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

  

Labor group seeks special audit for DAP

PRESS RELEASE

4 July 2014

The labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) today added its voice to the mounting call to have the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) subjected to a special audit after the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional.

PM said Malacañang’s defense that there was nothing wrong in it since it was done in good faith is flatly self-serving as DAP’s worth needs to be proven beyond the realm of motives or intentions.

Likewise the claim that DAP boasted our economic growth is even more fallacious.

“We leave the legal issues to lawyers, the moral intentions to priests, and the political flavor of it, for a while, to rival politicians.  Our main and immediate interest here is to know whether DAP money had gone in the same manner PDAF had been squandered,” stated PM chairperson Renato Magtubo.

Magtubo said the political context when DAP was concocted and eventually released has overly been discussed. “What we want to know now is whether a DAP released to a lawmaker’s left hand is better spent than a PDAF released to his/her right hand.”

The former partylist representative said a special audit for used and unused DAP funds may either clear many issues or uncover the same pattern of fraud committed under PDAF. Or may be worse.

“Assuming the crime was repeated, the political discussion should therefore lead to a conclusion that the whole system is terribly wrong,” said Magtubo.

The group believes that funds released under DAP and received by the same hands that made PDAF their personal piggy banks are tainted with corruption. Thus the need for a special audit, perhaps deeper and wider than the audit made on PDAF. 

At the height of the pork barrel scam PM had pushed for, as part of reforms in the budget system, the concept of a universal social protection fund with a clearly defined social purpose yet completely isolated from the hands of corrupt politicians.

Workers hold counter SONA, challenge PNoy’s social transformation agenda

Press Release

July 25, 2011

Some 1,000 members from different workers groups comprising the anti-contractualization coalition KONTRA held a labor counter SONA at Mendiola this morning. Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) national chairperson, slammed PNoy for anti-labor policies in his first year in office.

“How can social transformation be real when groups calling for social change are blocked miles away from hearing distance of PNoy and Congress? Social transformation is impossible without political and economic reforms,” he said.

In the afternoon, PM, KONTRA, Philippine Airlines Employees Association (PALEA) and Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP) joined the multisectoral groups Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA), Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP) in a march from Tandang Sora to Batasang Pambansa. Meanwhile youth groups such as PM-Kabataan and Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK) assembled at Philcoa, Quezon City then merged with PM and the multisectoral groups in the march along

Commonwealth Ave.

Gerry Rivera, PM vice chair and PALEA president argued that “After one year of PNoy, there is no new program to generate jobs, no new mechanism to increase workers wages and no change in the no-union policy in the ecozones. PNoy has given the go signal for contractualization at Philippine Airlines (PAL). He has praised Hanjin’s investments but has been silent on the deaths and injuries of workers at the shipyard-cum-graveyard. PNoy has continued with sacrificing labor rights at the ecozones to attract foreign capital.”

Labor counter SONAs were also held in other cities. In Metro Cebu, PM and other groups under the coalition Kahugpungan sa Nagkahiusang Mamumuo sa Sugbo (KANAMASO) marched this morning from Sto. Rosario Church to downtown Colon. In Metro Davao, PM massed up at Magsaysay Park then marched along

Magsaysay Ave.

to Orcullo Park for the rally. In Iloilo, PM held a forum at UP-Iloilo and also a press conference to air its reaction to the SONA.

“Workers challenge PNoy to jumpstart his so-called social transformation agenda by reversing the Office of the President decision on PAL, declaring the security of tenure bill as a priority agenda and implementing a massive public employment program,” insisted Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary general.

Party-list group pickets Comelec against disqualification of Danny Lim

Press Release
December 28, 2009

The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) joined other supporters of Danny Lim in a rally in front of the Comelec main office today. PM and other groups are protesting the Comelec’s disqualification of senatorial candidate Danny Lim.

“We ask the Comelec to reconsider its decision since it is simply not true that Danny Lim is a nuisance candidate. Gloria Arroyo is more of a nuisance candidate than Danny Lim if we base it on public opinion,” asserted Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of PM, one the groups that have openly endorsed and are supporting the rebel general’s electoral bid.

Members of PM trooped to the Intramuros, Manila office of the Comelec at 8 am for the rally. “Danny Lim is not a decoration in this election; he is instead a decorated officer. While Danny Lim is not a candidate of the elite, he is the leader of the elite group of the armed forces,” argued Miranda.

The labor group is appealing to the Comelec to give due recognition to Lim’s motion for reconsideration and reverse its decision “lest the poll body be charged of politically motivated decisions and being an apparatus of the GMA regime in suppressing its political enemies.”
Miranda added that “Danny Lim is not adopting to trapo politics that is why he ran as an independent, and he is being adopted the mass movement and the forces fighting for social change.”

PM was one of the several national groups that accompanied Lim when he filed his certificate of candidacy last November 27. The labor group also filed on the same day its manifestation to participate in the party-list elections.

