Pakikiisa sa Trillion Peso March Movement Nationwide Rallies

Walang ginhawa sa patuloy na pagnanakaw sa bayan. Ito ang araw-araw na reyalidad na kinakaharap ng kabataan mula Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao.

 

Ang Samahan ng Kabataang Lumalaban (SKL), kasama ang iba pang youth and people’s organizations sa Trillion Peso March Movement, ay muling lalabas sa lansangan upang ipahayag na sobra na, tama na ang sistematikong korapsyon na sumisira sa buhay at hanapbuhay ng mga Pilipino. Mula sa bilyon-bilyong insertions, ghost projects, confidential funds, hanggang sa kawalan ng hustisya, isang larawan ang malinaw: matagal nang ninanakaw ang pondo ng bayan at paulit-ulit na isinasakripisyo ang kinabukasan ng kabataan.

 

Mga Panawagan

 

Panagutin ang lahat ng opisyal na sangkot sa korapsyon. Hindi sapat ang pa-imbestigasyon at press release; kailangan ng malinaw na kaso, malinaw na proseso, at malinaw na pananagutan. Hindi dapat maging ligtas ang sinuman kanila Marcos, Duterte, o anumang pulitikal na dinastiya na nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan ay dapat managot sa taumbayan!

 

Panagutin si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at dapat niyang harapin ang mga alegasyon laban sa kanya at panagutan ang kabiguan niyang tugisin at ikulong ang mga tiwaling opisyal.

 

Litisin si Vice President Sara Duterte sa kanyang confidential funds at kapalpakan bilang DepEd Secretary na hindi nakapagtawid ng pampublikong serbisyo para sa mga mag-aaral at guro.

 

Panagutin si Zaldy Co, kasama ng iba lang mga tiwaling opisyal at nasa ahensya ng gobyerno na sangkot sa katiwalian. Bilang arkitekto ng mga insertions, may obligasyon siyang bumalik, magtestigo, at papanagutin ang sarili.

 

Ipasa ang Anti-Political Dynasty Bill! Wakasan ang sistema ng pulitika na iilan lang na pamilya at nakikinabang at sumisira sa pamahalaan ng bayan.

 

Isabatas ang transparency at accountability measures. Isapubliko at gawing tunay na independent ang Independent Commission on Infrastructure upang kilatisin at panagutin ang mga sangkot sa sistema ng korapsyon sa bansa. Walang tiwala sa mga sikretong maniobra.

 

Sa lahat ng isyu na ito, hinihikayat namin ang bawat Pilipino, lalo ang kabataan, na manindigan at makiisa. Ngayong November 30, tayo'y magkapit-bisig mula sa iba't ibang sulok ng bansa para ipanawagan ang katarungan para sa mga sinalanta ng bagyo at katiwalian, at tayo na ninakawan ng kinabukasan.

 

Sa Metro Manila, magsasagawa ang kabataan ng martsa mula Temple Drive, Quezon City nang 7:30 AM, patungong EDSA People Power Monument, bilang bahagi ng Trillion Peso March. Ginagawa rin ito kasabay ng higit 100 aktibidad sa labas ng Metro Manila, na pinangungunahan ng mga komunidad na direktang tinatamaan ng bagyo, pagbaha, at korapsyon sa flood control.

 

Ang buwis ng mamamayan ay para sa mamamayan at hindi para sa bulsa ng iilan. Palitang ang bulok na sistema ng pulitika para sa interes ng Panahon na para palakasin ang serbisyo publiko at tunay na magbigay ng ginhawa sa buhay ng Pilipino. ###

  

Walang ginhawa sa patuloy na pagnanakaw sa bayan. Ito ang araw-araw na reyalidad na kinakaharap ng kabataan mula Luzon, Visayas, at Mindanao.

