Anti-GMA calls mark NL Mayday 06-05-07

	NORDIS WEEKLY May 7, 2006
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Anti-GMA calls mark NL Mayday
BAGUIO CITY (May 5) — Organized labor in Northern Luzon marked the International Labor Day in simultaneous protest actions in industrial capitals of the Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions. One in their calls: for a P125 and P3000 across the board wage increase, for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to step down and the immediate set–up of a transition council, No to the charter change, and the immediate release of Anakpawis Partylist Representative Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran and the Batasan 5. The workers’ mobilization was joined by representative mobilizations from progressive organizations of the peasant, youth, indigenous peoples, urban poor and artists as they march through the main streets of Tuguegarao City, San Fernando City and Baguio City. The worsening economic situation of the country hits workers very hard and is further complicated by the relentless hike in oil and basic commodity prices under the present dispensation. Engr. Eduardo Rimando, president of the Bauang Power Plant Corporation-Site Employees’ Union-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (BPPC-SEU-NAFLU-KMU) indicated during the protest staged in San Fernando City that poverty and hunger under the present regime pushed the workers to support the intensifying campaign for the immediate ouster of GMA. He added that the worsening plight of workers is due to relentless hike in the prices of oil and basic commodities, and the very low wages. Rimando also hit the proposed Charter Change of the present administration saying that it would only worsen the plight of workers and peasants because it is meant to favor big foreign capital investments and local landlords. KMU-Cagayan mustered a march of 600 and in speeches pointed out “the GMA regime is the primary enemy of the workers for it does not heed the workers’ pleas for it has been 10 years now and GMA has not yet acted on their demand for a P125 across-the-board wage increase.” Their data showed that, agricultural workers receive a maximum wage of P185/day in Isabela; Quirino and Batanes which is P177/day, Nueva Viscaya P178/day, and Cagayan P182/day. Gabriela-Cagayan statement said the workers’ income is not enough to support a decent living for a family of six. In Baguio City, Wilson Baldonaza, president of the Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organizations (ANGLO)-KMU said during the rally at the People’s Park, “the people want assurance to their jobs, improvement in quality and just, even-handed salary. This is what the government should provide. Not just temporary job fairs. This is not the solution to our country’s problem.” The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) records show that the necessary living wage for a family of five in the Cordillera Region is P860/day while the minimum wage in the region ranges from P190 to P225/day. Also, Migrante-Metro Baguio Chair Flora Belinan said, “another product of the lack of jobs and income in the country is the rush of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). The government aggressively sends OFWs abroad because of the remittances that has served to alleviate the country’s economy and yet the government fails to protect OFW rights and welfare here and abroad. She stressed that instead of sending Filipinos to suffer abroad, the government should create more jobs here in the country. In the Baguio rally, members of the Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Siudad (Ornus) dramatized their plight during the same program at People’s Park. The presentation highlighted the demolition of urban poor homes and livelihood sources and the effect of oil price hikes. Geraldine Cacho of the Ornus, an urban poor organization in Baguio City, also explained that because of unemployment and underemployment the population of the urban poor in the city increases. Speakers of the different sectoral groups also took turns to expose the grave effect such as low wages, poor working conditions, repression of workers’ rights, underemployment, on them as children, students, and wives. # KNQ, M. Agonoy, R.Tajon with reports from Angela Malicdem, Reymund Valeria, Marie Conie Duerme, Aura Irene Semanero, Rohmalyne Gamponia and Adela Ragual for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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	NORDIS WEEKLY May 7, 2006
Home \| To bottom	Previous \| Next
Anti-GMA calls mark NL Mayday
BAGUIO CITY (May 5) — Organized labor in Northern Luzon marked the International Labor Day in simultaneous protest actions in industrial capitals of the Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions. One in their calls: for a P125 and P3000 across the board wage increase, for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to step down and the immediate set–up of a transition council, No to the charter change, and the immediate release of Anakpawis Partylist Representative Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran and the Batasan 5. The workers’ mobilization was joined by representative mobilizations from progressive organizations of the peasant, youth, indigenous peoples, urban poor and artists as they march through the main streets of Tuguegarao City, San Fernando City and Baguio City. The worsening economic situation of the country hits workers very hard and is further complicated by the relentless hike in oil and basic commodity prices under the present dispensation. Engr. Eduardo Rimando, president of the Bauang Power Plant Corporation-Site Employees’ Union-National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (BPPC-SEU-NAFLU-KMU) indicated during the protest staged in San Fernando City that poverty and hunger under the present regime pushed the workers to support the intensifying campaign for the immediate ouster of GMA. He added that the worsening plight of workers is due to relentless hike in the prices of oil and basic commodities, and the very low wages. Rimando also hit the proposed Charter Change of the present administration saying that it would only worsen the plight of workers and peasants because it is meant to favor big foreign capital investments and local landlords. KMU-Cagayan mustered a march of 600 and in speeches pointed out “the GMA regime is the primary enemy of the workers for it does not heed the workers’ pleas for it has been 10 years now and GMA has not yet acted on their demand for a P125 across-the-board wage increase.” Their data showed that, agricultural workers receive a maximum wage of P185/day in Isabela; Quirino and Batanes which is P177/day, Nueva Viscaya P178/day, and Cagayan P182/day. Gabriela-Cagayan statement said the workers’ income is not enough to support a decent living for a family of six. In Baguio City, Wilson Baldonaza, president of the Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organizations (ANGLO)-KMU said during the rally at the People’s Park, “the people want assurance to their jobs, improvement in quality and just, even-handed salary. This is what the government should provide. Not just temporary job fairs. This is not the solution to our country’s problem.” The National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) records show that the necessary living wage for a family of five in the Cordillera Region is P860/day while the minimum wage in the region ranges from P190 to P225/day. Also, Migrante-Metro Baguio Chair Flora Belinan said, “another product of the lack of jobs and income in the country is the rush of overseas Filipino workers (OFW). The government aggressively sends OFWs abroad because of the remittances that has served to alleviate the country’s economy and yet the government fails to protect OFW rights and welfare here and abroad. She stressed that instead of sending Filipinos to suffer abroad, the government should create more jobs here in the country. In the Baguio rally, members of the Organisasyon dagiti Nakurapay nga Umili ti Siudad (Ornus) dramatized their plight during the same program at People’s Park. The presentation highlighted the demolition of urban poor homes and livelihood sources and the effect of oil price hikes. Geraldine Cacho of the Ornus, an urban poor organization in Baguio City, also explained that because of unemployment and underemployment the population of the urban poor in the city increases. Speakers of the different sectoral groups also took turns to expose the grave effect such as low wages, poor working conditions, repression of workers’ rights, underemployment, on them as children, students, and wives. # KNQ, M. Agonoy, R.Tajon with reports from Angela Malicdem, Reymund Valeria, Marie Conie Duerme, Aura Irene Semanero, Rohmalyne Gamponia and Adela Ragual for NORDIS Post your comments, reactions to this article
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