Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Advance basic sectors’ agenda, not charter change for the rich and foreign capital


 

Members of the NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition staged another protest in front of the Senate on the eve of Valentine's Day against charter change (chacha), simultaneous with the Senate's ongoing investigation into reported anomalies in the gathering of signatures for the people’s initiative (PI) to amend the Constitution.

 

Joined by Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa (KALIPUNAN), the two groups urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to prioritize the immediate needs of the working people, such as increasing workers' wages, lowering the prices of goods, jobs crisis, combating poverty and violence, including those against women, and addressing the climate crisis, which is the biggest global problem today.

 

“Ang dapat pusuan ng mga mambabatas ay wage hike at pagkamit sa living wage, hindi ang chacha para sa mayaman at dayuhan," said Partido Manggagawa (PM) Secretary General Judy Ann Miranda, challenging the Senate to finally pass the proposed P100 wage hike bill, which was already reported in plenary by Committee on Labor Chair Sen. Jinggoy Estrada last week.

 

Miranda emphasized that the same should be done in the House of Representatives, where bills proposing P150, P750 and P33,000/month for public sector workers wage hikes as well as the abolition of regional wage boards are pending, instead of leading a fake people’s initiative.

 

Furthermore, creating green and climate jobs to address chronic unemployment and climate crisis is a new social imperative that Congress needs to decisively address, said Miranda.

 

Meanwhile, Josua Mata, one of the conveners of NAGKAISA! and Secretary General of the Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), stated that even the ongoing Senate hearings on economic charter change not only consume time but also divert attention from the real problems of the masses because the blame is placed on the Constitution rather than on the unequal distribution of wealth and dynastic governance in our country.

 

"The Constitution did not hinder us from developing our own industries. But we don't even have an industrial policy. In fact, foreign interest prevented us from doing so through the dictates of the IMF-WB and WTO for liberalization, deregulation, and privatization. But why are we blaming the Constitution now,” asked Mata to the proponents of economic charter change.

 

Mata also warned that opening up charter change in many ways could also lead to disregarding its provision prohibiting the entry of nuclear arms into the country, especially when the same is not strictly enforced in the case of the entry of US military hardware into the country.

 

This is a reaction to reports that the Philippines is expecting the arrival of nuclear-capable BraHmos supersonic missiles imported from India for P21 billion. "Is there a plan for the Philippines to become a nuclear power while the majority of Filipinos remain poor?"

Photos can be accessed at PM FB page: https://www.facebook.com/partidomanggagawa/posts/pfbid02Zi4mJTniMUU3EHTybNhUKHqFZv3EeZUs2fpK17pP7DNkq2QDLikFcVeMeHnDmzYNl

NAGKAISA! Labor Coalition

February 13, 2024

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