Workers to Congress: Don’t exploit Middle East crisis to kill wage reform bill

 

Photo from ABS-CBN.com

The Partido Manggagawa (PM) on Wednesday called on the leadership and members of the House of Representatives to stay focused and continue deliberation of the bill abolishing the provincial rate in the face of the escalating military conflict in the Middle East.

 

PM Chair and former partylist representative Renato Magtubo made this call amid fear that the ongoing war could trigger restraint among policymakers, for instance, preventing the enactment of the Kamanggagawa wage reform bill which is awaiting plenary approval at the House of Representatives prior to the outbreak of the Middle East crisis.

 

Local pump prices of oil have started to spike despite the assurance made by the Department of Energy (DoE) that the country has enough inventory. The Philippine peso weakened further since Monday. Prices of agricultural inputs are expected to rise also as more than 80% of fertilizer supply is imported.

 

“Our economic managers, in tandem with capital, are very clever at throwing a monkey-wrench to any wage proposal even under normal conditions. Now they will surely exploit the Middle East crisis to kill the wage reform bill. The House must shield itself from this kind of pressure,” stated Magtubo.

 

Abolishing the provincial rate by establishing a national minimum wage and designating the NCR rate as floor wage is an initial step aimed at rectifying 36 years of injustice under the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), explained Magtubo.

 

“Living wage remains the ultimate ‘regime change’ workers will continue to demand,” added Magtubo.

 

“Nadamay at pinahirapan na nga tayo ng ‘regime change’ project ni Donald Trump at Netanyahu sa Iran. Huwag nang dagdagan pa ang pasaning ito sa pamamagitan ng pagpatay sa panukalang wage reform law,” concluded Magtubo.

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

04 March 2026

Women workers demand: Abrogate the VFA—Stop US-Israel war, defend Filipino lives

 

Photo from Blasting News

Iran’s retaliation shows what could happen if the Philippines hosts US war games and military hubs for foreign wars of aggression

 

Women of Partido Manggagawa (PM) strongly condemn the ongoing joint US-Israel assault on Iran, which has triggered retaliatory strikes on US facilities in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and other Gulf states. This dangerous escalation has already disrupted global travel and trade, and killed civilians, and it threatens to spiral into wider regional war.

 

“We reject imperialist wars that cost countless civilian lives. History shows that when the US wages war, women and children suffer the most—displaced, impoverished, denied healthcare and education, and exposed to violence and long-term trauma,” said PM Secretary-General Judy Ann Miranda.

 

She added that the conflict also puts at least 2 million Filipino migrant workers in the Middle East at serious risk— many of them women working as domestic workers, nurses, caregivers, and service workers. They left home because of poverty and lack of decent jobs. Now they face the risk of bombings, displacement, job loss, unpaid wages, and sudden evacuation. When war erupts, migrant workers are often the most vulnerable—trapped by restrictive contracts, limited mobility, and lack of protection. Tragically, a Filipina caregiver was killed in an airstrike in Israel during retaliatory attacks, underscoring the mortal danger confronting Filipino workers in the region.

 

PM warned that the Philippines faces real danger under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). By allowing US troops access to local bases, ports, and facilities for war games and military operations, our country risks becoming a strategic launch point—and a potential target—in expanding US wars against Iran or China.

 

Miranda explained that military basing does not guarantee security but exposes Filipino communities to retaliation. War and militarization would worsen gendered violence, economic insecurity, and the deprivation of basic services for women and families here at home.

 

Women workers demand:

 

Abrogate the VFA and all foreign military arrangements.

Stop the US-Israel genocide on Palestine and war on Iran.

Push for an immediate ceasefire.

Ensure the protection, safety and evacuation readiness for all Overseas Filipino Workers in conflict zones.

Redirect military spending to social services—healthcare, education, decent work, childcare, housing, and protection against gender violence.

 

“Women workers refuse to let Philippine soil be used for wars that are not ours. We stand for peace, sovereignty, and social justice—not foreign military domination,” she ended. 

Press Release

March 3, 2026

Partido Manggagawa

PM to PBBM: Join the condemnation, act fast on OFW’ safe repatriation

Trump and Netanyahu’s illegal war against Iran must be condemned by the whole world; thus, we call on President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to declare a categorical position against the joint US-Israel war of aggression against Iran. 

At the same time, we ask the government to ensure the swift repatriation of thousands of our OFWs in the Middle East while time and safe passages remain available. There are at least 2 million OFWs based in the Middle East.

