MPD: 5,000 protesters join Labor Day rally at Mendiola

About 5,000 people joined the protest actions staged in front of the Mendiola Peace Arch for Labor Day, the Manila Police District (MPD) said on Tuesday afternoon.

MPD spokesman Supt. Erwin Margarejo said they monitored more or less 5,000 protesters from various labor groups that converged in Mendiola since Tuesday morning.

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Labor groups such as Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Sentro ng Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (NAGKAISA), Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, among others, staged demonstrations to demand the end of contractualization.

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While President Rodrigo Duterte signed an executive order against the practice, militant and labor groups believe that the signed order was “anti-worker” and “useless.”

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KMU vice chair Lito Ustarez said the executive order was no different from the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Department Order 174, which bans various forms of contractual work but still allowed hiring contractual workers.

READ: Dole order contrary to Duterte’s promise vs ‘endo’ — labor group

“Ano ang gagawin natin doon sa executive order na pinirmahan? Dapat iyan ibasura! Hindi tayo papayag sa executive order na iyan dahil iyan ay anti-manggagawa. Walang iniwan iyan doon sa DO 174 na pilit isinusubo sa atin ng DOLE,” Ustarez said.

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“Kaya mga kasama, tuloy tuloy tayo kikilos, tuloy tayo lalaban. Executive order na pinirmahan, kontra manggagawa, walang silbi,” he stressed.

Likewise, Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin, who joined the united protest action staged by KMU and NAGKAISA, said that labor groups will “totally” reject the order signed by the President.

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Villarin said the signed executive order was not the draft endorsed by labor groups such as TUCP, KMU and NAGKAISA.

“The EO signed by Duterte is the DTI version, not the workers’ version opposed by NAGKAISA and KMU. We totally reject the order signed by President Duterte,” he said. /je