Impeaching Sara is still the right thing to do!

 

Photo by Inquirer.net

Justice Leonen said, “there is a right way to do the right thing at the right time.” Tama siya – but let’s be clear: impeaching Sara Duterte remains the right thing to do.

 

But if the so-called “right time” is being used to delay justice, then that is wrong. Justice must not be strangled by technicalities.

 

Meanwhile, citizens must continue to hold all government officials accountable in all aspects. Isa ito sa batayan nang sinasabi namin na reporma lagpas sa impeachment ni Sara. The call for deep political and institutional reforms does not end with Sara Duterte.

 

Accountability should not depend on titles or positions; it must apply to all public servants. We urge the people to assert this principle and ensure that those in power are never above the law.

 

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the standard applied in the recent Supreme Court decision.

Enough Lies, Pass the Wage Hike Now

Once again, the Economic Team of the Office of the President has shown us whose side they’re really on: Big Business. And honestly - who’s surprised?

 

Their so-called “strong reservations” against the PHP 200 wage hike are nothing new. They’ve simply recycled the same tired scare tactics of employers - this time wrapped in pseudo-scientific jargon and dressed up as "economic modeling."

Let’s be clear:

 

- The numbers they’re using? Dubious at best.

- The assumptions? Hidden.

- The intent? To kill the wage hike and protect corporate profits.

 

Where were these numbers during months of public hearings in Congress? Nowhere. Suddenly they appear-just in time to sabotage the people’s demand for wage justice. It’s not policy - it’s propaganda.

 

And what do they offer workers instead?

 

More empty promises: enforce the minimum wage law (which they can’t even do), promote collective bargaining (in a country where union rights are under attack), and link wages to productivity (when workers don’t even get regular jobs).

 

Let’s talk about reality:

* Less than 5% of workers are unionized.

* Contractualization is rampant.

* Red-tagging and harassment of unionists continue—with the full knowledge or blessing of the State.

 

How can you bargain when you're not even allowed to organize?

 

How can you fight for better wages when your job is disposable?

 

The truth is this: Workers have waited long enough.

 

For far too long, workers have endured soaring prices, stagnating wages, and broken promises from both employers and government.

 

The wage hike is long overdue!

It’s not charity - it’s justice.

It’s not inflationary - it’s humane.

It won’t crash the economy - it will lift millions out of poverty and fuel real growth from the bottom up.

 

To Congress:

 

You can side with the spin doctors of the elite - or you can stand with the people who build this country every single day.

 

Enough delays. Enough lies.

 

Pass the legislated wage hike NOW.

 

Press Statement

10 June 2025

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition

CONVENE BICAM NOW: RECONCILE WAGE HIKES BEFORE TIME RUNS OUT

The Senate must urgently convene the bicameral conference committee to reconcile the proposed wage increases—P200 (House) and P100 (Senate)—and ratify a final version before Congress adjourns. With only three session days left, any delay at the bicam level risks killing this historic opportunity to grant workers a long-overdue, substantial wage hike. 

 

The constitutional duty of Congress does not end with passing bills; it includes ensuring their timely enactment. While the Senate must comply with its impeachment mandate, it should not neglect its equally critical obligation to workers struggling under stagnant wages. 

 

Even if the bicam beats the clock, the fight is not over: The bill still needs the President’s signature. But combined pressure from Congress and sustained mobilization by labor groups can break the gridlock. The government must act decisively—inaction will only embolden employers who have always opposed wage hikes, no matter how modest. 

 

The choice is clear: Side with workers demanding dignity or surrender to capitalist veto. We call on both chambers to prioritize the bicam, and on Malacañang to heed the people’s call. The time for collective action is now.

Reaksyon sa pagpasa ng P200 dagdag-sweldo sa Kamara

“Magandang balita subalit pigil pa sa kasiyahan ang manggagawa sa pagkakapasa sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso sa panukalang P200 na dagdag-sahod,” pahayag ng Tagapangulo ng Partido Manggagawa na si Renato Magtubo.