Labor group protests Danny Lim’s disqualification

Press Release
December 17, 2009

The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) declared its opposition to the Comelec’s disqualification of senatorial candidate Danny Lim. “We ask the Comelec to reconsider its decision since it is simply not true that Danny Lim is a nuisance candidate. Gloria Arroyo is more of a nuisance candidate than Danny Lim if we base it on public opinion,” asserted Renato Magtubo, chairperson of PM, one the groups that have openly endorsed and are supporting the rebel general’s electoral bid.

The group revealed that it is considering launching mass actions to protest Lim’s disqualification. “Danny Lim is not a decoration in this election; he is instead a decorated officer. While Danny Lim is not a candidate of the elite, he is the leader of the elite group of the armed forces,” argued Magtubo.

The labor group is appealing to the Comelec to give due recognition to Lim’s motion for reconsideration and reverse its decision “lest the poll body be charged of politically motivated decisions and being an apparatus of the GMA regime in suppressing its political enemies.”

Magtubo added that “Danny Lim is not adopting to trapo politics that is why he ran as an independent, and he is being adopted the mass movement and the forces fighting for social change.”

PM was one of the several national groups that accompanied Lim when he filed his certificate of candidacy last November 27. The labor group also filed on the same day its manifestation to participate in the party-list elections.

Labor party-list group warns Pampanga will be next Maguindanao if GMA becomes Speaker

Press Release
December 4, 2009

The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) warned that Pampanga will be the next Maguindanao where political dynasties rule with impunity should President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wins a congressional seat in the second district of the province and later becomes Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"We ask the voters of the second district of Pampanga to be vigilant in choosing their next congressional representative. Moreover we call on the people to vote for militant party-list groups and proven anti-GMA congressional candidates so that Arroyo will not be able to control the next House of Representatives," explained Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson

The group said that the discovery of a cache of AFP-issued high powered firearms near the compound of the Ampatuans reveals how the administration-allied political dynasty has been able to rule by force with the full backing of the government including the army. "In Maguindanao, the AFP serves as the not-so-private army of the Ampatuans with the apparent blessing of Camp Aguinaldo and Malacanang. That is GMA's way of paying back her heavy debt of gratitude to the Ampatuans for her incredible landslide victory in Maguindanao in the fraudulent 2004 elections," Magtubo added.

The PM leader furthered that while anti-GMA congressional bets maybe trapos themselves, voting for them in so that GMA is thwarted in her bid to be the next House speaker will be a fair warning to all politicians. Magtubo insisted that "The voters must send a message that they have zero tolerance to impunity and that a decade of GMA in power is already too much. Thus a crucial step in blocking GMA’s backdoor entry into Malacanang as Prime Minister is to ensure she does not become House Speaker."

PM is also calling on voters to use the party-list ballot as an opportunity to place non-trapos in Congress who will not just oppose GMA's bid for speakership but also fight social change in the counrty. PM is running for the party-list elections on a platform of protecting workers welfare and reversing the pro-globalization policies. The group has already endorsed the senatorial candidacy of detained ex-general Danny Lim for being a "rebel with a cause."

Labor party denies support for Ebdane

Press Release
November 28, 2009

The labor party-list group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) denied supporting the presidential candidacy of Hermogene Ebdane as alleged by news in a tabloid.

“We do support an ex-general, but not Hermogenes Ebdane. We have endorsed Danny Lim who has track record of fighting for social change. We know Lim is a determined militant for reforms to benefit the people and the workers,” explained Renato Magtubo, PM chairperson.

The group asserted that they have not released a statement nor has any PM leader declared support for Ebdane. PM insisted that other than the detained Danny Lim, they have not endorsed any candidate yet.

The group maintained that they do not know who is behind the distorted news but they are asking Ebdane to investigate whom in his campaign headquarters or PR group concocted the idea.

PM also clarified that they are open to endorsing candidates in the coming elections but they not made any decision yet to support a presidentiable. “What is definite is that PM will participate in the party-list elections so that the working class will have a voice and vanguard in parliament,” Magtubo remarked. Yesterday PM submitted to the Comelec its “manifestation to participate in the party-list elections” after Magtubo and other PM leaders accompanied Lim in filing his own “certificate of candidacy for senator.”

PM files intent to run for party-list, endorses senate bid of Gen. Danny Lim

Press Release
November 27, 2009

The labor group Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) formally files its intent to participate in the party-list elections before the Commission on Elections this morning in a bid to regain its place as the consistently independent working class voice in Congress.

According to PM Chair Renato Magtubo, his party’s proclaimed mission of defending workers’ rights and advancing their struggles for better living conditions and broader political rights, is both an “unfinished battle” and a “pressing agenda” amidst the persisting global economic crisis where so much in the world of work are at stake.

“Today’s crises call not for the usual prescription but a thorough overhaul of our economic fundamentals, and therefore the need for a new breed of representatives who will fearlessly pursue pro-poor policy changes,” said Magtubo.

The first union president to become a party-list representative, Magtubo and the PM served the 11th, 12th and 13th Congress with a record of tirelessly pushing for the enactment of the living wage and other bills on legislated wage increase, and the amendments to the Labor Code to strengthen workers’ fundamental rights to organize, collectively bargain and to strike.

