it said.

Dozens of white wooden crosses were planted in the ground at the entry to the treaty grounds to symbolize the 858 extra judicial killings during the Arroyo regime.

Photographs of slain protestant Bishop Alberto Ramento and other victims showed the human face of this travesty.

Renowned New Zealand law professor Jane Kelsey said that crosses planted at the entry to the Copthorne Hotel made it impossible for Arroyo to miss the protest when she arrived to address the conference.

"Our noisy reception sent President Arroyo a clear message to stop the killings, for which the UN rapporteur holds her ultimately responsible," she said. "Equally, Helen Clark was challenged for hosting someone with a proven record of gross human rights violations.

"It's no longer acceptable for our Prime Minister to claim that she has raised these issues with President Arroyo. Past assurances have been shown to be worthless. The time has come for the New Zealand Government to put its money where its mouth is. Instead of channeling 'technical assistance' funding to the Philippines government that is responsible for the violations, it should direct that money to the churches and other independent human rights advocacy organizations."

A local Maori leader, Arthur Harawira, also led a protest on his ancestral grounds.

"I challenge the hypocrisy of the New Zealand government for holding this event on the sacred grounds of Waitangi in an attempt to give legitimacy to an illegitimate occasion,” he said.

Harawira drew links between the struggles of Maori with the struggles of the indigenous peoples and workers in the Philippines.

Dennis Maga, spokesman for the "Free Ka Bel" movement, urged inter-faith participants not to sit at the table with governments, like that of President Arroyo, who are responsible for gross human rights violations in their own countries.

"Yesterday, another UCCP pastor Berlin Guerrero has been abducted and found tortured by the Philippine National Police and charged with inciting to sedition dating back to 1991 and 1992."

"This reality flies in the face of President Arroyo’s assurances repeated at the press conference yesterday that her Government was fighting to improve its record in the killings," he said.

The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno said Tuesday President Arroyo humiliated herself in New Zealand by not telling the truth about state of human rights in the Philippines.

It also said that Philippine authorities are planning to arrest Maga as soon as he returns to Manila from New Zealand for leading the protest against Arroyo’s visit.

"Reliable sources have informed us that the Philippine government is planning to arrest Dennis Maga upon his arrival from New Zealand on June 2. Obviously, Arroyo was embarrassed in New Zealand that's why Malakanyang is posing to arrest Maga and further suppress the advocates of democracy," Maria Theresa Dioquino, KMU International Affairs Secretary, said in a statement sent to the independent regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

Maga was among the protesters who rallied against President Arroyo at the Parliament during her state visit to New Zealand.

He was hosted by the National Distribution Union of New Zealand, also supporting for the release of Anakpawis solon Crispin Beltran, who has been tagged by the Philippine military as an alleged supporter of the Maoist rebel group, New People’s Army, the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines.

"We are just stating facts about the Arroyo government's grave human right violations. It is Arroyo who embarrassed herself when she flagrantly lied about the state of human rights in the Philippines.

The young labor leader was 'caged' outside the New Zealand Parliament as his symbolic protest against the Philippine government's continued detention of Beltran.

The incident stirred huge media attention from New Zealand and the Philippines and the international media.

The protests countered Arroyo's boasting of her 'exemplary' human rights record in the Philippines.

Labor unions and progressive groups in New Zealand which are allied with the KMU and FKBM condemned Beltran’s continued illegal detention and the spate of political killings in the Philippines.

While activists criticized President Arroyo, Malakanyang issued a statement boasting her strong pitch for the promotion of interfaith dialogue to bring about lasting peace, political stability and economic growth in Asia.

"In Mindanao, we have taken steps to bring interfaith forces to bear upon a peace process that has resulted in a three-year ceasefire and monumental strides in economic growth," she said.

Extolling New Zealand’s role in the Mindanao Trust Fund, President Arroyo hailed the key role Prime Minister Clark plays in fostering interfaith dialogue in the resolution of conflicts, the promotion of peace and economic growth.

The Mindanao Trust Fund is intended for the development of Mindanao.

