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Laban ni Bonifacio para sa ‘tunay na pagbabago,’ ipinagpapatuloy ng mga obrero
by Pinoy Weekly Staff

http://pinoyweekly.org/new/2011/12/laban-ni-bonifacio-para-sa-%E2%80%98tunay-na-pagbabago%E2%80%99-ipinagpapatuloy-ng-mga-obrero/

Kabayanihan ni Andres Bonifacio ang hangad ng militanteng mga manggagawa na tularan nila at ng sambayanang Pilipino, sa ika-148 kaarawan ng dakilang rebolusyonaryong lider ng rebolusyong 1896.

Pinangunahan ng Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) at Anakpawis Party-list ang martsa-protesta sa Mendiola, Manila ng aabot sa 3,000 na mga manggagawa at iba pang sektor para gunitain ang araw ni Bonifacio.

Bitbit ang mga “tabak” at suot ang mga maskara ni Bonifacio at sumbrerong may mga titik na “KKK”, hiniling nila sa publiko na tularan ang rebolusyonaryong lider na lumaban para sa kapakanan ng mahihirap at para sa tunay na pagbabago sa lipunan.

“Dahil sa krisis, at dahil sa maka-US at maka-elite na gobyernong mayroon tayo, kailangang lumaban tayong mga manggagawa at mahihirap, at puspusang lumaban, para makamit ang mga repormang paborable sa atin,” paliwanag ni Elmer “Bong” Labog, tagapangulo ng KMU.

Kabilang sa kagyat na mga ipinaglalaban nila: pagpupuspos ng laban ng mga manggagawang bukid ng Hacienda Luisita para mapasakanila ang lupa ng asyenda; makabuluhang dagdag-sahod sa mga manggagawa sa pribado at pampublikong sektor; pagtigil sa kontraktuwalisasyon sa paggawa at iba pang kontra-manggagawang mga polisiya at gawain.

“Nananawagan tayo sa mga kapwa manggagawa at mahihirap: Mag-aral tayo sa tunay na lagay ng bansa at sa ugat ng ating kahirapan. Umanib at magtatag tayo ng mga unyon at organisasyon na magtataguyod ng ating mga karapatan,” paliwanag pa ni Labog.

Sa paanan ng Mendiola, habang nakasuot ng mga maskara ni Bonifacio ay sinunog nila ang watawat ng Estados Unidos (US) na sumisimbolo umano sa “patuloy na paglaban ng mga bansa para sa tunay na pambansang kalayaan.”

“Ipinangako ni Pang. Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III ang ‘pagbabago’ pero hindi matutuwa si Bonifacio sa lagay ng bansa ngayon. Lumaban ang bayaning lider-obrero para sa tunay na pagbabago – para sa tunay na kalayaan sa bansa at pag-angat sa mahihirap sa pamamagitan ng reporma sa lupa at iba pang polisiya,” sabi pa ni Labog.

Samantala, patuloy pa rin umanong dominado ang bansa ng malalaking dayuhang korporasyon at bangko, laluna iyung mula sa US. May elite pa ring namumuno sa bansa – ang malalaking mga kapitalista at panginoong maylupa, sabi pa niya.

Pagtatapos ni Labog: Kung nabubuhay siguro ngayon si Bonifacio, maglulunsad siya ng rebolusyon para sa tunay na pagbabago. (Teksto ni KR Guda)

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Media Release
29 November 2011

Brgy. Central demolition
Gov’t knows no Christmas season when it comes to demolition – KMU

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned today the demolition of urban poor residences in BIR Road, East Triangle, Quezon City yesterday, saying the Aquino government does not respect the Christmas season when it comes to demolitions.

KMU recalled that Pres. Benigno Noynoy “Aquino” III has already made his Christmas wish – for Filipinos to be more positive in outlook and caring to one another.

“May we remind the president that the urban poor, too, looks forward to the Christmas season. It’s not only for presidents wishing to receive less criticisms and cover up his government’s lack of care for the poor,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general.