Ito ay dahil may tatlong araw na lamang ang natitirang sesyon ng 19th Congress at sa loob ng ora de peligro na ito ay dapat magkasundo agad ang Bicameral Conference Committee dahil P100 naman ang naunang naipasa ng Senado. Matapos ito ay kailangang lagdaan ng Pangulo ang napagkasunduang bersyon para maging batas.

“Subalit kung talagang gugustuhin ng Palasyo at Kongreso, walang imposible. Kahit nga ang impeachment ni Sara Duterte ay kakayanin pa. Political will ang tawag dyan na siyang laging pagkukulang na hinahanap ng manggagawa sa gobyerno, dagdag ni Magtubo.

Sinabi pa ni Magtubo na marami pang mga hinaing ang manggagawa na kailangang aksyunan ng Palasyo at Kongreso katulad ng pagwawakas sa endo at patuloy itong ipaglalaban sa paparating na 20th Congress. 

PRESS STATEMENT
04 June 2025

Nagkaisa calls on workers to up the pressure on pending wage hike bills in Congress

 

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition on Wednesday urged workers to keep up the pressure on both the Labor Committee and their respective district representatives, demanding swift action on the long-pending P150 wage hike bill before Congress adjourns sine die next week in preparation for the 2025 national and local elections.

 

The group issued the call as it welcomes the commitment made by House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a meeting with labor leaders to act on the pending wage hike bills.

 

Affirmatively the labor committee has calendared a public hearing on Thursday, January 30, to wrap up its deliberations on the wage hike proposals.

 

Nagkaisa said the P150 wage hike bill has been stalled in the Labor Committee since March 2024, while wage orders from regional boards remain insufficient against the ever-increasing cost of living.

 

The coalition stressed the urgency of the situation, urging Congress and Malacañang not to delay further action. “We cannot afford to wait any longer. With every passing day, the value of our wages continues to diminish as inflation continues to rise,” the statement said.

 

With less than a week left in the 19th Congress’ session before the long election break, labor groups remain hopeful that the wage hike bill may still beat the red light.

PRESS RELEASE

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition

29 January 2025

 

Labor party wants Laguesma out of DOLE

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) is issuing this statement, which calls for the resignation of Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma, primarily because of his obstinate stand against the proposed legislated wage hike.

His strong opposition against this proposal, despite the regional wage boards’ failure to raise wages beyond the poverty threshold and to narrow down the gap between the minimum wage and living wage during the last 35 years, lay bare all the pretensions about the protection of labor rights and the government’s pledge to raise the Filipino families’ standard of living.  

By speaking against legislating wages, Laguesma dropped the workers in favor of employers. His concern about the economy becomes even clearer when he blocks wage growth, which is the workers’ only source of economic life.

We want him out of DOLE for he will never represent the working class. His background speaks more of him dealing with and lawyering for corporate owners aside from being one of the richest and highest paid officials in the Marcos Cabinet.

Partido Manggagawa

09 May 2024

NATIONAL WAGE COALITION DEMANDS A PRO-WAGE HIKE VOTE IN THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT ON 15 MAY 2024

As the  House of Representatives’ Committee on Labor and Employment drags its feet on the legislated wage hike after already three hearings, the National Wage Coalition, spearheaded by the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA!), and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), demands the labor committee chaired by Rep. Fidel Nograles, to finally vote for the committee approval of the long-overdue and much-deserved wage increase in its next hearing on Wednesday, 15 May 2024. 

After three exhaustive hearings where economists, academics, think tanks, civil societies, and workers themselves already demolished the fancied threats, myths, and lies of massive price spikes, joblessness, and business closures, the National Wage Coalition calls on the House Committee on Labor to now vote for the approval of the proposed legislated wage hike measures. With a significant majority of the members of the committee as co-authors such as in the ₱150 legislated across-the-board wage recovery increase by the TUCP, the National Wage Coalition trusts that the House of the People will heed the people’s pleas and accept the resounding truth that there is an imperative for Congress to raise workers' wages now after more than three decades of token increases and starvation wages under the regional wage board system.