"I am here as a follower and participant to promote interfaith collaboration in education, security, social development and media," she said.

The President said that apart from its assistance to Mindanao, New Zealand plays a major role in East Asia’s "determined journey of consolidation since last year."

"As chair of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), I have witnessed the warming of ties between ASEAN, China and Japan within the context of common prosperity and collective security," she said.

She pointed out that "East Asia is coming of age in this millennium as a global leader for equitable trade with a clear social dividend and solid security with a soft touch. Our relations with New Zealand are incorporated in this paradigm."

Noted for its commitment to human rights, protection of the environment, peace and interfaith dialogue, New Zealand brings to East Asia, the "soft strategies that guarantee peace, reinforcing the hard elements such as joint military training and law enforcement operations that we share with allies like Australia and the United States," the President said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Filipinos Celebrate Labor Day With Street Rallies, Protests

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 01 May) – Thousands of workers and members of progressive groups have staged street rallies Tuesday to mark the celebration of the International Labor Day.

”May Day is an occasion for us to celebrate the fruits of our battle against oppression, the butchery of free-market globalization and the US imperialist-led war of terror.”

“In the same breath, we celebrate our hard earned victories and further intensify the struggle of the working-class against the isolated and much-hated U.S.-Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regime,” said Elmer Labog, chairman of the militant group, Kilusang Mayo Uno party, which led the rallies in Manila.

"Arroyo's isolation from the masses is heightening. She will soon find her proper place and the May 14 election is just the beginning of her political annihilation,” Labog said.

KMU is opposed to trade agreements between the Philippines and the United States. It said the U.S. is exploiting the Philippines and other poor countries in Asia to advance its own interests.
In southern Philippines, around 10,000 workers from the provinces of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and Davao City also joined street protests and demanded more labor benefits.

"Today is a significant day to the Filipino people. In times of great crisis, the workers and the toiling masses shall exhibit its unceasing and unbreakable spirit of defiance against the attacks of the Arroyo regime," said Omar Bantayan, secretary general of KMU in Southern Mindanao and also vice president of the Anakpawis party list group for Mindanao.

Bantayan said the Arroyo regime is culpable of the destruction of the lives of the Filipino people, as it permitted large-scale capital to exploit labor power and siphon all possible super-profits and consistently denied the workers a significant and reasonable increase in wages.

“Arroyo and her cohorts have sabotaged the passage of the HB345 (Beltran P125 Bill) which would give significant relief to the workers by approximating the depressed wage levels with the projected family living wage. At present, the daily minimum wage in Region XI is pegged at P228 while the daily cost of living is P621.”

“There is no truth to the claim of the Arroyo administration and big business that the P125 wage increase will cause destruction of the people's livelihood," Bantayan said. "A constricted market, unfair competition, lack of finances and regressive taxation are the main causes of retrenchments and closures of small and medium-scale enterprises.”

While militant political groups denounced Arroyo, the President inaugurated on Labor Day a four-storey "workers’ inn" in Manila for “urban workers whose homes are not within convenient commuting distance from Metro Manila.”

Called “Gwapotel: Tulugan sa Bayan,” the dormitory-style bed and bath facility is a joint project of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the National Power Corporation (Napocor), a government statement said.

Strategically located at the former Napocor Building along Bonifacio Drive in Port Area in Manila, the temporary living facility, also dubbed "PGMA’s Workers’ Inn," provides transients affordable rooms to stay.

The President was joined by Metro-Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, National Power Corporation (Napocor) chief Cyril del Callar and Department of Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro in the ceremonial unveiling of the marker and ribbon-cutting activities formally opening to the public the sleeping and bathing facility.

According to Fernando, the 700-bed Gwapotel was conceptualized under the President's pro-poor program of providing clean and affordable living quarters to every Filipino, particularly provincial residents who work in Metro Manila.

Fernando said that under PGMA's Worker's Inn program, the Gwapotel is designed to provide an affordable albeit temporary sleeping and bathing facility for workers whose homes are not within convenient commuting distance to their places of work in Metro Manila.

