TUCP urges gov't to revive safety patrol in worksites

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) urged the government to revive the tripartite safety patrol and conduct surprise inspections in all construction work sites particularly government-funded projects nationwide.

During the Construction Industry Tripartite Council (CITC) meeting on Tuesday, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said it is alarming that all of the 112 workplaces inspected by the safety patrol in 2012 in Metro Manila, Regions, 3, 4-A, 7 and 11 have no trained safety officers.

He said that all sites inspected also have no functioning health and safety committees, no records of accidents and illnesses, no health personnel as well as health services, and no provision for sufficient and appropriate personal protective equipment.

The CITC is composed of labor groups, workers’ association, contractors and steered by the government. It tackles issues and concerns involving construction industry and recommends industry policies to the government and to the legislature.

Composed of employers’ group, labor unions and government’s occupational safety and health officers, the safety patrol was created by the department order of the Department of Labor and Employment in 2012, invoking the visitorial and enforcement prerogatives of the Secretary of Labor as mandated by the Labor Code of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions, said the revival of safety patrol will minimize workplace accidents.

"It is because whenever there are mishaps in the workplace, it’s the construction workers who are the ultimate loser--- they end up dead or disabled physically. But accidents can be minimized if government enforce the law and employers comply with the standards on a regular basis," Seno said.

He said the breakdown of labor standards at the construction workplace was highlighted by a blatant violation by the project owners and the project contractors over the collapse of wall of a warehouse building in Barangay Ilang-ilang in Guiguinto, Bulacan on January 19.

The accident left 12 construction workers dead, including a wife and a child, and injured three others.

Two weeks later the Bulacan building mishap, two workers were killed and eleven others were injured when the installed formworks above them collapsed while a ramp is being built in a building at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. - By Denis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Labor group also hits Abaya for ‘arrogance’

THE country’s largest labor organization tore into Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya Wednesday for being arrogant and insensitive to the plight of commuters after he remarked Monday that heavy traffic brought about by the extension of the city train system would not prove fatal.

“It is very unfortunate for the Filipino people to have Secretary Abaya as a public servant,” said a spokesman for the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa, Allan Tanjusay. “Not only has he been insensitive to the plight of the commuter, he has been inefficient and arrogant.”

Last year, the TUCP also criticized Abaya for remarking that riding the MRT was “a personal decision,” after his department came under fire over safety concerns when a commuter train shot off its tracks and landed on a major thoroughfare, injuring 40 people.

“Riding MRT is a personal decision. I won’t go out of my way to convince the people to ride. We all make our own decisions. It’s a free country,” Abaya said at the time.

On Tuesday, the leftist Bagong Alyasang Makabayan said Abaya follows the footsteps of President Benigno Aquino III when it comes to being insensitive to the plight of the people.

“For Abaya, the traffic situation is not fatal. Neither are the long lines and decrepit trains of the MRT and LRT. Everything is well as far as they’re concerned,” said Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes Jr.

Hundreds of Facebook and Twitter users expressed their disgust at Abaya, saying it would be better for him to resign.

Abaya’s latest statement came days after the Metro Manila Development Authority warned that the traffic buildup would worsen when the expansion of the LRT starts next month. - By Joel E. Zurbano / Manila Standard Today

Aquino gov’t not serious on child labor problem

A labor group on Thursday blasts the Aquino administration for its failure to curb the proliferation of child labor problem in the country.

Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-NAGKAISA (TUCP-NAGKAISA), said the total number of child laborers has reached to more than 5.5 million as of 2014.

Child laborers are referred to as children, who, at the tender age of 5-17 years, started working for a particular employer in a specific period of time.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) noted that in every ten working children, six were boys while four were girls.

PSA data revealed that 46.7 percent of the total child workers belong to the 15-17 year-old bracket, while 45.1 percent were 10-14 years old, and 8.2 percent were 5-9 years of age.

Under the Philippine Anti-Child Labor law, the children are not allowed to work due to their young age. But, they are forced to work due to massive poverty, said Tanjusay, which sets aside the Anti-Child Labor laws.

He added that the huge total number of child workers was sufficient basis to describe the Aquino administration as “benign” in addressing the problem.

“Right now, we consider the government effort to curb [the problem on] child laborers as benign. The government is not serious. Hindi targeted,” averred Tanjusay.

He said the government, through the collective efforts of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), are necessary to concretely addressing the problem now.

He said “it is high time for the DOLE and DSWD to dedicate common focus in creating a national program and strategy towards minimizing the number of child laborers in the country.”

Tanjusay pointed out that there is a need for the government to carry out a serious program or strategy, in order to decisively reduce the number of children who are forced to work by 250,000 every year. - Nelson S. Badilla / The Manila Times

TUCP to Noy: Raise minimium salary of workers

A labor group once again calls on the Aquino administration to raise the minimum wage of workers in the country.

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) said President Benigno Aquino III has a little to help an estimated P24.4 million poor workers whose income still cannot cope with the cost of basic goods and services.