 

Ang Samahan ng Kabataang Lumalaban (SKL), kasama ang iba pang youth and people’s organizations sa Trillion Peso March Movement, ay muling lalabas sa lansangan upang ipahayag na sobra na, tama na ang sistematikong korapsyon na sumisira sa buhay at hanapbuhay ng mga Pilipino. Mula sa bilyon-bilyong insertions, ghost projects, confidential funds, hanggang sa kawalan ng hustisya, isang larawan ang malinaw: matagal nang ninanakaw ang pondo ng bayan at paulit-ulit na isinasakripisyo ang kinabukasan ng kabataan.

 

Mga Panawagan

 

Panagutin ang lahat ng opisyal na sangkot sa korapsyon. Hindi sapat ang pa-imbestigasyon at press release; kailangan ng malinaw na kaso, malinaw na proseso, at malinaw na pananagutan. Hindi dapat maging ligtas ang sinuman kanila Marcos, Duterte, o anumang pulitikal na dinastiya na nagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan ay dapat managot sa taumbayan!

 

Panagutin si Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at dapat niyang harapin ang mga alegasyon laban sa kanya at panagutan ang kabiguan niyang tugisin at ikulong ang mga tiwaling opisyal.

 

Litisin si Vice President Sara Duterte sa kanyang confidential funds at kapalpakan bilang DepEd Secretary na hindi nakapagtawid ng pampublikong serbisyo para sa mga mag-aaral at guro.

 

Panagutin si Zaldy Co, kasama ng iba lang mga tiwaling opisyal at nasa ahensya ng gobyerno na sangkot sa katiwalian. Bilang arkitekto ng mga insertions, may obligasyon siyang bumalik, magtestigo, at papanagutin ang sarili.

 

Ipasa ang Anti-Political Dynasty Bill! Wakasan ang sistema ng pulitika na iilan lang na pamilya at nakikinabang at sumisira sa pamahalaan ng bayan.

 

Isabatas ang transparency at accountability measures. Isapubliko at gawing tunay na independent ang Independent Commission on Infrastructure upang kilatisin at panagutin ang mga sangkot sa sistema ng korapsyon sa bansa. Walang tiwala sa mga sikretong maniobra.

 

Sa lahat ng isyu na ito, hinihikayat namin ang bawat Pilipino, lalo ang kabataan, na manindigan at makiisa. Ngayong November 30, tayo'y magkapit-bisig mula sa iba't ibang sulok ng bansa para ipanawagan ang katarungan para sa mga sinalanta ng bagyo at katiwalian, at tayo na ninakawan ng kinabukasan.

 

Sa Metro Manila, magsasagawa ang kabataan ng martsa mula Temple Drive, Quezon City nang 7:30 AM, patungong EDSA People Power Monument, bilang bahagi ng Trillion Peso March. Ginagawa rin ito kasabay ng higit 100 aktibidad sa labas ng Metro Manila, na pinangungunahan ng mga komunidad na direktang tinatamaan ng bagyo, pagbaha, at korapsyon sa flood control.

 

Ang buwis ng mamamayan ay para sa mamamayan at hindi para sa bulsa ng iilan. Palitang ang bulok na sistema ng pulitika para sa interes ng Panahon na para palakasin ang serbisyo publiko at tunay na magbigay ng ginhawa sa buhay ng Pilipino.

PRESS STATEMENT

Samahan ng Kabataang Lumalaban

 

KORAPSYON AT DINASTIYA AY IISA: BAGUHIN ANG SISTEMA!

Ang korapsyon ay hindi lang isyung moral (kasakiman), o seasonal (panapanahon), kundi systemic. May sistemang nagsilang nito na nagresulta sa pamamayagpag ng political dynasty at normalisasyon ng patronage politics.

Mula imprastruktura hanggang ayuda, fingerprint ng mga korap na dinastiya ang makikita. Mula nasyunal hanggang lokal, makapangyarihang mga dinastiya ang naghahati sa kapangyarihan. Patunay ito na hindi pa nakakamit ng mga Pilipino ang tunay na demokrasya at kalayaang pinagbuwisan ng buhay nina Gat Andres Bonifacio at mga bayaning Katipunero.