“Gwapotel will provide relief and added rest time to workers who need to commute daily to and from their residences in the provinces,” Fernando said, adding that it was among the wage benefits the President gave to the Filipino workers this Labor Day.

The dormitory-style Gwapotel is divided as follows: the third and fourth floors are allocated to provide sleeping and bathing facilities for male customers while the second floor is allocated for women clients. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militant Party List Groups Place Under Suveillance

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 10 Mar) – A militant party list group, Kilusang Mayo Uno, accused Philippine authorities of spying and said government agents were caught taking photographs of its office in Quezon City.

The group said one of its members was chased by soldiers Thursday in Taguig district.

Policemen and soldiers were hunting down Bayan Muna party list Rep. Satur Ocampo, who has been accused of killing scores of New People’s Army rebels suspected as government spies more than two decades ago.

Aside from Ocampo, authorities also filed murder charges against 59 others, including Jose Maria Sison, founder of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines, who is now living in exile in The Netherlands.

A court in Leyte province in central Philippines ordered Ocampo’s arrest this week, but the militant lawmaker has gone into hiding. He denied all accusations against him.

"After the release of the arrest order against Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and 59 other individuals, we felt heightened surveillance on our national office located at Project 3, Quezon City. It's like the government 'open season' vs. progressives and government critics," Lito Ustarez, KMU's executive vice president.

"We will not be surprised if we discover that the KMU National office is under surveillance 24/7. Yesterday at around 11 a.m, a suspicious looking man boarding a white Tamaraw FX van parked right outside our office and took pictures of our office building facade and entrance.”

“We also noticed several strangers roaming outside our office and standing at nearby stores and passenger jeep terminals. We are not new to these kinds of harassment initiated by government agents. We are ready and alert all the time. In fact, we already outlined counter monitoring plans," he said.

Ustarez said other party list groups and peace missions allied with KMU were also harassed by soldiers around Manila and Quezon City."Even KADAMAY members and leaders in urban poor communities in Commonwealth and Payatas in Quezon City are being harassed by armed military under the guise of civil military operations.”

“In Dona Nicasia Subdivision in Commonwealth, KADAMAY members are being monitored. Active KADAMAY members are threatened by the military to stop joiningrallies organized by KMU and Anakpawis," he said.

Police and military authorities denied the allegations, but tagged the KMU and other groups, including Anakpawis and Bayan Muna, as fronts of CPP and the NPA.

Bayan Muna ranked No.1 in the latest Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia surveys along with other progressive party list groups.

“The results of the surveys only prove that the Filipino people remain critical in dealing with the country’s most crucial issues. Dirty campaign tricks no longer work within a society where people are gaining higher consciousness,” Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Can You Live On P266 A Day? Labor Leader Asks NSCB

QUEZON CITY - "He is out of touch with reality, charlatan of false information and insensitive to the worsening plight of ordinary Filipinos."

This was the dig of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center to therecent announcement of National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB)Secretary General Romulo Virola that a family of five can survive on P266 a day.

"We challenge Mr. Virola to reduce his pay to P266 a day for a wholemonth and try to feed his family with that measly amount. We would evengo with him to the market and see how things work out," Nenita Gonzaga, Secretary of the KMU Women’s Department, said in a statement sent Wednesday to the independent newspaper Mindanao Examiner.

According to Gonzaga, the P266 a day is a far cry from the Family Living Wage of P749 a day as declared by the NSCB in May 2006.

"Because of the strong clamor for a substantial wage hike among Filipinos, Mr. Virola tries to insinuate that such demand for workers have no actualbasis. To further discredit the demand of the workers, they reduced the amount supposedly needed by shifting from their usual family of six computations and reduced it to five, thus reducing it by P53.20."

Poverty among Filipinos is so high that 2006 estimates of the Department of Health stated that 3 out of 10 Filipino children aged 6-10 are malnourished.

"The DOH acknowledged in 2006 that 100 Filipino children go blind weekly due to sickness attributed to poverty and now he has the guts to tell us to feed our families with just P 204 per day," said Gonzaga.