TUCP Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said he is baffled why the government remains reluctant to raise the wages of poor working people amid results of government’s Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) survey, showing big disparity between family income and barest expenditures.

The poverty threshold set by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) for 2014 was at P8,778 a month for a family of five to survive. However, in the first semester of 2014, average incomes of poor families were short by 27 percent of the poverty threshold.

NEDA said that poverty threshold is the minimum income set by government as required to meet basic food and non-food needs for a family of five to ensure that one remains economically and socially productive.

It showed poor workers in the informal economy, estimated to be at P21 million, who received less than the mandated minimum wage, were found to earn average monthly income of measly P6,408. This means they needed P2,370 more per month to move out of poverty in that year.

"It's very alarming that a huge problem confronting workers who fell through the cracks has not been acted upon ever since. Right now, they are coping on their own, coping by the means available to them and we feel they are totally excluded from the agenda sharing the profits," TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

Workers in the informal economy include construction workers, farmers, vendors, jeepney, bus, tricycle, pedicab drivers, conductors, salesladies, barbers, street-sweepers and garbage collectors.

For minimum wage earners in Metro Manila, a disparity of P1,082.31 a month from the prescribed P8,778 poverty threshold amount last year.

PSA figures show the real value of P466 minimum wage for the National Capital Region (NCR) last year was P356.64 a day or P7,695.69 a month.

This year, the current value of the current highest minimum wage of P481 is only P371.64 a day or P8,176.08 a month— still a P601.92 short compared with the 2014 P8,778 threshold.

Today, TUCP-Nagkaisa estimated the mid-year poverty threshold at P9,177 a month.

Meanwhile, Gerard Seno, executive vice president of the Associated Labor Unions, said the latest ideal minimum wage should be at P1,068 a day to cover the rising costs of prices of basic food and non-food needs.

Seno said that this can be achieved through a priority legislated wage hike measure or through a uniform decision of regional wage boards.

"That is why with less than a year in office, we are still hoping President Aquino to make tough policy decisions in raising Filipino family income both at the formal and informal sector workers," Seno said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Passage of Typhoon Code Law sought

MANILA, Philippines - Employers would be required to adopt a policy disallowing deduction from salaries of employees unable to report for work during typhoons when a bill seeking a Typhoon Code is passed into law.

Labor unions Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) are asking Congress to immediately pass into law the bill of Diwa Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar.

“We look forward for the immediate approval of the bill because it will enhance workers’ productivity when it becomes a law,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

KMU said companies not related to saving lives should be prohibited from forcing their workers to report for work during typhoons.

“To simplify things, I think the (rules) in suspension of classes could serve as a gauge when workers could stay home and not report for work,” KMU said.

Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) needs to study the bill before coming out with an official position.

“If this code will cover wages and benefits of workers during typhoons, they are in full conformity with the labor code, in which case I have no objections,” she said.- By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)

Govt urged to prepare contingency plans for Pinoys in Greece

A labor group on Tuesday urged the government to prepare contingency plans for Filipinos who may be affected by Greece's economic crisis, less than a week after the debt-ridden European nation voted no to bailout reform proposals.

"The current events had already resulted in a major decline in the service and tourism industry—hotels, restaurants, cruise ships— where majority of Filipino OFWs are employed," said Louie Corral, executive director of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa), in a statement.

"Clearly, cash will be tight for Greeks and many do not even know where their next paycheck will come from. What more for our OFWs?" Corral added.

Filipinos were unable to remit their money home last week after Greek banks limited their activities due to capital control. Greek nationals were also limited to €60 per ATM withdrawal.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said on Monday that Filipinos were secure in their jobs despite the economic crisis and that they may still find jobs in other countries should they need new employment.

Despite this, TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay called on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to create contingency plans to support OFW's to relieve the impact the Greek financial crisis may have on them.

DFA spokesperson Charles Jose said the government is now studying the effects of the Greek referendum on OFW prospects and that it has already advised Filipinos in Greece to prepare for any eventuality.

There is an estimated 61,500 Filipino workers in Greece. Of this, 11,500, mostly domestic helpers, are land-based, while 60,000 are seafarers.

Majority of Greeks voted against an international bailout offer on Sunday, in a move opposition members warned could result in Greece being booted out of the Eurozone. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

Tripartite inspection of power plant shutdowns sought

A trade unionist stresses the importance of stable power supply and low power rates in attracting foreign investors and ensuring the competitiveness of local businesses

MANILA, Philippines – Power plant shutdowns should be physically inspected by a 3-party panel composed of representatives from government, civil society, and the power sector to prevent collusion attempts by power players.

This is according to Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) executive director Louie Corral, who noted the swiftness of the order of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz for a tripartite inspection of Valenzuela city factories following a massive factory fire that killed at least 72. (READ: Dire conditions found in factories around Kentex)

Corral said such inspections should be preventive rather than reactive across industries, not just in manufacturing.

He urged the energy department to issue a department order allowing consumers to be represented in the inspection of outages in power plants.