Instead of the inadequate presidential order to review and reform regional minimum wage rates, the National Wage Coalition demands that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. immediately certify urgent the legislated wage hike to fast-track its approval in the House of Representatives, considering that it is already passed in the Senate. The President must recognize that decades of insufficient increases from the regional wage boards must be set aside in favor of the legislated wage measures advanced by the united workers of the National Wage Coalition.

To be truly the House of the People, the National Wage Coalition demands Congress to raise the wages of all workers towards their right to a living wage, such as the P750 legislated wage hike by the Makabayan bloc through the legislated wage hike for private sector workers and a fair Salary Standardization Law to increase the minimum wage of public sector workers to ₱33,000. We call on the honorable members of the House of Representatives to co-author legislated wage hike measures and for the House Committee on Labor to immediately approve these measures and send them to the plenary for urgent deliberations and passage. For all the workers of this nation whose honest hard work creates the wealth of our nation, the National Wage Coalition forges ahead in our struggle to demand the end of senseless dribbling because all that needs to be said has been already said. The House of the People only needs to listen and heed the people's demand: DAGDAG SAHOD ISABATAS! ₱150 PATAAS! 

National Wage Coalition

9 May 2024 

The biggest hack is amending the Constitution via RBH 6 and 7 – Partido Manggagawa

Filipinos may have kept guard protecting their Facebook accounts from possible hacking, a day after Meta confirmed there was a global outage in its system. What we failed to prevent, however, was the biggest political hack when the House of Representatives’ Committee of the Whole passed Resolution of Both Houses No. 7 (RBH7) Wednesday.

 

Partido Manggagawa (PM) Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda, said the haste in approving RBH 7 at the House of Representatives, “Is equivalent to a political hack which is unthinkable for a huge political body known for being laggard and protracted in its lawmaking process, especially when it comes to important social development agenda.”

 

Miranda cited as an example the lengthy years of enacting the reproductive health bill, which took 14 years, and now on the proposed divorce law, and right to safe and affordable abortion even for special cases. 

 

“Kapag para sa kababaihan, history book ang trato sa amin ng mga mambabatas. Pero kapag charter change para sa dayuhan, para silang Facebook, Twitter, o Tiktok sa pabilisang gumalaw,” lamented Miranda, as PM joined protest actions in the Senate with the World March of Women, and in Manila with In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity (iDefend) Movement, which is all part of the celebration of the International Women’s Day.

 

The same is true, she added, when it comes to the proposed wage hike legislation, with the last legislated wage hike enacted by Congress was in 1989. “When it comes to another agenda like charter change, which is an alien concern to most Filipinos, our lawmakers get fast and furious.”

 

Like RBH 6 now pending before the Senate, RBH 7 proposes to amend several economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution, particularly on areas covering public services, education, advertising, and land ownership, among others.

 

Once approved separately by both houses through a ¾ vote, the “unless otherwise provided by law” shall be added to all the sections under several articles of the Constitution that Congress so decides to be amended, particularly Article XII (Section 11), Article XIV (paragraph 2 of Section 4), and Article XVI (paragraph 2 of Section 11).

 

But Mirada emphasized, “changing those sections and articles of the Constitution won’t alter the age-old problems of poverty and discrimination confronting women today, which are more of an outcome of society’s capitalistic structure where social wealth is appropriated among the tiny few while governance is run under a dynastic political rule.” 

07 March 2024

PRESS RELEASE: When the lives of workers improve, the entire economy will also improve – Nagkaisa!

Photo from Manila Bulletin

In the ongoing hearing today regarding the legislated wage hike in the Lower House of Congress, members of the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition urged lawmakers to prioritize the demands of workers for a P150 or higher wage increase, instead of yielding to the threats of employers that it will destroy the economy.

 

The group reminded lawmakers of the provision in the Constitution stating the "primacy of labor over capital" as a guiding principle in deciding on this contentious issue. They pointed out that for over three decades, employers have persistently opposed it, while the minimum wage of workers remained below the poverty line.