Support for Lim

PM also used the occasion of its filing to announce its support to the senatorial bid of Brig. Gen. Danny Lim.

Magtubo and his followers joined Lim first in the latter’s filing of his Certificate of Candidacy before proceeding to the filing of PM’s manifestation to participate in the party-list election.

“Gen. Danny Lim deserves due recognition not only for being an outstanding officer of the armed forces but also for being an icon of incorruptible and principled fighters among our workingmen in uniform,” explained Magtubo.

The group said they will also campaign for other candidates who will come out with solid platforms for labor and the poor.

9th SONA: Most disinteresting but probably not the last for PGMA, labor group says

PRESS RELEASE
26 July 2009

A labor party-list group, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), describes tomorrow’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Arroyo the most disinteresting one, but probably not her last.

“For one, nobody would try to listen to a valedictory address which leaves no meaning for the lives of the masang Pinoy as well as on the economic and political life of a nation long been longing for social change. For another, a desperate Gloria will not reveal her political plans in her SONA since tomorrow may not be her last,” said PM secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda.

Scorecards, according to Miranda, are not that relevant in tomorrow’s SONA because the President herself is aware of the awful truth that she failed to BEAT THE ODDS she boldly proclaimed in her previous SONAs. She also has no solution in averting the country’s drift towards recession.

The labor group believes that Mrs. Arroyo is not likely to step down to avoid prosecution and to protect the family’s investments, thus, “steps and schemes for extending herself beyond Constitutional limits are going to be very discreet especially if they are done through extraconstitutional way.”

PM was referring to published reports on the existence of a plot to set up a transition government being peddled to high government officials, the military and church leaders by no less than her national security adviser, Norberto Gonzales.

“Mas dapat basahin ang mga kilos at galaw ng administrasyon sa susunod na mga araw, kaysa sa mga istatistikang ihahapag niya ngayon,” said Miranda.

The group opposes the convening of Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution. It also vows to defy another imposition of martial rule and is preparing their communities to any eventuality like this.

Tomorrow, PM members are joining the Laban ng Masa and Tindignation march from the Commission of Human Rights to Batasan. It's regional chapters in Ilo-ilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Geneal Santos and Iligan City will also hold their own actions.

Workers join farmers in rally vs chacha, call for CARPER and bailout

Press Release
May 25, 2009

Workers, urban poor and farmers will join forces today in a big rally against moves in Congress for charter change. The rallyists will also demand the passage of the CARP extension and reform bill, and call for a bailout for those affected by the global recession.

“Revising the Constitution to benefit GMA is a scandal worse than Hayden Kho violating his girlfriends. Instead of responding to the challenge of worsening poverty and unemployment, Congress is busy with chacha for the purpose of extending GMA’s term. We might wake up one morning with GMA returning to power as Prime Minister via con-ass or con-con,” argued Renato Magtubo, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) chair.

PM will lead a mobilization of 1,000 workers and poor that will merge with several thousand farmers and other rallyists at Ever Gotesco, Commonwealth by 1 p.m. today and then march to the Batasang Pambansa by 2 p.m. Catholic bishops led by Bishop Broderick Pabillo will hold a mass at the St. Peter Parish at noon and then link up with the workers and farmers rally.

The theme of the several thousand-strong joint mobilization is “No to GMA’s charter change, Yes to social change.” The rally will demand that the House of Representatives scrap Resolution 737 filed by Speaker Nograles and even proposed bills for a constitutional convention. Aside from calling for CARPER’s passage in the House, workers are also appealing that the Senate act on three resolutions filed proposing a bailout package for the displaced and unemployed.

Magtubo added that “After Villafuerte’s necrological service for Resolution 1109 that provides for a con-ass, it is high time to bury Nograles’ Resolution 737 and other charter change proposals that will only benefit foreigners and trapos. The workers and farmers movement will be the gravediggers of GMA’s chacha.”

Aside from PM, other groups to participate in the rally include the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP), Zone One Tondo Organization (ZOTO), Rosario Workers Association (RWA), United Cavite Workers Association (UCWA) and Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (FTLU).

Pahayag ng Pakikiisa ng Manggagawa sa Laban ng Magsasaka para sa Lupa at Hustisya

Nais ipabatid ng mga manggagawa sa nakapakahalagang okasyong ito ang aming mahigpit na pakikiisa sa pakikibaka ng mga kapatid naming magsasaka para sa lupa at hustisya. Hangad namin – at para dito ay handa kaming mag-alay ng walang sawang suporta -- sa ikatatagumpay ng inyong pakikibaka.

Sa inyo, at sa buong uring anakpawis, ay walang pag-aalinlangan ang aming pakikipag-alyansa. Ang matibay na pagkakapatiran ng manggagawa at magsasaka ang pinakamahalagang alyansang dapat mabuo sa harap ng inhustisyang nararanasan ng buong bayan sa ilalim ng kasalukuyang sistema na pinaghaharian ng mga elitista.

