On the Mindoro incident: Start at the top – not at the guardhouse

 

Photo from Daily Tribune

The incident in Oriental Mindoro where a construction site guard was blamed after preventing Governor Humerlito “Bonz” Dolor from entering a DPWH project site exposes how crooked government officials treat workers – as disposable shields to protect those truly responsible. DPWH Regional Director for MIMAROPA, Engr. Pacanan’s call to dismiss the guard is nothing less than scapegoating.

 

For us, this incident reveals a disturbing pattern, like other high-level investigations such as the fertilizer, pork barrel, war on drugs, and Pharmally scams: the blame too often falls on small workers, while the powerful and well-connected scape scrutiny. It is not under the guard’s 24/7 watch but with Pacanan’s regular and diligent inspections that DWPH projects comply with the highest standards.

 

Let us be clear: The security was doing his job. He’s not the one raking millions from padded contracts, substandard projects, and anomalous flood control programs. Yet in the middle of ongoing investigations, it is the small fries who are threatened with dismissal, while the big fish – contractors, politicians, and high officials remain untouched.

 

Furthermore, the incident shows the rotten state of governance in the country: when projects are questioned, it is the powerless who pay the price. Meanwhile, the politically connected contractors and DPWH brass continue business as usual, unaccountable for public funds wasted and communities left vulnerable to floods and disasters.

 

Kung gusto ninyong magsimulang maglinis DPWH, unahin ninyo ang sarili ninyong tanggapan dahil dyan nagaganap ang totoong tanggapan kasama ang mga contractors at politicians.

 

Hands off the workers! If DPWH wants accountability, start at the top – not at the guardhouse. Let the axe fall where it should be – on the corrupt, not the working class. 

A dynasty-filled Senate is anti-impeachment

Dismissing Sara Duterte’s impeachment case in plain view was just like re-electing Chiz Escudero. The alignment was the same. The numbers and faces who rejected the motion to keep the impeachment process alive in the Senate are the same mix of people representing political dynasties. Their votes, therefore, have nothing to do with the “rule of law” nor the representation of their “independence” as co-equal.

 

Yesterday, the Senate majority just did what Escudero wanted them to do since the 19th Congress – kill the impeachment.  Yet, it is harder to think that it was Sara Duterte who’s managing Chiz or she’s in virtual control of the Senate. That’s surely beyond her power and competence.

 

So why did the Senate majority unanimously reject a very simple “PAKIUSAP” by the minority to wait for the final decision of the Supreme Court on the motion for reconsideration? They could have simply suspended deliberations rather than put into the archive an impeachment complaint, which they also believed was non-existent.

 

There can only be one explanation for this, which we believe was driving the new Senate under Escudero. This was brilliantly explained by Cayetano’s “talunin nyo na lang si Sara sa 2028” remark, coupled with other innuendos about the possibility of endless impeachment complaints flooding the Senate in the future because of corruption. That sharp presentation in support of making the impeachment process more difficult has truly assumed consensus among dynasties in the Senate. Dynasties have their own political plans beyond the Senate, and impeachment is the least political process that they will support.

 

Clearly, the Senate they are shaping today is anti-impeachment. In other words, their votes yesterday were not just for Sara but also for themselves. Their defense of Sara is their flood control to prevent the arm of justice and accountability reaching their own dynasty walls. 

“Nakakahiya na talaga kayo!” – Workers cry foul on killed wage hike and planned dismissal of impeachment

 

The Senate of the 19th Congress has simultaneously stalled action on both the proposed wage hike and the impeachment case. Sen. Escudero effectively killed the wage hike measure, while the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte is also poised to be dismissed today.

 

At a protest in front of the Senate this morning led by Tindig Pilipinas, Nagkaisa Labor Coalition, Kalipunan, and Siklab, members of Partido Manggagawa (PM), raised their voices against the Senate inaction: “No impeachment, no wage hike? Nakakahiya na talaga kayo!”

 

“Impeach! Huwag Puro Insert sa National Budget,” a PM poster displayed, referring to reported billions of insertions to the 2025 budget allegedly orchestrated by Escudero.