May luma at bagong paraan ng pandarambong. Mula kolonyalismo, diktadura, at hilaw na demokrasya - ang kapangyarihan at yaman ng mga ilustrado, diktador, at modernong dinastiya – ay pareho lamang nakaw mula sa manggagawa at mamamayan.

Kung nagagawa ng mga korap na dinastiya na magnakaw ng trilyones sa kabang bayan, ito ay dahil pakiramdam nila, tulad din sila ng mga Kastila na kayang maghari ng 300 taon sa Pilipinas dahil pinapasa lang ang poder at kayamanan sa mga angkan, kapanalig, at kasabwat. Sa kulungan hind sa gobyerno ang tama nilang lugar.

Ang resulta: Korapsyon ang naging regular, habang manggagawa ay kontraktwal. Dagdag sahod ang pinigilan, habang pondo ng bayan ay bumaha sa bulsa ng mga korap.

Sapat na raw ang P500 para mairaos ng manggagawa ang noche Buena. Habang sa pamilya ng mga korap ay mansion, luxury cars, air assets, mamahaling alahas, ari-arian sa abroad, at male-maletang pera na pambili ng karangyaan at boto para mahalal at muling mahalal.

Ang sistemang ito ay dapat repormahin! Manggagawa ang gawing regular, hindi ang korapsyon! Legislated wage hike sa manggagawa, hindi legislated kickback sa mga korap!

Repormahin ang sistemang pampulitika. Dinastiya ang dapat ma-endo, hindi ang manggagawa! Isabatas ang totohanang anti-dynasty bill!

Totoong kalayaan at demokrasya, hindi dynasty forever! ###

 

Beyond change of guards in Congress: The country needs deeper governance and political reforms

 

Even if today’s lawmakers—including Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero and House Speaker Martin Romualdez - and more from the list of implicated persons in DPWH’s flood control project scam — step down from their posts, their lives will remain secured by wealth, privilege, and political networks. In sharp contrast, millions of Filipino workers continue to live struggling under low wages, contractual employment, poor public services, and weak social protections.

 

“This glaring divide shows why cosmetic changes in leadership, even at the highest levels, are not enough,” said Partido Manggagawa Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

“Beyond sending incorrigible crooks in government to jail, the country needs deeper governance and political reforms that dismantle elite domination and put the real majority - workers, farmers, and ordinary citizens at the center of decision-making,” he added.

 

Among the reforms urgently needed are:

               •             An anti-dynasty law and campaign finance reform to break the stranglehold of political families and corporate capture;

               •             Stronger labor rights to ensure living wages, job security, full employment, and the right to organize;

               •             Transparent and accountable governance to stop corruption and misuse of public funds;

               •             Inclusive policy-making mechanisms that amplify the voices of workers and other marginalized groups;

               •             Progressive taxation, including wealth tax, to fund universal social protection, and sustainable jobs.

 

“These reforms are not just about changing politicians,” the group added. “They are about changing the system so that public service means serving the people, not protecting elite interests.”

 

PM is joining the Simbahan at Komunidad Laban sa Katiwalian for the Trillion Peso March on September 21 at the People Power Monument. ###

Workers urge the nation to never forget ‘karahasan at kahirapan’ under martial law

Members of Partido of Manggagawa (PM) joined other human rights defenders under the umbrella of In Defense of Human Rights and Dignity Movement (IDefend) in urging the nation to never forget the atrocities committed under the martial law regime imposed by Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.

 

The call was made during a rally held last night at the People Power Monument in Quezon City on eve of the 51st anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law.

 

But more than the violence and atrocities that continue to persist even under the administration of the son, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., PM remembers the grueling poverty endured by Filipinos during that dark period, including the rice crisis and the debt problem.

 

"Hindi lang dahas ang mayroon sa ilalim ng diktadura ni Marcos, Sr. at sa administrasyon ni Marcos, Jr. ngayon. Pareho ding may krisis sa bigas sa kanilang panahon," said PM Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda.

 

Miranda added that under the present administration, the cost-of-living crisis is deteriorating faster yet the first family and other top government officials are always seen just enjoying their grand display of wealth and power.