Itinuturing namin ang inyong pakikibakang agraryo bilang pakikibaka para sa hustisyang panlipunan. At ang hustisyang panlipunan, para sa amin, ang tanging hakbang upang ang bayang ito ay umunlad at ang masang Pinoy ay mabuhay ng may dignidad.

Hindi gaya ngayon na ang karangalan ng mga Pinoy ay umaangat lamang kapag may nana-knockout si Manny Pacquiao.

Hustisya ang kahulugan ng pakikibakang agraryo dahil mula sa maliit na minorya ay ipamamahagi ang mga lupain sa mayorya ng mamamayan sa kanayunan. Sa katunayan, ang pangarap ng mga manggagawa ay lahat ng lupain na kakailanganin para sa progresong panlipunan ay mailagay sa kontrol ng buong lipunan – na ang nakapagpapasya ay ang tunay na mayorya ng mamamayan.

Hindi gaya ngayon na ang desisyon kung saan gagamitin ang libu-libong ektarya ng mga lupain ay nasa kamay ng iilang pamilya. Gamitin man nila ito hindi sa produksyon ng pagkain kundi sa produskyon ng pabango, o kaya ay biofuel, wala tayong kinalaman. Dahil ang mga lupaing ito ay kanilang pribadong pag-aari at hindi ng lipunan.

Nakakalungkot ang ganitong larawan pero ganito ang ating sitwasyon sa nakalipas na ilang daang taon. Alam ng lahat na mali ang sistemang ito. Nakasulat sa mga libro at itinuturo sa mga unibersidad na mali ito. Alam ng simabahan na mali ito. Alam ng mga internasyunal na institusyon gaya ng United Nations na ang sistemang ito ay nagluluwal ng inekwalidad. Kaya nga sa maraming bansa, lalo na sa mga mauunlad na bansa, maaga nilang tinapos ang repormang agraryo.

Sa Japan halimbawa ay inabot lamang ng halos limang taon ang repormang agraryo. Ganundin sa Korea at maging sa China. Pero dito sa Pilipinas, tinubuan na ang CARP ng buhok at inabot na nga ng comatose pero nanatili pa ring konsentrado ang malalawak na lupain sa iilang tao. Kung bakit ganito ang mismong paliwanag kung anong sistema meron tayo.

Kung sa ibang bansa ay dagling ipinatupad ng mismong gubyerno repormang agraryo, dito sa atin ang mga nakaupo mismo sa poder ng gubyerno ang siyang ayaw ng repormang agraryo. Ayaw ng mga landlord na kongresman dahil ayaw nilang isuko ang kanilang pribadong pag-aari. Ayaw ng iba pang mga pulitiko dahil ayaw nilang mawala ang suporta ng kanilang mga padrinong landlord. Ganito kasimple ang alam naming paliwanag kung bakit di matapos-tapos ang repormang agraryo sa Pilipinas.

Sobra-sobra ang katwiran para sa repormang agraryo pero sobra-sobra naman ang lakas at kapit ng mga asendero sa gubyerno. Dahil kanila ang gubyerno. Dahil kanila ang Kongreso. At sa maraming pagkakataon, di ba’t kanila rin ang husgado?

Mga kapatid na magsasaka. Tanging kayo, kami, at sa pagkakataong ito – ang Simabahan ang magkakampi sa labang ito. Pahigpitin pa natin ang pagkakaisang ito. Anuman ang sapitin ng labang ito sa nalalabing ilang araw na ilalagi ng Kongreso bago magrecess, tibayan natin ang ating loob, palakasin pa natin ang ating hanay. At mananatili nyo kaming kaagapay hanggang sa tagumpay.

Mabuhay kayo!!

Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reform (LABOR)
May 25, 2009

Labor Party calls for policy and social change not charter change; Labor unity, Church support marks May 1 commemoration

Press Release
May 1, 2009

The militant Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) led more than 1,000 workers and poor, many of them displaced employees, in a Labor Day mobilization that called for policy and social change instead of charter change. “Workers want a reversal in the policies that have aggravated the crisis and change in the rotten system that keeps the people in poverty. We oppose the proposed charter change which has the not-so-hidden agenda of perpetuating the regime in power,” explained Renato Magtubo, chairperson of PM.

The May Day activities started yesterday with a Lakbayan launched by PM that held a dialogue first with HUDCC officials on the demand for moratorium on demolitions and later with Labor Secretary Roque on the call for a workers bailout. The Lakbayan participants spent the night at the Malate Church.

Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” was held this morning that was officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani. The Lakbayan ended by merging with the Labor Unity rally at Liwasang Bonifacio at 11 a.m that later proceeded to Mendiola. “Labor unity and Church support marks this year’s celebration of May Day in recognition of the fact that we need a strong movement to respond to the attempt of capitalists to make the workers pay for the crisis,” Magtubo asserted.

PM called the job fairs organized by government as a “bandaid solution.” Judy Ann Miranda, PM secretary-general, argued that “Job mismatch is not the problem and job fairs are not the solution. The real cause of unemployment is economy mismatch, meaning the government implemented the failed model of globalization on the economy which has resulted in the collapse of local industry and agriculture.” She added that “The solution to economy mismatch is reorientation away from export promotion and overseas employment towards strengthening the domestic economy by building up local industry and agriculture that will provide decent work to millions of Filipinos.”

