Karapatan condemned the recent killing of peasant leaders Julius Broce Barellano and Arnel Penaso, as well as the recent illegal arrest and detention of peasant organizer Pedro Lumantas, saying these rights violations further demonstrate “the Duterte regime’s contempt for the majority of poor peasants in the country.”
On June 27, 2018, Barellano, 36, Chairperson of the Hacienda Medina Farmworkers’ Association, an affiliate of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, was shot by an unnamed assailant at around 8:30 in the morning. The victim was about to enter their family’s house when the assailant onboard a motorcycle shot him in the foot and chest. He was rushed to the San Carlos City Hospital, but he did not survive.
“The nearly 2-month detention of a Methodist missionary from Zimbabwe and the harassment of two other missionaries from the US and Malawi demonstrate the paranoia overdrive of a brutal and repressive regime that has much to hide. At the same time, it also shows the Duterte administration’s dire lack of understanding and respect for the right of peoples to extend international solidarity to Filipinos who bear the brunt of this anti-people government,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, on recent reports on the situation of foreign missionaries who participated in an international ecumenical fact-finding mission on rights violations in Mindanao.
Jose Maria Sison clarified that he did not terminate the peace negotiations between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP), saying it is only their group’s National Council that can make the decision to suspend, cancel or terminate their peace negotiations with the government. […]
President Rodrigo Duterte has a really confused mind, replying with off topic answers, Jose Maria Sison said. “Magulo talaga ang utak ni Duterte. Siya ang tanungin kung bakit bigla niyang binabanggit si Leila de Lima at iyong umano’y sex video,” Sison said of the President’s reply to his earlier announcement the National Democractic Front of […]
Workers from Slord Development Corporation, manufacturer of Uni-Pak Sardines, staged a protest at the Social Security Services (SSS) Main Office gates at East Avenue, Quezon City this morning, before filing a formal complaint against the corporation for its non-registration of employees and non-remittance of SSS contributions.
“Halos tatlong dekada na kami sa Slord pero ni minsan ay hindi kami nito nirehistro o naghulog ng contribution sa SSS namin,” said Samahang Manggagawa sa Slord Development Corporation President Norenda Nacinopa.
(We have been working for Slord for almost three decades, but not once did the company file our registration or remit our contributions to SSS.)
According to her, Uni-Pak workers only receive salaries worth P350-370 per day, way below the minimum wage of P512 in Metro Manila.
Slord Development Corporation also fails to provide its workers, who are mostly women, with appropriate benefits such as maternity leaves. “Many workers who get pregnant are immediately fired from the company”, Nacinopa said.
According to the Samahang Manggagawa sa Slord secretary Elvira Jerez, 44 employees were illegally laid off on May 12 for organizing and asking the Department of Labor and Employment for assistance regarding their condition.
The protest held at the SSS Main Office was part of the group’s series of protests who currently have a Kampuhan ng mga Kontraktwal, a picket camp in front of the Navotas Fishport Complex to assert their demands for regularization, higher wages, benefits, and safe working conditions.
“Despite offers of settlement from the corporation, we workers continue on with this fight. We are not just fighting to get our jobs back, but to ensure that all workers are regularized, treated fairly and receive the wages and benefits they deserve,” Jerez said.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison said they could no longer negotiate with a government headed by President Rodrigo Duterte. In his strongest statement condemning Duterte’s repeated cancellation of formal talks yet, Sison said the Filipino people, especially the oppressed and exploited, cannot expect any benefit from negotiating […]
In what they call a ‘Beehive’, Jollibee workers who were illegally dismissed kicked off their indefinite campout at the gate of JFC’s (Jollibee Foods Corporation) main office in Paranaque today.
Before trooping to the company’s main warehouse, members of SM-JFC (Samahan ng Manggagawa sa JFC) held a ‘die-in protest’ at the Jollibee head office in Pasig City.
Workers’ ‘die-in’ protest at the Jollibee main office in Pasig. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
Workers slammed the termination of agency service contracts of JFC with Toplis Solution and Staff Search Agency that led to the massive dismissal of hundreds of its warehouse workers.
During the protest, hundreds of protesting workers expressed their rage against JFC’s non-adherence to the labor department’s compliance order to regularize thousands of its workers.
Defend Job Philippines and SM-JFC said that instead of regularizing its workers, “JFC has been clearly and deliberately violating the ruling of DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, despite being the top Philippine company to practice illegal labor-only contracting scheme (LOC).”
The groups also urged DOLE officials and President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene and be hands-on on regularization in JFC. They also reiterated their appeal for Bello and Duterte to look into the moves of JFC that circumvented previous rulings against LOC.
“We call on the Duterte government to take up decisive actions for the benefit and welfare of the hundreds of jobless workers of this abusive fast-food giant. JFC workers deserve to be regularized, higher wages, substantial benefits and better working conditions,” said SM-JFC President Rogelio Magistrado.
‘Jollibee diet’
SM-JFC and Defend Job Philippines also enjoined the public to support their struggle for their reinstatement and regularization by temporarily restraining from patronizing products of JFC and its affiliates and subsidiaries.
The groups asked for the regular customers of JFC for understanding and sympathy by looking for other fast food options and by having a temporary ‘Jollibee diet’ by not dining in Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Red Ribbon, Yong He King, Hong Zhuang Yuan, Mang Inasal, Burger King, Highlands Coffee, Pho24, 12 Hotpot, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Smashburger.
“A single order of regular fries, burger or drinks that will be deducted to the earnings of JFC can contribute a lot to the long-drawn demands of contractual workers to be regular employees,” appealed to the public.
The group emphasized that every single cent not earned by JFC would put strong pressure on the company to listen to their clamor for regularization.
The groups also encouraged netizens to express their support to them by posting their ‘Jollibee diet’ in their social media accounts and by by using the hashtag #BEEastMode.
Indefinite ‘Beehive’ Protest Camp kicked-off
According to Magistrado, as JFC left them with nothing but joblessness, they have nothing to do but to resort in camping out at the company’s main pinnacle.
SM-JFC and Defend Job Philippines said that the JFC commissary and warehouse, where they set up their ‘Beehive’ is engaged in storing, handling and distributing products and other logistical needs of all other warehouses and Jollibee stores in Luzon. They provide logistics services to Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Burger King, Mang Inasal, and Red Ribbon.
Call for support
“We call on all contractual employees of JFC, our government officials, netizens and other supporters to visit us in our ‘Beehive’. To show solidarity, we encourage all workers in different warehouse and stores under JFC to launch various forms of sympathy protests down to the store levels to amplify our unified call for regularization,” said Magistrado.
Magistrado stressed that they are determined to defend their camp at all cost, until the JFC management face them and give them their legitimate and just demands to be reinstated and be regularized.
