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News Release
13 February 2009
SOUTHERN TAGAOG WOMEN WORKERS STORM SSS OFFICE IN CALAMBA,
STEALING WORKERS FUNDS AMID RETRENCHMENTS A DEATH BLOW TO WORKERS -
GABRIELA
Members of Gabriela Women's Party Southern Tagalog and the Pagkakaisa ng
Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK-KMU) held protest today at the
Social Security Office in Bgy. Parian, Calamba City, Laguna. They demanded
the immediate retraction of SSS' P12.5B commitment to President Arroyo's
"economic stimulus pacage" and called for the resignation of SSS head
Romulo Neri.
"Ang pera ng SSS ay pera ng manggagawa. Walang karapatan si Gng. Arroyo at
mga kasapakat nito tulad ni Romulo Neri na paki-alaman, waladasin at
kurakutin ang pondo ng manggagawa. SSS funds are for the workers and not
for this corrupt government to meddle with. Hands off SSS funds now!" said
Leona Entena, Gabriela Women's Party Vice Chairperson for Luzon.
"Meddling with the workers' funds in the SSS is a most inappropriate
action for this government to take in the midst of a worsening global
financial crisis. Manggagawa na nga ang tinatanggal sa trabaho,
tinatanggalan ng benepisyo tapos ngayon, manggagawa pa rin ang
pupuntiryahin ng gubyernong Arroyo para lalo pa papasanin ng krisis!
Pinapatay nila ang mga manggagawa," said Entena who liened the scheme to a
death blow to workers.
Entena said that in the Southern Tagalog provinces of Cavite and Laguna
alone some 34,000 workers have been laid off and retrenched in
semi-conductors and electronics factories while over 40,000 workers are
made to suffer various schemes of labor flexibilization such as reduced
work days, forced leaves and voluntary resignation which are al tantamount
to joblessness and the loss of livelihood for many workers.
Entena further said that 75-80% of these retrenched workers in Cavite and
Laguna are women as most electronics, semi conductors ad garments
factories employ mostly women.
"Excess or reserve funds of the SSS are best allocated for workers who are
in dire need of assistance and benefits to tide them over the global
financial crisis"
GABRIELA Women's Party Southern Tagalog and PAMANTIK-KMU gathered
signatures in a petition to protect workers' funds and vow to gather more
in protest.
FOR REFERENCE:
Leona Entena (GWP Vice Chairperson for Luzon) 09106660574
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NEWS RELEASE
13 February 2009
Reference: Cristina Palabay, Gabriela Women's Party Secretary General
(0917-5003879)
Francis Uyanguren (Public Information Officer) 0929-4511305
GABRIELA WOMEN'S PARTY HEIGHTENS THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST USE OF SSS FUNDS,
HOLDS NATIONALLY COORDINATED PETITION SIGNING
It's the lonely hearts day, a day before Valentine's Day, for Gabriela
Women's Party and Profund when they conducted the nationally
coordinated petition signing and pickets at offices of the Social
Security System in major cities and provinces today to heighten the
campaign to stop the use of the P12.5B SSS funds for the P330B
economic stimulus package.
Gabriela Women's Party Secretary General Cristina Palabay said the
black hearts that they carried as placards symbolized how the SSS
members will be affected with the possible use of their funds. The
woman leader said the centers for petition signing were set up and
pickets were held at the SSS National Office in Quezon City, where
Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza joined members of GWP and Pro-fund, and in SSS
offices in Pasig City, Davao City, Laguna, Iloilo City, Bacolod City,
and General Santos City.
"We are urging the Social Security Commission members to decide
against the use of what can be considered as private funds of SSS
members for public use. Amidst the massive lay-offs and depressed
wages of workers with the effects of the global financial crisis, it
is highly questionable for SSS Chief Romulo Neri and Malacanang to
gamble with the funds of SSS members, most of them workers from the
private sector," Palabay said.
Palabay said Mr. Neri has not presented a substantial study whether
investments in infrastructure, where the SSS funds were to be
utilized, has met the requirements of safety, good yield, at
liquidity.
"With Malacanang's wishlist of big-ticket projects vulnerable to
corruption for these investments, there is great doubt if this would
redound to return of investments for the SSS members," Palabay added.
Palabay said Gabriela Women's Party chapters have already started the
petition campaign in factories, particularly those in export
processing zones, communities and other workplaces. Together with
Pro-fund, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Courage, Migrante, and Anakpawis, an
online petition campaign (www.onlinepetition.com/profund). Gabriela
Rep. Maza also initiated an online internet campaign through her
Facebook account.
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Subject: SIGN UP!
www.petitiononline.com/profund to stop the use of SSS funds for public use
Dear friends,
Please see recent press releases of Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Liza Maza
and Kilusang Mayo Uno on the reported use of the P12.5 billion of funds of
the Social Security System (SSS) for the economic stimulus fund of
Malacanang. We enjoin you to protect our funds, the funds of private and
public workers who are members of SSS and GSIS, from the dirty hands of
Malacanang. Please sign up at
www.petitiononline.com/profund
to stop the use of SSS funds
for public use.