The group also declared that wage increases cannot be set aside even as workers prioritize the problem of employment. Miranda stated that “This proposal is another illustration of the vicious attempt by capitalists to exploit the crisis. At the root of the global recession is the problem of global underconsumption. There is a lack of demand for the commodities produced worldwide due to two decades of a global race to the bottom in wages and working conditions. Thus shortchanging the workers in the midst of the crisis will aggravate instead of mitigate the effects of the global recession.”

The Lakbayan is just part of the nationwide commemoration sponsored by PM. Marches, caravans and fora marked the Labor Day activities of PM in Cebu City, Bacolod City, Iloilo city, Davao City, General Santos City, Iligan City and Dipolog City.

Simbahan nag-alay ng misa para sa manggagawa, martsa patungong Mendiola nagsimula na

Press Release
Mayo 1, 2009

Isang Misa ang inialay sa manggagawa ngayong umaga bilang bahagi ng selebrasyon ng Araw ng Paggawa. Pinangunahan ito ni Bishop Teodoro Bacani at ginanap sa simbahan ng Our Lady of Remedies (Malate Church) kung saan nagpalipas ng gabi ang mga lumahok sa Lakbayan ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Binasa sa naturang misa ang isang pastoral statement mula kay Manila Archbishop Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales. Ang Misa para sa Manggagawa ay iniaalay ng Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC) at ng Church Labor Conference para sa mga manggagawa at maralitang hinahagupit ngayon ng krisis.

Ayon kay Renato Magtubo, tagapangulo ng Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), sa nakalipas na mga araw ay nagkaroon ng dayalogo ang mga lider manggagawa at maralita kay Cardinal Rosales upang hingin ang suporta ng simbahan para sa kampanya para sa proteksyon sa trabaho, paninirahan at kagalingan ng mga manggagawa at maralita.

Positibo umano ang naging resulta ng dayalogo dahil nangako ang simbahan na magiging kaagapay ng manggagawa ang simbahan para makamit ang konkretong mga kahilingan. Mula dito ay pormal na nabuo nitong nakaraang Lunes ang tinatawag na Church Labor Conference.

Isinusulong ng Church Labor Conference ang mga kagyat na kahilingan para sa proteksyon. Tampok dito ang unemployment subsidy para sa mga biktima ng layoff; rebersal ng desisyon ng Korte Suprema sa kaso ng Dusit Hotel; universal healthcare para sa mga biktima ng tanggalan at sa mga unemployed; reporma at ekspansyon sa programang patrabaho ng gubyerno; moratorium sa demolisyon; at moratorium sa tuition fee increase at iba pang mga bayarin.

Matapos ang misa sa Malate Church, nagsimulang magmartsa ang mga manggagawa at maralita patungong Liwasang Bonifacio upang sumanib sa iba pang grupo sa ilalim ng Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Maralita at Magsasaka para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago, o AM3. Inaasahang di bababa sa 10,000 katao ang makikilahok sa nasabing rali at martsa patungong tulay ng Mendiola. Sasabay din sa mga pagkilos ngayong araw ang mga tsapter ng PM sa Cebu, Bacolod, Ilo-ilo, Davao, GenSan, Iligan, at Dipolog.

Ayon pa kay Magtubo, ang hinahangad ng mga manggagawa ay pagbabago sa mga patakarang pang-ekonomiya na nagpapahirap sa masang Pilipino tulad ng liberalisasyon, deregulasyon, at pribatisasyon.

Ibang-iba umano ito sa isinusulong na cha-cha ng pamahalaang Arroyo na ang layunin ay proteksyunan ang kapangyarihan ng mga nasa poder at higit pang palayain ang pandarambong ng dayuhang kapital sa bansa.

Workers’ “Lakbayan” shows support to Lozada, calls for social change to counter cha-cha

PRESS RELEASE
30 April 2009

Labor Day actions begin rolling today with the “Lakbayan para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago” spearheaded by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) started a daybreak march from Bacoor Cavite.

PM chair Renato Magtubo said his group’s Lakbayan brings the call for labor protection and social justice and is part of their direct actions in countering the GMA administration’s move to change the constitution.

“What we demand is a complete reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies, NOT a run for Charter-Change to perpetuate Gloria Arroyo in power and create a system of power unlimited,” said Magtubo in a statement sent to media.

He added that it is not Jun Lozada but Gloria and those who let this country down by promoting these policies, the politicians and scammers who robbed the nation’s coffer and the capitalists who use the crisis to further abuse workers, who deserve a jail term.

PM is also coordinating with other labor groups in preparing for a joint march to Mendiola tomorrow. The labor leader said several labor, urban poor and peasant groups have agreed to have a common action on Labor Day for the defense of workers’ jobs and the poor’s right to decent living. He added that a Church Labor Conference was also formed early this week that paved the way for a closer cooperation between organized labor and the church on the campaign for labor protection.