In a recent interview, the trade unionist said such a move would disable the artificial inflation of power rates. Corral cited the alleged jacked up prices of power distribution firm Manila Electric Company (Meralco), when it bought supply from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

The whopping P4.15 per kilowatt hour (kWh) power rate increase became controversial in 2014 as Meralco was forced to source its power requirements from the WESM, which is subject to volatile prices. The Supreme Court has since issued a temporary restraining order on the price hike. (READ: SC extends TRO on Meralco rate hike indefinitely)

Bulk of the rate increase was due to generation charges or the cost of producing the electricity, which generation companies collect from power distribution firm Meralco. Meralco, in turn, passes on this cost to consumers.

The power distributor had to source power from WESM due to the scheduled maintenance shutdown of its main power source, the Malampaya gas field.

Meralco also had to contend with the simultaneous outages of the power plants it had existing power supply agreements with. These outages coincided with that of Malampaya which, Meralco explained, led to the record-high increase.

Meralco was accused before the High Court of inflating charges by selling to WESM at ceiling price the power it already bought from power generation company Therma Mobile Inc.

Meralco countered that it was merely a victim of WESM's must-offer rule and of arbitrary bids that messed up pricing.

Corral told Rappler the tripartite inspection will partly address power shortages caused by the deliberate withholding of power supply by generation companies, noting the dubious simultaneous outages.

Physical inspection of the plants are a must during shutdowns to avoid reliance on mere paper work, he added.

He stressed the importance of stable power supply and low power rates in attracting foreign investors and ensuring the competitiveness of local businesses.

Tripartite inspection instead of joint assessments?

TUCP also urged tripartite inspections in the manufacturing industry to replace the current framework of joint assessments under the Labor Laws Compliance System (LLCS).

Under the LLCS, workplaces are jointly assessed by a labor law compliance officer from the labor department, a representative from among the workers in that workplace, and the employer or his or her representative.

TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the workers' representative would necessarily be afraid to reveal any labor standards violations for fear of losing his or her job. He said the workers' representative should be a trade unionist instead, with no employer-employee relationship to the company being assessed.

In a statement Wednesday, June 24, TUCP claimed that compliance officers and labor leaders were offered bribes during the DOLE-ordered tripartite inspections in Valenzuela. Employers reportedly offered cash in an attempt to expedite the assessment and be granted a compliance certificate.

Tanjusay said the government needs to come up with an additional mechanism to deal with bribery under the LLCS.

Calls to overhaul the LLCS intensified in the aftermath of the fire that killed 72 people in the two-storey footwear factory of Kentex Manufacturing in Valenzuela City in May.

The deadly Kentex factory blaze is seen as a setback for the Philippine manufacturing industry, an industry that draws foreign investors partly due to cheap labor.

Corral argues that the way to attract investors should be through lower utility costs and upgraded skills of workers, instead of lax labor standards and low pay. – Rappler.com / Buena Bernal @buenabernal

Aquino has not achieved anything to uplift the lives of the workers - TUCP

MALACAÑANG dismissed Monday the allegation of a labor group that the Aquino administration has not achieved anything to uplift the lives of the workers.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the government has been trying to address the labor issues being raised by different groups, such as the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).

He said some of them might not be fully satisfied with what the government has been doing, "but we have certainly addressed a number if not most of the issues that they have raised; and we will continue to do so.

"I will certainly disagree with them that we have not done anything to improve the plight of workers in this country," he added.

Lacierda said that the Department of Labor and Employment has beefed up the labor standards and has made sure that employers complied with the law.

He also cited that since 2010, the number of strikes per year has been limited to less than 10.

"In 2014, for example, out of 159 notices of strike and lockout, only two finally pushed through. This is a result of the agency’s efforts in implementing the Single Entry Approach or SEnA, through which filed labor cases go through a 30-day conciliation-mediation period," the Palace official added.

TUCP has said that they would stop holding dialogue with the government as what they used to do in time for Labor Day, May 1.

The group has said that there was "no substantial progress" on the issues that they have raised during the past five years of the Aquino government.

TUCP is one of the members of Nagkaisa, an organization of labor federations planning to mobilize some 25,000 people for a protest march on Labor Day.

Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the march from España to Mendiola in Manila will start at 8 a.m.

Simultaneous protests will also be held in Cebu, Bacolod, Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, Cavite and parts of Southern Tagalog. - SunStar (SDR/FP/Sunnex)

High prices a concern of nearly one-half of Filipinos, poll says

NEARLY ONE-HALF of Filipinos expressed concerns about rising prices, a Pulse Asia survey released on Tuesday said.

Laborers work on a new building in Manila in this photo taken in January 2014. Forty-six percent of Filipinos are concerned about rising prices while 44% said they also consider raising workers’ salaries as important, a Pulse Asia survey said. -- AFP

Forty-six percent of Filipinos said inflation was their utmost worry, 44% expressed concerns about increasing workers’ salaries, while 40% placed importance on fighting graft and corruption.

The poll was participated in by 1,200 Filipinos and conducted March 1 to 7, more than a week before a P15 wage hike was approved by the National Capital Region’s Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).

