Press Release
March 30, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) is asking Pampanga Rep. Mikey Arroyo to follow the lead of his aunt Kasangga Rep. Malou Arroyo-Lesaca who announced her withdrawal as a party-list nominee. “Ang ginagawa ng matatanda dapat gayahin ng mga bata. The decent nephew follows the good example of an aunt. So we dare Mikey to do a Malou and pull-out as a party-list nominee,” declared Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
He added that “It is an honorable option for assailed party-list nominees to pull-out from the elections rather than be shamed as fakes and face disqualification. A party-list of security guards is bogus if its first nominee is a presidential son who also happens to be an incumbent congressman. A party-list of transport workers is a sham if its first nominee is an ex-general who also happens to be cabinet secretary.”
PM together with several other party-list groups are preparing to file disqualification cases against certain nominees. “The party-list system is stricken with a virus and it must be cleansed. It is the vigilance of genuine groups and the concerned public that will heal the disease,” argued Magtubo.
PM also declared that they will push in the next Congress for an amendment to the Party-List Act to plug the loopholes that have led to alleged abuses. The labor group is consulting with other party-list organizations on a common agenda of defending the party-list system as means for representation for marginalized sectors.
The group submitted its list of five nominees to the Comelec main office last March 24, a day after the end of PM’s congress that elected its nominees from more than a hundred delegates. “In compliance with the letter and spirit of the party-list law, PM’s five nominees truly represent the working class. They include three union officers with decades of experience as unionists and two former student activists who have spent their adult lives serving the struggles of the workers and the poor,” Magtubo explained.
He stated that “Besides GMA’s not-so-hidden agenda of packing the House of Representatives with her relatives or former cabinet secretaries in order to get elected as House Speaker, the party-list is also being abused as a back-door entry for trapos who find it cheaper spending P20 to 30 million compared to the P50 million or more in traditional congressional races.”
In order, the five PM nominees are:
1. Renato Magtubo: former president of the Fortune Tobacco Labor Union
2. Gerardo Rivera: recently elected president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association
3. Judy Ann Miranda: former UP student council officer who went full time as working class organizer
4. Wilson Fortaleza: former student activist who also went full time as working class organizer
5. Ma. Luisa Parroco: vice president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative employees union.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Urban poor suffering highlighted in “Kalbaryo ng Maralita”
Press Release
March 30, 2010
Poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment were highlighted in a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” held today by militant urban poor. “There are more than 18 million urban poor out of 90 million Filipinos and their numbers keep growing due to migration from rural areas and grinding poverty in the cities. The social volcano will explode unless government on the grievances of millions of poor and hungry,” warned Renato Magtubo, chairperson of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
More than a 100 members of PM and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino participated in the yearly ritual of “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” AMP is a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. The march started at 9:00 a.m. from Palasan along Sucat Road in Parañaque and ended in a program at the Baclaran Church around 12:00 noon. Some of the marchers carried makeshift crosses and wore symbolic crown of thorns on their heads. The program was conducted like a traditional “pasyon.”
The urban poor challenged the presidentiables to present appropriate platforms to address the demands of the urban poor. “We are tired of motherhood statements about ending poverty or fighting corruption as the root of poverty. We want concrete programs that will resolve the lack of jobs, lack of food, lack of housing and lack of earnings that plague the lives of the poor. These are the heavy crosses that the poor bear daily,” said Robert Labrador, an AMP. The group cited government estimates of some 300,000 homeless families living in so-called danger zones and thus threatened with demolition.
“Palasan is the starting point of the Kalbaryo because it is symbolic of the sufferings of the urban poor. The residents of Palasan recently had to endure a series of violent demolitions spearheaded by the Parañaque police and private guards of the Amvel Subdivision which is owned by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Palasan reflects the eviction and militarization that plagues the urban poor,” added Romy Cabugnason, a PM leader in Parañaque.
In the Kalbaryo, the Parañaque police and Amvel guards will be caricatured as Roman centurions while Velarde will be depicted as a hypocritical Pharisee. After several demolition attempts that included arson and arrests, the residents of Palasan were finally evicted and their community buried under a meter of soil.
Magtubo asserted that “There are many more Palasans. There are millions of urban poor who survive but endure without decent housing. There are masses of Filipinos whose search for their daily bread is a matter of life and death. If their poverty will end, it will need a critical analysis that goes beyond simply blaming corruption and it will need the political will to implement redistribution of wealth and radical reforms.”
The former community of Palasan was situated beside the Amvel Subdivision owned by Velarde who recently admitted to proposing the controversial rerouting of the C5 extension road. The Palasan residents accuse Velarde of landgrabbing and being the mastermind behind the demolition.
March 30, 2010
Poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment were highlighted in a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” held today by militant urban poor. “There are more than 18 million urban poor out of 90 million Filipinos and their numbers keep growing due to migration from rural areas and grinding poverty in the cities. The social volcano will explode unless government on the grievances of millions of poor and hungry,” warned Renato Magtubo, chairperson of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
More than a 100 members of PM and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino participated in the yearly ritual of “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” AMP is a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog. The march started at 9:00 a.m. from Palasan along Sucat Road in Parañaque and ended in a program at the Baclaran Church around 12:00 noon. Some of the marchers carried makeshift crosses and wore symbolic crown of thorns on their heads. The program was conducted like a traditional “pasyon.”
The urban poor challenged the presidentiables to present appropriate platforms to address the demands of the urban poor. “We are tired of motherhood statements about ending poverty or fighting corruption as the root of poverty. We want concrete programs that will resolve the lack of jobs, lack of food, lack of housing and lack of earnings that plague the lives of the poor. These are the heavy crosses that the poor bear daily,” said Robert Labrador, an AMP. The group cited government estimates of some 300,000 homeless families living in so-called danger zones and thus threatened with demolition.
“Palasan is the starting point of the Kalbaryo because it is symbolic of the sufferings of the urban poor. The residents of Palasan recently had to endure a series of violent demolitions spearheaded by the Parañaque police and private guards of the Amvel Subdivision which is owned by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Palasan reflects the eviction and militarization that plagues the urban poor,” added Romy Cabugnason, a PM leader in Parañaque.
In the Kalbaryo, the Parañaque police and Amvel guards will be caricatured as Roman centurions while Velarde will be depicted as a hypocritical Pharisee. After several demolition attempts that included arson and arrests, the residents of Palasan were finally evicted and their community buried under a meter of soil.
Magtubo asserted that “There are many more Palasans. There are millions of urban poor who survive but endure without decent housing. There are masses of Filipinos whose search for their daily bread is a matter of life and death. If their poverty will end, it will need a critical analysis that goes beyond simply blaming corruption and it will need the political will to implement redistribution of wealth and radical reforms.”
The former community of Palasan was situated beside the Amvel Subdivision owned by Velarde who recently admitted to proposing the controversial rerouting of the C5 extension road. The Palasan residents accuse Velarde of landgrabbing and being the mastermind behind the demolition.
Pagdurusa ng mahihirap ilalahad bukas sa “Kalbaryo ng Maralita”
Radio Release
March 29, 2010
Kahirapan, kagutuman, kawalan ng pabahay at trabaho ang pinatingkad na mga suliranin sa isang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” na ilulunsad ng militanteng mga grupo bukas ng umaga. “May lagpas 18 milyong maralitang tagalungsod at bawat araw ay lumalaki ang kanilang bilang bunga ng migrasyon mula sa mga probinsya at ng grabeng kahirapan sa kalunsuran,” paliwanag ni Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng party-list na Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
Higit sa 100 kasapi ng PM at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) ang sasama sa taunang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” Ang AMP ay isang network ng mga samahan ng maralita sa Metro Manila, Central Luzon at Southern Tagalog. Ang martsa ay magsisimula ng 9:00 nu sa McDonald’s Kabihasnan sa Parañaque at magtatapos sa Simbahan ng Baclaran bandang alas dose. Magdadala ang ilang militante na mga krus na gawa sa karton at mga koronang tinik na gawa sa papel. Ang programa sa Simbahan ng Baclaran ay itutulad naman sa isang pasyon.
Hinamon ng mga maralita ang mga presidentiables na maglahad ng plataporma na tutugon sa mga karaingan ng maralita. “Sawa na kami sa abstraktong mga islogan tungkol sa pagtatapos ng kahirapan at paglaban sa korupsyon bilang ugat ng kahirapan. Ang gusto namin ay konkretong programa na tutugon sa kawalan ng trabaho, pagkain, pabahay at kita na pasaning mga krus ng mahihirap,” dagdag ni Robert Labrador, isang lider ng AMP.
Sa Kalbaryo ay ilalahad bilang mga sundalong Romano ang mga pulis ng Parañaque at mga gwardya ng Amvel Subdivision habang itutulad sa mga Pariseo si Mike Velarde ng El Shaddai. Pagsasalarawan ito ng serye ng demolisyong naganap kung kailan lamang sa Palasan sa Parañaque, isang komunidad malapit sa lugar na pinagsimulan ng Kalbaryo. Pinangunahan ng mga pulis ng Parañaque at gwardya ng Amvel ang demolisyon habang inaakusahan ng mga residente ng Palasan si Velarde bilang utak ng demolisyon. Ang Amvel ang inamin ni Velarde na siyang dahilan kung bakit ipinalihis niya ang kontrobersyal na C5 extension road.
March 29, 2010
Kahirapan, kagutuman, kawalan ng pabahay at trabaho ang pinatingkad na mga suliranin sa isang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” na ilulunsad ng militanteng mga grupo bukas ng umaga. “May lagpas 18 milyong maralitang tagalungsod at bawat araw ay lumalaki ang kanilang bilang bunga ng migrasyon mula sa mga probinsya at ng grabeng kahirapan sa kalunsuran,” paliwanag ni Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng party-list na Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
Higit sa 100 kasapi ng PM at Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) ang sasama sa taunang “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” Ang AMP ay isang network ng mga samahan ng maralita sa Metro Manila, Central Luzon at Southern Tagalog. Ang martsa ay magsisimula ng 9:00 nu sa McDonald’s Kabihasnan sa Parañaque at magtatapos sa Simbahan ng Baclaran bandang alas dose. Magdadala ang ilang militante na mga krus na gawa sa karton at mga koronang tinik na gawa sa papel. Ang programa sa Simbahan ng Baclaran ay itutulad naman sa isang pasyon.
