Press Release: Rural Missionaries

Global Weeks of Action for Mindanao kicks off in London

 

Following the International Peoples’ Tribunal  (IPT) verdict last July on the Philippine and US governments’ gross violations of the rights of its citizens, the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) has called for global weeks of action for Mindanao.

 

Starting on November 21, a series of events will be held in succession in different countries in Europe, in the weeks leading up to International Human Rights Day on 10 December. The opening event will be on the 21^st in the form of a Public Meeting at the UNISON Centre in London. The meeting is organized by the Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines – UK, in coordination with the Kanlungan Filipino Consortium and the UNISON-Filipino Activists Network.

 

The guest speakers will be two indigenous peoples’ rights advocate from Northern Mindanao, Sr. Ma. Famita Somogod, MSM [the regional coordinator of the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines – Northern Mindanao Region (RMP-NMR)] and Prof. Arnold Alamon, the executive editor of the Mindanao Interfaith Institute on Lumad Studies.

 

“Barely a month after the IPT found the Philippine government guilty of the systematic violation of the Filipino people’s civil, political, economic, socio-cultural rights, there has been an escalation of state and state-sponsored brutality in the indigenous peoples’ communities in Mindanao, the southern part of the Philippines,” said Sister Somogod.

 

On August 18 this year, five members of the Manobo community in Pangantucan, Bukidnon were massacred by state forces. This was the second massacre this year in Northern Mindanao region alone after the military killed four members of the Higaonon community on March 29. Karapatan, the largest human rights alliance in the Philippines records a total of 15 massacres under the watch of Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III.

 

“The outrage of the communities at the lack of government action and in fact their authored attacks on the Lumad has spread nationwide and attracted international concerns as well when not a month later, the executive director of an alternative learning school primarily catering Lumad students was killed by a state-backed paramilitary group,” the nun furthered.

 

The main objectives of the Global Weeks of Action for Mindanao are to publicise and gain even wider international support for the struggles of the peoples of Mindanao against their systematic repression and exploitation by their own government.

 

“We encourage awareness, far and wide, of the continuing abuse of human rights in the Philippines, especially, at this time on the island of Mindanao. These abuses take place in the context of a culture of impunity, enjoyed by those who are responsible for them and of a callous disregard of their plight by their own government,” said Rev. Barry Naylor, chair of the global council of the ICHRP.

 

“We are pleased that we can hear, at first hand, from human rights activists who have travelled from Mindanao to share their first hand experiences of abuses and terror,” emphasized Reverend Naylor. “It is vital that we let people know what is happening to the people and the land of Mindanao and that we respond in ways that assure people there that they do not stand alone. We wish to affirm that people throughout the world are standing in solidarity with the peoples of Mindanao, that we are listening to them and responding in ways that are both supportive to them and challenging to those responsible for committing and tolerating the abuses they endure.”

 

In addition to the activities in London, film showings and public meetings will also be organized in Austria and Poland which will be attended by other delegates from Mindanao. Other actions have been planned for Italy, Belgium, France, Germany and the Netherlands. These activities include awareness raising among Filipino compatriots and human rights advocates, to include international human rights organizations such as the Amnesty International, Frontline Defenders, the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation –Union of International Superior Generals, and the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace of the Vatican. Meeting and lobbying with representatives of the European Union’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development and the European External Action Services are also included in the itinerary. The delegation also hopes to meet Pope Francis.

 

The Global Weeks of Action in Europe is organized by RMP-NMR, Kalumaran, Panalipdan Mindanao and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

 

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Akbayan to Bongbong: Endo is not a soundbite

Akbayan Party List

Press Release

 10 November 2015

 

 

Akbayan party-list today challenged Senator Bongbong Marcos to go beyond soundbites on labor contractualization saying his track record shows he has not initiated any legislation to protect workers’ job security. 

 

“Sen. Marcos is quick to denounce the same government he is a part of but one wonders what he has actually done for workers’ rights,” said Akbayan President and spokesperson Machris Cabreros. “His 6-year stint at the Senate shows he has no track record whatsoever in favour of workers.”

 

“Instead, Sen. Marcos was nowhere to be found in pushing for the passage of a security of tenure law which has been languishing in the legislative mill for years,” said Cabreros. 

