Labor groups calling for wage hikes and the end of contractualization assemble along España Boulevard before marching to Mendiola and US Embassy, Manila, on May 1, 2023. INQUIRER.net / Faith Argosino
MANILA, Philippines — Labor rights leaders Leodegario “Ka Leody” Quitain de Guzman and Atty. Luke Espiritu on Monday called out the national government for marketing “cheap, flexible, and precarious labor” and “relying on foreign capital” to boost the country’s economy.
Both leaders aired their grievances during the Labor Day protest staged by various workers from various Philippine trade union centers, labor federations, and organizations along Mendiola Street and in front of the US Embassy office in Manila, which also coincides with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s four-day visit to meet his American counterpart US chief executive Joe Biden.
“Tanggap na natin. Failure. Failure ang paraan na ginagawa ng gobyerno hindi lang ni Bongbong, kundi ng lahat ng administrasyon. Isang daang taon na nating ginagawa [ang pag aklas] sa mga dayuhang negosyante ang pag-unlad ng ating bansa,” de Guzman told reporters.
(Let’s face it. Failure. What the government is doing is a failure, not just for Bongbong [Marcos] but all administrations. For hundreds of years, we have been trying to revolt against what foreign businessmen do and develop our country.)
“Ang dami nating inimbitahang mga kapitalista na pumunta dito. Pero bigo tayo eh. Ang umuunlad, mga kapitalista. Pero ‘yung mga manggagawa, ganun parin ang buhay. ‘Wag tayo mag-imbita nang mag-imbita ng mga foreign investor dahil ang yumayaman lang is sila.
(We invited many capitalists to come here, but they only got richer while our workers’ lives stayed the same. Avoid inviting foreign investors because they are the only ones getting rich.)
Likewise, Espiritu said the government should rely on something other than foreign investors and urged the current administration to hear out the needs of local workers.
“Ang binibenta [ni] Presidente Marcos ay cheap, flexible, at precarious labor. ‘Yan ‘yung mina-market niya sa ibang bansa. Ibig sabihin mga manggagawang api, mga manggagawang gutom, mga manggagawang maliit ang sweldo at hindi nakabubuhay,” Espiritu lamented.
(What President Marcos is selling is cheap, flexible, and precarious labor. That’s what he markets in other countries. That means oppressed workers, hungry workers, and workers with low wages that can’t sustain their daily needs.)
“Ang Presidente ay nasa Amerika. Doon siya magl-labor day. Kausap niya si Biden habang tayo’y nandirito ngayon at sinasabi sa kanya ang problema na kinakaharap ng mga manggagawa. Ito’y mga seryosong problema,” he added.
(The President is in America. He is there on labor day. He’s talking to Biden as we’re here today and telling him about the serious problems that our workers are facing.)
Protests along España, Mendiola Street, and in front of the US Embassy office drew over 10,000 workers from different labor groups under the All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) “to demand wage hikes, new, permanent, and decent jobs,” among others.
Among the groups in APTU are the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition and the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), including other workers’ organizations, established in January 2023.
The caravan of Labor Day rallies started from Welcome Rotonda, gathering with other protesters along Maceda Street and Ramon Magsaysay High School before marching to Mendiola.
Workers marched the streets of España Boulevard armed with their placards and banners, occupying the entire southbound of Manila’s main artery.
Meanwhile, the Manila Police District deployed 1,100 police personnel within the area to ensure public safety. Cops guarding the site also held placards recognizing workers’ efforts and wishing them a “Happy Labor Day.”
RELATED STORIES:
LOOK: Workers’ groups converge in Mendiola to hold Labor Day protest
Around 1,100 cops to be deployed on Labor Day in Manila