Hinamon ng mga maralita ang mga presidentiables na maglahad ng plataporma na tutugon sa mga karaingan ng maralita. “Sawa na kami sa abstraktong mga islogan tungkol sa pagtatapos ng kahirapan at paglaban sa korupsyon bilang ugat ng kahirapan. Ang gusto namin ay konkretong programa na tutugon sa kawalan ng trabaho, pagkain, pabahay at kita na pasaning mga krus ng mahihirap,” dagdag ni Robert Labrador, isang lider ng AMP.
Sa Kalbaryo ay ilalahad bilang mga sundalong Romano ang mga pulis ng Parañaque at mga gwardya ng Amvel Subdivision habang itutulad sa mga Pariseo si Mike Velarde ng El Shaddai. Pagsasalarawan ito ng serye ng demolisyong naganap kung kailan lamang sa Palasan sa Parañaque, isang komunidad malapit sa lugar na pinagsimulan ng Kalbaryo. Pinangunahan ng mga pulis ng Parañaque at gwardya ng Amvel ang demolisyon habang inaakusahan ng mga residente ng Palasan si Velarde bilang utak ng demolisyon. Ang Amvel ang inamin ni Velarde na siyang dahilan kung bakit ipinalihis niya ang kontrobersyal na C5 extension road.
Urban poor to challenge presidentiables in “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” tomorrow
Press Release
March 29, 2010
Militant urban poor will hold tomorrow a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” to air their grievances about poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment. They will also challenge the presidentiables to present appropriate platforms to address the demands of the millions of poor and hungry Filipinos.
“We are tired of motherhood statements about ending poverty and corruption as the root of poverty. We want concrete programs that will resolve the lack of jobs, lack of food, lack of housing and lack of earnings that plague the lives of the poor. These are the heavy crosses that the poor bear daily,” said Robert Labrador, a leader of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP). AMP is a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.
More than a 100 members of AMP and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will hold the yearly tradition of a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” They will march tomorrow morning Palasan in Parañaque to the Baclaran Church.
“Palasan is the starting point of the Kalbaryo because it is symbolic of the sufferings of the urban poor. The residents of Palasan recently had to endure a series of violent demolitions spearheaded by the Parañaque police and private guards of the Amvel Subdivision which is owned by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Palasan reflects the eviction and militarization that plagues the urban poor,” added Romy Cabugnason, a PM leader in Parañaque.
Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson, asserted that “There are many more Palasans. There are millions of urban poor who survive but endure without decent housing. There are masses of Filipinos whose search for their daily bread is a matter of life and death. If their poverty will end, it will need a critical analysis that goes beyond simply blaming corruption and it will need the political will to implement redistribution of wealth and radical reforms.”
In the Kalbaryo, the Parañaque police and Amvel guards will be caricatured as Roman centurions while Velarde will be depicted as a hypocritical Pharisee. After several demolition attempts that included arson and arrests, the residents of Palasan were finally evicted and their community buried under a meter of soil.
The former community of Palasan was situated beside the Amvel Subdivision owned by Velarde who recently admitted to proposing the controversial rerouting of the C5 extension road. The Palasan residents accuse Velarde of landgrabbing and being the mastermind behind the demolition.
March 29, 2010
Militant urban poor will hold tomorrow a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita” to air their grievances about poverty, hunger, homelessness and unemployment. They will also challenge the presidentiables to present appropriate platforms to address the demands of the millions of poor and hungry Filipinos.
“We are tired of motherhood statements about ending poverty and corruption as the root of poverty. We want concrete programs that will resolve the lack of jobs, lack of food, lack of housing and lack of earnings that plague the lives of the poor. These are the heavy crosses that the poor bear daily,” said Robert Labrador, a leader of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP). AMP is a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.
More than a 100 members of AMP and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will hold the yearly tradition of a “Kalbaryo ng Maralita.” They will march tomorrow morning Palasan in Parañaque to the Baclaran Church.
“Palasan is the starting point of the Kalbaryo because it is symbolic of the sufferings of the urban poor. The residents of Palasan recently had to endure a series of violent demolitions spearheaded by the Parañaque police and private guards of the Amvel Subdivision which is owned by El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde. Palasan reflects the eviction and militarization that plagues the urban poor,” added Romy Cabugnason, a PM leader in Parañaque.
Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson, asserted that “There are many more Palasans. There are millions of urban poor who survive but endure without decent housing. There are masses of Filipinos whose search for their daily bread is a matter of life and death. If their poverty will end, it will need a critical analysis that goes beyond simply blaming corruption and it will need the political will to implement redistribution of wealth and radical reforms.”
In the Kalbaryo, the Parañaque police and Amvel guards will be caricatured as Roman centurions while Velarde will be depicted as a hypocritical Pharisee. After several demolition attempts that included arson and arrests, the residents of Palasan were finally evicted and their community buried under a meter of soil.
The former community of Palasan was situated beside the Amvel Subdivision owned by Velarde who recently admitted to proposing the controversial rerouting of the C5 extension road. The Palasan residents accuse Velarde of landgrabbing and being the mastermind behind the demolition.
Party-list campaigns on RH platform, dares Buhay’s Velarde to a debate
Press Release
March 29, 2010
Amidst the electoral carnival that puts a premium on personalities rather than platforms, the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) enters the second half of the national campaign by stressing its advocacies on issues such as the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. As an example of its platform-based campaign, PM held today an assembly of more than a hundred urban poor women in a depressed community in Quezon City in which reproductive health was the main agenda.
While discussing the RH bill, Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general and a nominee of the group, issued a challenge to El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde for a debate on the issue. The dare was in reaction to Velarde’s announcement that he decided to run as a party-list nominee in order to oppose the RH bill.
Miranda announced that “So that the voters can have an informed choice for the party-list based on platforms, we are open to a public discussion on the Reproductive Health bill with Velarde as Buhay nominee.”
PM also expressed its support for the plan to teach sex education in the public schools. Miranda said that “In the context of fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and preventing teenage pregnancies, teaching sex education to the youth is a no-brainer. This is a topic that cannot be left only to parents and their children since this is also a public concern given the social dimensions of the issues.”
PM is the group that presented baskets of condoms to the Catholic Bishops Conference Office last March 8. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat ng Dapat” which includes working class concerns such as universal healthcare coverage, regular jobs, affordable housing and a wage hike.
“Similar to the planned debate between Health Secretary Cabral and the Catholic bishops, a public discussion between PM and Buhay on the pros and cons of the RH bill will educate the public in general and the voters in particular. A debate on issues is certainly much better for the voters than being entertained by dancing girls on stage or being barraged by self-serving political ads,” insisted Miranda.
In a preview of her position in a debate, Miranda added that “Reproductive health is not a moral issue but a public health concern of women. Women must have the freedom to make informed choices concerning their bodies and their welfare.”
Miranda is a former UP Manila student council officer with two decades of experience as organizer of workers and the urban poor. The other nominees of PM are Renato Magtubo, former union president of Fortune Tobacco; Gerry Rivera, current president of PAL Employees Association; Wilson Fortaleza, former student activist who also became an organizer; and Malou Parroco, union vice-president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative.
March 29, 2010
Amidst the electoral carnival that puts a premium on personalities rather than platforms, the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) enters the second half of the national campaign by stressing its advocacies on issues such as the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. As an example of its platform-based campaign, PM held today an assembly of more than a hundred urban poor women in a depressed community in Quezon City in which reproductive health was the main agenda.
While discussing the RH bill, Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general and a nominee of the group, issued a challenge to El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde for a debate on the issue. The dare was in reaction to Velarde’s announcement that he decided to run as a party-list nominee in order to oppose the RH bill.
Miranda announced that “So that the voters can have an informed choice for the party-list based on platforms, we are open to a public discussion on the Reproductive Health bill with Velarde as Buhay nominee.”
PM also expressed its support for the plan to teach sex education in the public schools. Miranda said that “In the context of fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and preventing teenage pregnancies, teaching sex education to the youth is a no-brainer. This is a topic that cannot be left only to parents and their children since this is also a public concern given the social dimensions of the issues.”
PM is the group that presented baskets of condoms to the Catholic Bishops Conference Office last March 8. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat ng Dapat” which includes working class concerns such as universal healthcare coverage, regular jobs, affordable housing and a wage hike.
“Similar to the planned debate between Health Secretary Cabral and the Catholic bishops, a public discussion between PM and Buhay on the pros and cons of the RH bill will educate the public in general and the voters in particular. A debate on issues is certainly much better for the voters than being entertained by dancing girls on stage or being barraged by self-serving political ads,” insisted Miranda.
In a preview of her position in a debate, Miranda added that “Reproductive health is not a moral issue but a public health concern of women. Women must have the freedom to make informed choices concerning their bodies and their welfare.”
Miranda is a former UP Manila student council officer with two decades of experience as organizer of workers and the urban poor. The other nominees of PM are Renato Magtubo, former union president of Fortune Tobacco; Gerry Rivera, current president of PAL Employees Association; Wilson Fortaleza, former student activist who also became an organizer; and Malou Parroco, union vice-president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Party-list nominees challenge Mike Velarde to debate on RH
Press Release
March 25, 2010
In reaction to El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde’s announcement that he decided to run as a party-list nominee in order to oppose the Reproductive Health bill, the two women nominees of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) today declared that they are challenging him to a debate on the issue. “So that the voters can have an informed choice for the party-list based on platforms, we are open to a public discussion on the Reproductive Health bill with Velarde as Buhay nominee,” announced Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general and a nominee of the group.
PM is the group that presented baskets of condoms to the Catholic Bishops Conference Office last March 8 as part of their advocacy for reproductive health. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat ng Dapat” which includes working women’s concerns such as universal healthcare coverage, regular jobs, affordable housing and a wage hike.
“Similar to the planned debate between Health Secretary Cabral and the Catholic bishops, a public discussion between PM and Buhay on the pros and cons of the Reproductive Health bill will educate the public in general and the voters in particular. A debate on issues is certainly much better for the voters than being entertained by dancing girls on stage or being barraged by self-serving political ads,” insisted Malou Parroco, another PM nominee based in Bacolod. Parroco said that the debate with Velarde could be held either in Manila with Miranda or in Visayas with her.