Spearheading the Lakbayan (south contingent) are at least 1,000 displaced workers and urban poor from Cavite, Las Pinas and Paranaque. The north contingent from Rizal, Bulacan and Caloocan is marching from Edsa-Crossing down to Makati. The Lakbayan will first proceed to the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) to bring the call for moratorium on demolitions and evictions to housing officials. After a dialogue with HUDCC, the Lakbayan will pass by the MPD headquarters to show support to whistle –blower Jun Lozada, before proceeding to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Mass for workers

From DOLE, the Lakbayan participants will stay overnight at the Malate Church. Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” will be held in the morning of May 1st, to be officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

After the mass, the Lakbayan will proceed to Liwasang Bonifacio to merge with other groups under a loose alliance called Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Maralita para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago, or AM3 in short More than 10,000 workers, urban poor and peasants are expected to participate in this unified action.

Other regions

Simultaneous actions will also be held in other regions. In Cebu, displaced employees and MEPZ workers to join 1,000 union members in the PM and the Solidarity of Cebu Workers-sponsored rally to be held at Plaza Independencia. They will also hold rally in front of DOLE-Cebu where they will burn a copy of the Labor Code in protest of the inability of Labor officials to protect workers in the region. After the rally at DOLE, the protesters will march to downtown Colon to merge with the Cebu Labor Coalition for Labor Unity for a rally against the economic crisis.

In Negros, some 1,000 industrial and farm workers from Bacolod City and the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts of Negros Occidental will hold a march-rally at the Fountain of Justice. Meanwhile, a caravan of a hundred vehicles will tour around Iloilo City before joining a mobilization by hundreds of workers and poor at the Plaza Letagay

In Davao City, some 200 PM members will hold a forum then march by 5 p.m. along Reyes, San Pedro and Magallanes Sts. Another forum on economic crisis will be held in General Santos and Dipolog City.

In Iligan, PM and Sanlakas will join the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations (FDLO) in a march from the St. Michael's Cathedral to the Iligan City Freedom Park. This will be joined by other multisectoral groups as well under the May Day 2009 Committee of the Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace (CSO-FP).

Policy-change not charter-change highlights militants’ call in their Labor Day actions

PRESS RELEASE
29 April 2009

Tomorrow’s “Lakbayan para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago” spearheaded by the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) would serve as kick-off in a series of Labor Day actions to be held in Metro Manila and other major cities in the Visayas and Mindanao.

This was announced by PM chair Renato Magtubo who is coordinating with other labor groups in the preparation for a joint march to Mendiola on Labor Day. Magtubo said several labor, urban poor and peasant groups have agreed to have a common action on Labor Day for the defense of workers’ jobs and the poor’s right to decent living. He added that a Church Labor Conference was also formed the other day which paved the way for a closer cooperation between organized labor and the church on the campaign for labor protection.

“What we demand is a complete reversal of liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies, NOT a run for Charter-Change to perpetuate Gloria Arroyo in power and create a system of power unlimited,” said Magtubo in a statement sent to media.

Lakbayan

By daybreak tomorrow, displaced workers and urban poor from Cavite and Laguna will be joined by other workers and poor from Bulacan and the NCR in a Lakbayan that will start from Bacoor Cavite. The Lakbayan will first proceed to the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council (HUDCC) to bring the call for moratorium on demolitions and evictions to housing officials, and then to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for a dialogue.

From DOLE, the more than 1,000 Lakbayan participants will stay overnight at Malate Church. Together with the Roman Catholic Church Archdiocesan Ministry for Labor Concerns (AMLC), a “Misa para sa Manggagawa” will be held in the morning of May 1st, to be officiated by Bishop Teodoro Bacani.

After the mass, the Lakbayan will proceed to Liwasang Bonifacio to merge with other groups under a loose alliance called Alyansa ng Manggagawa, Magsasaka at Maralita para sa Proteksyon at Pagbabago. Some 10,000 workers, urban poor and peasants are expected to participate in this unified action.

Other regions

Simultaneous actions will also be held in other regions. In Cebu, displaced employees and MEPZ workers to join 1,000 union members in the PM and the Solidarity of Cebu Workers-sponsored rally to be held at Plaza Independencia. They will also hold rally in front of DOLE-Cebu where they will burn a copy of the Labor Code in protest of the inability of Labor officials to protect workers in the region. After the rally at DOLE, the protesters will march to downtown Colon to merge with the Cebu Labor Coalition for Labor Unity for a rally against the economic crisis.

In Negros, some 1,000 industrial and farm workers from Bacolod City and the 3rd, 4th and 5th districts of Negros Occidental will hold a march-rally at the Fountain of Justice. Meanwhile, a caravan of a hundred vehicles will tour around Iloilo City before joining a mobilization by hundreds of workers and poor at the Plaza Letagay

In Davao City, some 200 PM members will hold a forum then march by 5 p.m. along Reyes, San Pedro and Magallanes Sts. Another forum on economic crisis will be held in General Santos and Dipolog City.

