Attacks and harassments of indigenous people’s schools and communities have continued, the organization Save our Schools Network has reported.
#NutriAsiaWorkersStrike | Tagaluto ng Mang Tomas
“Nandun ako nung nagkaroon ng girian nung nakaraan, nagkaroon ng tulukan sa gilid po, namalo na mga pulis, marami nang duguan, kahit nakatayo na yung mga kasamahan, kahit nakataas na yung mga kamay ay pinapalo pa rin ng mga pulis” salaysay ng 34 taong gulang na si Arnold Sabado na naroroon mismo sa nangyaring madugong dispersal sa pagitan ng mga kapulisan at mga manggagawa ng NutriAsia noong Hunyo 14.
Siyam na taon nang nagtatrabaho si Arnold sa NutriAsia bilang isang mixer at tagaluto ng Mang Tomas.
Tuloy-tuloy ang kanilang pasok sapagka’t lagi silang naghahabol ng quota. Sa isang araw ay umaabot ng 3,800 ang kanilang quota at kung minsan ay pumapaling pa sa 4,000 bote ng Mang Tomas.
Kung gaano kataas ang kanilang quota ay ganoon naman kababa ang kanilang sinasahod at kulang-kulang na hulog. Nasa P380 lang kada araw ang kanyang sahod.
“May kasama nga ako diyan na 8 years walang hulog kaya nagresign na lang siya, nag-abroad na lang. Hindi kayang buhayin pamilya niya sa ganung sahod,” kwento ni Arnold.
Ayon pa kay Arnold ay dati itong Farm Technician ngunit nakipagsapalaran itong pumasok ng trabaho sa NutriAsia para lamang sana umani ng karanasan. Hindi niya inaasahan ang masaklap na sinapit sa NutriAsia.
Hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay hindi pa rin sila hinaharap ng management at hindi nakikipag-usap. Tinatayang 100 manggagawa lamang ang mga regular sa higit 1,400 na mga manggagawa nito.
Dahil sa pagiging casual at pagkatanggal na rin sa ibang mga manggagawa ay naapektuhan ang kani-kanilang mga pamilya. Marami na ang nagugutom sa kanila dahil sa ngayo’y wala silang trabaho.
“Yung mga pangako ni Duterte, ‘di pa rin niya tinutupad, dun parin siya sa interes ng mga kapitalista. Andami pang naghihirap. Kaya dapat diyan, ibagsak na yan eh. Huwag na nating patagalin yan sa gobyerno, habang pinatatagal ‘yan lalong naghihirap ang mga mamamayan. Kaya maraming nagrerebelde dahil sa kanya. Sana rin pakinggan na kami ng management sa mga panawagan namin, para matapos na tong gulo,” sambit ni Arnold.
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Lumad leaders decry threats of forced surrender by AFP
Leaders of Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igkanugon slammed the military and paramilitary groups amid threats of forced surrender in Davao City.
Salugpongan received reports that the 56th and 72nd infantry battalion and the 1003rd brigade of the Philippine Army, as well as paramilitary group Alamara, are planning to force Lumad evacuees to leave their sanctuaries in Davao City and Tagum City and return to their communities.
Led by Bai Bibyaon Ligkayan Bigkay, the group also condemns the forced surrender of Talaingod village chieftain Datu Guibang Apoga on June 10. They are also wary of the military using Datu Guibang for their propaganda against militant Lumad groups.
Datu Guibang led the Manobo in a ‘pangayaw’ (Lumad traditional warfare) in 1994 against logging firm Alcantara and Sons.
The Manobo from Talaingod, Davao del Norte, evacuated from their upland communities to sanctuaries in the city in March 2014 following intense militarization in their area.
Salugpongan’s full statement is published below.
SALUGPONGAN TA TANU IGKANUGON
June 20, 2018
Statement on the Plans of Forcing Salugpongan Leaders to Surrender
The leaders of Salugpongan Ta Tanu Igknaugon learned there are moves from the Alamara, together with the tribal leaders of Talaingod backed by the 56th and 72nd Infantry Battalion and 1003rd Brigade to confront us in UCCP Haran and in another sanctuary in Tagum City to force us to surrender.
The military, paramilitary and these leaders such as Nestor Apas, Lumansad Sibugan and Andigaw Agay assume that Salugpongan is weakened by the claim that Datu Guibang Apoga surrendered.
We believe Datu Guibang was forced by circumstance, due to the intense pressure by the military and Alamara. They took advantage of Datu Guibang’s frail health and age aggravated by their relentless pursuit against him as if he is a wild boar, just because he defended our ancestral territory.
To think of it, the state has no right to do this if it truly understands the situation and the historical facts of the Lumad’s struggles.
The military treats Datu Guibang as a prisoner as they used him for their propaganda. They will do everything, from forcing him to appear in rallies, or making him speak against us just to divide and weaken our stand.
But in our memory and hearts, we know where Datu Guibang stands. It is impossible for a leader of this tribe to just forego the decades of struggle in a blink of an eye. His whole life has been dedicated to the struggle that he realized is not just for his legacy but for the next generations.
In more than two decades, our struggles started with our resistance against IFMA, defending our ancestral domain which lies in Pantaron, and we build our schools so that our youth can learn and continue defending our tribe, our culture and ancestral domain, this is how far we journeyed in our struggle for our tribe.
The Alamara tried several times to weaken our organization, to break our resolve and unity. But we can say that they have failed, as we still stand together.
What is condemnable is that the Alamara, the fake leaders like Apas, and the military seek to destroy our tribe. We condemn their deception, their coercion to the Manobo people and leaders to surrender, their harassment and plans to destroy the schools and the teachers. They are pests in Talaingod! They are the ones who should be driven away and be dismantled!