Gonzaga said instead of providing possible and doable solutions to the worsening hunger among Filipino, "the NSCB would rather tell us that we are not poor because we get to earn at least their prescribed amount."

She said: "Statistical manipulation cannot dictate on our stomach to feel full when it is actually empty. What we need now is a P125 across-the-board increase to provide a relief to the poor families."

Party Lists Denounce Militarization, Anti-Terror Law; U.S. Praises Arroyo

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 06 Mar) - The party list group Kabataan on Tuesday criticized the Philippine military for its so-called counter-insurgency programs in school, saying, it threatened the freedom of expression of students who are vocal in their advocacy.

It said soldiers held recently a forum at the Philippine Normal University where they talked about so-called evils of communism and “campus infiltration” by the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing the New People’s Army and National Democratic Front.

Authorities have tagged militant groups and student organizations as CPP fronts.

The party list group is wary that the communist-tagging of youth organizations affiliated to Kabataan unnecessarily endangers lives of members.

“This is a clear malicious threat to the members of legitimate student organizations inside the campus and in the participation of our party list in the coming elections whom the military continue to brand as communist-fronts,” Karla Hyasmind Apat said.

“We condemn the military’s terrorist acts against the youth and students organizations. We condemn the government’s propagation of the culture of impunity which robs the youth of their freedom of expression” Apat said.

Militant groups have earlier denounced deployment of armed soldiers in cities and provinces who are allegedly campaigning against party lists with links to the CPP and its affiliates.

Philippine military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon denied soldiers were involved in partisan politics and said the deployment is part of security operation to help police ensure peace.

“Esperon is engaging in doublespeak. What he has been telling the public is totally contradictory with what is happening in the areas where soldiers are deployed,” said Editha Duterte, spokesperson of the Anakpawis party list in Southern Mindanao.

She said troops from the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion prevented citizens from attending party list activities and farmers’ fora in Davao del Sur province. She said soldiers have been showing the military documentary entitled ‘Knowing the Enemy,’ which brazenly maligns progressive party-lists, organizations and the media and religious sectors, among others, by tagging them as NPA and CPP fronts.

“No matter how Esperon, the AFP and even Malacañang deny that they are campaigning against us and our allied groups, they can never fool the majority of the population,” Duterte said.

Even the militant party list group called Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) warned of an increase in human rights violations as soldiers pour into urban areas.

“The deployment of soldiers in Metro Manila and other urban areas will worsen the already deplorable rights situation in the country. The counter-insurgency terror being spread in countryside will be replicated in the urban areas. Expect zonings illegal search and seizure, arrest without warrants and more extra-judicial killings,” said Elmer Labog, KMU national chairman.

Labog said that with military deployment, labor disputes can turn intobloody confrontations like what happened in November 2004 at Hacienda Luisita sugar plantation in La Paz town in Tarlac where some 1,000 soldiers and policemen stormed a barricade and opened fire on farmers protesting low pay.

Twelve picketers and two children were killed and hundreds of protesting farmers injured in the attack.

“They accused the Hacienda workers of having been infiltrated by the New People’s Army rebels to justify the murder. What is stopping the AFP to use the same justification to break labor disputes,” asked Labog.

“We are going back to the dark days of Martial Law. But the difference with Marcos is that Arroyo is using gradual constriction against the remaining democracy in the country.”

“Our rights are under the vise of a political anaconda which entangles it target, then slowly squeezes the life from its prey, waits for the last breath to expire then swallows everything. If we allow the militarization to continue, will wake up one day with all our rights swallowed up and taken away from us,” he said.

Militant groups were also worried over the approval of President Gloria Arroyo of the anti-terrorism bill, saying, it could be used to abuse human rights and stifle press freedom.

The Senate approved the bill and the United States welcomed the signing the Human Security Act of 2007 by President Arroyo, saying, it is a positive step forward in countering and preventing terrorism in the Philippines.

This new law will help provide Philippine law enforcement and judicial authorities with the legal tools they need to confront the threats posed by international terrorism, while ensuring protection of civil liberties and human rights.