In a preview of her position in a debate, Parroco added that “Reproductive health is not a moral issue but a public health concern of women. Women must have the freedom to make informed choices concerning their bodies and their welfare.”
While PM supports Sec. Cabral in her initiative to distribute condoms, the group is asking the Department of Health to make the distribution of contraceptives not just a publicity stunt but a regular program via the barangay health centers. “The public provision of contraceptives should go hand in hand with education on prevention of HIV-AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and teenage pregnancies among others,” Miranda clarified.
PM also expressed its support for the plan to teach sex education in the public schools. Miranda said that “In the context of fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and preventing teenage pregnancies, teaching sex education to the youth is a no-brainer. This is a topic that cannot be left to parents and their children since this is also a public concern given the social dimensions of the issues.”
Miranda is a former UP Manila student council officer with two decades of experience as organizer of workers and the urban poor while Parroco is union vice-president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative. The other nominees of PM are Renato Magtubo, former union president of Fortune Tobacco; Gerry Rivera, current president of PAL Employees Association and Wilson Fortaleza, former student activist who also became an organizer.
March 25, 2010
In reaction to El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde’s announcement that he decided to run as a party-list nominee in order to oppose the Reproductive Health bill, the two women nominees of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) today declared that they are challenging him to a debate on the issue. “So that the voters can have an informed choice for the party-list based on platforms, we are open to a public discussion on the Reproductive Health bill with Velarde as Buhay nominee,” announced Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general and a nominee of the group.
PM is the group that presented baskets of condoms to the Catholic Bishops Conference Office last March 8 as part of their advocacy for reproductive health. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat ng Dapat” which includes working women’s concerns such as universal healthcare coverage, regular jobs, affordable housing and a wage hike.
“Similar to the planned debate between Health Secretary Cabral and the Catholic bishops, a public discussion between PM and Buhay on the pros and cons of the Reproductive Health bill will educate the public in general and the voters in particular. A debate on issues is certainly much better for the voters than being entertained by dancing girls on stage or being barraged by self-serving political ads,” insisted Malou Parroco, another PM nominee based in Bacolod. Parroco said that the debate with Velarde could be held either in Manila with Miranda or in Visayas with her.
In a preview of her position in a debate, Parroco added that “Reproductive health is not a moral issue but a public health concern of women. Women must have the freedom to make informed choices concerning their bodies and their welfare.”
While PM supports Sec. Cabral in her initiative to distribute condoms, the group is asking the Department of Health to make the distribution of contraceptives not just a publicity stunt but a regular program via the barangay health centers. “The public provision of contraceptives should go hand in hand with education on prevention of HIV-AIDS, unwanted pregnancies and teenage pregnancies among others,” Miranda clarified.
PM also expressed its support for the plan to teach sex education in the public schools. Miranda said that “In the context of fighting the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and preventing teenage pregnancies, teaching sex education to the youth is a no-brainer. This is a topic that cannot be left to parents and their children since this is also a public concern given the social dimensions of the issues.”
Miranda is a former UP Manila student council officer with two decades of experience as organizer of workers and the urban poor while Parroco is union vice-president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative. The other nominees of PM are Renato Magtubo, former union president of Fortune Tobacco; Gerry Rivera, current president of PAL Employees Association and Wilson Fortaleza, former student activist who also became an organizer.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Labor party-list to move for disqualification once nominees are revealed
Press Release
March 24, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) is preparing to file disqualification cases against alleged bogus party-list groups based once the list of nominees is officially released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on March 27. The group also welcomed the announcement by the Comelec that it will issue a guideline on party-list nominees.
“The party-list system is stricken with a virus and it must be cleansed. Comelec’s belated prescription may help disinfect the party-list system but it is the vigilance of genuine groups and the concerned public that will heal the disease,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
The group submitted its list of five nominees to the Comelec main office in Intramuros at noon today, a day after the end of PM’s congress that elected its nominees from more than a hundred delegates. The group went to the Comelec while wearing face masks to symbolize its call to cleanse the party-list system. Scores of delegates accompanied PM’s nominees and held posters with the message “Disinfect the party-list system” and “Linisin ang sistemang party-list.”
“In compliance with the letter and spirit of the party-list law, PM’s five nominees truly represent the working class. They include three union officers with decades of experience as unionists and two former student activists who have spent their adult lives serving the struggles of the workers and the poor,” Magtubo explained.
He added that “A party-list of security guards is bogus if its first nominee is a presidential son who also happens to be an incumbent congressman. A party-list of transport workers is a sham if its first nominee is an ex-general who also happens to be cabinet secretary.”
The labor group is also holding consultations with other genuine party-list organizations on a common agenda of defending the party-list system as means for representation for traditionally marginalized sectors. PM also declared that they will push in the next Congress for an amendment to the Party-List Law to plug the loopholes that have led to alleged abuses.
He stated that “Besides GMA’s not-so-hidden agenda of packing the House of Representatives with her relatives or former cabinet secretaries in order to get elected as House Speaker, the party-list is also being abused as a back-door entry for trapos who find it cheaper spending P20 to 30 million compared to the P50 million or more in traditional congressional races.”
In order, the five PM nominees are:
1. Renato Magtubo: former president of the Fortune Tobacco Labor Union
2. Gerardo Rivera: recently elected president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association
3. Judy Ann Miranda: former UP student council officer who went full time as working class organizer
4. Wilson Fortaleza: former student activist who also went full time as working class organizer
5. Ma. Luisa Parroco: vice president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative employees union.
March 24, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) is preparing to file disqualification cases against alleged bogus party-list groups based once the list of nominees is officially released by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on March 27. The group also welcomed the announcement by the Comelec that it will issue a guideline on party-list nominees.
“The party-list system is stricken with a virus and it must be cleansed. Comelec’s belated prescription may help disinfect the party-list system but it is the vigilance of genuine groups and the concerned public that will heal the disease,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
The group submitted its list of five nominees to the Comelec main office in Intramuros at noon today, a day after the end of PM’s congress that elected its nominees from more than a hundred delegates. The group went to the Comelec while wearing face masks to symbolize its call to cleanse the party-list system. Scores of delegates accompanied PM’s nominees and held posters with the message “Disinfect the party-list system” and “Linisin ang sistemang party-list.”
“In compliance with the letter and spirit of the party-list law, PM’s five nominees truly represent the working class. They include three union officers with decades of experience as unionists and two former student activists who have spent their adult lives serving the struggles of the workers and the poor,” Magtubo explained.
He added that “A party-list of security guards is bogus if its first nominee is a presidential son who also happens to be an incumbent congressman. A party-list of transport workers is a sham if its first nominee is an ex-general who also happens to be cabinet secretary.”
The labor group is also holding consultations with other genuine party-list organizations on a common agenda of defending the party-list system as means for representation for traditionally marginalized sectors. PM also declared that they will push in the next Congress for an amendment to the Party-List Law to plug the loopholes that have led to alleged abuses.
He stated that “Besides GMA’s not-so-hidden agenda of packing the House of Representatives with her relatives or former cabinet secretaries in order to get elected as House Speaker, the party-list is also being abused as a back-door entry for trapos who find it cheaper spending P20 to 30 million compared to the P50 million or more in traditional congressional races.”
In order, the five PM nominees are:
1. Renato Magtubo: former president of the Fortune Tobacco Labor Union
2. Gerardo Rivera: recently elected president of the Philippine Airlines Employees Association
3. Judy Ann Miranda: former UP student council officer who went full time as working class organizer
4. Wilson Fortaleza: former student activist who also went full time as working class organizer
5. Ma. Luisa Parroco: vice president of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative employees union.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Presidentiables asked for jobs policy as unemployment to rise with new graduates
Press Release
March 23, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) challenged the presidentiables to reveal their jobs policy as unemployment is expected to rise by April with the influx of new graduates to the labor force.
“We ask the presidentiables to present a jobs policy that will address the grave problem of unemployment in general and youth joblessness in particular Of the estimated half a million graduates this March, more than 90,000 will not be able to find work despite investing four or five years and a fortune in a college education,” declared Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
Magtubo issued his challenge during the PM national congress that is being held at the Oblates Missionary Center in Quezon City. The two-day congress ends today with the election of five nominees from among 120 delegates from different chapters nationwide.
Magtubo based his assertion on the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) April 2005 unemployment data of 18.5% for graduates. “Despite possessing a shiny new college diploma, graduates are only marginally better off than undergraduates whose unemployment rate is 21%,” he added.
To generate decent jobs, PM is advocating a short-term program of massive public employment program and a long-term reorientation of economic and trade policy away from liberalization. “The present emergency employment program must be made more widespread to employ millions but should also be reformed. People’s organizations not local politicians must administer the public employment program so that it will not be used for patronage and it must promote decent work instead of worsening contractualization. But a strategic jobs policy demands the political will to reverse liberalization, deregulation and privatization, and to uphold domestic industry and agriculture,” Magtubo explained.
Magtubo furthered that “The graduates of 2010 are only 12% of the 100 school age kids approximately 14 years ago who have survived the education system. Of these 12 out of 100, seven will take a licensure exam but only three will pass. Of the three, only one will find profession that fits his or her education. The rest will find work that has nothing to do with their college course.”
March 23, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) challenged the presidentiables to reveal their jobs policy as unemployment is expected to rise by April with the influx of new graduates to the labor force.
“We ask the presidentiables to present a jobs policy that will address the grave problem of unemployment in general and youth joblessness in particular Of the estimated half a million graduates this March, more than 90,000 will not be able to find work despite investing four or five years and a fortune in a college education,” declared Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
Magtubo issued his challenge during the PM national congress that is being held at the Oblates Missionary Center in Quezon City. The two-day congress ends today with the election of five nominees from among 120 delegates from different chapters nationwide.
Magtubo based his assertion on the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) April 2005 unemployment data of 18.5% for graduates. “Despite possessing a shiny new college diploma, graduates are only marginally better off than undergraduates whose unemployment rate is 21%,” he added.