Also attached is House
Resolution filed today January 26, 2009, for the House of Representatives
to investigate on the said move and look into the possible review of the
SSS charter to safeguard the funds of its members. We likewise enjoin you
to pass this email
around, especially among SSS and GSIS members. Thank you very much.
Gabriela Women's Party
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NEWS RELEASE
26 January 2009
For Reference: REP. LIZA LARGOZA MAZA 0920-9134540
Francis Uyanguren (Public Information Officer) 0929-4511305
GABRIELA SOLONS PUSH FOR PROBE INTO THE SSS FUNDS IN ECONOMIC STIMULUS
PACKAGE, REVIEW OF SSS CHARTER
With members of the Social Security System (SSS) and Government Social
Insurance System(GSIS), Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Rep. Liza
Maza together with Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan and Anakpawis Rep.Rafael
Mariano today filed a resolution for the House of Representatives to
investigate the implications to the benefits of private sector workers of
SSS President Romulo Neri's move to commit the P12.5 B of SSS funds to the
Arroyo administration's "economic stimulus fund" and to recommend measures
including the review and possible amendments to the SSS charter.
"SSS members have the right as fund owners to determine and decide on
where their contributions should be invested or channeled into. Aside from
the investigation on Neri's pronouncement, there is a need to review the
SSS charter to safeguard these social security funds for the benefit of
its members," Maza said.
"Malacanang's concept of an 'economic stimulus fund' hardly addresses the
increasing numbers of laid off workers. These funds should be used to
directly assist the members who have been retrenched and those who are
threatened to lose their jobs amid the financial crisis instead of their
untimely infrastructure projects," Maza said.
"SSS President Romulo Neri is accountable to about 27 million SSS members
on how he is going to use their hard-earned money. We expect him to appear
before the committee hearing this week and explain his move in committing
P12.5 B SSS funds without due consultation to members."
Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Liza Maza has also set up an internet
campaign, "PROTECT OUR FUNDS" through her Facebook account. An online
petition,
www.petitiononline.com/profund/,
has also been launched by SSS
and GSIS members to stop the use of their funds for public use.
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NEWS RELEASE
24 January 2009
For Reference: REP. LIZA LARGOZA MAZA 0920-9134540
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 0917-4049119
DO NOT MEDDLE WITH WORKERS' FUNDS; USE SSS, GSIS RESERVE FUNDS TO HELP
WORKERS BRACE FOR JOB LOSSES -MAZA
"Workers' funds and are not for the government to use, meddle with or
subject to undue financial risks by investing them in vague concepts such
as an economic stimulus fund that has no assurance of pumping up the
economy for the benefit of our poor workers."
Thus said Gabriela Women's Party Representative Liza Maza today as she
joined PROFUND (Protect Our Fund) Convenors in demanding that economic
stimulus package funds sourced from government financial institutions
(GFI) such as the Social Security System, Government Service Insurance
System and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration fund be used to
instead to directly assist members and pensioners threatened by job
losses.
"If GFIs like the SSS, OWWA and the GSIS do have these extra reserve
funds, then these should instead be used to provide for emergency loans
and assistance to workers threatened by job losses amid the global
financial crisis," said Maza.
"This is a most appropriate response in the midst of job losses worldwide.
The proposed economic stimulus package does not clearly indicate how it
will address the plight of workers who have been laid off since late last
year as well as the hundreds who could lose their jobs every day.
According to Maza, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque had admitted that the
rate of lay offs and job losses is "not normal". From Dec. 1, 2008 and
Jan. 19, 2009, some 15,600 workers were laid off while 19,000 others had
their shifts or working hours reduced. The Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration said more than 3,000 Filipinos working in Taiwanese
factories were laid off during the month of December. Labor officials in
Taiwan said the number could rise to
6,000 by June.
The Gabriela solon suggested for reserve funds to be spent instead for
additional benefits for members and pensioners, instead of infrastructure
projects with no clear promise of lucrative returns. "This has been the
experience of GSIS with its purchase of paintings and its global
investment fund, the OWWA with its investments in the Smokey Mountain and
Expo Filipino projects. In the end, it is the members and pensioners who
lose their hard earned money and suffer the consequences."
Maza recounted that SSS President Romulo Neri had already committed 12.5B
of SSS reserve funds into the economic stimulus plan. Neri had been
summoned to the House of Representatives to clarify its contributions to
the economic stimulus plan. #
Gabriela Women's Party
National Headquarters
118 Scout Rallos, Brgy. Sacred Heart,
Quezon City
Telefax: (632) 9295342
Email: gabrielawomensparty@gmail.com
Website: www.gabrielawomensparty.net
Office of Gabriela Rep. Liza Largoza Maza
Rm 309 South Wing Bldg.,
House of Representatives, Quezon City
Telefax: (632) 9316268
Email: lizalmaza@yahoo.com
Office of Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan
Rm. 601 South Wing Bldg.
House of Representatives, Quezon City
Telefax: (632) 9315586
E-mail: repluzilagan@gmail.com |