The survey was also conducted more than a week before the Senate proceedings on allegations that Vice-President Jejomar C. Binay received P651 million from an anomalous deal between the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and real estate giant Alpha Land Corp.

“A second set of urgent national concerns include poverty reduction (37%) and job creation (34%) while a third cluster is comprised of criminality (22%), peace (22%), and rule of law (19%),” said a statement that was accompanied by survey results.

Meanwhile, public approval on government measures to control inflation rose five points to 29% in March from the previous rating of 24% in November. Similarly, public approval on increasing workers’ pay went up one point from 32% in November to 33% in March.

Public approval on government measures in addressing poverty and job creation remain unchanged during the two comparative periods.

Public approval on fighting graft and corruption went down by three points to 42% in March from 45% in November. Ratings on the government’s anti-criminality campaign also slid by two points to 45% from 47%.

For his part, Communications Secretary Herminio B. Coloma said that the latest performance ratings “do not significantly differ” from the previous survey conducted, but promised to act on the areas where government action is perceived to be lacking.

“In the next 15 months, the administration will intensify efforts at job creation while maintaining fiscal discipline in order to rein in inflation. Good governance is imperative in achieving inclusive growth,” Mr. Coloma said in an issued statement.

Meanwhile, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said that the government should have focused on core issues raised in the survey instead of spending its time, energy and political capital on other least priorities of the Filipino people.

“These concerns were not satisfactorily addressed by the Aquino administration. Poverty remains widespread and the situation is worsening. Salary and wages are stagnant and cannot sustain a family. Quality jobs are rare and dwindling,” TUCP Spokesman Alan A. Tanjusay said.

“There is no real inclusive growth because wages are low and quality employment are simply not there.” -- Alden M. Monzon / BusinessWorld

Working poor can’t afford cost of basic goods — TUCP

At least 20 million poorest of the working poor nationwide can no longer afford the P293 daily cost of food and other basic commodities needed by a Filipino family of five to survive, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) said on Monday.

The TUCP urged the Aquino administration to take steps to ease the workers’ burden following a survey showing poverty erodes the poor workers’ take home pay and has now overtaken minimum wage earners’ in Metro Manila and in all other regions in the Philippines since last year.

The Philippine Statistics Authority’s 2014 survey released March 6, poverty incidence among Filipino families worsened to 20% in the first half of 2014 from 18.8% in 2013 while the subsistence incidence rose from 7.5% in 2013 to 7.6% this year.

The result also showed incomes of poor families were short by 27% of the average poverty threshold of P8,778/month or P293/day for a family of five in the first semester of 2014. This means, on the average, an additional P2,370 was needed by a poor worker and his family with five members in order to move out of poverty.

“With its 400 days left in office, President Noynoy Aquino must re-focus and re-devote his remaining time, energy, and political capital if he still he wants to make a direct impact to Filipino workers and their families. Rather than being kept busy by sexy political issues, he has to address one of the core issue of growing and escalating poverty incidence,” TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

In the National Capital Region (NCR) alone, the highest minimum wage in all 17 regions, government said the real value of the current P466 minimum daily wage is P356.64 or P7,846.08 a month or P932 short of the poverty threshold. The same survey showed 10.5% of the working population whose income cannot afford even the food threshold alone.

The poorest is in Yolanda-hit Eastern Visayas region with 2.2 million families who cannot afford the minimum amount of P293/daily amount. The current real value of the P280 daily minimum wage is P184/day.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) cited the rapid rise in food prices and the lingering effects of typhoon Yolanda as key reasons poverty worsened. Rice prices alone increased to 11.9% in the first semester of 2014 to 1.7% in the same period of 2013. - By Vito Barcelo / Manila Standard Today

4M more can’t afford daily cost of living – labor group

There are now four million more of the more than 20 million poorest of the working poor nationwide who cannot even afford the daily P293 cost of food and basic commodities needed by a Filipino family of five to survive, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) declared on Monday.

With this, the labor group urged the government to take immediate solutions, citing a survey released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showing that poverty continues to surpass poor workers’ take-home pay and has now overtaken minimum wage earners’ in Metro Manila and in all other regions in the Philippines since last year.

Results of the 2014 survey released March 6 this year also showed that poverty incidence among Filipino families worsened to 20 percent in the first half of 2014 from 18.8 percent in 2013 while the subsistence incidence rose from 7.5 percent in 2013 to 7.6 percent this year.
The results showed, too, that incomes of poor families were short by 27 percent of the average poverty threshold of P8,778/month or P293/day for a family of five in the first semester of 2014.

This means, on the average, an additional P2,370 was needed by a poor worker and his family with five members in order to move out of poverty.

“With its 400 days left in office, President [Benigno] Aquino [3rd] must refocus and redevote his remaining time, energy and political capital if he still he wants to make a direct impact [on] Filipino workers and their families. Rather than being kept busy by sexy political issues, he has to address one of the core issues of growing and escalating poverty incidence,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

In the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) alone that pays the highest minimum wage in all 17 regions, the government said, the real value of the current P466 minimum daily wage is P356.64 or P7,846.08 a month or P932 short of the poverty threshold.