 

The Senate plans to vote on whether to dismiss or not the impeachment complaint following the Supreme Court’s decision declaring the House’s impeachment process unconstitutional. But the House of Representatives filed a motion for reconsideration before the high tribunal, while several civil society organizations and former Justices also filed separate petitions for intervention and asking the Court to declare a status quo ante and the holding or oral arguments.

 

An outright dismissal is totally deplorable, according to PM Secretary General Judy Miranda, since a bad Senate decision will have deep repercussions for other equally important measures on accountability and social justice.

 

The proposed wage hike and anti-endo bills have once again been refiled in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

 

“Workers fight for their passage alongside the impeachment case, as both good governance and raising the living standards of Filipinos are constitutional duties of lawmakers,” Miranda said. 

Photos can be accessed at the FB page: Partido Manggagawa 

Workers reaction to SONA 2025

 PRESS STATEMENT

Partido Manggagawa

SONA 2025

Ref: Renato Magtubo

Chairperson

 

The President’s candid admission of underperformance in the past three years set a promising tone for a better second half of his term. However, that hope was soon buried under a lengthy checklist of departmental functions—routine matters expected of any administration.

 

What was glaringly absent were bold policy declarations addressing the nation’s most urgent concerns: a substantial wage hike, an end to contractualization, the creation of decent and secure jobs, and decisive action to rein in inflation.

 

Workers keep on pressing for  a legislated wage hike of P200 as well as the passage of the security of tenure bill, but to no avail. Katulad sa baha at bagyo, kailangan ang Presidente sa pagharap sa krisis na ito.

 

The President also acknowledged energy and water supply issues but failed to confront the root causes—particularly the long-standing failures of privatization.

 

The SONA could have been more meaningful if it had tackled core policy failures and laid out concrete reforms for the remaining three years. The country doesn’t need a report card of government activities—it needs a clear roadmap for change. ###

 

https://web.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid0sjPyQc63ewsuuoyvdXtWBzettZYgnv3GMrq6FJr8yw993KAwGGyoeUnX1YVo5njfl

Bigong Pilipinas – War of Dynasties, No War on Poverty

Photo from Rappler

While political dynasties are locked in a bitter battle for power, the working class suffer. Workers continue to face chronic poverty and exploitation, three years under the so-called “Bagong Pilipinas” of the Marcos administration.

 

Bigo pa rin at hindi nagbago ang lagay ng Pilipinas. There is no genuine war on poverty, only a war for power among political clans.

 

Our portrayal of State of the Nation Address (SONA) tomorrow may sound too negative, but that is the hard truth we need to confront. SONA’s usual summation declaring the state of the nation as sound is an insult to millions who cannot afford basic necessities.

 

Wages remain below poverty threshold

 

In all 17 regions, the minimum wage remains below the outdated poverty threshold, forcing workers to live on starvation pay. Despite the government claims of progress with the economy inching up to reach the upper middle-income status, the reality is stark: the cost of living continues to rise, while wages lag far behind. A growing economy must have provided workers with decent jobs, but low pay and contractual jobs dominate the workplace.

 

In short, workers are drowning under the weight of high prices for food, utilities, transportation, and basic services. Mas mataas pa ang baha sa sweldo, ang mas tumitibay ay katayuan ng tiwali sa gobyerno kaysa sa trabaho ng mga Pilipino!

 

The workers’ demands are clear:

 

1.           Immediate wage hike to a level that assures a life of dignity for all workers;

2.           End contractualization by stopping the rampant use of contractual and precarious employment that robs workers of job security and benefits;

3.           Lower prices of goods and services by taking concrete steps to control inflation and reduce the cost of essentials like food, healthcare, energy, housing, and transportation.

 

Accountability

 

We likewise call on all workers and citizens to hold leaders accountable. At this moment, impeaching Sara Duterte is still the right thing to do, but the struggle for reforms must go beyond this. Raising the Filipinos’ quality of life and standard of living is a constitutional duty as equally important as ensuring accountability and good and governance.

 

Finally, we believe genuine reform will only come through the organized strength of the people, not the empty promises of political dynasties.