“The United States will continue to work with the Philippines as a partner and ally in the war on terrorism, providing technical assistance, training and sharing information with Philippine counterparts,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement it sent Tuesday to the Mindanao Examiner.

President Arroyo said the anti-terror law is a landmark in the battle against evil. She said Filipinos have nothing to fear in this law for it is a weapon that shall be wielded against bombers and not protesters.

“It upgrades our preemptive capability to check the conspiracies of harm and mass murder, and contain the movement of arms and funds to sow mayhem. This brings to a higher level our successful campaign against the Abu Sayyaf, JI and Al Qaeda cells now being carried out in a broader front of national and regional vigilance.”

“We will keep bombers at bay as we drive up confidence in the Philippines, grow jobs, increase incomes and lift the people from poverty. Our message to the world is to have no safe haven for terror in our country, and to have a strong democratic society driven by freedom under the rule of law. Let us all unite behind a renewed campaign against terror and drive out this scourge to a modern Philippines,” the President said Tuesday. (Mindanao Examiner)

KMU Backs Political Debates Between Senatorial Bets

MANILA – The Kilusang Mayo Uno welcomed the possibility of Senatorial candidates engaging in political debate and recommended the issue of wage hike to be one of the propositions.

“The issue of wage hike and the posture of Senate candidates on thismatter is very crucial for all working people in their decision to gofor a candidate or not. Since they are seeking legislative position, one proposition should be whether or not they are in favor of the Barinaga-Beltran Bill seeking for P125 across-the-board wage hike?”said Elmer Labog, national chairperson of the KMU Labor Center.

The Barinaga-Beltran bill was endorsed by Senate Labor Committee and the Lower House but was outmaneuvered by anti-worker solons headed by House Speaker Jose de Venecia, Majority floor leader Prospero Nograles and Rep. Crispin Remulla who filed the motion for reconsideration on the bill.

“Another important matter that should be discussed is how they canimprove employment. With unemployment rate and underemployment at 40.8% (NSO, Labor Force Survey Oct. 2006), nearly half of the 35.8M totallabor force are facing great difficulties about work.”

“The current plight of our medical professionals is an important point and we must hear every Senate bet on how they can increase the benefits of our nurses and doctors to make them stay in the country instead of working abroad,” Labog said.

He said the issue of political killings, especially of unionist and labor activists, should be part of the debate.

“We must hear what this candidates plan to do to stop the bloodbath inour country and how they will go about to seek justice for the victimsand their families,” he said.

Plantation Union Shouts Harassment

DAVAO DEL NORTE (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Feb) – Picketing banana workers complained Wednesday that security guards of the Marsman Estate Plantation allegedly harassed them in the town of Santo Tomas in Davao del Norte province.

The workers were demanding immediate release of their union benefits under the so-called Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and the remittance of their Social Security System and and Pag-ibig payments.

Domingo Deguma, president of Marsman Labor Association for National Democracy-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno, said the security guards, about 10 of them, allegedly threatened them should they continue their picket in front of the Marsman office.

“We were about to assemble in front of the management building when chief security Jun Dumile came up to us and told us that there will be trouble if we will proceed with the protest,” he said.

Deguma said Marsman up to now have not released the workers’ Spouse and Children’s Christmas Bonuses supposed to be due December last year. Some of the workers were not able to avail of salary loans because the company allegedly failed to remit the workers’ SSS and Pag-ibig payments.

“The guards were already posted in front of the management office before we started the picket. As we were preparing the picket line, they approached us and ordered us to disperse.”

“We were merely exercising our right to redress of grievance…Instead of addressing our concerns, they sent out armed guards to intimidate and force us to endure their capitalist exploitation,” said Deguma, who is also a coordinator for the party list Anakpawis.

Editha Duterte, Anakpawis-Southern Mindanao spokesperson, explained: “Their fear of us mounting the picket stems out from the fact that for the past months, the workers have been successful in pressing for their economic rights though collective action.”

“The workers’ experience taught them that picketing and other concerted actions are their only resort to counter capitalist exploitation. That is the reason why these workers never tire and they become more resolute—of pushing for their legitimate demands,” she said in a statement to the Mindanao Examiner.

