TUCP founder Democrito Mendoza dies

LABOR LEADER. Lawyer Democrito Mendoza dedicated 70 years of his life to fighting for the rights of laborers in the Philippines. Image from Facebook

Mendoza is known as one of the founding pillars of the labor movement in the Philippines


MANILA, Philippines – Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) co-founder Democrito Mendoza died on Tuesday evening, January 12.

The 92-year-old labor leader and lawyer from Cebu died at 6:40 pm. Doctors have yet to announce the cause of his death, TUCP Spokesperson Alan Tanjusay told Rappler in a text message.

Before he died, Mendoza headed the TUCP as its president. He took the position following the death of then-president Ernesto Herrera in October last year.

Mendoza was known as one of the founding fathers of the labor movement in the Philippines, pioneering the creation of labor centers in Quezon City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Davao City.

He started as a labor leader when he organized port workers in Cebu and created the Associated Labor Unions (ALU), which later became the biggest labor union in the country.

A 3-time Presidential awardee, Mendoza had consistently called for improved labor conditions both locally and internationally.

In 1983, Mendoza founded the ASEAN Trade Union Council, which helped advance the freedom of association workers. In 1993, he also pushed for a restructuring of the Philippine economy to generate new jobs and protect workers from growing contractualization

In his honor, Benguet Representative Ronald Cosalan filed House Resolution No. 1051 in April 2015, which sought for a congressional recognition to Mendoza's life-long dedication to the labor movement in the country.

"Mendoza's unwavering work, advocacy, inspiration and his love for the workingmen has challenged not only the Philippine government but also governments around the world," Cosalan said in the resolution. – Rappler.com

With ASEAN integration come social cost and disruption, labor group warns

THE COUNTRY’S biggest labor coalition warns of a disruption among workers with the realization of the planned economic integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In a statement on Sunday, the Nagkaisa group of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said regional integration of which programs are under way could lead to low-quality jobs as well as a surge in unemployment.

“The integration will further stimulate jobless growth, race to the bottom phenomenon and promote other forms of precarious work conditions including lowered standard in occupational safety and health particularly if labor laws enforcement is weak and regulatory institutions are irrelevant,” TUCP-Nagkaisa Spokesperson Alan T. Tanjusay said.

The group referred to jobless growth as economic growth marred by unemployment, underemployment and poverty, and to the bottom phenomenon as competition among companies in cutting wages and workers’ living standards.

The TUCP said that, with regional integration, employers will have more leeway to pursue leaner operations, outsource jobs across borders, and relocate production to locations with the most affordable labor.

But Mr. Tanjusay for his part also said: “... [W]e can expect a wider job market for Filipino workers who are highly sought after because of their reputation for excellent craftsmanship. Thus, we see a rise in remittances and the spike of job-creating allied services which are additional perk to the economy.”

The group called for a review of the country’s Alien Employment Permit, issued by the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Work Visa and the Special Work Permit (SWP) issued by the Bureau of Immigration.

“Because of these double functions and lack of coordination between these two agencies, work permits are rife with graft and corruption resulting [in] lack of protection for foreign workers working in the country,” the group said. The group also urged the government to organize a single oversight body to grant, supervise and manage these permits. - By Alden M. Monzon, Reporter BusinessWorld Online

TUCP airs alien employment concerns

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said it is now monitoring the possible arrival of illegal migrants, who may be victims of human trafficking, with the start of the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) last month.

ASEAN stands for Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“So far, we have not monitored any (surge in the number of foreign workers)… we will just continue our monitoring,” TUCP official Gerard Seno told reporters in an interview.

The country’s largest labor group expressed this concern after it reported in 2013 the some 3,000 foreigners without the necessary alien employment permit (AEP) to be working in construction sites in Bataan and Batangas.

The incident was immediately addressed by the Bureau of Immigration and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Earlier, DOLE’s Bureau of Local Employment (BLE) Director Dominique Tutay allayed fears the AEC will pave the way for the mass entry of migrant workers in local industries. - by Samuel Medenilla / Manila Bulletin