To generate decent jobs, PM is advocating a short-term program of massive public employment program and a long-term reorientation of economic and trade policy away from liberalization. “The present emergency employment program must be made more widespread to employ millions but should also be reformed. People’s organizations not local politicians must administer the public employment program so that it will not be used for patronage and it must promote decent work instead of worsening contractualization. But a strategic jobs policy demands the political will to reverse liberalization, deregulation and privatization, and to uphold domestic industry and agriculture,” Magtubo explained.
Magtubo furthered that “The graduates of 2010 are only 12% of the 100 school age kids approximately 14 years ago who have survived the education system. Of these 12 out of 100, seven will take a licensure exam but only three will pass. Of the three, only one will find profession that fits his or her education. The rest will find work that has nothing to do with their college course.”
Monday, March 22, 2010
Labor party-list asks bogus party-lists to withdraw rather than be exposed
Press Release
March 22, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) called on alleged bogus party-list groups to voluntarily withdraw rather than face exposure in the face of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminder than nominees must be disclosed no later than March 26.
“It is a better option for assailed party-list groups to pull-out from the elections rather than be revealed as fakes come March 26 and later face disqualification. A party-list of security guards is bogus if its first nominee is a presidential son who also happens to be an incumbent congressman. A party-list of transport workers is a sham if its first nominee is an ex-general who also happens to be cabinet secretary,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
PM is preparing to file disqualification cases against alleged bogus party-list groups once the list of nominees is released by the Comelec on March 27. The labor group is also holding consultations with other party-list organizations on a common agenda of defending the party-list system as means for representation for traditionally marginalized sectors. PM also declared that they will push for an amendment to the Party-List Law to make it mandatory for the Comelec to release the list of nominees.
Magtubo announced that PM will be submitting its list of nominees on the morning of Wednesday, the day after its congress ends. PM is presently holding in Quezon City a two-day congress which will elect five nominees ranked in order from among delegates from chapters across the country.
He stated that “Besides GMA’s not-so-hidden agenda of packing the House of Representatives with her relatives or former cabinet secretaries in order to get elected as House Speaker, the party-list is also being abused as a back-door entry for trapos who find it cheaper spending P20-30 million compared to P50 million or more in traditional congressional races.”
“In compliance with the letter and spirit of the constitution and party-list law, we will be choosing nominees who truly represent the working class. Without pre-empting the congress, PM’s five nominees can only be union officers, community leaders or former students who have spent their adult lives serving the struggles of the workers and the poor,” Magtubo explained.
March 22, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) called on alleged bogus party-list groups to voluntarily withdraw rather than face exposure in the face of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminder than nominees must be disclosed no later than March 26.
“It is a better option for assailed party-list groups to pull-out from the elections rather than be revealed as fakes come March 26 and later face disqualification. A party-list of security guards is bogus if its first nominee is a presidential son who also happens to be an incumbent congressman. A party-list of transport workers is a sham if its first nominee is an ex-general who also happens to be cabinet secretary,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
PM is preparing to file disqualification cases against alleged bogus party-list groups once the list of nominees is released by the Comelec on March 27. The labor group is also holding consultations with other party-list organizations on a common agenda of defending the party-list system as means for representation for traditionally marginalized sectors. PM also declared that they will push for an amendment to the Party-List Law to make it mandatory for the Comelec to release the list of nominees.
Magtubo announced that PM will be submitting its list of nominees on the morning of Wednesday, the day after its congress ends. PM is presently holding in Quezon City a two-day congress which will elect five nominees ranked in order from among delegates from chapters across the country.
He stated that “Besides GMA’s not-so-hidden agenda of packing the House of Representatives with her relatives or former cabinet secretaries in order to get elected as House Speaker, the party-list is also being abused as a back-door entry for trapos who find it cheaper spending P20-30 million compared to P50 million or more in traditional congressional races.”
“In compliance with the letter and spirit of the constitution and party-list law, we will be choosing nominees who truly represent the working class. Without pre-empting the congress, PM’s five nominees can only be union officers, community leaders or former students who have spent their adult lives serving the struggles of the workers and the poor,” Magtubo explained.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Workers join multisectoral rally vs. “midnight Chief Justice”
Press Release
March 19, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) joined the multisectoral outcry against the decision allowing the appointment of a “midnight Chief Justice.” Jane Bernardo, PM-Iligan leader stated that “A midnight Chief Justice beholden to Gloria Arroyo is arguably the worst legacy of the regime.”
In Manila scores of PM members joined the multisectoral march today from the corner of Kalaw and Taft Ave. to Faura and then on to Orosa St., going around the Supreme Court building in the area. They carried placards with the messages “Workers oppose a midnight Chief Justice” and “Resist Gloria Forever scenario.”
The labor party-list believes that the controversial Supreme Court decision on the appointment of a Chief Justice by President Arroyo paves the way for her control of the high court in a period where constitutional and legal disputes will likely arise. “One by one, the institutions of the state are falling like dominoes to Arroyo’s domination. We will wake up one day with Arroyo as Speaker of the House back to power as acting President,” Bernardo warned.
She lauded Justice Carpio-Morales for “having the balls to be the lone dissenter among a pack of conformist men.” Bernardo echoed the appeal of various groups and personalities for the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, “There is still time and opportunity for the high court to redeem itself and reverse its decision before the country falls into abyss of the perpetuation of Arroyo’s rule.”
March 19, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) joined the multisectoral outcry against the decision allowing the appointment of a “midnight Chief Justice.” Jane Bernardo, PM-Iligan leader stated that “A midnight Chief Justice beholden to Gloria Arroyo is arguably the worst legacy of the regime.”
In Manila scores of PM members joined the multisectoral march today from the corner of Kalaw and Taft Ave. to Faura and then on to Orosa St., going around the Supreme Court building in the area. They carried placards with the messages “Workers oppose a midnight Chief Justice” and “Resist Gloria Forever scenario.”
The labor party-list believes that the controversial Supreme Court decision on the appointment of a Chief Justice by President Arroyo paves the way for her control of the high court in a period where constitutional and legal disputes will likely arise. “One by one, the institutions of the state are falling like dominoes to Arroyo’s domination. We will wake up one day with Arroyo as Speaker of the House back to power as acting President,” Bernardo warned.
She lauded Justice Carpio-Morales for “having the balls to be the lone dissenter among a pack of conformist men.” Bernardo echoed the appeal of various groups and personalities for the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, “There is still time and opportunity for the high court to redeem itself and reverse its decision before the country falls into abyss of the perpetuation of Arroyo’s rule.”
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Labor party-list warns joblessness awaits graduates
Press Release
March 17, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) warned that joblessness awaits the new graduates who will be entering the labor force come April. “Of the estimated half a million graduates this March, more than 90,000 will not be able to find work despite investing four or five years and a fortune in a college education. We challenge the presidentiables to present a jobs policy that will address the grave problem of unemployment in general and youth joblessness in particular,” stated Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
Magtubo’s figures are a projection of the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) April 2005 unemployment data of 18.5% for graduates. “Despite possessing a shiny new college diploma, graduates are only marginally better off than undergraduates whose unemployment rate is 21%,” he added.
PM meanwhile criticized the latest NSO employment figures for “propagating myths instead of truths.” Magtubo argued that “Unemployment has been kept magically low by removing from the labor force those who have already been discouraged from looking for work and even those who keep on looking for work but have not found any for more than six months. Starting in 2005, by a mere redefinition of terms, one million Filipinos have been taken off from the unemployment rolls and the government can claim that unemployment has come down from the historical average of 10% to the current 7%.”
PM is advocating a short-term program of massive public employment program and a long-term reorientation of economic and trade policy away from liberalization to generate decent jobs. “The present emergency employment program must be made more widespread to employ millions but should also be reformed. People’s organizations not local politicians must administer the public employment program so that it will not be used for patronage and it must promote decent work instead of worsening contractualization. But a strategic jobs policy demands the political will to reverse liberalization, deregulation and privatization, and to uphold domestic industry and agriculture,” Magtubo said.
Magtubo furthered that “The graduates of 2010 are only 12% of the 100 school age kids approximately 14 years ago who have survived the education system. Of these 12 out of 100, seven will take a licensure exam but only three will pass. Of the three, only one will find profession that fits his or her education. The rest will find work that has nothing to do with their college course.”
PM is calling on the youth and the graduates to be critical and vote for candidates who have a concrete program to address unemployment. The party-list group is campaigning on a platform of “Apat na Dapat,” which means regular jobs, decent wages, affordable housing and universal healthcare coverage.
March 17, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) warned that joblessness awaits the new graduates who will be entering the labor force come April. “Of the estimated half a million graduates this March, more than 90,000 will not be able to find work despite investing four or five years and a fortune in a college education. We challenge the presidentiables to present a jobs policy that will address the grave problem of unemployment in general and youth joblessness in particular,” stated Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
Magtubo’s figures are a projection of the National Statistics Office’s (NSO) April 2005 unemployment data of 18.5% for graduates. “Despite possessing a shiny new college diploma, graduates are only marginally better off than undergraduates whose unemployment rate is 21%,” he added.
PM meanwhile criticized the latest NSO employment figures for “propagating myths instead of truths.” Magtubo argued that “Unemployment has been kept magically low by removing from the labor force those who have already been discouraged from looking for work and even those who keep on looking for work but have not found any for more than six months. Starting in 2005, by a mere redefinition of terms, one million Filipinos have been taken off from the unemployment rolls and the government can claim that unemployment has come down from the historical average of 10% to the current 7%.”
PM is advocating a short-term program of massive public employment program and a long-term reorientation of economic and trade policy away from liberalization to generate decent jobs. “The present emergency employment program must be made more widespread to employ millions but should also be reformed. People’s organizations not local politicians must administer the public employment program so that it will not be used for patronage and it must promote decent work instead of worsening contractualization. But a strategic jobs policy demands the political will to reverse liberalization, deregulation and privatization, and to uphold domestic industry and agriculture,” Magtubo said.
Magtubo furthered that “The graduates of 2010 are only 12% of the 100 school age kids approximately 14 years ago who have survived the education system. Of these 12 out of 100, seven will take a licensure exam but only three will pass. Of the three, only one will find profession that fits his or her education. The rest will find work that has nothing to do with their college course.”