There were no immediate statements from either officials or head of security of the Marsman.

Party List Group Assails Gov't For Failing To Help Pinoy Nurses

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 28 Feb) - The party list Kilusang Mayo Uno assailed Wednesday the government’s failure to address the growing problems facing the Filipino nurses.

The U.S. Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) banned Filipino nurses who took the June 2006 licensure examination tainted with cheating and scandals that nearly damaged the integrity of nursing schools and review centers in the Philippines.

Government officials said they will appeal the decision of the CGFNS and a group of Filipino lawmakers are also going to the United States to meet with officials of the agency. Some nursing review centers were involved in the cheating, authorities said.

"The handling of the government on the nursing leakage mess remains to be absolving the criminals who orchestrated the leakage while putting extra burden on our already stressed-out nurses. We are yet to see people made accountable for their role in the test leakage,” said Elmer Labog, national chairman of the KMU’s Labor Center here.

The KMU fears that other countries may also ban Filipino nurses because of the CGFNS decision.

Labog said: “Unless justice is served and the culprits made to pay for their actions, the possibility of other countries banning our nurses is very possible. Other countries will always notice a shadow of doubt hovering over the nurses who took the June 2006 licensure examination and this will place unjust burden on them.” (Mindanao Examiner)

Gov't Blamed For Woe Of Pinoy Nurses

MANILA – “The decision of the CGFNS to disallow visa application for June 2006 Nursing Board Exam can only be blamed squarely on the government’s tolerance on the masterminds of the test leakage. There was indeed no closure, only cover-up”.

This was the reaction of Elmer Labog, of the party list group Kilusang Mayo Uno, on the ongoing problems the nurses are facing as the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS), a US government agency handling the entry of foreign nurses declared a ban for nurses who took the June 2006 exams.

“Despite the public outrage about the leakage, no one was made accountable and everything was just swept under the rug. The R.A. Gapuz Review Center which according to witnesses was in the center of the leakage had not been investigated, along with the rest of the 19 individuals who were implicated as culprits of the leakage,” Labog said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

“Although we have great faith on the capacity and credibility of our nurses, we cannot speak the same for the Professional Regulations Commission, the Board of Nursing and the government who neglected the leakage case filed by the nurses themselves,” Labog said.

“We cannot blame our workers seeking greener pastures outside the country since unemployment and underemployment here are running at double-digits. The trend of our medical workers going out of the country should and can be reversed. The budget for health care should be increase to accommodate more nurses and doctors and entice them to stay,” opined Labog.

“In the first place, our country is dire need of health practitioners, particularly nurses and doctors. Massive brain drain occurs because the present wages of health workers could not even make the healthy. If a doctor receives P 7,000 take home pay, then how can you expect them to stay?” Labog said.

“The Barinaga-Beltran Bill seeks to address this in part by increasing pay for private workers by P125/day while another bill pushes for a P3,000 across the board salary increase for government employees which medical workers can benefit from if approved. This should’ve been the priority of the legislators, along with the Baringa-Beltran Bill seeking for P125 wage increase rather than the Anti-terrorism bill,” Labog said.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) already waved a red flag on the continuing hemorrhage of our medical workers and proposed a substantial increase in benefits for medical professionals to make them stay,” he said.

Banana Workers Up In Arms vs Plantation Owner In South RP

DAVAO DEL NORTE – Banana plantation workers and members of the militant party list group, Anakpawis, picketed in front of the firm’s office and demanded payments of labor union benefits.

Workers from the Marsman Estate Plantation, Inc. said the firm was allegedly delinquent in the payment of their benefits under the Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA.

They also accused Marsman of non-payment of social security remittances and other government taxes.

Banana worker Doming Deguma, who is also the Anakpawis coordinator in Santo Tomas town, alleged that Marsman has been delinquent in giving their benefits as prescribed in the CBA.