 

The group stated this position while staging a protest in front of the Batasan complex, along with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Federation of Free Workers (FFW), Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Kapatiran ng mga Unyon at Samahang Manggagawa (KAPATIRAN), Marikina Workers Alliance, National Federation of Labor (NFL), Partido Manggagawa (PM), TESEF, and Unified Filipino Service Workers (UFSW).

 

But before the protest could even start, the police dispersed them away from the Batasan gate and blocked their return, led by Precinct 6 commander, Col. Castillo. The labor groups condemned the actions of the police, stating that this was the second time they had done so, the first being against the youth just two weeks prior.

 

They called on the leadership of the PNP and Mayor Joy Belmonte to stop the police abuse at the Batasan, as it shows a lack of respect for freedom of expression and freedom of assembly.

 

The group asserted further that their petition for wage increase is not anti-MSME or anti-business because any additional income in the pockets of workers is returned to the economy through consumption in small businesses, compared to the huge profits of businesses that only go towards extravagant expenses of capital owners.

 

NAGKAISA! also mentioned that the economy of workers relies solely on wages, so while most survive in the formal sector and self-reliance in the informal economy, a wage increase has a more positive impact on the entire economy compared to if the majority of workers remain impoverished.

 

They noted that the highest minimum wage of P610 here in NCR has a real value lower than the national poverty line of P13,797 in 2023.

 

Aside from the wage increase in the private sector, NAGKAISA! supports a separate proposal for a wage hike for public sector employees.

 

NAGKAISA! also seeks to reform the wage-setting system in the country through legislation because for the past 35 years under RA6727 and regional wage boards, the majority of workers in the country have remained poor, which goes against the Constitution's mandate for the right to a living wage and a rising standard of living for their families.

February 28, 2024

NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition

House must now deliberate on wage hike as Senate passes P100 version—Partido Manggagawa

The group Partido Manggagawa (PM) stated that the Senate approval of the P100 legislated wage hike is a welcome relief. “We will wait for the House of Representatives if they can walk their counterpart bills which are higher than the Senate’s. Huwag sanang ang grasya ay maging bato pa kung aatras ang Kamara. Magagalit ang manggagawa. The battle now shifts to Batasan,” declared Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a Marikina City councilor.

 

The group also asserted that all workers, formal and informal, will gain whether directly or indirectly from the legislated wage hike, contrary to the claims of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) that only 10% of “formal workers” will benefit.

 

“Minimum wage earners will get the P100 wage hike in full. Other workers in the formal sector will gain a portion of P100 through what is called wage distortion—wages above the minimum will have to be adjusted since the floor was raised. And workers in the informal economy will also benefit since formal workers with more purchasing power will patronize their products and services. It is ordinary wage earners—not rich professionals or capitalists—who buy from street vendors, eat in carinderias, ride jeepneys and tricycles, and purchase farmers’ and fishers’ produce in wet markets. In fact, formal and informal workers live together as one family so how can they not enjoy the wage hike?,” Magtubo.

 

He lambasted Sergio Ortiz-Luis of ECOP “for feigning concern for workers when in truth he just doesn’t want profits reduced through a wage hike.”

“Ortiz-Luis is peddling fake news. Let us be evidence-based with the numbers. The latest Labor Force Survey shows that 49.2%, about half, of the total 50.5 million labor force, are 24.8 million workers employed in private firms. Of which, one fifth or 4.1 million are minimum wage earners. Another 13.8 million workers, about a quarter or 27.4% of the labor force, are self-employed with no employees. Majority of them are informal workers like street vendors and tricycle drivers while a minority are middle-class professionals like doctors and lawyers. Therefore, three quarters of the labor force or more than 30 million workers stand to benefit from a wage hike. Ortiz-Luis is being disingenuous as he is actually defending the interests of the one million employers or 2% of the labor force,” Magtubo expounded.