PM is calling on the youth and the graduates to be critical and vote for candidates who have a concrete program to address unemployment. The party-list group is campaigning on a platform of “Apat na Dapat,” which means regular jobs, decent wages, affordable housing and universal healthcare coverage.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wage hike, reproductive health pushed in Calabarzon-wide motorcade
Press Release
March 14, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) held today a massive motorcade of 97 motorcycles and 5 vehicles that traversed the Calabarzon region to push for wage hike and reproductive health among a host of working class demands. “We brought the message of a wage increase, reproductive health, affordable housing and regular jobs to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” explained Ramil Cangayao, PM leader in Calabarzon.
The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” started at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at exactly 7:00 a.m. while at the same time a contingent left Malvar, Batangas. The combined motorcade then passed through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Around 1:00 p.m. the motorcade made a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor discussed issues such as high prices, job contractualization, urban poor demolitions and free condoms. The motorcade ended in Carmona, Cavite.
At various stops such as in Pala-Pala, Dasmarinas in Cavite, Calamba Crossing in Laguna and Tanauan town proper in Batangas, PM women members distributed condoms in a symbolic gesture of support for the controversial reproductive health bill. “The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by categorical support for reproductive health. The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority,” stated Nena Olvina, PM-Cavite leader.
Members of the Excellent Riders Club and the Cavite Professional Riders Club joined the motorcade as well as individual workers in their own motorcycles. The motorcycles and vehicles were festooned with flaglets, posters and paraphernalia in support of four basic working class demands. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.
Cangayao argued that “In a television interview early this week, the spokesperson of the Department of Labor pre-empted the wage boards by echoing the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses. Our fearless forecast is that the wage boards will reject the wage petitions. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead.”
PM wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. “Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage boards,” Cangayao explained.
March 14, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) held today a massive motorcade of 97 motorcycles and 5 vehicles that traversed the Calabarzon region to push for wage hike and reproductive health among a host of working class demands. “We brought the message of a wage increase, reproductive health, affordable housing and regular jobs to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” explained Ramil Cangayao, PM leader in Calabarzon.
The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” started at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at exactly 7:00 a.m. while at the same time a contingent left Malvar, Batangas. The combined motorcade then passed through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Around 1:00 p.m. the motorcade made a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor discussed issues such as high prices, job contractualization, urban poor demolitions and free condoms. The motorcade ended in Carmona, Cavite.
At various stops such as in Pala-Pala, Dasmarinas in Cavite, Calamba Crossing in Laguna and Tanauan town proper in Batangas, PM women members distributed condoms in a symbolic gesture of support for the controversial reproductive health bill. “The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by categorical support for reproductive health. The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority,” stated Nena Olvina, PM-Cavite leader.
Members of the Excellent Riders Club and the Cavite Professional Riders Club joined the motorcade as well as individual workers in their own motorcycles. The motorcycles and vehicles were festooned with flaglets, posters and paraphernalia in support of four basic working class demands. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.
Cangayao argued that “In a television interview early this week, the spokesperson of the Department of Labor pre-empted the wage boards by echoing the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses. Our fearless forecast is that the wage boards will reject the wage petitions. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead.”
PM wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. “Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage boards,” Cangayao explained.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Labor party-list challenges presidentiables to make pro-RH stand
Press Release
March 13, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) challenged the candidates in the elections, especially the presidentiables, to make a categorical stand in favor of reproductive health in view of the SWS survey showing voters’ support for pro-RH contenders. “We call on national to local candidates to make a stand for the RH bill and the Filipino voters will stand by you in the election. The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by uncompromising support for reproductive health,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
The demand for reproductive health and condom distribution will be part of the issues to be raised in a PM-sponsored massive motorcade of 100 motorcycles and vehicles that will traverse the Calabarzon region tomorrow. The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at 7:00 a.m. then pass through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. The motorcade will make a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor will discuss the issues of high prices, wage increase, affordable housing and reproductive health among others. The motorcade will end in Carmona, Cavite.
Miranda argued that “The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority. The government must provide the means for natural and artificial family planning that must go together with education on the use of contraceptives in relation to the spread of HIV-AIDS, spacing of children, unwanted pregnancies, and teenage pregnancies, among others”
PM has declared its uncompromising position on the issue of condom distribution and reproductive health. Last Monday, women members of the party-list group picketed the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Intramuros, Manila and delivered baskets of condoms in a symbolic protest. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.
Miranda lambasted the presidentiable candidates for making vague statements or reversing their previous positions on the RH bill due to the pro-life lobby. “What leadership can we expect from these presidentiables if they cave in to the lobby of vested interests? We hope they recover some spine in the face of the clear mandate from voters in favor of the RH bill,” she insisted.
March 13, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) challenged the candidates in the elections, especially the presidentiables, to make a categorical stand in favor of reproductive health in view of the SWS survey showing voters’ support for pro-RH contenders. “We call on national to local candidates to make a stand for the RH bill and the Filipino voters will stand by you in the election. The candidates who say they are pro-poor and pro-women should make this motherhood slogan concrete by uncompromising support for reproductive health,” stated Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
The demand for reproductive health and condom distribution will be part of the issues to be raised in a PM-sponsored massive motorcade of 100 motorcycles and vehicles that will traverse the Calabarzon region tomorrow. The “Motorcade para sa Trabaho, Sahod, Pabahay at Kalusugan” will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario at 7:00 a.m. then pass through the industrial towns of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. The motorcade will make a stop at the covered court of Barangay 5, Tanauan, Batangas where an assembly of some 1,000 workers and urban poor will discuss the issues of high prices, wage increase, affordable housing and reproductive health among others. The motorcade will end in Carmona, Cavite.
Miranda argued that “The candidates especially the presidentiables should not fear the supposed clout and negative campaign of pro-life groups for they do not represent the sentiments and votes of the silent majority. The government must provide the means for natural and artificial family planning that must go together with education on the use of contraceptives in relation to the spread of HIV-AIDS, spacing of children, unwanted pregnancies, and teenage pregnancies, among others”
PM has declared its uncompromising position on the issue of condom distribution and reproductive health. Last Monday, women members of the party-list group picketed the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines office in Intramuros, Manila and delivered baskets of condoms in a symbolic protest. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of “Apat na Dapat” which means regular jobs, living wage, affordable housing and healthcare coverage for all.
Miranda lambasted the presidentiable candidates for making vague statements or reversing their previous positions on the RH bill due to the pro-life lobby. “What leadership can we expect from these presidentiables if they cave in to the lobby of vested interests? We hope they recover some spine in the face of the clear mandate from voters in favor of the RH bill,” she insisted.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Last-minute effort today to mediate Alta Mode dispute
Press Release
March 10, 2010
The administration of the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) called for a meeting today between the management and union of Alta Mode Inc., a garments exporter for such global brands as Abercrombie & Fitch. The Alta Mode workers had requested the MEZ administration for a last-minute effort to mediate the almost month-long dispute as the permanent shutdown of Alta Mode looms Monday next week.
“We remain steadfast in our view that the closure of the Alta Mode factory is merely a desperate attempt to bust the union. Supposed losses and the global crisis are simply alibis to cover up management’s union busting and unfair labor practice. Even Alta Mode’s own financial statement for the years 2007 and 2008 belies its claims,” insisted Renante Peliño, president of the Alta Mode Workers Union (AMWU), an affiliate of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
Early this morning a commotion broke out at the campout of the Alta Mode workers at the MEZ II main gates when security guards tried to close the entry and exit to the protest site using steel fences. The guards backed down in the end as the workers resisted and picketed the main gates in protest.
In the meeting at the MEZ administration office, AMWU demanded that the workers be allowed to return to work pending an investigation of the real cause of Alta Mode’s shutdown. The union also called on the MEZ administration not to give a clearance to Alta Mode.
“While nobody can force an employer to continue its business, the government is not totally powerless to intervene. The export zone administration has the power to block Alta Mode’s closure by refusing to give it a clearance. The DOLE too has the power to investigate the workers’ grave allegations of management’s unfair labor practice,” Peliño argued.
AMWU refused to accept management’s offer of separation package although it demanded the payment of the workers wages for the almost one month period that management has disallowed workers to report for work. Only 15 contractual workers and office employees of Alta Mode have received the separation pay while none of the 91 union members have accepted.
Representatives of the DOLE Regional Office 7 and the National Mediation and Conciliation Board (NCMB) also attended the meeting at the MEZ. Mediation hearings called by the NCMB in the middle of February resolved nothing as management remained steadfast on closing the factory.
Since February 15, 2010, AMWU has camped out at the MEZ II after workers were refused entry and not allowed to go to work. Scores of supporters from unions in Cebu and other allies have trooped to the campout in solidarity with the Alta Mode workers. Even Women’s Day was commemorated in the Alta Mode campout last Monday by urban poor and working class women.
March 10, 2010
The administration of the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) called for a meeting today between the management and union of Alta Mode Inc., a garments exporter for such global brands as Abercrombie & Fitch. The Alta Mode workers had requested the MEZ administration for a last-minute effort to mediate the almost month-long dispute as the permanent shutdown of Alta Mode looms Monday next week.
“We remain steadfast in our view that the closure of the Alta Mode factory is merely a desperate attempt to bust the union. Supposed losses and the global crisis are simply alibis to cover up management’s union busting and unfair labor practice. Even Alta Mode’s own financial statement for the years 2007 and 2008 belies its claims,” insisted Renante Peliño, president of the Alta Mode Workers Union (AMWU), an affiliate of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
Early this morning a commotion broke out at the campout of the Alta Mode workers at the MEZ II main gates when security guards tried to close the entry and exit to the protest site using steel fences. The guards backed down in the end as the workers resisted and picketed the main gates in protest.
In the meeting at the MEZ administration office, AMWU demanded that the workers be allowed to return to work pending an investigation of the real cause of Alta Mode’s shutdown. The union also called on the MEZ administration not to give a clearance to Alta Mode.
“While nobody can force an employer to continue its business, the government is not totally powerless to intervene. The export zone administration has the power to block Alta Mode’s closure by refusing to give it a clearance. The DOLE too has the power to investigate the workers’ grave allegations of management’s unfair labor practice,” Peliño argued.
