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)

Labor groups to hold prayer, candle vigils for Mary Jane Veloso on Tuesday

Mary Jane Veloso (Photograph: Jefta Images/Barcroft Media)

Various labor organizations will hold prayer and indoor candle-lighting vigils for Mary Jane Veloso, the 30-year-old Filipino scheduled to be executed in Indonesia on Tuesday.

The vigils will be held at the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) compound and Occupational Safety and Health Center in Quezon City at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., respectively, on April 28.

Veloso, arrested in an Indonesian airport for carrying 2.6 kilos of heroin in 2010, is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on Tuesday afternoon.

The TUCP-Nagkaisa is still hoping that the Indonesian government will reconsider the sentence imposed on Veloso.

“While we fervently hope for the Indonesian government to stay her execution,” the group said in a statement Monday.

“We also hope that the painful process will translate into real, immediate reforms in job-creation and wage policies so that Filipinos will no longer aspire to work abroad,” it added.

Incidentally, the group will be celebrating the International Workers Memorial Day (IWMD) and the launching of Workers' Rights on Wheels on the same day, to commemorate victims of construction accident and intensify calls for safe, decent work for all in Diliman, Quezon City.

Members of the Global union federation Building and Woodworkers International (BWI) together with affiliates Associated Labor Unions (ALU-TUCP) and National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW) will be joining the event.

Monday activities

For Monday, the Church Task Force to Save the Life of Mary Jane Veloso will be holding a candle-lighting and "prayer action" gathering in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Makati City at 6 p.m.

The group previously started an online petition calling on Indonesian President Joko Widodo and President Benigno Aquino III to save Veloso via clemency and pardon.

As of this posting, the petition has gathered more than 31,600 supporters.

The group invited signatories to the online petition, as well as supporters on Twitter using the hashtag #SaveMaryJane, "to offer a prayer and light a candle for Mary Jane."

"Bring your family, friends, classmates, or officemates. The bigger we are, the stronger our message will be," their invite said. "If you are living outside the Philippines, we encourage you to do the same. Please light a candle in front of the Embassy of Indonesia in your country and say a prayer."

For its part, the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development called on Widodo to halt Veloso's execution and grant her "a full re-trial."

In a statement, the group pointed out that Veloso was not granted a fair trial because she wasn't given the free assistance of an able interpreter as well as the denial for review of the case.

It added that Veloso's case should instead instigate a look into the plight of Indonesian women and migrant workers.

Veloso, a mother of two, vehemently denied that she's a drug smuggler, saying she was tricked into carrying the suitcase by a Filipino friend who also acted as her recruiter.

Veloso, who was transferred to Indonesia's execution island last Friday, is set to be executed by firing squad.

The Philippine government has already filed its second appeal for judicial review on Veloso's case, hoping to commute her sentence to life imprisonment

Manila first sought an appeal last March, questioning the competence of the translator provided to Veloso during the trial. It was rejected by Indonesia's Supreme Court, but its laws allow death penalty cases to be appealed and reviewed despite a final ruling.

The second appeal includes proof that Veloso is not a drug smuggler based on the findings of a Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency team who visited her in prison last month. — with Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KBK/RSJ, GMA News

Press conference on Labor Compliance System with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz

Kilusan Pres. Arthur Juego with Atty. Sonny Matula of FFW

House bodies approve bill creating a regulatory framework for LPG industry

LPG cylinder

The House Committees on Energy and Trade and Industry have reported out for floor deliberation a measure seeking to establish a regulatory framework for the safe operations of the Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) industry.

House Bill 5617, which substituted House Bill 396 authored by Rep. Susan A. Yap (2nd District, Tarlac) and House Bill 756 filed by Rep. Arnel U. Ty (Party-list, LPGMA), also sets standards of conduct and codes of practice for the industry.

Hon. Susan A. YapYap said the measure, to be known as the "LPG Industry Regulation and Safety Act," would address quality and safety concerns and uphold the rights of consumers to freely choose the LPG brand they want to purchase.

"The LPG industry has already marked a significant portion in the market due to its high demand. Operating under a regulated downstream oil industry structure, it allows its market participants to engage in unfair and unsafe trade practices, hurting consumers and to a large extent, causing negative externalities to society," Yap said.

The measure establishes a regulatory framework for the importation, refining, refilling, transportation, distribution and marketing of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and the manufacture, requalification, exchange and swapping or improvement of LPC cylinders.