“The president should at least be declaring a moratorium on demolitions around this time of the year, but it seems that there’s no ceasefire in his all-out war against the urban poor,” he added.

The labor leader also condemned the overkill use of violence by the police, as guns were fired, stones were thrown at the residents, and an arrest was made in the demolition operation.

“The escalation of this government’s arrogance and violence against the urban poor is disturbing. Are we in for a replay of the Hacienda Luisita massacre, with the urban poor residents as targets this time around?” Soluta asked.

“The Aquino government was very cautious and polite in dealing with Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, despite her crimes against the people. We are appaled that the Aquino government is harsher on the urban poor than on a known plunderer and human-rights violator,” he said.

Soluta also called for the junking of the Quezon City Central Business District project which is responsible for the demolition of urban poor residences in the city.

“This project has made Quezon City the demolition capital of the Philippines. It is clearly for the benefit of the big foreign and local capitalists who will invest in the QCCBD and to the detriment of the urban poor,” Soluta said.

“We are calling for the junking of this most anti-poor of so-called development projects. We should envision a kind of economic development where people’s houses are demolished by the government,” he added.

Reference: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general, 0928-7215313
 

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Media Release
28 November 2011

Workers to march for Luisita distribution, higher wages on Bonifacio Day

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno announced today that workers, urban poor and other sectors will march to Mendiola on Andres Bonifacio Day to call for the immediate, unconditional and free distribution of Hacienda Luisita lands to farmers and for a significant wage hike and the junking of contractualization.

It said the most fitting commemoration of the working-class hero’s 149th birthday, who led a revolution against Spanish colonialism 115 years ago, is to fight for the demands of the country’s poorest and for genuine social change.

“The dreams that Bonifacio had for the Filipino workers, farmers and people remain unrealized to this day. Farmers are still fighting for land, workers are still fighting for a significant wage hike and the junking of contractualization, and the Filipino people is still fighting for radical social change,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general.

In the light of the recent Supreme Court decision ordering the distribution of Hacienda Luisita lands to farmers, KMU is calling for the immediate, unconditional and free distribution of lands.

It is also calling for a significant wage hike and the junking of contractualization to provide immediate relief to workers who are suffering from the soaring prices of basic goods and services.

“The people remain in a state of unfreedom, with the US, big local capitalists and landlords dominating the country. We still need to fight for genuine freedom for our country and genuine equality among our people,” Soluta said.

Workers will gather at Tutuban in Manila at 1:00 in the afternoon while urban poor and other sectors will gather at Welcome Rotonda at 12:00 in the afternoon. The two contingents will then merge at Morayta before going to Mendiola.

The rallyists will wear masks of the working-class hero as they march to Mendiola and burn a flag of the US upon reaching Mendiola to symbolize their opposition to continuing US domination of the country.

“It is the US, with the help of the country’s elites, which has prevented genuine land reform from being implemented in the country. It wants the country to remain backward and agricultural so it will remain a source of agricultural products and raw materials, as well as a market for goods and a place for its excess capital,” Soluta said.

“It is also the US which has dictated that the government press down wages and implement contractualization in the guise of attracting foreign investors. The truth is it just wants to further exploit the cheap and repressed labor force in the country,” he added.

Reference: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general, 0928-7215313
 

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Media Release
27 Nobyembre 2011

Obrero kay Aquino: Paano naman ang “just compensation” sa amin?

Kinondena ng Kilusang Mayo Uno si Pang. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III sa sinabi nitong kailangang makatanggap ang mga panginoong maylupa ng “just compensation” o makatarungang bayad para sa mga lupaing ipapailalim sa reporma sa lupa. Anila, kahit kailan, hindi naisip ng pangulo na bigyan ng makatarungang kompensasyon ang mga manggagawa.