AMWU refused to accept management’s offer of separation package although it demanded the payment of the workers wages for the almost one month period that management has disallowed workers to report for work. Only 15 contractual workers and office employees of Alta Mode have received the separation pay while none of the 91 union members have accepted.
Representatives of the DOLE Regional Office 7 and the National Mediation and Conciliation Board (NCMB) also attended the meeting at the MEZ. Mediation hearings called by the NCMB in the middle of February resolved nothing as management remained steadfast on closing the factory.
Since February 15, 2010, AMWU has camped out at the MEZ II after workers were refused entry and not allowed to go to work. Scores of supporters from unions in Cebu and other allies have trooped to the campout in solidarity with the Alta Mode workers. Even Women’s Day was commemorated in the Alta Mode campout last Monday by urban poor and working class women.
Labor party-list slams DOLE for no wage hike declaration
Press Release
March 10, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its declaration that no wage hike is forthcoming on Labor Day. Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson argued that “The cat is out of the bag with the DOLE spokesperson’s statement on the wage hike petition. Not only did he explain that the hearings will still be ongoing by May 1 but he already pre-empted the wage boards of NCR and Central Visayas with the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses.”
Meanwhile the PM-led mass actions calling for a wage hike will continue with a Calabarzon-wide motorcade on Sunday. The motorcade will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario town and then go to the industrial areas of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Motorcycle-riding workers will be at the forefront of the hundred-vehicle motorcade. “We will bring the message of a wage hike and the reform of the wage fixing system to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” stated Magtubo.
In a rally at the DOLE last March 8, PM declared its support for the demand for a wage hike while calling for a reform of the wage fixing process. “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but nonetheless our fearless forecast is that it will be denied by the NCR wage board. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead,” Magtubo added.
"The wage boards must be abolished for being inutile. Its wage orders are always delayed, stingy and benefits merely a small section of workers because it is not across-the-board and riddled with exemptions, deferments and creditability clauses," declared Magtubo. The group insists that the wage hike must be legislated and across-the-board.
“Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage board. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage board,” Magtubo explained.
PM is pushing for the abolition of the wage boards that decide on wage hike for the different regions. Instead the party-list group wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living.
March 10, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for its declaration that no wage hike is forthcoming on Labor Day. Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson argued that “The cat is out of the bag with the DOLE spokesperson’s statement on the wage hike petition. Not only did he explain that the hearings will still be ongoing by May 1 but he already pre-empted the wage boards of NCR and Central Visayas with the capitalist black propaganda that a wage increase will result in job losses.”
Meanwhile the PM-led mass actions calling for a wage hike will continue with a Calabarzon-wide motorcade on Sunday. The motorcade will start at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario town and then go to the industrial areas of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and Batangas. Motorcycle-riding workers will be at the forefront of the hundred-vehicle motorcade. “We will bring the message of a wage hike and the reform of the wage fixing system to the industrial heartland of the country where the concentration of the factory workers can now be found,” stated Magtubo.
In a rally at the DOLE last March 8, PM declared its support for the demand for a wage hike while calling for a reform of the wage fixing process. “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but nonetheless our fearless forecast is that it will be denied by the NCR wage board. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead,” Magtubo added.
"The wage boards must be abolished for being inutile. Its wage orders are always delayed, stingy and benefits merely a small section of workers because it is not across-the-board and riddled with exemptions, deferments and creditability clauses," declared Magtubo. The group insists that the wage hike must be legislated and across-the-board.
“Any wage petition will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage board. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage board,” Magtubo explained.
PM is pushing for the abolition of the wage boards that decide on wage hike for the different regions. Instead the party-list group wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Reproductive health and wage hike pushed by women workers
Press Release
March 8, 2010
A wage hike and reproductive health were the main concerns raised by women members of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) in celebration of women’s day. More than a hundred women workers and urban poor held a picket at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which was followed by a rally at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices to highlight the two demands.
“The demand for a wage hike and reproductive health set the context for this year’s commemoration of women’s day. The twin issues are appropriate since they frame the productive and reproductive roles of women in the family and society,” explained Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
In women’s day activities by PM chapters in the provinces, additional working women issues were brought to the fore. In Cebu, women urban poor trooped to the campout of Alta Mode garment workers in the Mactan Economic Zone for a women’s day program. In Bacolod, women agricultural workers marched to the provincial capitol for a dialogue on the demand for subsidy due to the effect of El Nino. High water and electricity rates and the failure of privatization were highlighted as heavy burden to working women in Davao. Meanwhile in Iligan, PM members joined the women’s day parade that called for the election of the first woman councilor ever in the city.
At the CBCP office in Intramuros, Manila, members of the labor party-list group asked the Catholic bishops to “bless” two baskets of condoms. They then marched to the DOLE where the protesters banged pots and pans to symbolize the call for a wage increase and a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism. From Intramuros the rally went straight to Mendiola via Ayala Bridge, blowing whistles and creating noise along the way to draw attention to the women’s challenge to the candidates in the coming elections.
“We humbly ask the bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women’s rights,” Miranda furthered. She added that aside from providing contraception, the government should embark on a nationwide education program through the barangays so that women and men learn the many facets of HIV-AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unwanted pregnancies, child spacing and family planning, among other reproductive health concerns.
Miranda also insisted that “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but it will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards because if Malacañang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be defeated by the combined votes of the employer and government representatives.”
PM wants to abolish the wage boards to give way to a National Wage Commission with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. Miranda argued that “There must a national standard of living that should be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
March 8, 2010
A wage hike and reproductive health were the main concerns raised by women members of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) in celebration of women’s day. More than a hundred women workers and urban poor held a picket at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) which was followed by a rally at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices to highlight the two demands.
“The demand for a wage hike and reproductive health set the context for this year’s commemoration of women’s day. The twin issues are appropriate since they frame the productive and reproductive roles of women in the family and society,” explained Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
In women’s day activities by PM chapters in the provinces, additional working women issues were brought to the fore. In Cebu, women urban poor trooped to the campout of Alta Mode garment workers in the Mactan Economic Zone for a women’s day program. In Bacolod, women agricultural workers marched to the provincial capitol for a dialogue on the demand for subsidy due to the effect of El Nino. High water and electricity rates and the failure of privatization were highlighted as heavy burden to working women in Davao. Meanwhile in Iligan, PM members joined the women’s day parade that called for the election of the first woman councilor ever in the city.
At the CBCP office in Intramuros, Manila, members of the labor party-list group asked the Catholic bishops to “bless” two baskets of condoms. They then marched to the DOLE where the protesters banged pots and pans to symbolize the call for a wage increase and a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism. From Intramuros the rally went straight to Mendiola via Ayala Bridge, blowing whistles and creating noise along the way to draw attention to the women’s challenge to the candidates in the coming elections.
“We humbly ask the bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women’s rights,” Miranda furthered. She added that aside from providing contraception, the government should embark on a nationwide education program through the barangays so that women and men learn the many facets of HIV-AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unwanted pregnancies, child spacing and family planning, among other reproductive health concerns.
Miranda also insisted that “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but it will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards because if Malacañang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be defeated by the combined votes of the employer and government representatives.”
PM wants to abolish the wage boards to give way to a National Wage Commission with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. Miranda argued that “There must a national standard of living that should be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Women workers to raise reproductive health and wage hike issues on women’s day
Press Release
March 7, 2010
Women members of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will raise the issues of a wage hike and reproductive health in the celebration of women’s day tomorrow. Some 200 women workers and urban poor will hold a picket at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to be followed by a rally at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices to highlight the two demands.
“The burning demand for a wage hike and reproductive health set the context for this year’s commemoration of women’s day. The twin issues are appropriate since they frame the productive and reproductive roles of women in the family and society,” explained Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
The members of the labor party-list group will assemble by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow at the Manila Cathedral and then move on to the CBCP by 7:30 a.m. to ask to the bishops to “bless” a set of condoms that the group will distribute. They will then march to the DOLE where the protesters will bang pots and pans to demand a wage increase and a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism.
By 9:00 a.m. they join other women’s groups at España for a 10:00 a.m. rally at Mendiola. While marching to España and Mendiola, there will be a continuous noise barrage and whistle blowing to draw attention to the women’s challenge to the candidates in the coming elections.
“We will humbly ask the Catholic bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women’s rights,” Miranda furthered. She added that aside from providing contraception, the government should embark on a nationwide education program through the barangays so that women and men learn the many facets of HIV-AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unwanted pregnancies, child spacing and family planning, among other reproductive health concerns.
Miranda also insisted that “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but it will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards because if Malacañang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be defeated by the combined votes of the employer and government representatives.”
PM wants to abolish the wage boards to give way to a National Wage Commission with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. Miranda argued that “There must a national standard of living that should be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
The minimum wage in the NCR has been stuck at P382 for almost two years but the cost of living already reaches P1,000 a day in Metro Manila for a family of six according to various studies.
March 7, 2010
Women members of the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) will raise the issues of a wage hike and reproductive health in the celebration of women’s day tomorrow. Some 200 women workers and urban poor will hold a picket at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to be followed by a rally at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) offices to highlight the two demands.
“The burning demand for a wage hike and reproductive health set the context for this year’s commemoration of women’s day. The twin issues are appropriate since they frame the productive and reproductive roles of women in the family and society,” explained Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.
The members of the labor party-list group will assemble by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow at the Manila Cathedral and then move on to the CBCP by 7:30 a.m. to ask to the bishops to “bless” a set of condoms that the group will distribute. They will then march to the DOLE where the protesters will bang pots and pans to demand a wage increase and a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism.
By 9:00 a.m. they join other women’s groups at España for a 10:00 a.m. rally at Mendiola. While marching to España and Mendiola, there will be a continuous noise barrage and whistle blowing to draw attention to the women’s challenge to the candidates in the coming elections.
“We will humbly ask the Catholic bishops to bless the condoms as a conciliatory gesture to unite for reproductive health and women’s rights,” Miranda furthered. She added that aside from providing contraception, the government should embark on a nationwide education program through the barangays so that women and men learn the many facets of HIV-AIDS, teenage pregnancies, unwanted pregnancies, child spacing and family planning, among other reproductive health concerns.