 

“Workers’ wages are eroded by high prices of food and other services, but the President and Vice President’s confidential funds were rising at exponential levels since 2022,” said Miranda.

 

She also lashed out at the way security forces today conduct themselves with impunity, citing as an example the two environmentalist youths who were kidnapped by the military in plain sight.

 

“With these illegal activities being tolerated by the higher ups in the chain of command, including the commander-in-chief, we all must be reminded that our human rights are seriously threatened under another Marcos and another Duterte, thus the need to fight back,” Miranda concluded.

21 September 2023

Women riders hold unity ride for empowerment and fuel subsidy

 

As part of the buildup for the commemoration of International Women's Day, the riders’ group Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (Kagulong) will hold a unity ride this afternoon from C. P. Garcia in UP Diliman to the People Power Monument. The event will highlight Kagulong's advocacy for women's empowerment and against gender discrimination. Also the group will reiterate its call for fuel subsidies for app riders.

 

“Women riders experience discrimination from police officers in checkpoints as well as from the public and fellow riders. Our ‘Women Can Ride, Women Can Lead’ advocacy aims to combat gender discrimination and promote women’s empowerment,” stated Yang Umali, Kagulong Women’s Collective spokesperson.

 

The group also insisted on its call for immediate release of fuel subsidies for jeepney drivers and app riders. “We are asking the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to meet with riders in order to clarify its plan to distribute fuel subsidies. Riders shoulder the weekly gasoline price increases and thus deserve ayuda,” Umali said.

 

She also added that the group is supporting the call of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francis Pangilinan for the temporary suspension of the excise taxes on oil products to reduce pump prices. The suspension is provided for under the TRAIN law but subject to certain conditions. “We believe that the extreme difficulties brought about by the weekly oil price increases for more than two months already are more than enough as supervening conditions for the suspension of excise taxes. This will benefit jeepney drivers and operators, app riders, farmers and fishers principally and the rest of the people too as oil prices impact the whole economy,” Umali explained.

 

Kagulong is actively supporting the tandem of Vice President Robredo and Senator Pangilinan for their commitment to the riders’ agenda and track record of participatory good governance. “Aangat ang buhay ng riders sa isang gobyernong tapat sa partisipasyon ng nasa laylayan sa pamamahala,” Umali averred.

 

She added that while it welcomes the DoTr announcement that people engaged in full-time ride-hailing and delivery services are entitled to the fuel subsidy, there is no transparency in the plan. “In the first place, the DoTr does not know if the registered motorcycle owner is using his or her vehicle for platform work. Not even the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is aware of this due to the informal nature of the freelancer or independent contractor relationship. Only the apps know who their riders are. A social dialogue should involve all stakeholders so riders would have voice and participation,” Umali concluded.

 

The group declared that if riders were treated as employees not freelancers then ayuda provision would be much easier, similar to how workers were granted ayuda under CAMP or SBWS. The employment status of riders has been the subject of controversy, even sparking protests amidst the pandemic and prompting the DOLE to issue an “advisory” on the issue. 

March 6, 2022

Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (Kagulong)

Noise barrage and candle light protest vs return of Marcos to power

 

The groups Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Kalipunan ng Kilusang Masa (Kalipunan) which unites workers, farmers, women and students will lead a protest action this afternoon at 5:30 pm against the return of the Marcoses to power.

 

“EDSA’s epic fail is engendering a throwback to dictatorship. Since EDSA’s let-down is plain to see, memes of a Marcos golden age look like fact rather than fiction,” averred Judy Miranda, PM Secretary-General.

 

The highlight of the protest is a noise barrage and candle lighting at the People Power Monument. The riders’ group Kagulong will assemble at Mall of Asia then hold a “unity ride” to join Kalipunan.

 

“Poverty, inequality and injustice have persisted and plagued our country since 1986. True, these were a pestilence even during the Marcos dictatorship despite recent attempts to prettify the thingy called martial law. The infamous infrastructure projects of Marcos which keep popping up on social media were no more than just opportunities to rob the people while pushing generations of Filipinos deep into debt. The plunder of the national treasury and the systematic human rights violations by the state still have no parallel during the post-EDSA regimes. Abuse of power is necessarily worse under a dictatorial regime which does not have to bother with the niceties of due process, civil liberties, press freedom or a political opposition,” Miranda explained.

