Palace certifies as urgent Senate’s anti-‘endo’ bill

MALACAÑANG has asked that Senate Bill 1826 or the Security of Tenure (SoT) Bill be certified as urgent, following President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s commitment to abolish “endo,” an employment practice that denies workers a path to permanent status.

In a palace document dated Sept. 21, Mr. Duterte asked Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III to “certify the necessity of the immediate enactment” of the SOT Bill.

Malacañang added that the bill needs to pass to “strengthen workers’ security of tenure by prohibiting the prevalent practice of contractualization and labor-only contracting which continue to immerse our workers in a quagmire of poverty and underemployment.”

Mr. Sotto said in an interview with reporters that the chamber will push for the bill’s passage before Congress adjourns on Oct. 12.

“We’ll do our best to pass it by Oct. 11,” he said.

Sen. Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, who chairs the Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, added: “We certainly need a law that will not only uphold our workers’ basic labor rights and restore dignity of work, but also a law that will promote quality employment without jeopardizing business operations but rather create more stable jobs for every Filipino.”

The Senator, who is also the author and principal sponsor of the bill, added that the SoT bill will address the interests of both the labor and business sectors.

Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre H. Bello expressed the hope that the law will pass and be implemented promptly.

At a briefing on Tuesday, Mr. Bello said he has a personal timetable of October passage for the bill allowing it to be signed into law by December.

Labor Undersecretary Joel B. Maglunsod said in a chance interview on Tuesday that the move to certify the bill is “(a step forward).”

Nagkaisa Labor Coalition (NAGKAISA) Chairperson Jose Sonny G. Matula said the process of certification brings the sector closer to the goal of ending contractualization.

“It’s closer than it has ever been but we still have some work to do,” Mr. Matula, who is also the President of the Federation of Free Workers, said in a statement on Tuesday.

He added, “After more than two years, the Duterte administration has finally made a big step towards the fulfillment of a campaign promise.”

Associated Labor Unions — Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) National Executive Vice-President Gerard R. Seno said in a press release, “The moment the SOT bill is enacted into law, there is now a chance for contractual workers to be included in the country’s growing economic growth.”

For his part, Employers Confederation of the Philippines Acting President Sergio R. Luis-Ortiz, Jr. stressed that the passage of this bill could effectively reduce the labor force, adding that employers will be deterred from hiring workers especially for high-demand periods like Christmas.

He added that eliminating contractualization will also put off current and potential foreign investments from the country.

“Many foreign investors are turned off (by the measure),” he said in a phone interview with BusinessWorld on Tuesday.

“You cannot (remove contractualization); we’ll be the only one in the world to do that,” he added, noting that the contracting of services not directly affecting the company’s business is a common global business practice. — Gillian M. Cortez

Duterte certifies as urgent anti-contractualization bill

Organized labor finally got a big push in its quest to end Contractualization.

President Rodrigo Duterte has certified as urgent Senate Bill 1826 that seeks to end Contractualization and strengthen security of tenure of workers.

“NAGKAISA welcomes the certification of President Duterte,” said Atty. Sonny Matula, chairperson of the Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition.

“We are near the goal. It’s closer than it has ever been, but we still have some work to do. The Senate has been given a directive to craft a law that will end Contractualization. We must see this through and ensure that the proposed measure shall address the weaknesses of existing laws on security of tenure,” Matula said.

Nagkaisa has consistently campaigned against Contractualization since its inception in 2012.

“Labor’s persistence has so far paid off. Our relentless efforts have shown dividends. Now is not the time to rest. After more than two years, the Duterte administration has finally made a big step towards the fulfillment of a campaign promise,” said Matula, who is also the president of the Federation of Free Workers (FFW).

“We shall mount more pressure within the halls of Congress and the parliament of the streets,” said Matula.

Once passed by the Senate, a bicameral conference will be convened by both chambers of Congress to harmonize the provisions of the separate bills.

“With the election season fast approaching, the Senate and House of Representatives, voting separately, is under pressure to ratify the harmonized version and submit the law for the president’s enactment,” Matula said.

Workers' strikes result of Duterte's policy failure – labor groups

File photo

MANILA, Philippines  – Labor groups hit back at President Rodrigo Duterte, saying that strikes are a result of the Chief Executive's failure to uplift working conditions.

In a live interview with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on on Tuesday, September 11, Duterte said investors were leaving the country because workers were staging strikes.

Duterte particularly cited the Kilusang Mayo Uno: "Itong KMU, sige strike. Eh di magsara ano [ang mga negosyo]. Sino magugutom? Pilipino." (KMU keeps on holding strikes. So businesses close. Who goes hungry? The Filipinos.)

"Walang negosyante papasok. After 3 months, mag-strike kayo. Malulugi kapital niya, kaya sila nagsiawatan. Sa China, walang strike. Trabaho lang," he added.

(Businessmen won't come here [because when they do], after 3 months, you hold strikes. There will not be enough returns for their capital, that's why they are backing out. In China, they don't have strikes. They only work.)

The KMU reminded the President that the right to strike is a "universal workers' right guaranteed by international and domestic laws."

"The upsurge of workers' strikes these past months are results of Duterte's failure to end contractualization, refusal to address the rising prices of commodities by implementing a significant wage hike, and of the government's fascist attacks against trade union and human rights," KMU chairperson Bong Labog said in a statement.

