TRADE UNION CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES (TUCP). FILE IMAGE
MANILA, Philippines – After getting the support of a trade union group, Senator Richard Gordon on Tuesday vowed to continue pushing for the passage of bills safeguarding the rights and improving the standard of living of Filipino workers once reelected.
“Sinisigurado natin ngayon at sa hinaharap na hindi natin pababayaan ang karapatan ng mga manggagawang Pilipino at patuloy tayong magsusulong ng mga panukalang batas na makabubuti sa kanilang antas ng pamumuhay,” Gordon said in a statement.
(We ensure now and in the future that we will not neglect the rights of Filipino workers, and we will continue to push for bills that will improve their standard of living.)
Gordon made this remark after receiving the endorsement of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) for his senatorial bid ahead of the May 9 elections.
Gordon said he would push for bills to help the working class, including the proposed Regional Infrastructure Coordinating Hub (RICH) law.
“With the passage of the RICH bill, there will be a one-stop shop for our farmers and fishermen to sell their produce, and at the same time tend to various concerns in food production and security,” Gordon explained in his statement.
According to Gordon, the passing of the said bill will aid not only the agriculture sector, but also the business, transportation, and education sectors, as the development of these industrial hubs would create jobs in Central Luzon, Northern Mindanao, and the Visayas, where there is an existing seaport and airport.
President Rodrigo Duterte vetoed the bill in 2019, claiming that it has various measures that would pose a significant financial risk to the country and consequently be harmful to its economic progress.
Gordon refiled the bill in 2020 and it is currently pending at the committee level.
TUCP support
Raymond Mendoza, who represents the TUCP in Congress, announced on Monday that the group would be “actively campaigning and work[ing] for the victory” of Gordon and 11 other senatorial candidates from different slates.
Aside from Gordon, the TUCP also announced their support for the candidacy of reelectionist Senators Risa Hontiveros and Joel Villanueva.
Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, human rights lawyer Neri Colmenares, former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda, former House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, labor leader Elmer Labog, human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, former Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and former Senator Jinggoy Estrada also got the support of the TUCP. Jericho Zafra, INQUIRER.net trainee