“Makatarungang bayad sa mga panginoong maylupa na hindi naman nagbungkal at walang nalikhang halaga? Silang kumita nang malaki habang magarbong nagbubuhay-binata? Paano naman ang makatarungang bayad sa mga manggagawang nagbabanat ng buto pero nag-uuwi ng paliit nang paliit na kita?” tanong ni Roger Soluta, pangkalahatang kalihim ng KMU.

“Kahit aprubahan ang makabuluhang dagdag-sahod tulad ng P125 umentong across-the-board na matagal na naming panawagan, hindi pa rin makatarungan ang sahod. Kagyat na ginhawa lang ito sa napakataas na presyo ng mga batayang produkto at serbisyo– pero inaayawan pa rin ng pangulong ito,” dagdag niya.

Binanggit ng KMU ang pag-aaral na inilabas ng Ibon Foundation, independyenteng institusyon ng pananaliksik, noong Abril na nagsasabing ang P404 minimum wage sa Metro Maynila ay 2/5 lang ng P988 na siyang Family Living Wage (FLW) ngayon. Noong 2001, ang minimum wage ay kalahati pa ng FLW, patunay ng paglala ng lagay ng mga manggagawa.

Hustisyang Panlipunan

Sabi ng KMU, si Pang. Aquino ay tumitindig hindi para sa katarungang panlipunan, kundi para sa “katarungang maka-elitista” sa paggigiit nito ng “makatarungang kompensasyon” para sa mga panginoong maylupa at sa pagbalewala sa panawagan ng mga manggagawa para sa makabuluhang dagdag-sahod.

“Nakakagalit na iginigiit ng pangulo ang maka-elitistang katarungan sa usapin ng reporma sa lupa at sahod ng mga manggagawa. Ang dapat gumabay sa gobyerno, hustisyang panlipunan – pagkakapantay-pantay, pagtutulungan, karapatang pantao at pamamahagi ng yaman – at hindi ang pagkampi sa mga nakakaangat,” ani Soluta.

“Kung hustisyang panlipunan ang masusunod, kailangang bitawan ng pamilyang Cojuangco-Aquino ang Hacienda Luisita at ipamahagi ito nang kagyat, walang kondisyon at libre sa mga magbubukid. Kailangan ding isulong ng pangulo ang pagsasabatas ng P125 Wage Hike Bill na nasa Kongreso,” dagdag ni Soluta.

Isinusulong ng KMU ang pagsasabatas ng House Bill 375, o ang P125 Wage Hike Bill, na panukala ni Rep. Rafael V. Mariano ng Anakpawis Partylist, na naglalayong ipatupad ang P125 across-the-board na dagdag-sahod sa buong bansa.

Reference: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary general, 0928-7215313

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KMU slams new Labor dep’t order on contractualization

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned today a new order from the Labor department imposing new regulations on the contractualization of workers, saying the order is simply a fine-tuning of existing regulations on the employment scheme and what is needed is contractualization’s actual junking.

KMU made the statement in reaction to the Department of Labor and Employment’s Order No. 18-A series of 2011, also known as “Rules Implementing Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code, as Amended,” which was signed by Sec. Rosalinda Baldoz last week according to the department’s website.

The new DO seeks to differentiate “legitimate” from “non-legitimate” contractors and subcontractors and lays down requirements for legitimate ones.

“The new Labor DO is like laws in American history that merely regulate the owning and selling of Black slaves, not the abolition of slavery. Under contractualization, workers are like slaves and what is needed is the actual junking of this oppressive employment scheme, not its mere regulation,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“As long as contractualization is rendered legal by Labor DO’s as authorized by the Labor Code, capitalists are sure to find ways to boost profits by exploiting contractuals. They have managed to go around the many regulations on contractualization. We haven’t seen anybody imprisoned for contractualization,” he said.

“From the perpective of workers, all contractors and subcontractors are illegitimate. They are agents of the extreme exploitation of workers. They should all be outlawed and abolished,” he added.