Miranda also insisted that “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive but it will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage boards because if Malacañang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be defeated by the combined votes of the employer and government representatives.”
PM wants to abolish the wage boards to give way to a National Wage Commission with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living. Miranda argued that “There must a national standard of living that should be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
The minimum wage in the NCR has been stuck at P382 for almost two years but the cost of living already reaches P1,000 a day in Metro Manila for a family of six according to various studies.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Labor party-list supports wage hike call but demands wage fixing reform
Press Release
March 6, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) declared its support for the demand for a wage hike but also called for a reform of the wage fixing system. “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive. But we doubt it will be granted by the NCR wage board. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
On Monday morning, Women’s Day, some 200 women PM members will have a rally at the Department of Labor of Employment office at Intramuros to push for the wage demand. The wage hike and reproductive health are the main calls of the labor group for this year’s women’s day.
“The P75 wage demand will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage board. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage board,” Magtubo explained.
PM is pushing for the abolition of the wage boards that decide on wage hike for the different regions. Instead the party-list group wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living.
Magtubo dared President Arroyo to declare her support or rejection of the P75 wage petition. He added “The hearings for the P75 wage hike are a moro-moro for in the end it is GMA’s body language that will determine its fate. Do the advocates for the P75 wage hike have GMA’s ear? Despite the pressure to be populist in an election year, our fearless forecast is that GMA will silently reject the wage increase petition.”
The labor group is criticizing the regional wage boards for cheapening the cost of labor and depressing wages by instituting a system of almost a hundred different wage levels in the country. PM also disapproves of the 10-point formula for determining wages and advocates that the single criterion of cost of living be used.
Magtubo insisted that “There must a national standard of living that must be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
The minimum wage in the NCR has been stuck at P382 for almost two years but the cost of living already reaches P1,000 a day in Metro Manila for a family of six according to various studies.
March 6, 2010
The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) declared its support for the demand for a wage hike but also called for a reform of the wage fixing system. “A P75 wage hike is reasonable and not excessive. But we doubt it will be granted by the NCR wage board. That is why we are batting for the abolition of the wage boards and the establishment of a National Wage Commission instead,” argued Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.
On Monday morning, Women’s Day, some 200 women PM members will have a rally at the Department of Labor of Employment office at Intramuros to push for the wage demand. The wage hike and reproductive health are the main calls of the labor group for this year’s women’s day.
“The P75 wage demand will not prosper unless President Gloria Arroyo supports it. That unfortunately is the problem with the tripartite regional wage board. If Malacanang does not give the go signal for a wage hike, the wage petition will be stymied at the wage board,” Magtubo explained.
PM is pushing for the abolition of the wage boards that decide on wage hike for the different regions. Instead the party-list group wants a National Wage Commission to be formed with the mandate to set a national minimum wage based solely on the cost of living.
Magtubo dared President Arroyo to declare her support or rejection of the P75 wage petition. He added “The hearings for the P75 wage hike are a moro-moro for in the end it is GMA’s body language that will determine its fate. Do the advocates for the P75 wage hike have GMA’s ear? Despite the pressure to be populist in an election year, our fearless forecast is that GMA will silently reject the wage increase petition.”
The labor group is criticizing the regional wage boards for cheapening the cost of labor and depressing wages by instituting a system of almost a hundred different wage levels in the country. PM also disapproves of the 10-point formula for determining wages and advocates that the single criterion of cost of living be used.
Magtubo insisted that “There must a national standard of living that must be matched by a national minimum wage. The wage is the price of the worker’s labor power and as every other commodity in the market its price must reflect its cost of production, which in the case of the worker is nothing else but the cost of living of his or her family.”
The minimum wage in the NCR has been stuck at P382 for almost two years but the cost of living already reaches P1,000 a day in Metro Manila for a family of six according to various studies.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Labor party-list group tells pro-life “thou shall not lie”
PRESS RELEASE
5 March 2010
After failure to gather support in its position against DOH’s condom distribution, a pro-life group and the Catholic Church tries to muddle the issue by broadcasting that condoms are ineffective against HIV-AIDS. Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) General Secretary Judy Ann Chan-Miranda belied the Catholic Church’s statements and said that “Thou shall not lie and deceive the people. According to Cochrane, the highest level of medical evidence, condoms are 80% effective with constant use. The 20% failure is due to human error such is incorrect use.”
On Monday, Women’s Day, PM will hold a picket at the CBCP to ask to the bishops to “bless” a set of condoms that the group will distribute. “Our appeal for the bishops to bless the condoms is a gesture of conciliation to unite on the issue of reproductive health in the interests of women and their families,” Miranda explained.
Some 200 members of the labor party-list group will assemble by 7:30 a.m. on March 8 at the Manila Cathedral and then move to the CBCP by 8:00 a.m. The activity will end with the women workers and poor protesting at the nearby Department and Labor and Employment to support the call for a wage increase and demand a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism.
The labor party-group said that 81% of Filipinos are Catholics and the remaining 19% are not. “Laws should respect the beliefs of others, religious beliefs, Catholic beliefs for that matter, should not be forced on people,” explained Ms. Miranda. She added “It is high time that the Catholic Church refrain from using its influence to legislate and enact religious-related practices and beliefs.”
At the same time, PM reproached the Catholic Church’s campaign for the banning of condom ads. “Beyond its anti-women stance, the Catholic Church is also showing its disregard for the Filipinos’ rights, including the right to correct information,” said Miranda. She added that, “The Catholic Church can continue to argue its beliefs, for as long as it wants to, but this should not be at the expense of allowing those who believe otherwise from doing what they also think are good for women and the Filipino people. The Catholic Church should accept the fact that it cannot and should impose their beliefs on people in the guise of eternal salvation.”
5 March 2010
After failure to gather support in its position against DOH’s condom distribution, a pro-life group and the Catholic Church tries to muddle the issue by broadcasting that condoms are ineffective against HIV-AIDS. Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) General Secretary Judy Ann Chan-Miranda belied the Catholic Church’s statements and said that “Thou shall not lie and deceive the people. According to Cochrane, the highest level of medical evidence, condoms are 80% effective with constant use. The 20% failure is due to human error such is incorrect use.”
On Monday, Women’s Day, PM will hold a picket at the CBCP to ask to the bishops to “bless” a set of condoms that the group will distribute. “Our appeal for the bishops to bless the condoms is a gesture of conciliation to unite on the issue of reproductive health in the interests of women and their families,” Miranda explained.
Some 200 members of the labor party-list group will assemble by 7:30 a.m. on March 8 at the Manila Cathedral and then move to the CBCP by 8:00 a.m. The activity will end with the women workers and poor protesting at the nearby Department and Labor and Employment to support the call for a wage increase and demand a revamp of the wage fixing mechanism.
The labor party-group said that 81% of Filipinos are Catholics and the remaining 19% are not. “Laws should respect the beliefs of others, religious beliefs, Catholic beliefs for that matter, should not be forced on people,” explained Ms. Miranda. She added “It is high time that the Catholic Church refrain from using its influence to legislate and enact religious-related practices and beliefs.”
At the same time, PM reproached the Catholic Church’s campaign for the banning of condom ads. “Beyond its anti-women stance, the Catholic Church is also showing its disregard for the Filipinos’ rights, including the right to correct information,” said Miranda. She added that, “The Catholic Church can continue to argue its beliefs, for as long as it wants to, but this should not be at the expense of allowing those who believe otherwise from doing what they also think are good for women and the Filipino people. The Catholic Church should accept the fact that it cannot and should impose their beliefs on people in the guise of eternal salvation.”
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Walking papers not extra powers for Reyes and the Arroyo administration
PRESS RELEASE
03 March 2010
The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) sees no need for an emergency powers for the Arroyo administration to address the unfolding power crisis.
It looks rather for an emergency exit for energy Chief Angelo Reyes and the Arroyo administration for failing to solve the power problems during the past 10 years.
“Aren’t walking papers for quick exits more appropriate than handing extra powers to the failed rule of Reyes and his boss in Malacanang,” asked the party-list group.
According to PM Chair Renato Magtubo, the Arroyo administration had almost ten years since the passage of the Electric Power Reform Act in 2001 to ensure not only the affordability of rates but also the reliability of power supply in the country.
“Why ask for another emergency power now when Mrs. Arroyo had EPIRA to solve these chronic problems during the last ten years,” lamented Magtubo.
EPIRA was enacted six months after Mrs. Arroyo assumed the Presidency in 2001. EPIRA’s implementation should have reduced the power rates and secured our future energy supply.
Unfortunately after 10 years, electricity rates doubled hence the Philippines still has one of the most expensive electricity in the world while threat of another major power crisis is already in the offing.
“Before asking for an emergency power, Mrs. Arroyo should have first declared EPIRA as a failure so that all stakeholders, especially the hapless consumers, can work out for a new energy framework that can solve the chronic problems in the power industry,” asserted Magtubo.
This new framework, Magtubo explained, would entail a central role of the State (specifically planning and financing) and our communities in providing our people universal access to an affordable, clean and sustainable power.
The labor leader who served as party-list representative in Congress was the one led the expose of the payola scam that attended the passage of the Omnibus Power Bill in the lower House in 2001.
The labor group maintains that the power industry, because of the nature of its function in the country’s economic life, should not have been relegated to the private sector.
“Look at what is happening right now. Obviously the government did not foresee it coming -- that Reyes and the DoE did nothing to prepare for it because they had these assumptions that under the EPIRA, the private sector would make the system efficient and secure our energy future,” stressed Magtubo.
PM is calling for the scrapping of EPIRA and the reversal of privatization and deregulation policies accompanying it forms part of the party’s electoral platforms.
The party-list group likewise called on the voters to reject all candidates that maintain adherence to such policies whether they are in the administration or in the opposition tickets.
03 March 2010
The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) sees no need for an emergency powers for the Arroyo administration to address the unfolding power crisis.
It looks rather for an emergency exit for energy Chief Angelo Reyes and the Arroyo administration for failing to solve the power problems during the past 10 years.
“Aren’t walking papers for quick exits more appropriate than handing extra powers to the failed rule of Reyes and his boss in Malacanang,” asked the party-list group.