 

He added that “In fact, even employers will in the end take advantage of a wage hike as aggregate demand in the economy will rise. Workers’ wages are entirely consumed to buy their families’ necessities, unlike capitalists who hoard part of their profits as savings or use it to obtain luxuries from abroad. This is what happened for the past two years: the economy prospered, and inflation and unemployment went on a decline after two successive minimum wage hikes in all regions. Wage hikes are good, not bad, for the economy and all workers.” 

STATEMENT ON SENATE APPROVAL OF P100 WAGE HIKE

 

The Senate approval of the P100 wage hike is a welcome relief. We will wait for the House of Representatives if they can walk their counterpart bills which are higher than the Senate’s.

 

Huwag sanang ang grasya ay maging bato pa kung aatras ang Kamara. Magagalit ang manggagawa.

 

The battle now shifts to Batasan.

19 February 2024

P100 wage hike will be a blessing not catastrophe

 

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) countered employers’ doomsday scenarios for the economy once a legislated wage hike is passed. “A P100 wage hike will be a blessing not a catastrophe for the economy. For the past two years, minimum wages were raised in all regions, except BARMM for this round, and yet inflation and unemployment went on a decline. The economy benefited and did not suffer from salary increases,” argued Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

 

The group welcomes the proposed P100 increase in minimum wages nationwide which the Senate will deliberate on third reading on Monday. “We would have wanted it to be higher and across-the-board but still an additional P100 in workers’ pockets will be an immediate relief as the cost of living is around P1,200 a day,” Magtubo stated.

 

PM is calling on the House of Representatives Labor Committee to deliberate on the pending wage bills. “As surveys have repeatedly shown, Filipinos want solutions to high prices and low wages, not amendments to the Constitution. Let’s get to work,” Magtubo demanded.

 

He added that “ECOP head Sergio Ortiz-Luis is singing an old tune. They cried the same dire predictions in 2022 and again in 2023 when organized labor demanded wage hikes. Inflation in 2022 was 5.8% but now it is down to 2.8%. Similarly, unemployment has decreased from 5.4% in 2022 to 3.1% as of December last year.”

 

“In Metro Manila, the minimum wage hike in 2022 and 2023 was P33 and P40, respectively, or P73 in total. Firms did not shutter and MSMEs did not go under. Where is the catastrophe? On the contrary, the economy has gained from wage hikes as the increased purchasing power meant greater demand and bigger production for firms in industry and services,” Magtubo explained.

 

He continued that “As theory and studies show, a moderate salary raise need not lead to inflation or retrenchment as employers can just absorb the higher labor costs by reducing their profit. So, we call on Sergio Ortiz-Luis, share the wealth with the workers who created it in the first place.” 

February 16, 2024

 

Nagkaisa! Presses the Lower House to Raise Wages Higher than What the Senate Could

 

With the Senate getting closer to passing on third reading the proposed P100 wage increase, the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition now calls on the House of Representatives (HOR) to get their own version of the bill moving and raise wages higher than what the Senate could.

 

Pending before the HOR are bills seeking a P150 and P750 across-the-board wage hikes for private sector workers, and P33,000/month entry level for public sector workers. Today, a bill was also filed for a P50,000 salary base for teachers.

 

If the HOR can create a mountain out of a molehill, like what it did for a more complicated process of revising the Constitution, then they can do the same for the wage hike bills and in correcting the defective wage setting mechanism in the country.

 

The P100 wage proposal which passed the second reading in the Senate today falls short of the P150 originally promised and a far cry from what was needed to save minimum wage earners from the poverty wages imposed upon them by all the regional wage boards.  The measure is also for minimum wage earners only.

 

Still, we welcome it as a form of relief, and a good start as well to correcting the problems created by the regional wage setting mechanism. Once legislated, this should be followed by reforming the wage setting mechanism, which both the House and the Senate should initiate, rather than waste their time on charter change. 

NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition

15 February 2024

Partido Manggagawa Advocates State Takeover of National Grid Operations Amidst Controversial MIC Investment Proposal

 

Photo from Business World

In a recent press release, Partido Manggagawa (PM) reiterates its call for the government to reassume control of the national grid, countering the suggested state investment in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) through the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC), as proposed by House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

 

PM underscores its opposition to the MIC proposal, expressing concern over the diversion of public funds to support what it deems an unsound investment proposal. "We have consistently opposed the creation of MIC, and witnessing public funds being diverted to support an unsound investment proposal only strengthens our opposition," emphasized PM.

 

The group argues that reclaiming control of the national grid operations is the most appropriate alternative, as investing public funds into NGCP through MIC, owned by the country's wealthiest family and supported by Chinese state capital, is totally unnecessary.

 

PM urges the government to take back the national grid operations, highlighting the historical success of the state's management of the grid before its privatization in 2008. The national grid was then considered a 'crown jewel' among Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs), generating an annual net income of at least ₱20 billion.

 

"Today, it is the NGCP, rather than the state, that accumulates wealth, as revealed in previous Senate investigations. NGCP's financial statements indicate a total comprehensive income of ₱306.77 billion in 14 years, with ₱238.84 billion distributed as dividends to shareholders," lamented PM.

 

According to the labor group, the real issue facing NGCP is performance, not a lack of cash. PM contends that pouring more money into NGCP through MIC is unwise and would divert crucial resources from other essential programs.

 

The group likewise suggests that instead of investing further in NGCP, the government should rather consider imposing a wealth tax on windfall profits of power oligarchs to address the government’s own fiscal problems.

 

"NGCP’s problem is performance, not lack of cash. It is the government, on the contrary, which needs more funds; thus, it should also consider imposing a wealth tax against the windfall profits of power oligarchs," concluded PM.

FOR IMMEDIATE 

08 January 2024

Make the happy bills happen now—labor group on legislated wage hike

Photo from Vera Files

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) welcomed the announcement of Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri that they will facilitate the passage of a legislated across-the-board P150 salary hike but also called on the House of Representatives to fast-track its counterpart bill.

 

“A P150 across-the-board wage hike is indeed a happy bill since it will uplift workers' lives and not just because it is a pet advocacy of legislators. Make the happy bills happen now!,” stated Rene Magtubo, PM national chair and a Marikina city councilor.

 

“We could not agree more with Senator Zubiri that private sector minimum wages have been eroded by inflation and are less than half the Constitutionally-mandated living wage. Thus, the imperative for immediate relief for workers through a legislated wage hike which Congress has the power to enact. Workers are suffering from starvation wages. Instead of a living wage, workers are paid a libing wage,” Magtubo explained.

 

Using the latest consumer price index data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the group calculates that P88 has been eroded from the P570 minimum wages of Metro Manila workers as of the January inflation of 8.7%. Inflation in areas outside of the National Capital Region is even higher. However, the cost of living for a family of five is estimated by PM to be around P1,300 per day.

 

“The labor movement must link up arms to win war, that is to fight for a wage increase for wage recovery. The working class needs champions in and out of Congress but only unity and action of workers can defeat the resistance of employers to a wage hike,” Magtubo asserted.

 

PM also asked Senator Zubiri to consider the long-standing demand for the abolition of the regional wage boards which discriminate against workers outside Metro Manila. “Instead, we demand a National Wage Commission with the power to adjust wages on the basis of price increases and productivity growth. Even before the recent inflation, wages have stagnated amidst a decade and half of 50% rise in labor productivity. This means that employers have monopolized economic growth and workers have been left behind,” Magtubo elaborated.

 

He added that “Further, we are proposing a policy package called Apat na Dapat. First, wage hikes. Second, abolition of regressive taxes like VAT and application of progressive taxation such as a wealth tax on oligarchs and billionaires. Third, social security subsidies for informal workers. Fourth, discounts on basic commodities. These will protect and improve the wages and incomes of workers in the formal and informal economy.” 

 Press Release

Partido Manggagawa

May 8, 2023

Riders group welcomes motorcycles-for-hire bill

Photo by Aris Ilagan

The riders’ rights group Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (Kagulong) welcomed the passage of a bill regulating motorcycles-for-hire at the House of Representatives. House Bill No. 10571 or the “Motorcycles-for-Hire Act” was approved yesterday. A counterpart bill by the Senate had earlier been passed. The step would be a bicameral session to reconcile the two versions.