 

“Despite the constitutional provision on security of tenure, there is a need for an enabling law to protect workers from arbitrary job security as existing legislation is weak to respond to endless renewals under the 5-5-5-scheme,” she explained.

 

“This measure would ensure that workers not only get to keep their jobs, they would also be able to organize and collectively bargain as they need not fear reprisal from employers,” Cabreros added. “rights which, ironically, were dramatically eroded during Martial Law when workers’ strikes and assemblies were violently dispersed in the name of the Bagong Lipunan’s illusory growth.” 

 

“According to his own webite, Sen. Marcos’s only prominent bill on labor is the one on the creation of an inter-agency council for jobs creation, which even contains a problematic provision that mandates the proposed body to recommend policies to remove hindrances for the establishment of business enterprises, which means unions,” said Cabreros. ”So Marcos’ newfound concern for workers is highly suspect.”

 

Akbayan kay Bongbong: wag gamiting PR ang mga obrero

 

Hinamon ngayon ng Akbayan partylist si Sen. Bongbong Marcos na itigil ang paggamit sa mga manggagawa ukol sa isyu ng kontraktwalisasyon. 

 

“Madaling bumanat sa gubyerno na saan siya mismo ay kabahagi, ngunit ano ang ginawa ni  Sen. Marcos sa loob ng anim na taon upang isulong ang karapatan ng mga manggagawa?” tanong ni Machris Cabreros, Presidente ng Akbayan.

 

“Kailangan ng isang batas na magdedetalye sa seguridad sa trabaho dahil mahina pa ang Labor Code para labanan ang 5-5-5 scheme,” dagdag ni Cabreros. “Ngunit walang papel na ginampanan si Marcos sa pagsusulong ng security of tenure bill na matagal nang nakabinbin sa lehislatura.”

 

“Kung may kaseguruhan sa trabaho mas madaling makakapag-organisa at makapag-negosasyon ang mga obrero para magkaroon ng collective bargaining agreements,” paliwanag ni Cabreros, “mga karapatan na nilusaw ng diktatura noong 70s sa ngalan ng ilusyon ng pagunlad sa ilalim ng Bagong Lipunan.” 

 

“Ang nagiisang panukalang batas ni Marcos sa pagtatayo ng Inter-Agency Council on Jobs Creation ay problematiko dahil may probisyon itong nagsasabing ang mandato ng naturang Council ay tanggalin ang mga balakid sa pgtatayo ng negosyo, na ang ibig sabihin ay mga unyon,” ani Cabreros. “Kaya kaduda-duda ang biglaang pagaalala ni Marcos sa karapatan ng mga obrero.”

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Workers slam P10B budget for APEC

PAGKAKAISA NG MANGGAGAWA SA TIMOG KATAGALUGAN – KILUSANG MAYO UNO
(PAMANTIK-KMU)

PRESS STATEMENT
NOVEMBER 10, 2015

Reference Person:
Allan Bagas, Secretary General
PAMANTIK-KMU
09393508106

Southern Tagalog workers slam P10B budget for APEC meet

 

“Even if more than 40 meetings were held before the big APEC event on Nov. 18-19, the P10 billion budget allotment is just too extravagant,” said PAMANTIK-KMU Secretary General Allan Bagas.

 

For the Aquino government that claims it is advancing the welfare of the common people through matuwid na daan, spending billions of pesos on world leaders’ meeting is never an exemplar of a genuinely pro-people governance. 

 

The Southern Tagalog workers, 80-90% of whom are contractuals, have to budget every day an inhumane minimum wage of P219 to 362.50. If the Aquino government would want to set an example, it would not show the Filipino people that it is pampering a few through lavish spending.

 

PAMANTIK-KMU also slams the “Building Inclusive Economies, Better a Better World” APEC theme, as it continues to disillusion the people that their lives improve as the economy grows.

 

Bagas stressed, “Under the Aquino government, there is continuous economic gains which doubled or tripled the capitalists’ profits while more workers become victims of contractualization. Contractual workers, on the other hand, received very cheap wages with no benefits while exposed to systematic unfair labor practices.”

 

“Workers from the region will join the nationwide protest to expose APEC and its collaboration with the Aquino government to further exploit the people and our natural resources. Our country is rich but tens of millions of people are poor. We don’t need exploitative multi-lateral organizations. We can stand on our own because we have everything we need,” Bagas ended.

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