The PSA survey further showed that income of 10.5 percent of the working population cannot afford even the food threshold alone.

The poorest are in Eastern Visayas region—hardest hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013—with 2.2 million families who cannot afford the minimum amount of P293 daily amount. The current real value of the P280 daily minimum wage is P184 a day.

The National Economic and Development Authority cited rapid rise in food prices and lingering effects of Yolanda as key reasons why poverty worsened.

Rice prices alone increased by 11.9 percent in the first semester of 2014, compared to 1.7 percent for the same period in 2013. - by JING VILLAMENTE The Manila Times

TUCP: Survey says 4 M new poor workers in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP) on Monday bared that there are four million new poor workers nationwide.

Quoting a recent poll released by the Philippine Statistics Authority, TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said these new poor workers cannot afford the P293 projected daily cost of food and basic commodities of a Filipino family of five to survive.

With this, the labor group urged the government to take immediate solutions to address growing poverty and unemployment in the country.

Results of 2014 survey released last March 6 showed that poverty incidence among Filipino families worsened to 20 percent in the first half of 2014 from 18.8 percent in 2013 while the subsistence incidence rose from 7.5 percent in 2013 to 7.6 percent this year.

The result also showed incomes of poor families were short by 27 percent of the average poverty threshold of P8,778 per month or P293 daily for a family of five in the first semester of 2014. This means, on the average, an additional P2,370 was needed by a poor worker and his family with five members to move out of poverty.

"With only 400 days left in office, President Noynoy Aquino must re-focus and re-devote his remaining time, energy, and political capital if he still wants to make a direct impact on Filipino workers and their families," Tanjusay said.

In the National Capital Region alone, the highest minimum wage in all 17 regions, the government said the real value of the current P466 minimum daily wage is P356.64 or P7,846.08 a month or P932 short of the poverty threshold.

The same survey showed that 10.5 percent of the working population whose income cannot afford even the food threshold alone.

The poorest is in Yolanda-hit Eastern Visayas region with 2.2 million families who cannot afford the minimum daily cost of P293. The current real value of the P280 daily minimum wage is P184.

The National Economic Development Authority cited the rapid rise in food prices and the lingering effects of typhoon Yolanda as key reasons poverty worsened. Rice prices alone increased to 11.9 percent in the first semester of 2014 to 1.7 percent in the same period of 2013. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Labor center to demand new minimum wage

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)-Nagkaisa will demand for a new minimum living wage when the government wage board holds its first public hearing on Friday at Philippine Trade Training Center in Pasay City.

TUCP spokesperson, Alan Tanjusay, said they are going to petition P136 on top of the current P466 minimum wage.

“Our economy has been improving and continues to perform better than its peers in the region but the Filipino workers, who largely contributed to that growth, are falling through the cracks and being left behind. Many minimum wage earners are falling by the day and they are being ignored by government,” Tanjusay said.

Tanjusay said workers in Metro Manila, numbering around 800,000, currently receives a nominal wage of P466 a day “but due to inflation and mandatory salary deductions, a worker only receives a real wage of P299.”

He cited an International Labour Organization (ILO) provision that said that remuneration received for a standard 40-hour work week by a worker in a particular place would be sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and his or her family. - Davao Today

EDSA 29: A day of indignation

The 29th anniversary of the bloodless people power revolution became a day of indignation yesterday as multi-sectoral groups in the thousands marched on the very pavement where democracy was won – this time demanding the resignation of President Aquino, the son of democracy icon, the late President Corazon Aquino.

Angry protesters held President Aquino responsible for the death of 44 commandos of the Special Action Force in the day-long clash exactly a month ago yesterday and demanded that he step down for “betraying the nation.”

Leading the march was the youth group Anakbayan, which unfurled streamers on the People Power Monument saying “Game Over, Noynoy” and displayed images of blood-stained yellow ribbons, symbol of the 1986 uprising that raised his mother to power.

“Aquino clearly betrayed the nation. To please the United States, he directed the Mamasapano offensive which led to the death of at least 69 people. He allowed Filipinos to be used as cannon-fodder in the US war,” Anakbayan national chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.

Crisostomo assailed the “desperate attempts to cover-up and whitewash Aquino’s criminal accountability in the Mamasapano offensive.”

“Aquino’s web of lies can no longer be untangled. His time is up. In the language that the president would better understand: it is game over, Noynoy. Time to step down,” he added.

Crisostomo called on youth groups to work for a “new people power” to force Aquino to resign.

“Aquino is delirious if he still believes People Power is about him and his family. People power is the Filipino people’s collective weapon against injustice, oppression and lies. We call on students to walkout and work to encircle the Palace and force Aquino to resign,” Crisostomo added.

He said a “transition council” could take over to pave the way for meaningful reforms and fair elections.

“We cannot allow more people to die under Aquino’s misrule. We cannot let impunity and injustices continue. Let us launch big protests, encircle Malacañang and wage people power,” Crisostomo dared.