According to PM Chair Renato Magtubo, the Arroyo administration had almost ten years since the passage of the Electric Power Reform Act in 2001 to ensure not only the affordability of rates but also the reliability of power supply in the country.
“Why ask for another emergency power now when Mrs. Arroyo had EPIRA to solve these chronic problems during the last ten years,” lamented Magtubo.
EPIRA was enacted six months after Mrs. Arroyo assumed the Presidency in 2001. EPIRA’s implementation should have reduced the power rates and secured our future energy supply.
Unfortunately after 10 years, electricity rates doubled hence the Philippines still has one of the most expensive electricity in the world while threat of another major power crisis is already in the offing.
“Before asking for an emergency power, Mrs. Arroyo should have first declared EPIRA as a failure so that all stakeholders, especially the hapless consumers, can work out for a new energy framework that can solve the chronic problems in the power industry,” asserted Magtubo.
This new framework, Magtubo explained, would entail a central role of the State (specifically planning and financing) and our communities in providing our people universal access to an affordable, clean and sustainable power.
The labor leader who served as party-list representative in Congress was the one led the expose of the payola scam that attended the passage of the Omnibus Power Bill in the lower House in 2001.
The labor group maintains that the power industry, because of the nature of its function in the country’s economic life, should not have been relegated to the private sector.
“Look at what is happening right now. Obviously the government did not foresee it coming -- that Reyes and the DoE did nothing to prepare for it because they had these assumptions that under the EPIRA, the private sector would make the system efficient and secure our energy future,” stressed Magtubo.
PM is calling for the scrapping of EPIRA and the reversal of privatization and deregulation policies accompanying it forms part of the party’s electoral platforms.
The party-list group likewise called on the voters to reject all candidates that maintain adherence to such policies whether they are in the administration or in the opposition tickets.
Land dispute in Parañaque escalates as community burned to ground
Press Release
March 2, 2010
The land dispute at the depressed community of Palasan continues to escalate as the remaining houses were burned to the ground for the second time yesterday. More than 20 residents and their supporters were also arrested yesterday for resisting the demolition and detained in the Parañaque police precinct along Coastal Road in Brgy. La Huerta. The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa slammed the demolition as not just illegal but inhuman.
For the third time in two weeks, leaders of the Palasan Neighborhood Association together with scores of supporters among the Parañaque affiliates of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP)—a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon—and the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) marched at 9:00 a.m. on the city hall of Paranaque to seek a dialogue with Mayor Florencio “Jun” Bernabe. Early this morning protesters picketed the police precinct were the Palasan residents and their supporters were detained.
“The demolition is illegal because there no order of demolition has been issued by any court. Moreover the eviction is very inhuman. They did not just use heavy equipment but also put our houses on fire. Finally they arrested us like terrorists. But fighting for rights and defending our homes is not a crime,” explained Rodrigo Bautista, president of the Palasan Neighborhood Association.
The Palasan residents criticize even the issuance of writ of possession since the ownership of the land is still pending at the Land Registration Authority as LRA Case No. 97-0111. Some 50 people remain at the disputed land despite repeated attempts at demolition that started last February 11.
Robert Labrador of AMP, which is supporting the Palasan residents, added, “We ask Mayor Florencio Bernabe to mediate and communicate with Mr. Mike Velarde for a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the land dispute.” AMP condemned El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde, whose Amvel subdivision is right beside Palasan, as the mastermind behind the illegal and inhuman demolition.
The Palasan residents revealed that the demolition team was backed by the Parañaque SWAT and the PNP. Since the urban poor settlers kept their ground, private security guards of the Manila Shooter agency together with the police burned the remaining houses to forcibly remove the legitimate residents of the disputed land.
Renato Magtubo, PM Chairperson stated that, “This demolition is in utter violation of human rights. The government must engage in honest negotiation and pursue decent relocation. Demolition and militarization are not the answer to land disputes.”
The AMP provided legal assistance to the Palasan Neighborhood Association as they trooped to the Ombudsman yesterday to file a complaint government officials implicated in the illegal demolition.
March 2, 2010
The land dispute at the depressed community of Palasan continues to escalate as the remaining houses were burned to the ground for the second time yesterday. More than 20 residents and their supporters were also arrested yesterday for resisting the demolition and detained in the Parañaque police precinct along Coastal Road in Brgy. La Huerta. The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa slammed the demolition as not just illegal but inhuman.
For the third time in two weeks, leaders of the Palasan Neighborhood Association together with scores of supporters among the Parañaque affiliates of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP)—a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon—and the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) marched at 9:00 a.m. on the city hall of Paranaque to seek a dialogue with Mayor Florencio “Jun” Bernabe. Early this morning protesters picketed the police precinct were the Palasan residents and their supporters were detained.
“The demolition is illegal because there no order of demolition has been issued by any court. Moreover the eviction is very inhuman. They did not just use heavy equipment but also put our houses on fire. Finally they arrested us like terrorists. But fighting for rights and defending our homes is not a crime,” explained Rodrigo Bautista, president of the Palasan Neighborhood Association.
The Palasan residents criticize even the issuance of writ of possession since the ownership of the land is still pending at the Land Registration Authority as LRA Case No. 97-0111. Some 50 people remain at the disputed land despite repeated attempts at demolition that started last February 11.
Robert Labrador of AMP, which is supporting the Palasan residents, added, “We ask Mayor Florencio Bernabe to mediate and communicate with Mr. Mike Velarde for a peaceful and negotiated resolution to the land dispute.” AMP condemned El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde, whose Amvel subdivision is right beside Palasan, as the mastermind behind the illegal and inhuman demolition.
The Palasan residents revealed that the demolition team was backed by the Parañaque SWAT and the PNP. Since the urban poor settlers kept their ground, private security guards of the Manila Shooter agency together with the police burned the remaining houses to forcibly remove the legitimate residents of the disputed land.
Renato Magtubo, PM Chairperson stated that, “This demolition is in utter violation of human rights. The government must engage in honest negotiation and pursue decent relocation. Demolition and militarization are not the answer to land disputes.”
The AMP provided legal assistance to the Palasan Neighborhood Association as they trooped to the Ombudsman yesterday to file a complaint government officials implicated in the illegal demolition.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Emergency power not the answer to policy-borne problems in the power industry
PRESS RELEASE
01 March 2010
Had the government kept hold of and not consigned the duty of providing energy for our future to the private sector then we do not have to worry about power failures repeatedly hounding the nation, according to the labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
PM Chair Renato Magtubo, said giving President Arroyo another emergency power is no guarantee that policy-borne problems in the power industry can be addressed.
“Before everything dries up on energy chief Angelo Reyes, let he be reminded first that this emergency power he wanted bestowed on President Arroyo is the same power granted to his former boss Fidel Ramos by Congress to address not just the Mindanao problem but the entire power crisis that engulfed the country in the late 80’s and early 90’s. And while that emergency power enabled Ramos to add new capacities in the system, the consequence of high power rates due to anomalous contracts with private independent power producers (IPPs) bound the people into paying high PPA charges,” explained Magtubo.
Magtubo, who led the expose on the payola scandal attending the passage of the Omnibus Power Bill in the House in 2000, pointed out that when the country had enough supply of contracted power or more than half of what we need, Reyes’ bosses then embarked on reforming the power industry through the Electric Power Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA, supposedly to ensure reliability and affordability of power supply.
However, these social objectives, Magtubo said are no more the functions of government since EPIRA relegated that duty to the private sector. “As such, planning for our energy future is reliant on what the private sector can provide,” he added.
The labor leader said that evidently the country is now back to square one 10 years after, with the DoE chief himself begging for another emergency power to address the supply constraints in Mindanao.
“Even Mikey Arroyo, had been asking for the same, unaware that her mother have more than what he and Reyes had been asking for to address the power problem for the past 10 years. Perhaps the two wanted continuity of their failures too in policy-making by sneaking through the party-list representations,” lamented Magtubo.
The party-list group insists that the problem that the country faces now is undoubtedly policy-related hence it is pushing for the reversal of privatization and deregulation of policies in the power industry.
“Let us therefore call a spade a spade. There are power failures because EPIRA failed. The DoE and the energy committees failed. The Arroyo administration failed. And so with the private sector,” stated Magtubo.
01 March 2010
Had the government kept hold of and not consigned the duty of providing energy for our future to the private sector then we do not have to worry about power failures repeatedly hounding the nation, according to the labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).
PM Chair Renato Magtubo, said giving President Arroyo another emergency power is no guarantee that policy-borne problems in the power industry can be addressed.
“Before everything dries up on energy chief Angelo Reyes, let he be reminded first that this emergency power he wanted bestowed on President Arroyo is the same power granted to his former boss Fidel Ramos by Congress to address not just the Mindanao problem but the entire power crisis that engulfed the country in the late 80’s and early 90’s. And while that emergency power enabled Ramos to add new capacities in the system, the consequence of high power rates due to anomalous contracts with private independent power producers (IPPs) bound the people into paying high PPA charges,” explained Magtubo.
Magtubo, who led the expose on the payola scandal attending the passage of the Omnibus Power Bill in the House in 2000, pointed out that when the country had enough supply of contracted power or more than half of what we need, Reyes’ bosses then embarked on reforming the power industry through the Electric Power Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA, supposedly to ensure reliability and affordability of power supply.
However, these social objectives, Magtubo said are no more the functions of government since EPIRA relegated that duty to the private sector. “As such, planning for our energy future is reliant on what the private sector can provide,” he added.
The labor leader said that evidently the country is now back to square one 10 years after, with the DoE chief himself begging for another emergency power to address the supply constraints in Mindanao.
“Even Mikey Arroyo, had been asking for the same, unaware that her mother have more than what he and Reyes had been asking for to address the power problem for the past 10 years. Perhaps the two wanted continuity of their failures too in policy-making by sneaking through the party-list representations,” lamented Magtubo.
The party-list group insists that the problem that the country faces now is undoubtedly policy-related hence it is pushing for the reversal of privatization and deregulation of policies in the power industry.
“Let us therefore call a spade a spade. There are power failures because EPIRA failed. The DoE and the energy committees failed. The Arroyo administration failed. And so with the private sector,” stated Magtubo.
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