Among the requirements to be a “legitimate” contractor and subcontractor are: owning a distinct and independent business; readiness to take full responsibility for performing a job, work or service; substantial capital or investment; commitment to comply with labor laws; and registration with DOLE regional offices.

“The DOLE is just trying to prettify its image amidst the deaths of contractuals – ten in Eton Towers and six in Keppel Subic Shipyard this year – where contractors and subcontractors were exposed to be unregistered. With this DO, the DOLE is just laying down an agreement among thiefs, between the government and capitalists, as to how to implement contractualization without the government being put into a bad light,” Labog said.

KMU lambasted Sec. Baldoz’s claim that the new DO will “promote employment and encourage full compliance with minimum wages and general labor standards, including safe and healthful conditions of work, security of tenure, and self-organization and collective bargaining.”

“That is just DOLE’s public relations personnel speaking. It is not as if the country lacks laws on workers’ rights and interests, but even the pro-capitalist laws are not implemented and no one has yet been imprisoned for their violations, especially with regard to contractualization,” Labog said.

“The mere fact that the DOLE speaks about ‘encouraging’ and not punishing capitalists to uphold the most basic rights of workers shows that it is powerless before, and in connivance with, capitalists who are implementing contractualization,” he added.

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Bonifacio, Bayani ng Obrero

Sa ika-30 ng Nobyembre ang ika-148 kaarawan ng bayaning si Gat Andres Bonifacio. Tiyak, pupurihin siya ng gobyerno. Pero sigurado, hindi nito papalaganapin ang tunay na kabuluhan ng buhay at pakikibaka niya.

Pero para sa mga manggagawa at mamamayan, mahalagang gunitain ang kabayanihan at diwang makabayan ni Gat Andres Bonifacio. Hindi matatawaran ang napakalaking ambag niya at ng Katipunan na pinamunuan niya sa pakikibaka para sa kalayaan laban sa mahigit 300 taong pananakop at pyudal na paghahari ng Espanya.

Isang manggagawa si Bonifacio. Nagtrabaho siya bilang bodeguero o clerk sa isang dayuhang kumpanya. Dito, nakita niya ang pang-aapi at pambubusabos sa mga manggagawa. Lumaki siya sa hirap at nakita ang paghihirap ng mga kapwa-Pilipino. Sa katunayan, sa Tondo, komunidad ng mga manggagawa at anakpawis, itinatag ang Katipunan.

Pambansa ang paglaban na pinamunuan niya kontra sa kolonyalismong Espanyol. Bago siya, kalat-kalat sa bansa at hiwa-hiwalay ang paglaban sa mananakop. Halimbawa ang pag-aalsa nina Diego at Gabriela Silang sa Ilocos at ni Dagohoy sa Bohol. Pinamunuan ni Bonifacio ang Katipunan, isang kilusang pambansa ang latag at nagkakaisa sa isang pamumuno sa paglaban.

Lumang tipo ng rebolusyon para sa pambansang paglaya at demokrasya ang pinamunuan ni Bonifacio. Layunin nitong palayain ang sambayanan sa kolonyalismong Espanyol at bawiin at ipamahagi ang mga lupang kinamkam ng mga prayle at lokal na alipores ng mananakop. Layunin din nitong isulong ang mga karapatang sibil ng mga Pilipino at pawiin ang paghahari ng mga prayle.

Armado ang rebolusyong inilunsad ng Katipunan. Alam ni Bonifacio na hindi sapat ang pagsusumamo o paggigiit ng reporma sa isang lipunang likas na mapagsamantala, mapang-api at mapanupil. Hindi siya nagpasapat sa gusto ng mga nakapag-aral na Pilipino na maging probinsya ng Espanya ang Pilipinas. Pistola, hindi bolo, ang paborito niyang sandata.