He called on youth and students to stage a walkout and continue to express their displeasure by marching to Malacañang on February 27.

PREPARE DEFENSE

Even campus scribes urged Aquino to quit.

Thousands of campus journalists belonging to the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) called on Aquino to admit his liability in the botched Mamasapano operation.

The campus journalists massed at the EDSA Shrine and called for Aquino to quit and prepare for his defense defense when he is asked to explain his indispensable collaboration in the conduct of Operation Exodus, the SAF operation to arrest or kill Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino understudy Basit Usman, who was wounded in the engagement.

CEGP national president Marc Lino Abila said it is also an irony that the day which brought Aquino’s mother to power is also the day 29 years later that the people expressed their wrath against her own son

“In retrospect, the spirit of EDSA centers on the mass movement, the people, and not Cory Aquino. Thus, the People Power anniversary is the right venue to manifest the people’s disgust over the deceptive, inefficient and vicious Aquino administration,” Abila said.

“The recent bloodbath at Mamasapano illustrates the incapacity of the current President to offer and win a just and lasting peace. It also manifests Aquino puppetry to US dictates,” Abila added.

CORRUPTION STILL PRESENT

Groups from Southern Tagalog region with the same resignation call also trooped to Manila to stage their own protest at the Mabuhay Rotunda.

But before proceeding to the Rotunda, Kapayapaan-Southern Tagalog group formed a human chain in Baclaran church early morning calling for Aquino’s accountability and the truth behind the deadly Mamasapano clash.

“Almost 30 years after EDSA 1, history is repeating itself where people are once again uprising for truth and accountability, this time over Noynoy Aquino’s gross incompetence and rabid subservience to his US masters. After selling-out our sovereignty with the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, sacrificing the lives of Filipinos, both police and civilians is not only a grave insult to the families of the victims but also a mockery of justice,” Rev. Gil Sediarin, Kapayapaan spokesman said.

Flor Chan, spokesperson of the Southern Tagalog Resign Movement for Aquino (ST Remove Aquino) said the Aquino administration is full of issues such as graft and corruption in the pork barrel and Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) scam. This aside from escalating human rights abuses and the policies that push more Filipinos into poverty and suffering.

After two people power uprising, it is about time that we step-up again and fulfill the failed and long-overdue promises of EDSA ,” Chan emphasized.

OWN UP

But the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), the country’s largest labor group did not support resignation calls for Aquino but challenged the beleaguered president to be man enough to accept and take command responsibility over the unfortunate Mamasapano massacre.

“The nation expects the president to stand by the PNP-SAF. The PNP-SAF deserves nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong. We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. And in our culture, he is the “Father of our Nation. It comes with the territory. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said.

Tanjusay said that Aquino should exact accountability from the MILF who are also Filipinos and who are not above the country’s laws.

“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and surrender suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,’’ Tanjusay said.

TRAFFIC OUTRAGE

While the Palace declared a holiday for schools, it was a normal working day and motorists and commuters were fuming mad at the terrible traffic that clogged streets starting early morning after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed the northbound stretch of EDSA from Shaw Blvd. to Santolan midnight Tuesday. Aside from this, perpendicular roads were also closed to traffic.

The closure caught drivers, motorists and commuters were surprise. Workers were seen walking to their destinations when traffic stalled for hours.

Three six-by-six trucks were deployed to ferry those stranded but were not much of help.

As of press time yesterday, EDSA was still a huge parking lot and traffic was not moving along P. Tuazon, Quezon Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Dimasalang, and Aurora Boulevard.

The public took to MMDA’s official page on Facebook over the agency’s traffic management plan.

Some said the government should have declared Wednesday a holiday because of the heavy traffic.

“Please help us understand why it’s not a holiday. All I can think of is the small group in the celebration while the rest of the Metro are unproductively stuck in traffic. If it’s a holiday, more can participate at the commemoration venue or watch it at home on TV,” said Kat Turingan.

Joseph Ramirez, commented, “Today is a school holiday but it is difficult for people working to commute going to work. Lifting the number coding today would have helped a lot of people in travelling to and from work.”

Others urged the MMDA to be more considerate of employees working the night shift and advise the public ahead of time. - by Chito A. Chavez (With reports from Jenny F. Manongdo, Samuel P. Medenilla and Anna Liza Villas Alavaren)/ Manila Bulletin

Aquino hits opponents of proposed Bangsa law

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TUCP bucks calls for Aquino ouster

MANILA, Philippines — Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines—Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) on Wednesday said it will not join or support calls or moves to oust President Benigno Aquino III from office.

Several groups have been calling for resignation of the president over the Mamasapano incident, which resulted in the deaths of 44 police commandos tasked to capture high-profile terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman.

TUCP-Nagkaisa, however, challenged the chief executive to accept and take command responsibility over the January 25 operations in Maguindanao.