Partido Manggagawa considers the Trump-Netanyahu tandem as anti-humanity – their wars of aggression and genocide more murderous than the “evils” they kill. Filipino workers gain nothing from this kind of war other than uncertainty, violence and lost jobs. 

We further believe the death of Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, would not lead to peacetime in the region for peace has never been the objective of the US and Israel in waging genocide in Palestine and seeking regime change in Iran and elsewhere. On the contrary, the more likely scenario points to the escalation and conflagration of this war into a regional conflict, or worse, as the global state of destabilization serves the interest of the US war industry and its agenda for hegemony. The destruction of the states of Palestine, Iraq, Libya, Syria, the latest aggression against Venezuela, Cuba, and now Iran – are all testament to this imperialist madness. 

We join the world’s peace-loving people in the fight against wars of aggression, and will continue to do so until the evil of imperialism is “obliterated”, to borrow Trump’s word. 

PRESS STATEMENT

Partido Manggagawa

01 March 2026

Stop the U.S.–Israel War on Iran! Defend Working People Everywhere!

Photo from Philippine Star

We condemn the imperialist assault launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, a deadly offensive that has already killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other civilians and leaders, and sparked tit-for-tat strikes across the region.

 

This war is not about peace — it is about power, profit, and dominance. Imperialist aggression and regime change have been hallmarks of U.S. foreign policy for decades, from Iraq, Libya, and Syria to Venezuela and Cuba. Each intervention leaves behind devastation, displacement, and deeper instability.

 

Filipino workers—especially the more than 2 million OFWs in the Middle East whose livelihoods depend on jobs far from home—stand to gain nothing from these wars except uncertainty, rising violence, and possible loss of work. In the face of escalating airstrikes and regional tensions, the Philippine government has rightly activated safety measures and contingency plans to protect Filipinos in the region.

 

The death of a reactionary figure like Khamenei does not herald peace. U.S. and Israeli policymakers have openly pursued regime change and military dominance as strategic goals. Such policies have inflamed conflicts, deepened suffering, and fueled cycles of retaliation that only benefit military contractors, oil interests, and geopolitical elites.

 

We join peace-loving workers and peoples around the world to resist every war of aggression. True peace is achieved by uprooting the systems that profit from endless war—not by toppling one regime or another.

 

We call on President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to take a principled stand against the joint U.S.–Israel military offensive and reject the logic of imperialist intervention. At the same time, we demand that the government provide urgent support and safe, voluntary repatriation for all overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East while safe passage remains possible.

 

No to imperialist wars!
Yes to international working-class solidarity, peace, and self-determination!

 

Partido Manggagawa
1 March 2026

EDSA Is Not the Final Stop for the Working Class

The People Power uprising at EDSA was not the final stop for the working class. This was according to Partido Manggagawa (PM), whose members participated in today’s commemoration of the 40th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power under the banner of Siklab and the Trillion Peso March Movement (TPMM).

 

“The spirit of people power must be sustained and further strengthened because it remains the way to achieve genuine democracy that has been smashed up by perennial corruption and dynastic rule,” said Renato Magtubo, Chairperson of PM.

 

Magtubo added: “There can be no decent jobs without a decent government, and reform is meaningless if it does not lead to systemic change.”

 

PM is with TPMM in demanding accountability against all corrupt officials and in pushing for an end to political dynasties and oligarchic control of the economy.

 

He explained that over the past 40 years, successive administrations merely shared responsibility in neglecting the problems of poverty and inequality due to neoliberal policies that favored capitalists over workers, such as labor-only contracting (endo) and cheap wages under the provincial rate system.

 

“The result: the economy grew, but the lives of workers remained below the poverty level. Labor productivity increased by 71%, yet workers’ real wages rose by only 5%. Between 2000 and 2020, the Philippines lagged behind the rest of ASEAN in terms of real minimum wage growth,” Magtubo added.

 

On her part, PM Secretary General Judy Miranda said the spirit of people power must also remain alive among women in order to attain greater freedoms, as they continue to bear heavy burdens in life.

 

She noted that a significant portion of the working-age female population are “fulltime nanays”, while those who are employed face wage gaps and harassment. At home, women carry the responsibilities of childcare and education, food provision, and healthcare.

 

“We thus reiterate our call that all those involved in corruption must be held accountable because the funds stolen from the public treasury should have been utilized for services that women and children need,” Miranda said.

 

Following the commemoration of EDSA People Power, women’s groups are now preparing for the celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8. 

 

Photos can be accessed at FB: Partido Manggagawa

PRESS RELEASE

Partido Manggagawa

25 February 2026