As Phl observes labor day workers groups greet May 1 with protests
CEBU, Philippines - Representatives from different labor, urban poor and transport sectors today will take to the streets of Cebu City their cries for the Aquino administration and the May 13 polls candidates as the country celebrates the economic and social contributions of Filipino workers.
Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) regional spokesperson Dennis Derige told The FREEMAN in an interview that about 7,000 will participate in their parade that calls for immediate resolution of the pressing issues faced by the Philippine labor sector.
The demonstration today will start from P. del Rosario St. and culminate at Colon St. and will be joined, among others, by groups such as the Alliance for Progressive Labor, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Makabayang Kilusan as well as groups from the hotel and restaurant industry, transport and urban sectors.
Partido ng Manggagawa has around 250,000 members nationwide, of which 30,000 come from Cebu. In particular, the group is calling for the institutionalization of major policies in labor reforms.
Derige challenged those who are vying for the upcoming midterm elections to include in their list of priorities some platforms that will address concerns on contractualization of workers, massive unemployment and wage increase.
He said candidates have put to the table almost the same platforms but seem to have failed to consider in their campaigns the role of Filipino workers in the country's development.
In earlier reports, the Aquino government through the Department of Labor and Employment, will stage today a nationwide job fair where about half a million job vacancies will be opened for prospective applicants.
But Derige criticized the administration's move to hold job fairs in an attempt to answer the problem of unemployment, saying that what the nation needs is to create jobs and eliminate job mismatch.
"As we celebrate Labor Day today, about seven percent of the Filipinos remain unemployed and until now the government has not laid down a concrete solution this problem," he said.
Meanwhile, President Benigno Aquino III thumbed down yesterday the urgent certification of the proposed Security of Tenure bill as it may violate pertinent laws, but promised to do more for the workers.
In his pre-Labor Day speech at Malacañang before businessmen and labor groups' representatives, Aquino also said that the proposed measure is against his administration's goal of creating more jobs.
"Tungkol sa mungkahing i-certify as urgent ang Security of Tenure Bill: Una po, labag po ito sa pagkakaintindi natin sa batas, dahil ang maaari ko lamang agad na sertipikahan ay ang mga panukalang tumutugon sa public calamity o kaya ay emergency," Aquino said in a report by The STAR.
"Pangalawa, taliwas ito sa agenda nating magdagdag ng trabaho, dahil habang may 1.8 milyong manggagawa ang makikinabang, mayroon namang tinatayang sampung milyong Pilipino ang mawawalan ng trabaho," he added.
The President in the same dialogue also thumbed down the proposal to decrease tax exemptions on de minimis benefits or minimal benefits among minimum wage earners as he said this would be detrimental to the government's revenue collection.
"Kapag ginawa natin ito, P2.74 billion ang mababawas sa kinakalap na buwis. Ang katumbas po nito: mahigit tatlong libong silid-aralan, o mahigit labing isang libong kabahayan. Makatwiran bang ilagay po natin sa alanganin ang edukasyon ng mga kabataan? Ipagkakait ba natin ang mga proyektong pabahay para sa mga maralita?," Aquino said.
Aquino, however, said that he is open to amending the proposed measure to reach a win-win solution for both employers and workers.
The two moves received disproval from Derige who said that if the government could not approve increase in wages, at least it should device ways to increase the take home pay of workers by reducing their tax obligations.