Inagaw ng mga haciendero, sa katauhan ni Emilio Aguinaldo, ang pamunuan ng Katipunan. Nang hindi ito kinilala ni Bonifacio, ipinapatay siya. Pagkatapos, nakipagkompromiso si Aguinaldo sa mga mananakop. Patunay ang pagkamatay ni Bonifacio na hindi masasandigan ang mga naghaharing uri para isulong ang kapakanan ng mga manggagawa at sambayanan.

Halos 150 taon matapos ipanganak si Bonifacio, hindi pa rin natin natatamasa ang kanyang mga ipinaglaban. Ang mga mananakop, napalitan lang ng imperyalismong US. Ang mga karapatang sibil, patuloy na sinusupil. Ang mga lupain, nakakonsentra pa rin sa mga panginoong maylupa. Mga uring mapagsamantala, na panatiko sa kanilang mga prinsipyo at patakarang kontra-mamamayan, ang naghahari.

Nabuhay at nakibaka si Bonifacio sa panahong sumisibol pa lang ang imperyalismong US. Ngayon, isang taon bago ang ika-150 kaarawan niya, humaharap ang imperyalismo sa isa sa pinakamatinding krisis nito. Ang mga manggagawa at mamamayan ng mga bansang sakop nito, tulad ng Pilipinas, ay dumaranas ng papatinding gutom, kahirapan, pagsasamantala at panunupil.

Kaya naman hamon sa mga manggagawa at mamamayan na maging mga bagong Bonifacio at ipagpatuloy ang kanyang nasimulan! Bayani ng mga obrero si Bonifacio hindi lang dahil lumaban siya para sa kalayaan ng ating bayan. Bayani ng mga obrero si Bonifacio dahil ehemplo siya sa nagpapatuloy na pakikibaka para sa pambansang paglaya at demokrasya.

Reference Person: Elmer "Bong" Labog
Contact information: Tagapangulo, KMU, 0908-1636597

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Aquino asked: What about just compensation for workers?

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned today Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III for saying that landlords should receive “just compensation” for their lands if these will be subjected to land reform, saying the president never showed any concern for such a compensation for workers.

“Just compensation for landlords who do not till the land and produce no value? Landlords who have made a killing while playing rich bachelors’ games? What about just compensation for workers who actually work hard but are bringing home less and less income?” asked Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general.

“A significant wage hike, such as the P125 across-the-board wage hike that we have been clamoring for, still will not make workers’ compensation just. It is just an immediate relief from the rising prices of basic goods and services – yet the president has refused to heed our call,” he added.

KMU cited an April 2011 research released by independent think-tank Ibon Foundation saying that the P404 minimum wage in the National Capital Region is just 2/5 of the Family Living Wage which now stands at P988. Back in 2001, the proportion was 1/2, proof that workers’ living conditions have worsened.

Social justice

KMU said Pres. Aquino is not standing up for social justice but “elite justice” in invoking “just compensation” for landlords whose lands are subjected to land reform and in ignoring workers’ calls for a significant wage hike.

“It is disgusting to see and hear Pres. Aquino invoke elite justice in handling land reform and workers’ issues. It is social justice which should guide the government’s stands on these with its principles of equality, solidarity, human rights and wealth redistribution,” Soluta said.

“Social justice dictates that Pres. Aquino’s family surrender the Hacienda Luisita lands to farmers for an immediate, free and unconditional distribution. Social justice dictates that the president push for the passage of the P125 Wage Hike Bill currently pending in Congress,” he added.

KMU is pushing for the passage of House Bill 375, also known as the P125 Wage Hike Bill, filed by Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael V. Mariano seeking to legislate a P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide.

Reference Person: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general
Campaign: PhP 125 Legislated Wage Hike
Contact information: 0928-7215313

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Media Release
29 November 2011

Workers hold ‘Bike for P125’ protest to Congress

Workers from a steel manufacturing company who ride bicycles going to work and then going home daily to save on transportation fare rode together today from Philcoa to Congress to call for a significant wage hike.