"The nation expects the President to stand by the PNP-SAF (Philippine National Police-Special Action Force). The PNP-SAF deserve nothing less. The people expect him to lead from the front and receive our quiet gratitude in good times and be accountable when things go wrong," the group's spokesperson, Alan Tanjusay, said.

He said it is high time for Aquino to condemn the execution-style killing of the policemen.

"We need the President to exact accountability from the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) who are also Filipinos and who are not above our laws. We need the president to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law," Tanjusay said.

Tanjusay also defended the President from criticisms, saying that political opportunists and perennial trouble makers are ganging up on him over the Mamasapano incident.

"Many of them are crying genuine tears and some are crying crocodile ones. We must be discerning. In the meantime, we must expect leadership from the top with the president leading from the front," he added.

Aquino should remain focused and find substantial solutions to concerns of the people such as the looming power crisis and mass transport problems, Tanjusay said. - By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com)

Group will not call for PNoy’s ouster, but

Labor group Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa) will not join or support any move to oust President Benigno Aquino, III from office but wants him to accept command responsibility over the Mamasapano incident.

“We urge Mr. Aquino to take responsibility because in a constitutional democracy, the buck stops with the President. The people want him to lead from the front and he must take the lead in providing justice to our fallen 44,” said TUCP-Nagkaisa spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

Tanjusay said the president should also “exact accountability from the MILF”.

“We need the President to publicly require and demand the MILF leadership to surrender the MILF fighters who participated in the killings and handover suspected terrorist Basit Abdul Usman to the fold of the law,” Tanjusay said. - Davao Today

Labor, advocacy groups ramp up campaign vs BBL

THE country’s largest confederation of labor associations and an advocacy group composed of nine major organizations nationwide have called on President Benigno Aquino 3rd to stand up and come out in defense of the grieving families of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who were brutally killed by joint forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, on January 25.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines-Nagkaisa (TUCP-Nagkaisa), through its spokesman Alan Tanjusay, on Thursday challenged Aquino to seek from Congress suspension of deliberations on the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in deference to the shout for truth and justice by a mourning nation.

The BBL, if enacted into law, would pave the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro autonomous region,

“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing but unaddressed deep-seated clamor for justice by suspending now the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” Tanjusay said.

The suspension of deliberations on the BBL, he added, should stay until the MILF has shown its sincerity regarding the peace process by surrendering Addul Basit Usman and other MILF commanders and Islamic fighters involved in the Mamasapano incident.

The MILF, Tanjusay said, should also return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and other personal belongings of the fallen commandos, and destroy their munition factory.

Usman is the right hand man of expert bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed by the SAF assault team during the January 25 operation.

He was with Marwan at the time but was able to escape.

The Senate Committee on Local Government, headed by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has suspended its deliberations on provisions of the BBL, but its counterpart at the House of Representatives is yet to follow suit.

The TUCP also urged the MILF to join the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in crushing the BIFF, a supposedly breakaway group of the MILF.

“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people to continue to trust that they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” Tanjusay said.

The Ang Katipunan ng mga Samahang Maharlika (Ang KaSaMa Inc.) further prodded Aquino to junk the BBL and arrest Jemaah Islamiya terror cell leader Usman to prove that the Philippine government is not negotiating with terrorists.

The Ang KaSaMa Inc. is an advocacy group of nine major organizations from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao that is lobbying against passage of the BBL.

“The BBL has nothing to do with the peace and order situation in Mindanao because the Christians and Muslims in the region are long-time friends. It is only the separatist and terror groups that are causing trouble,” its national coordinator Deo Palma said in an interview.

“We believe that the BBL will not succeed because the (MILF) is not sincere in the peace process,” Palma added.

The MILF that is talking peace with the government, according to him, is the same MILF that has been coddling Marwan and Usman since 2001, according to Palma, who explained that this information came from one of his close friends working with the Military Intelligence Group based in Mindanao.

Palma said Marwan and Usman cannot continue with their recruitment activities in Mindanao without the MILF’s support.

He added that the two terrorists have used various MILF camps in Maguindanao, Jolo (Sulu), Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte to train their recruits in bomb-making.

The MILF has also intensified its recruitment of young blood as second liners for their ideological fight without the knowledge of the government while the peace negotiations are ongoing, Palma said.

His sources also revealed that the high-caliber firearms and other personal belongings taken from the 44 commandos “will not be surrendered because the BIFF and MILF have already divided the loot among themselves.”

Meanwhile, Johnny Siao, the Moro National Liberation Front chief of the National Border Command, said most of his contacts at the MILF camp have told him that they will not surrender their firearms.

“They (MILF) believe in the peace agreement with the Philippine government but they will not follow orders for them to surrender their firearms,” Siao added.

He said the problem with the MILF hierarchy is that they have no control over their field commanders. - by JERRY N. ADLAW AND WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL / Manila Times

Palace urges lawmakers to resume BBL hearings

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday appealed to lawmakers to continue their deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law and give peace a chance in Mindanao.

The appeal was made after Congress suspended hearings on the BBL in the wake of public outrage over the killing of the 44 Special Action Force policemen by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last month.