In a text message to Rappler, Sentro secretary-general Josua Mata said Duterte had failed to understand the country's economic situation. (READ: [ANALYSIS] Why is Philippine inflation now the highest in ASEAN?)

"There are certainly a number of reasons why investors are leaving – the terrible state of our infrastructure, gargantuan traffic, high power rates, unpredictable policy environment, corruption – but the labor movement's advocacy for workers' rights is not one of them," Mata said.

"It’s red tape, corruption, poor and ageing infrastructure that discourages investors not labor advocates," Alan Tanjusay said, spokesperson of Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP).

Labor groups have slammed the administration's policies, and accused Duterte of siding with businesses instead of the workers for failing to end contractualization. This year's Labor Day observance brought together 20,000 workers and various groups – the biggest protest in years.

The groups have called for a wage increase due to higher prices brought by high inflation rates.

The Global Workers' Rights Index 2018 shows the Philippines is ranked among the worst countries to work in. – Aika Rey @reyaika Rappler.com

Workers urge Roque: Check market prices

NOISE PROTEST Farmers bang empty pots during a rally in Mendiola to denounce the rapid increase in rice prices, which are now beyond the reach of poor consumers. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Labor groups urged presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday to go to market — a nod to a nursery rhyme — to get a sense of how Filipinos were hard-pressed in stretching their budgets amid soaring prices of basic commodities.

They issued the challenge after Roque said on Friday that while the 6.4-percent inflation rate in August was higher than usual, “it’s nothing to be worried about.”

The public may not find comfort in the Palace official’s assurance as fuel prices have increased anew, a development that can thwart efforts to tame inflation.

For the fifth week in a row, oil companies in the country increased pump prices. Prices of diesel, gasoline and kerosene went up by 65 centavos per liter starting 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Insensitive

A moderate labor group, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, said Roque’s effort to downplay the impact of the high inflation was not only antipoor but also reeked of “insensitivity.”

“The inflation rate is pushing the prices of food way beyond the capacity of the majority of poor Filipinos, whether they are employed or unemployed,” said Sentro secretary general Josua Mata.

Inflation last month was the highest in nine years. It stood at 7 percent in Metro Manila and 9 percent in Bicol.

Prices of food, especially rice, fish, meat and vegetables, and nonalcoholic beverages rose 8.5 percent.

Vegetables and fish may now be out of reach of the poor because their prices, according to government data, rose nationwide in August by 19.2 percent and 12.4 percent, respectively.

In the absence of subsidized rice from the state-owned National Food Authority (NFA) in many parts of the country, commercial rice is no longer affordable to many Filipinos as its prices have hit record highs.

The shortage of cheap NFA rice prompted the local governments to declare a state of calamity two weeks ago in Zamboanga City and Tawi-Tawi province, where prices of the staple rose to up to P70 and P80 a kilo, respectively.

Deep anxiety

Roque may have nothing to worry about the rising cost of living given the status and lifestyle of his family, according to the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP).

“But in the case of millions of poor Filipinos already deep in poverty, this current inflation is a cause of depression and deep anxiety for them,’’ said ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay.

Tanjusay said power and high-handedness might have gone into the head of Roque “that he had lost touch of what makes poor people sing.”

Nagkaisa labor coalition spokesperson Rene Magtubo said Filipinos “have every [reason] to worry.”

“Is he living on another planet?” Magtubo said, referring to the presidential spokesperson. “It’s very difficult now to fit our low wages with the continued increase in the price of basic commodities.”

As Filipinos become increasingly food insecure, the three labor groups called on President Duterte to sack his economic managers, as well as Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and NFA Administrator Jason Aquino.

“Their incompetence is clearly part of the problem,” Mata said.

Price rigging, hoarding

In the House of Representatives, Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. urged the National Price Coordinating Council to look into reports that some unscrupulous individuals may be involved in price manipulation and “widespread hoarding.”

“In some places, inflation is higher than the national average. Rice and gas prices have shot through the roof in many provinces where the cost of transporting them is expensive,” the Camarines Sur lawmaker said in a statement.

Besides a depleted NFA buffer stock and hoarding, rising fuel prices, weakening of the peso, low supply of certain commodities and the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act were blamed for the surging cost of living.

TRAIN impact

The TRAIN law, which took effect on Jan. 1, jacked up or slapped new taxes on goods, such as oil, cigarettes, sugary drinks and vehicles, to compensate for raising the cap on tax-exempt personal income to an annual pay of P250,000.

Prices of diesel have gone up 25 times this year but have gone down 11 times for a net increase of P11.80 per liter, according to the Department of Energy.

Prices of gasoline have risen 26 times but have fallen 10 times for a net increase of P11.47.

Seeking to ease fears that inflation might worsen in the coming months, Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu said on Monday that rising prices were just a “birth pain” of the TRAIN law,

“Like in the delivery of a baby, we will all feel happiness after the child’s birth,” the Batangas lawmaker said at a news briefing. “As they say, we should relax for now. We will eventually feel its gains.”

Half cup of rice

Ako Bicol Rep. Rodel Batocabe said the TRAIN law should not be blamed for the high inflation.

Batocabe said the people had been complaining about the rising prices of goods because “they were used” to the low level of inflation during the Aquino administration.

“Maybe we should tighten our belts some more,” he said. “We should also stop wasting rice. If you cannot finish a cup of rice, then just buy half a cup instead.” -
By: Jovic Yee, Marlon Ramos, Ronnel W. Domingo - @inquirerdotnet