The workers, led by labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno, are calling for the immediate passage of House Bill 375, also known as the P125 Wage Hike Bill, filed by Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano seeking to legislate a P125 across-the-board wage hike nationwide.

The workers, who had flaglets in their bikes and signs at the back and front of their shirts bearing their call, held a short program upon reaching the House of Representatives.

“Even if workers are finding ways to cope with meager wages, they know that what is really needed is a significant wage hike. What they are able to save by coping are still being taken away,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general, who also rode a bike.

“To avoid paying transportation fares, many have resorted to using bicycles, despite the well-known dangers it entails. But oil prices continue to rise, thereby increasing the prices of basic goods and services,” he added.

KMU cited an April 2011 research released by Ibon Foundation showing that the Metro Manila minimum wage of P404 is only 2/5 of the Family Living Wage, which currently stands at P988, saying this is a deterioration from the 1/2 in 2001.

The Family Living Wage was arrived at by adding up the most basic necessities of a family of five.

“The amount actually saved by riding a bicycle to work may be small, but that shows you to what extent the real value of workers’ wages have been pressed down. Many are even reducing the amount and quality of food, why not reduce cost on transportation?” Soluta said.

The labor leader said the protest action is a preparation for a big mobilization tomorrow, Nov. 30, Andres Bonifacio Day, where workers and other sectors will call for a significant wage hike and the junking of contractualization.

“We are exploring various forms of protest to voice out our calls. We know that we cannot rely on a government headed by a president who buys expensive cars to immediately grant a significant wage hike, like the P125 across-the-board hike that we have been calling for,” he said.

Reference: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general, 0928-7215313

 

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KMU slams ECOP call to decriminalize wage violations

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned today the call made by the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines to decriminalize employers’ violations of minimum wage laws, saying this is clearly callous and anti-worker.

In an interview with BusinessMirror last week, ECOP president Edgardo Lacson opposed bills in the House of Representatives seeking to legislate a longer prison term for employers who violate the country’s wage laws, saying the government should do the opposite and decriminalize such violations.

He was reacting to House Bills 942, 1817, 1889, and 2884 authored by Reps. Reynaldo Umali, Emmeline Aglipay, Ben Evardone and Joseph Victor Ejercito, respectively, which seek to extend the penalty of two-year imprisonment to four years for such crimes.

“It seems that the country’s capitalists have become too insensitive to the plight of Filipino workers and too arrogant in asserting their demands to the government. They do not know how workers and their families strive to cope with such a meager minimum wage,” said Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general.

“Decriminalizing violations of minimum wage laws is tantamount to giving capitalists the green light to press down wages to the lowest possible levels and further impoverish workers. The current minimum wage, meager as it is, is being denied by many capitalists to workers,” he added.

KMU cited an April 2011 research by independent think-tank Ibon Foundation showing that the Metro Manila minimum wage of P404 is only 2/5 of the amount needed daily by Filipino families to live decently, which currently stands at P988. The said proportion in 2001 was 1/2.

Target electric rates, not wages

KMU also said that ECOP should stop threatening the government that such bills, when passed, will push employers to the informal sector, thereby decreasing tax revenues for the government.

“Instead of overreacting to moves to increase penalties on violations of wage laws, as well as to calls for a significant wage hike, ECOP should campaign for the reduction of electricity rates in the country, currently the highest in Asia. Even ECOP members tell us that it is not wages that burden employers right now, but high power rates,” Soluta said.

“Capitalists should stand up to the government and big capitalists in the power sector and stop reducing the wages that workers receive. Because we are faced with intensifying hunger and poverty, we are fighting for a significant wage hike,” he added.

KMU has been calling for the passage of HB 375, filed by Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael V. Mariano, seeking to legislate a P125 across-the-board wage increase nationwide.

Reference Person: Roger Soluta, KMU secretary-general
Campaign: PhP 125 Legislated Wage Hike
Contact information: 0928-7215313

Video: Bonifacio Day 2011: Marching to Mendiola