In Iligan, PM and Sanlakas will join the Federation of Democratic Labor Organizations (FDLO) in a march from the St. Michael's Cathedral to the Iligan City Freedom Park. This will be joined by other multisectoral groups as well under the May Day 2009 Committee of the Civil Society Organizations Forum for Peace (CSO-FP).

Militant groups rally, tells govt to focus on more basic problems and not Cha-cha

GMANews.TV
12/09/2008 12:08 PM

MANILA, Philippines - Militant workers and urban poor on Tuesday started a two-day protest demonstration as they marched from Las Piñas City to Baclaran to oppose moves to push Charter change.

In a statement, Partido ng Manggagawa said members from various militant groups started the march 8 a.m. to the Redemptionist Church in Baclaran where they were met by other groups from depressed communities of Manila's Tondo district and the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela.

The group will then march to the Department of Labor and Employment via Taft Avenue where participants from Caloocan, Bulacan and Rizal are expected to join them. At 6:00 p.m. the protesters will hold a noise barrage at the Welcome Rotonda.

The labor groups are expected to make an overnight vigil and then merge with farmers’ groups that will troop to the Batasang Pambansa on Wednesday.

Partido ng Manggagawa Secretary- General Judy Ann Miranda said instead of focusing on Charter change, the government should first address more basic concerns to help the poor cope with the global economic crisis.

"The reduction in self-rated poverty revealed in the SWS survey does not mean the government is doing its job well. In fact it is doing its job badly and so the people are just reducing their standard of living as a coping mechanism. Rather than focusing on Cha-cha in order to remove the protectionist provisions of the constitution, the government must instead prioritize protection for the workers and the poor so they could deal with the global crisis," Miranda said.

The group also echoed calls for the continuation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Miranda said that the government should also consider coming up with a "stimulus package" that may include a subsidy to all private sector workers, government employees and OFW's who will be laid off due to the crisis that should last until they are re-employed up to a maximum of six months.

In addition, she urged the government to declare a tax rebate for all workers equivalent to two months wage as well as a public employment program for over four million unemployed Filipinos.

Tha protest rally will be a prelude to the anti-Charter change rally scheduled on December 10 in Makati City which will be participated by Catholic bishops, Labor union groups, militant groups, transport groups and students. - Mikhaela De Leon, GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/138335/Militant-groups-rally-tells-govt-to-focus-on-more-basic-problems-and-not-Cha-cha

Lakbayan ng Manggagawa starts today, to merge with farmers march tomorrow

Press Release
December 9, 2008

The Lakbayan ng Manggagawa begins today with the call “Baguhin ang sistema hindi ang konstitusyon!”(Social change not charter change!).” Around a thousand factory workers and urban poor will march through different parts of Metro Manila, make an overnight vigil and then merge with the farmers’ mobilization that will troop to the Batasang Pambansa tomorrow.

“The reduction in self-rated poverty revealed in the SWS survey does not mean the government is doing its job well. In fact it is doing its job badly and so the people are just reducing their standard of living as a coping mechanism. Rather than focusing on chacha in order to remove the protectionist provisions of the constitution, the government must instead prioritize protection for the workers and the poor so they could cope with the global crisis,” argued Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

The Lakbayan ng Manggagawa starts with the Calabarzon contingent meeting at 8 a.m. in Zapote at the boundary of Bacoor and Las Pinas. They then marched the several kilometers to the Redemptorist Church in Baclaran where groups from depressed communities of Tondo and Camanava, and relocation areas in Caloocan, Bulacan and Rizal met them around noon. At 4 p.m. they held a program at the DOLE main office in Intramuros. By 6 p.m. the marchers stopped for a while at Welcome Rotonda for a noise barrage. The Lakbayan ng Manggagawa participants came from PM, Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino, Zone One Tondo Organization, Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite, United Cavite Workers Association and unions of Valenzuela City.

Miranda explained that “The Lakbayan is the workers response to the call of the Catholic bishops for people to work for social change. The merging of forces of the workers and the peasants is not just a symbolic gesture and not simply an expression of their common struggle. No movement for social change can succeed without the basic alliance between the workers and farmers.”

PM supports the peasants’ campaign for a continuation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and slams the inaction of Congress on the proposed bill for extension. The group is also demanding that Congress and Malacanang enact a bailout at stimulus package for workers and poor.

Miranda identified the package as “The SSS, GSIS and OWWA must subsidize all private sector workers, government employees and OFW’s who will be laid off due to the crisis that should last until they find a new job up to a maximum of 6 months. Government must also declare a tax rebate for all workers equivalent to 2 months wage. And a public employment program must be established for the four million unemployed Filipinos.”

A noise barrage at several points in Metro Manila yesterday served as prelude and build up to the two-day Lakbayan. A few hundred participants to the noise barrage banged pots and pans to dramatize the opposition to chacha.

Noise barrage held today as prelude to Lakbayan ng Manggagawa tomorrow

Press Release
December 8, 2008

A noise barrage held today in different parts of Metro Manila called for “social change not charter change.” The coordinated activity was a build up for the Lakbayan ng Manggagawa that will start tomorrow and then merge with the peasant marchers on Wednesday for a big joint mobilization.

