Workers Still Fighting for Kalayaan and Kaginhawahan Dream of the 1896 Revolution

As the country commemorates National Heroes Day, Partido Manggagawa (PM) called on the unsung heroes, the working class, to continue fighting for the unfinished dream of freedom and prosperity (Kalayaan and Kaginhawahan) envisioned by the heroes of the 1896 Revolution. 

 

This Katipunan dream, the group said, remains out of reach for millions of workers facing poverty, insecure jobs, and repression of their right to organize. Workers may relish the holidays and long weekends remembering our heroes, but living a life of dignity and prosperity is what truly matters when evaluating the outcome of the Philippine revolution.

 

“Hindi sapat ang pag-aalay ng bulaklak sa mga bayani ng nakaraan. Ang tunay na pagpupugay sa kanila ay ang pagtiyak na nararanasan na ngayon ng mga manggagawa ang kalayaan at kaginhawaang ipinangarap nila,” said Partido Manggagawa Chair Renato Magtubo.

 

More than a century after the Revolution, a large part of the working class remains mired in poverty. Wages remain low, contractualization and other forms of precarious work are widespread, and workers’ rights to organize and form unions continue to be suppressed.

 

Partido Manggagawa said the country’s freedom remains hollow if its only choice is which foreign power to support.

 

“Malaya nga ba ang bayan kung ang direksiyon ng ating ekonomiya at pulitika ay patuloy na itinatakda ng mga dayuhang interes at lokal na naghaharing uri?” Magtubo asked.

 

Magtubo also stressed that political and economic power in the country has merely changed hands. Politics once dominated by the ilustrados is now controlled by corrupt dynasties, while an economy once controlled by hacienderos and the principalia has been transferred to large capitalists who control a substantial share of the country’s wealth and livelihood.

 

“Hindi nagbago ang batayang kaayusan: iilan ang naghahari, habang milyon-milyon ang lumilikha ng yaman ngunit hindi nakikinabang dito,” said Magtubo.

 

The group also noted that heroes of the past used pen names to evade colonial repression and continue the struggle. Today, it said, genuine heroes do not need aliases to fight for the country.

 

“Kung ginagamit ang alias upang pagtakpan ang pagnanakaw, at inuutusan pa ang mga tauhan na gawin ito, hindi iyon asal-bayani. Asal-aristokrata iyan - at ang ganitong uri ng pamumuno ay walang lugar sa isang demokratikong republika,” PM added.

 

For the group, the new heroes of the present are workers who create wealth every day; those who organize and fight despite repression; and those who dare to envision change beyond the current system ruled by dynasties and exploitative capitalists.

 

“Hindi natapos ang diwa ng 1896 sa pagpapalit ng watawat. Ang tunay na kalayaan ay kalayaan mula sa kahirapan, pagsasamantala at paghahari ng iilan,” stressed Magtubo.

 

The group called on workers, the youth, and other sectors to strengthen unity and organized action for meaningful social change.

 

“Manggagawa ang mga bagong bayani. Panahon nang ang mga lumilikha ng yaman ang magkaroon ng kapangyarihang baguhin ang bayan,” Partido Manggagawa concluded.

Partido Manggagawa

31 August 2026