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

PHL economy is losing big time on traffic jam

LONGER COMMUTE, EQUALS LESS PRODUCTIVITY

The gridlock plaguing the streets of Metro Manila is costing the Philippine at least P2.4 billion a day, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) cited in a study it released in September 2014 in conjunction with the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

A year later, NEDA Director General Arsenio Balisacan estimated the economic loss from traffic jams at P3 billion a day, saying the amount is equivalent to 0.8 percent of the gross domestic product.

Without intervention, the economic cost of the daily gridlock is likely to reach P6 billion a day by 2030, JICA noted.

"The impact of traffic is horrendous. People spend so much time in getting a ride, getting to their respective offices," Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo, director of the Center for Labor Justice of the UP School of Labor and industrial Relations said in a phone interview on Friday.

The supposed 8-hour a day an employee must spend for work, rest, and socialization have now been reduced because of the gridlock, Ofreneo said.

"It's really terrible. It says a lot about the inability of the government to manage a public service," the director noted.

"We need a strong transport planning system. The government should play a big part in this," he said.

Unquantifiable ordeal

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) mirror's the situation by saying that the length of time a worker spends on commuting has lessened productivity.

"The productivity of workers is affected, because it now takes an average of three hours for a worker in Metro Manila to travel to work and another three to four hours to travel back home," TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said in a separate interview.

"Productivity has been greatly lessened," he said.

"Since there are no dramatic changes implemented by the government to enhance the mass transport logistics and scenario in the past 14 years of the Arroyo and Aquino administrations, we can only imagine the unquantifiable ordeal workers are going through," Tanjusay noted.

As a result of the poor mass transport service, the TUCP has been calling on government and employers since 2012 to implement a flexible working time for state and private sector employees.

This includes a compressed, four-day work week, variable working hours, time banking, and work-from-home options.

Because of the gridlock, what is usually a 15-minute drive may last up to two hours, according to online financial platform MoneyMax.ph.

When a motorist is caught in a traffic jam and the engine is left running on idle, the car continues to consume fuel at the rate of 0.1 to 0.6 liter for every 10 minutes, MoneyMax noted, citing data from the Green Action Center.

"Fuel is one of the major costs of owning a car. If fuel costs P41 a liter, that’s at least P24.60 per hour (0.1 liters for every 10 minutes). If you multiply that by the extra 700 hours you spend in traffic in Metro Manila that translates to at least P17,220.00 wasted on fuel (and that’s if you’re only using 0.6 liters an hour)."

A long commute due to traffic makes workers less productive. Studies have shown that a strenuous commute increases the likeliness of irritability and fatigue which decreases a person’s performance on the job, MoneyMax added.

Saving P2.4B a day

A global survey by community-based traffic and navigation app Waze showed that Metro Manila has the worst of traffic jams.

The poll covered 50 million users in 32 countries and 167 metropolitan areas. The Philippines got a rating of 0.4 on a grading system of 10 (satisfying), to 1 miserable).

Citing data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group this week attributed the latest gridlock to the Christmas rush.

PNP-HPG Chief Supt. Arnold Gunancao said in a radio interview that the number of private vehicles plying EDSA has exceeded the 120,000 per hour capacity by three times.

Public buses traversing Metro Manila's circumferential freeway have also increased from 1,200 to at least 7,000 in both directions.

In trying to resolve the gridlock, JICA prepared a transport infrastructure roadmap for Mega Manila – the Mega Manila Dream Plan, which was approved by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in June.

"JICA hopes to work with the government in implementing some of these ideas to help improve mobility, and the quality of life of people in Metro Manila, and its surrounding areas," JICA Philippines Senior Representative Eigo Azukizawa earlier said.

"An efficient public transport system is a pro-poor investment as it provides reasonable ways of moving. As well, it enables people to commute from suburban areas where one can afford housing in a more spacious and safer area," he added.

The dream plan is designed to help the country save P2.4 billion per day, the estimated economic and financial losses to traffic congestion.

JICA last month committed a P93-billion loan to fund the country's North-South Commuter Railway Project.

Japan said it will lend a total of ¥241.991 billion or P93.457 billion to finance the construction of the first phase of the railway project which stretches 36.7 kilometers from Malolos, Bulacan to Tutuban, Manila. – By JON VIKTOR D. CABUENAS, GMA News VS, GMA News