 

“We welcome the legalization and regulation of moto-taxis as it will promote and protect the livelihood of many of our fellow riders along with commuters. We call on the Senate and the House to expedite the bicam version and ensure that riders’ rights are protected as well,” stated Don Pangan, Kagulong secretary-general.

 

The legalization of motorcycles-for-hire or moto-taxis is among the priority agenda of Kagulong along with the repeal of the Doble Plaka Law, and protection for delivery and courier riders. Kagulong’s priority agenda has already received the support of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Kiko Panglinan and other senatorial candidates.

 

Kagulong pledged to monitor the bicam deliberations on the regulation of moto-taxis to guarantee no provisions denigrating the rights and welfare of riders are introduced. Most of Kagulong members are workers using motorcycles as means of mobility or riders engaged in the various apps. In November 2020, the group led some 700 Foodpanda riders in a protest that ended at the Department of Labor and Employment in Manila to seek redress of grievances over reduced pay and opaque rules.

 

The group is encouraging the formation of riders’ cooperatives which will operate as moto-taxi platforms. “We call on our fellow riders to unite for the fight to promote both our rights and our livelihood,” Pangan averred.

February 1, 2022

Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (Kagulong)

Labor group slams employers for end endo veto

The labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) slammed employers for its call that President Rodrigo Duterte veto the security of tenure bill. “The demand of employers’ groups for a veto of the security of tenure bill exposes the raw greed of the capitalist class and their wanton desire to maintain the abusive system of contractualization. As it stands now, the security of tenure bill is already watered down but capitalists are not satisfied and want it totally killed,” asserted Rene Magtubo, PM national chair.

“Should President Duterte surrender to the demand to veto the bill, then he reveals where he stands on the class war between the workers and capitalists on contractualization. It has been three years since Duterte promised to abolish contractualization but millions of workers continue to suffer from this abusive scheme. A presidential veto will just be another betrayal of his promise to workers,” argued Magtubo.

Workers are set to continue pushing for a strong security of tenure law with the opening of Congress on July 22. Various labor groups are in talks for a coordinated march on the occasion of the SONA.

Magtubo stated that “Contrary to the wild claim of employers that the security of tenure bill is superfluous because endo has already been ended with DO 173 and EO 51, numerous loopholes allow the proliferation of contractual workers everywhere. The security of tenure bill will not end endo and will not stop contractualization because it is a weak version of the proposed law.”

The security of tenure bill passed by Congress is the version drafted by the Senate. Labor groups such as the labor coalition Nagkaisa pushed for the stronger version of the security of tenure bill which was passed by the House of Representatives.

“The differences between the Senate and House drafts of the bill should have been ironed out by a bicameral conference committee but magically the weak version was adopted in toto by Congress. The culprit for watering down the security of tenure bill was lobby by the Department of Finance and maneuvering by pro-capitalist senators,” explained Magtubo.

July 5, 2019

SONA2018: Boring speech compared to action-drama of House coup

PRRD’s SONA 2018 was boring despite the direction of romcom queen Joyce Bernal and compared to the action-drama of the House coup. Even the spectators inside the Batasan were not as excited as before when PRRD’s SONA was interrupted by standing ovations and vigorous clapping.

We shed no tears for the hour-long delay in the SONA. The House intramurals expose that the old rotten politics is alive and kicking under PRRD despite his repeated promises of change. Bulok, bulok, bulok sa halip na build, build, build.

The power play in the House of Representatives, the drop in PRRD’s satisfaction ratings and the massive United People’s SONA rally took the thunder out of the speech.

There was nothing new in the SONA 2018. PRRD obviously feels the pressure of the workers’ demand against endo but still refuses to heed the demand to decisively end it. He was less than honest on endo. The 300,000 workers allegedly regularized have either been terminated as companies appeal the DOLE compliance order or have merely been made regular employees of agencies. He had the power to promulgate an executive order that made direct hiring the norm in employment relations but instead he signed a lame EO 51. He asked Congress to a law to end contractualization but he still has not certified the Security of Tenure bill as urgent.