“Certainly, the Mamasapano incident has created an effect on the deliberations to the Bangsamoro Basic Law. But, as the President said...we cannot lose focus on our fight for peace,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said over radio dzRB.

Lacierda said President Aquino, in a televised national address on the Mamasapano incident last Friday, called on the people to remain focused on the government’s primary goal of attaining a widespread and lasting peace.

“This is what our Special Action Force has fought for in Mamasapano. This is what every decent Filipino who wishes to leave behind a better future for coming generations continues to fight for,” Lacierda said.

He said it was important that the proposed BBL was discussed because “this is our chance for peace in an area that has been marked by unrest.”

“So let us talk about the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Mamasapano already happened; accountability is being called for, but over and above accountability, we have to move forward further. We are now moving towards looking for accountability in what happened in Mamasapano. But also, there is a greater need for us to achieve lasting peace in Mindanao,” Lacierda said.

“So our plea to all our legislators: I know that all of us...long for peace. This is our time to find a better way...there’s a better chance for us for peace. The peace agreement has been signed. The Bangsamoro Basic Law is in your hands. Deliberate and let’s find a way to peace,” he said.

Asked if the President would talk to his allies in Congress about the proposed BBL, Lacierda said he was not aware of any plans.

But he said the sacrifices of the fallen SAF operatives would be wasted if there would be no peace in Mindanao.

Lacierda noted Aquino emphasized in his speech the fight for peace.

“So I am certain that the legislators know in their hearts that there’s a need for us to come up with an agreement and a law that would create a viable institution in Mindanao that can pave the way for peace and development, further development in Mindanao,” Lacierda said, quoting the President.

From the start, Lacierda said the President had been concerned about those who were against peace.

“From the start, there were always people who have been looking at opportunities to sow bigotry and panic and will try to take advantage of any situation. Again, that’s why there is a stress and emphasis from the President to remain focused on achieving peace in the region. So maybe there are people trying to stop the passage of the BBL, for one reason or another, but I think it is important for us to really focus on making sure that the SAF commandos did not die in vain,” he said.

Lacierda said the committee of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was discussing the constitutionality of the BBL while the panel of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was tackling other provisions.

“But, again, we are there. The peace panel is there; the executive branch is there; they presented the Bangsamoro Basic Law. And whatever concerns that the legislators may have, the executive branch...the peace panel(s)...are more than willing to discuss the provisions of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Are there amendments? That would be discussed amongst them. That would be discussed between the peace panels and the legislators,” Lacierda said.

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said President Aquino should make a stronger stand by suspending the BBL.

“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing but unaddressed deep-seated clamor for justice by suspending now the BBL deliberations both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.

He said the BBL should not push through until the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) surrenders all those involved in the Mamasapano incident.

Supporters, however, called on Congress and other stakeholders to support the passage of the BBL and the peace process in Mindanao.

Hundreds of peace activists on Friday walked barefoot for one hour around the 32-hectare compound of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in Cotabato City to drumbeat their desire for a peaceful resolution of the Mamasapano incident. – By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) With John Unson, Sheila Crisostomo

Labor puts the squeeze on Aquino

A big labor group has urged President Aquino to suspend the Bangsamoro Basic Law and put the Moro Islamic Liberation Front leadership to task in deference to the mourning nationwide and the search for truth and justice following the massacre of 44 policemen in Mindanao on Jan. 25.

“What we expected the President should have done is to directly respond to the growing clamor for justice by suspending now the deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives,” said Alan Tanjusay, spokesman of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippine-Nagkaisa.

The MILF leadership, TUCP said, should also act on three things: (1) surrender to Philippine authorities Basit Usman including those MILF commanders and mujahideens involved in the killing, (2) return all government-owned firearms, cellphones and personal effects belonging to fallen policemen, and (3) destroy their munition factories for 50-caliber bullets.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, chair of the Senate Committee on Local Government, suspended the deliberations and discussions on the provisions of BBL.

The ad hoc committee in the House of Representatives who have made extensive public hearings and regional consultations on the BBL has not.

The TUCP said that these must be done within the last 16 months of his tenure and the pronouncement must come from Aquino himself before the Filipino people totally loses their faith in him.

The TUCP also urges the MILF to join the government’s Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in crushing the MILF breakaway group BIFF.

“Genuine expression of sympathies and condolences about the incident is accompanied by overt acts of good faith. If they desire the Filipino people continue to trust they (MILF leaders) deserve to lead the Bangsamoro aspiration for an autonomous region, then they should show sincerity first by bringing BIFF militants as quickly as possible to the fold of justice,” added Tanjusay.

The TUCP also supports the creation of an independent fact-finding truth commission that will determine what really happened, determine accountabilities, and make policy and operational responses and recommendations to the military and police chain of command, operations, and in performing law enforcement functions.

The TUCP is lobbying for social protection of 33,000 public service personnel affected by the transition upon dissolution of the ARMM and for the adoption of the Philippine Labor Code into the BBL. - By Vito Barcelo / Manila Standard Today