Until they force all of us to fall, nothing can force us to bow away from our stand for our ancestral domain. Until they crush the tribe of Salugpongan, cut off all the trees that stand in the forest, such dry all our rivers, make Pantaron fall, then they can say the Salugpungan’s struggle is over!
As long as there are people who are aware of the truth and history of the Lumad, and as long as we continue with our struggle, we persevere and we stand. Onward with our struggle!
Bai Bibiyaon Ligkayan Bigkay, Chairperson Emeritus
Datu Tausan, Vice Chairperson for Internal Affairs
Datu Kaylo Bontolan, Council Member
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Jollibee circumventing DOLE order to regularize workers – workers’ groups
In a picket-protest of terminated workers of Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) main commissary and warehouse in Parañaque City today, the Samahan ng Manggagawa sa JFC (SM-JFC) and Defend Job Philippines said that the JFC was circumventing the Compliance Order on their regularization issued by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
“With the continuing refusal and disregard of JFC to the DOLE and its order, the fastfood giant management is clearly showing that it is not really serious in providing regular employment to its almost 29,000 contractual workforce,” Rogelio Magistrado of SM-JFC said.
The labor groups said that hundreds of workers have been terminated after the JFC ended its contracts this week with Toplis Solution and Staff Search Asia Cooperative, two of its agencies in the main commissary and warehouse in Parañaque City.
The commissary was responsible for storing, handling and distributing products and other logistical needs of all other warehouses and Jollibee stores in the whole of Luzon. It also provided logistics services to Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Burger King, Mang Inasal and Red Ribbon.
Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
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Jollibee workers protested at the fastfood chain’s commissary and warehouse following the termination of agency contracts that would lead to the termination of workers. Photo by Kathy Yamzon.
SM-JFC and Defend Job Philippines said that the cessation of agency contracts caused termination of hundreds of workers despite having an existing DOLE order and findings that the JFC tops Philippine corporations involved in labor-only contracting scheme.
Labor groups stressed that the workers demand is regularization of all of its workers to JFC as their principal employer and not regularization in their agencies. They hit the move to become regularized in manpower agencies and not the principal company they perform their jobs even as “fake regularization scheme” and “a move to deceive Jollibee workers.”
Magistrado added, “We urge Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to intervene on the series of contract termination of JFC and strongly enforce its order in the soonest possible time by stopping JFC’s blatant violation and circumvention of the DOLE Compliance Order.”
Maigstrado agreed with the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) index that said the Philippines is one of the worst country to work in.
According to Magistrado, their concrete issues of contractualization, illegal termination and unfair labor practices were clear proofs of the real issue of employment in the Philippines.
Regularization order
In a statement posted April 4, DOLE National Capital Region Director Henry John Jalbuena said his office ordered JFC to regularize 6,482 workers deployed by its 2 contractors. This was stated in a report to DOLE Undersecretary Joel Maglungsod. JFC was also directed to refund illegally collected payments to 426 affected workers in the amount of P15,432,305.00 for Coop Share, Coop Christmas Party Paluwagan Fund, and Coop Savings Fund.
DOLE also ordered 5 of Jollibee’s contractors to return unlawful wage deductions, bonds, donations, shares and other illegal payment collections to 412 affected workers with a total amount of P4,137,158.15.
In a statement on April 4, JFC said they received the order and would follow the process to appeal it.
“JFC remains committed to complying with the law and DO 174, which allows contracting arrangements with legitimate service providers. In compliance with regulations, we only deal with reputable service contractors that have been duly accredited and registered with DOLE. We have been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with DOLE,” JFC said.
The DOLE Compliance Order dated February 26, 2018 said that listed workers “shall be included in [JFC] payroll of regular employees and shall be paid the benefits enjoyed by regular employees. The said workers shall not be terminated pending appeal pursuant to paragraph 2, section 2 of Department Order No. 183.”
Of JFC’s many contractors, 2,737 crew members of Staff Search Asia Cooperative and 3,745 crew members Generation One Resource Service and Multi-Purpose Cooperative should be regularized according to DOLE.
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Military steps up attacks vs communities in Mindanao – Karapatan
“While the police continue their killing spree through the drug war and initiate mass arrests of tambays in urban communities, soldiers stepped up their attacks against peasant and indigenous people populations in Mindanao where martial law is imposed. The Duterte regime is unleashing its all-out assault on the Filipino people’s democratic rights,” said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, upon receiving numerous reports of recent human rights violations perpetrated by the Armed Forces of Philippines in Mindanao.
Indiolence
Is your Tatay Digong continuing Rizal’s anti-clerical legacy and taking it to another level? The least he can do is order a ceasefire in his war against the poor, and talk with toiling sectors he took for granted in exchange of “easy money” for build, build, build. If he isn’t busy harassing and threatening women (another extreme practice of Rizal’s values), he should indeed focus combatting the “social ills” that continue to plague the country, and letting Marcos cronies get away with ill-gotten wealth and arresting “tambays” on Rizal’s birthday seems like a lethargic start.
Peace talks to possibly resume in September
The peace talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) may resume in September. The NDFP said they have agreed to continue the peace negotiations with the Rodrigo Duterte government after listening to the GRP Panel’s explanation for the postponement of the resumption […]
NDFP consultants say AFP reason for talks cancellation
Following another cancellation of the resumption of formal talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, peace consultants said it appears the Armed Forces of the Philippines is against the impending ceasefire. In a press briefing, NDFP consultants and observers said the formal talks is […]