It also creates the LPG Monitoring and Enforcement Task Force to assist the Department of Energy (DOE) in monitoring and compliance standards inspection, and in the exercise of other powers and functions necessary to give force and effect to the proposed Act.

The bill mandates the DOE to deputize the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the processing of the License to Operate for dealers and retailers, subject to the standards set in the proposed Act.

Under the bill, engaging in business without license to operate, engaging in business without accreditation, refusal or obstruction of inspection, failure to post license to operate, failure to submit reportorial requirements, illegal storage, failure to comply with product standards, adulteration, underfilling, illegal refilling, hoarding, unauthorized trading of LPG cylinders are prohibited and fined with a maximum of P500,000 for an individual and P1,000,000, for a corporation.

Upon prior consultation with the LPG industry participants and government agencies concerned, the DOE shall determine the mechanics, rules, and regulations needed for the implementation of a newly established Philippine LPG Cylinder Improvement Program with the objective of safeguarding and ensuring the safety of the consumers.

The measure also stipulates the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms for the LPG industry, specifically the reports and disclosures required to be submitted by the LPG industry participants to DOE, and the central database of LPG Industry Participants to be created by the DOE.

To enhance awareness among LPG consumers and end-users, the measure requires DOE and the DTI to disseminate information about the proposed Act.

A Joint Congressional Oversight Committee shall be created to monitor the implementation of the proposed Act.

The measure directs the effective coordination between the DOE and the DTI, and grants certain powers and functions to the DTI, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the local government units (LGUs) for the effective implementation of the proposed Act.

Aside from Yap, Ty and Reps. Reynaldo Umali (2nd District, Oriental Mindoro) and Mark Villar (Lone District, Las Piñas City), who chair the Committee on Energy and the Committee on Trade and Industry, respectively, other authors of the bill are Reps. Wilfredo Caminero (2nd District, Cebu), Walden Bello (Party List, AKBAYAN), Lawrence Lemuel Fortun (1st District, Agusan Del Norte), Felix William Fuentebella (4th District, Camarines Sur), Jesus Sacdalan (1st District, North Cotabato), Rosenda Ann Ocampo (6th District, Manila), Gwendolyn Garcia (3rd District, Cebu), Ann Hofer (2nd District, Zamboanga Sibugay), Celso Lobregat (1st District, Zamboanga City), Ma. Valentina Plaza (1st District, Agusan Del Sur), Rosemarie Arenas (3rd District, Pangasinan), Juliet Cortuna (Party List, A Teacher), Isagani Amatong (3rd District, Zamboanga Del Norte), Pryde Henry Teves (3rd District, Negros Oriental), Henedina Abad (Lone District, Batanes), Sherwin Tugna (Party List, Cibac), Silvestre Bello III (Party List, 1BAP), Michael Angelo Rivera (Party List, 1CARE), Isidro Ungab (3rd District, Davao City), Dakila Carlo Cua (Lone District, Quirino), JC Rahman Nava (Lone District, Guimaras), Mariano Piamonte, Jr. (Party List, A TEACHER), Leopoldo Bataoil (2nd District, Pangasinan), Leah Paquiz (Party List, ANG NARS), Juliette Uy (2nd District, Misamis Oriental), Jose Atienza, Jr. (Party List, BUHAY), Arthur Defensor, Jr. (3rd District, Iloilo), Jesulito Manalo (Party List, ANGKLA), Ronald Cosalan (Lone District, Benguet), Sonny Collantes (3rd District, Batangas), Arthur Yap (3rd District, Bohol), Antonio Lagdameo, Jr. (2nd District, Davao Del Norte), Jorge Almonte (1st District, Misamis Occidental), Raul del Mar (1st District, Cebu City), Cheryl Deloso-Montalla (2nd District, Zambales), Jonathan Dela Cruz (Party List, ABAKADA), Benhur Salimbangon (4th District, Cebu), Samuel Pagdilao (Party List, ACT-CIS), Raymond Democrito Mendoza (Party List, TUCP), Rogelio Espina (Lone District, Biliran), Jose Tejada (3rd District, North Cotabato), George Arnaiz (2nd District, Negros Oriental), Carlos Isagani Zarate (Party List, Bayan Muna), Neri Colmenares (Party List, Bayan Muna), and Fernando Hicap (Party List, ANAKPAWIS).

by: Jazmin S. Camero, Media Relations Service-PRIB