 

She added that “All those political—and social, we should not forget—contradictions during the 14 years of the Marcos dictatorship finally exploded in that historic event called the ‘people power uprising.’ While the yearning for democracy was central to EDSA, the cause of social justice—the demand of workers for rights, of peasants for land, of students for reform, among others—was no less a key impetus.”

 

“The EDSA democracy is a skeleton without flesh. The formality is there but the substance is lacking. Elections are a farce. Instead of an exercise in democracy, it is a rigodon for dynasties and warlords. Regime after regime played deaf to the cry for social justice as globalization dictated by the IMF and WTO was embraced. Cheap labor was used as a come on for foreign investors. Farmers buckled under the onslaught of cheap imports. Social services suffered as the national budget was decimated by debt outlays, a big part of which was to pay loans taken out by Marcos. With a bleak future in the country, millions of Filipinos migrated despite all the sacrifices and difficulties. To those living in the purgatory of the EDSA democracy, the hell of martial law is little comfort. No surprise then that purveyors of fake news, creative imagination and alternative facts are having a field day. EDSA’s epic fail created a vacuum that is being filled by an authoritarian throwback,” Miranda concluded.

February 25, 2022

Advisory: Noise barrage and candle light protest tomorrow vs return of Marcos to power

 

Media Advisory

February 24, 2022

Partido Manggagawa

Contact Judy Miranda @ 09228677522

 

Noise barrage and candle light protest tomorrow vs return of Marcos to power

 

What: Protest against return to power of Marcoses

 

When: Tomorrow, Feb 25, 5:30 pm

 

Where: People Power Monument

 

Kalipunan ng Kilusang Masa which unites workers, farmers, women and students will lead the protest action. The highlight of the protest is a noise barrage and candle lighting. The riders’ group Kagulong will assemble at Mall of Asia then hold a “unity ride” to the People Power Monument to join Kalipunan.

Militants to mobilize against Marcos return in EDSA commemoration

 

The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM) and its allies are mobilizing for a protest action tomorrow in the commemoration of the EDSA 1 people power uprising. The group and the coalition Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa are holding a noise barrage and candle lighting around 5:30 pm at the People Power Monument.

 

“The 2022 elections pose the question of consolidating a turn to authoritarianism or pivoting to a regime that respects civic space and civil liberties. Democratic freedoms are necessary for the advancement of the struggle of workers and the poor for social justice. Thus, the progressive labor and social movements are campaigning for candidates that will guarantee the expansion of the democratic space,” declared Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general.

 

The riders’ rights group Kapatiran sa Dalawang Gulong (Kagulong) will join PM and Kalipunan in the protest action. Kagulong will assemble at the Mall of Asia by 3:00 pm then have a “unity ride” to the People Power Monument to link up with other groups.

 

Miranda explained that “On the 36^th anniversary of the EDSA uprising, it is time to admit the bitter truth that its failed promises have laid the fertile ground for the revival of authoritarianism and a revision of history. EDSA’s epic fail is engendering a throwback to dictatorship The workers and the poor have been witness, nay victims, to the disaster of three decades of EDSA democracy. Under the leadership of the elite faction opposed to the Marcos dictatorship, the democracy built after EDSA was only a caricature.”

 

“Is a return to the past the answer to the misery of the present? We say no, as Filipinos who wish the best for our country. Is it time to move on instead of celebrating EDSA as the Duterte administration says? We say no, for we believe the real alternative is to level up EDSA. People power is hollow without democratizing power. Only a decisive resolution to the demands of workers for decent jobs, of farmers to control of land, of the poor for social protection and of the people for national sovereignty will rid the country of the plague of destitution and inequity. Empowering the people—providing economic security to the masses and also their participation in policy decisions—will pull the rug from underneath historical revisionists and wannabee dictators,” Miranda insisted. ###