PRRD was silent on the workers demand for a wage increase and his promise to end wage regionalization or “provincial rates” in his own words. On the other hand, he was adamant in supporting the TRAIN law that has eroded workers’ wages as inflation continues to worsen. And he has called for passage of regressive TRAIN 2 that will lower corporate taxes.

Workers and the poor are suffering under PRRD. Besides endo and inflation, workers communities are ravaged by the bloody war on drugs and the wanton arrest of tambays. Which will be relentless as PRRD has insisted in SONA 2018. Human lives are protected and upheld by human rights despite PRRD’s rhetoric. The more than 12,000 most poor that have been killed in the war on drugs unequivocally reveals that human lives are lost when human rights is disparaged.

23 July 2018

Women labor leaders urge Congress to pass the 100-Day Expanded Maternity Leave bill

Women labor leaders are urging the leadership and members of House of Representatives to pass the Expanded Maternity Leave (EML) bill before the Women’s Month ends and Congress goes on recess on March 22.

"It's about time that women workers enjoy this rightful benefit,” declared Judy Ann Miranda, Nagkaisa-Women spokesperson. 

Miranda, who is also the Secretary-General of Partido Manggagawa (PM), explained that the Philippines lags behind its ASEAN neighbors when it comes to protecting its mothers and their children. 

Vietnam provides 120-180 days of maternity leave depending on the working conditions and nature of work. Singapore provides 112 days while Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand surpassed ours with 84 days of paid maternity leave.   Likewise, a minimum of 98 days is prescribed under Convention 183 of the International Labor Organization (ILO). 

“Our current maternity leave law provides only for a 60-day leave which is inadequate and not even at par with international and regional standards,” said Miranda. 

The last time the number of paid maternity leave days was adjusted was in 1992. “The 100-day EML is therefore an improvement to say the least but women workers will never forget the fact that for over a quarter of a century, they were denied this necessary adjustment,” added Miranda. 

For Jessica de Ocampo of Workers4EML and Secretary-General of the Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp. Labor Union (PMFTCLU), working mothers need to spend more TIME with their children to ensure that they receive optimum care. 

“Infants during the first six months of their lives should be fed with breast milk exclusively but the present law provides only for 60 days of maternity leave for normal delivery and 78 days for those who have undergone Caesarian operations. As it is, women workers are being asked to report back to work between two months or two and a half months from delivery,” said Ocampo. 

Reporting back to work that early, according to Ocampo, puts the health of mothers at risk and lessens the chances of working mothers to exclusively feed their children with breast milk. 

The proposed legislation also provides women with more relief in taking care of their babies in their first few months since even without an additional paternity leave, women can apportion some of their 100 days EML to their husband, partners or any other kin who would help them take care of their child. 

"Over the past decades, more and more women have entered the labor force. Yet as they take on more paid work, their reproductive and domestic role as primary care providers for their children and the rest of the family has not changed. This proposal is progressive as women will be able to share the responsibility of infant care with their significant other or relative,” said Ocampo.

Furthermore, according to Annie Geron, President of the Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLink), more than half of public sector employees are women and they are predominant in essential care and social services like health and education. 

“Amid the rising expectations and mounting needs of the public for women workforce in frontline services, the EML will now ensure the health and well being of our women workers to enable them to deliver quality public services. EML is long over due and it is a just social investment not only for women but also for the present and future generation,” said Geron. 

Finally, the Nagkaisa! Labor coalition expressed appreciation on the efforts of Congresswoman Bernadette Herrera Dy, chairperson of the Committee on Women and Gender Equality and for the authors of the said bill for their commitment to have the bill passed. 

The group now urges the House leadership to ensure its passage before they go into a Lenten break week.

PRESS RELEASE

Nagkaisa! and Workers4EML

March 12, 2018