The coordinated noise barrage was launched in the following five points in Metro Manila: NHA, Elliptical Road, QC; Sto. Nino Church, Tondo, Manila; Bicutan Interchange, Paranaque; Sangandaan, Caloocan; and Royal Mall, Malinta Exit, Valenzuela. The noise barrage commenced at 5 p.m. except the NHA activity which was held earlier at 1 p.m. A hundred workers and poor in every one of the five areas banged pots and pans to dramatize their protest.

“Instead of railroading chacha, Malacanang and Congress should push for a bailout of the workers and the poor in the face of the global economic crisis,” stated Renato Magtubo, chairperson of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), one of the organizations involved in the noise barrage. He also welcomed the TUCP’s opposition to chacha but added that “We only ask that they match their words with deeds. They should join the urban and rural poor joint rally on Wednesday.”

PM will lead the Lakbayan ng Manggagawa on Tuesday that will involve more than a thousand members of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino, Zone One Tondo Organization, Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite at United Cavite Workers Association. The Lakbayan marchers will pass through various points of Metro Manila and hold an overnight vigil at an undisclosed church compound. On Wednesday the Lakbayan ng Manggagawa will resume and combine with the farmer mobilization that will troop to the Batasan Pambansa.

“The merging of forces of the workers and the peasants, of the urban and rural poor, is a response to the call of the Catholic bishops for social change. An alliance between the workers and the peasants is the necessary condition for changing Philippine society. Nothing is impossible if the workers and farmers unite and fight,” asserted Magtubo.

PM declared its support for the farmers demand for an extension of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and condemnation of the landlord resistance. Meanwhile the group is campaigning for a bailout at stimulus package for workers and poor. Magtubo explained that “SSS, GSIS and the OWWA must release funds sufficient to subsidize all private sector workers, government employees and OFW’s who will be laid off due to the crisis that should last until they find a new job up to a maximum of 6 months. Government must also declare a tax rebate for all workers equivalent to 2 months wage, in effect giving them a 14th and 15th month salary. And a public employment program must be established for the four million unemployed even before the onset of the present crisis.”

Workers say Bonifacio’s struggle alive in fight vs. chacha

Press Release
November 30, 2008

After the business-led rally last Friday against amending the constitution to extend the term of President Gloria Arroyo, today it was the turn of labor to voice its opposition. “Pro-GMA solons say the people have no need to worry since the chacha resolutions are just meant to test the law. But the truth is they are also testing the waters to see if the people will erupt in rage against a blatant attempt to prolong the GMA regime,” declared Renato Magtubo, chairperson of Partido ng Manggagawa (PM).

Various labor groups including PM commemorated Heroes Day by convening a forum to tackle the workers’ position on the unfolding economic and political crisis. The workers then joined a rally at the Balintawak monument together with several vocal bishops to express their common stand against charter change.

“There is no more fitting way to celebrate Bonifacio Day than for the workers to continue his struggle by confronting the economic and political crisis of the nation. The other day it was the patricians who voiced out their position. Today it is the turn of the plebeians to express not their opposition to charter change but also their call for system change. The working class with march side-by-side with the middle forces against term extension while raising our own banner for radical reform,” explained Magtubo.

The Labor Alliance for Better Order and Reforms (LABOR) sponsored the forum at the San Roque Parish of Bishop Iniquez of Caloocan that was attended by more than 300 leaders of PM, Uni-PLC, National Confederation of Labor, Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino, Zone One Tondo Organization, Samahang Nagkakaisa ng Cavite, United Cavite Workers Association, and big unions like the Fortune Tobacco Labor Union, Philippine Airlines Employees Association, and unions from Valenzuela City. The theme of the forum was “Fight for jobs and livehood, Fight against GMA’s chacha.” After the forum, several hundred participants marched from the San Roque Parish to the Balintawak monument for the rally sponsored by Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya.

Magtubo explained that “Upsizing GMA’s term is just as deleterious to the nation as the downsizing experienced by the workers in the export zones. GMA is one aspect of the nation’s problem while globalization is the other face. It is not just the corrupt GMA regime but also the crisis of globalization that we must resolve and the only solution is system change.”

PM chapters in the provinces held similar activities. Around 1,000 industrial and hacienda workers marched in Bacolod City around the Fountain of Justice in the afternoon. Meanwhile labor fora were held in the cities of Cebu and Davao.

Magtubo also stated that the mass actions today is only the start of labor’s involvement in the anti-chacha movement in parallel to their campaign for a bailout of the workers and the poor in the face of the economic recession. PM is proposing a subsidy for workers who will be laid off due to the crisis; tax breaks for all employees as a form of economic stimulus; and a thoroughgoing reform of the public employment program so that the millions of unemployed Filipinos can get jobs.

“Congress should investigate the impact of the economic recession on the workers instead of fomenting a political crisis by pushing for con-ass and term extension,” insisted Magtubo. PM has formally petitioned the Senate and House Labor Committees to a congressional inquiry of the effects of the global crisis on workers.