"What frustrates us more is that the officers of the union that negotiated the CBA continue to be the purveyors of this capitalist exploitation. Instead of protecting our rights and demanding the release of our benefits, these officers are the first ones to tell us there's nothing we can do," Deguma said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

In 2001, the officers of the Davao Marsman Labor Union (DAMLU) negotiated the CBA that expired March last year. Deguma said that these officers are "parrots" of the management's interests, adding that such kind of leadership is called "yellow unionism."

Currently, the workers of MEPI are trying to establish their genuine union, the Marsman Labor Association for National Democracy-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (MARSLAND-NAFLU-KMU).

Deguma is also the president of MARSLAND-NAFLU-KMU.

But Deguma and the rest of the officers of their union are adamant. He said contrary to DAMLU's puppet claims, there is something that the workers can do.

In December of last year and early this month, Deguma said, the workers were able to force the management to release their wages following a series of successful pickets and lobbying.

"The workers now know that through these collective actions, we can assert our demands and secure our economic rights," Deguma said.

MEPI failed to release two consecutive payrolls in November last year and two more consecutive payrolls in January this year.

Editha Duterte, spokesperson of Anakpawis in Southern Mindanao, said yellow unionism is prevalent in the workers movement in the country.

"While genuine unions like MARSLAND-NAFLU-KMU campaign for higher wages, job security and the workers' democratic rights, yellow unions bow down to the whims and caprices of capitalists such as MEPI," Duterte said.

Last January 16, a certification elections (CE) was held among the workers which resulted to a run-off since none of the three contending unions garnered majority of the votes cast. The CE determines which union shall represent the workers in their CBA negotiations.

Deguma claimed that during the campaign period of the CE, the management of MEPI allegedly gave money to influence the workers into voting for DAMLU. "In effect, the unbridled and appalling connivance of the management and the yellow union DAMLU deprived the workers of establishing their genuine union," he said.

There were no immediate statements from Marsman executives or DAMLU officials.

Militants Hold Rally, Demand For Release of Ailing Solon

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 26 Feb) – The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno held a rally Monday outside the Philippine Heart Center in Manila to protest the continued detention of Rep. Crispin Beltran, who is facing rebellion charges.

Beltran, who repeatedly denied accusations against him, is under medication at the Philippine Heart Center. It was his first year of detention Monday, which coincided with the 21st anniversary of the People Power revolution.

Beltran’s supporters in the Philippines and progressive groups allied with KMU in Germany, Australia, Japan and the United States also held a similar rally to protest the politician’s illegal detention. KMU and another party list group, Anakpawis joined the “Free Ka Bel Movement” to demand Beltran’s release. Ka Bel is Beltran’s nickname.

"We will not abandon the fight for Ka Bel's release. Not even the malicious tagging of the AFP against our organization will stop us from campaigning for Ka Bel's release.”

“The campaign for his release is among our top priorities right now," KMU secretary general and Anakpawis Party List nominee, Joel Maglunsod, said in a statement.

Maglunsod visited the ailing politician early this week and they have discussed ways on how the solon can campaign for the Anakpawis party list despite his detention.

"Anakpawis Party List have filed petition for Ka Bel to campaign outside the PHC. We are expecting that Ka Bel can join as Anakpawis nominees officially file for candidacy at the Commission on Elections early next month."

"As of now, we are exhausting all legal means to free Ka Bel. But the government's stance on his case shows that Arroyo is very much afraid of Ka Bel and his capacity as a legislator and leader of the progressive people's movement," Maglunsod said.

In Davao City, the militant Bayan Muna party list, also criticized Arroyo and likened her to former dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Arroyo was catapulted to power in 2001 after a people power-backed bloodless revolution toppled President Joseph Estrada, accused of pocketing illegal gambling money.

Arroyo said she would not run anymore, but broke her promise and in 2004 ran against Fermando Poe Jr., and won another 6-year term in a poll tainted with accusations of massive cheating and vote-buying. She said she won fair and square and denied allegations of cheating.

"She is delusional, ambitious and insolent. Never would the people tire from braving the streets of EDSA so long as Mrs. Arroyo stays in power and continues to employ Marcosian strategies in incessantly suppressing the people's cry for justice and genuine freedom," Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador said. (Mindanao Examiner)