With ship visit, Aquino sends wrong message regarding US troop presence in PH

In a span of three months, Philippine president Benigno Aquino III has joined US soldiers in target-practice during the Balikatan war games and recently, visited the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.


Umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan thinks Aquino is already sending the wrong message and making wrong decisions in relation to the presence of US troops in the Philippines.


“There is supposedly an ongoing review of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement being undertaken by Malacanang because of problems related to sovereignty, yet the way the president is acting, it appears that there’s no problem at all. The message we’re getting here is that US troops and their war machines are very much welcome in our country despite numerous violations of sovereignty done in the past,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.


“Instead of taking a more independent and critical outlook towards US troop presence in the country, the Philippine president has shown fan-like awe towards arriving US forces. One wonders what has really become of the VFA review given the recent actions of the President,” Reyes said.


The group said that the Philippine president should make a categorical pronouncement that it will not allow extra-territorial actions on the part of US troops in PH territory, like what US forces did in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.


Bayan questioned the entry of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson saying that it may have violated the constitutional provisions prohibiting nuclear weapons in the country.


“The most ironic and ridiculous thing here is that the Philippine president was on board the aircraft carrier that should have been considered banned under Philippine law. It’s as if Aquino was duped into legitimizing the entry of the warship, or that the president is unaware or does not care about the constitutional provision against nuclear weapons, being more interested in the shock-and-awe factor of US military might,” Reyes said.


“Unfortunately, under the VFA, there is no way for the Philippine government to tell if a warship carries weapons of mass destruction since the VFA prohibits Philippine authorities from conducting ship inspections,” he added.


Section 8 of the Constitution says, “The Philippines, consistent with the national interest, adopts and pursues a policy of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.”


“It is our view that the ban on nukes should encompass both nuclear warheads and warships, and that should include the USS Carl Vinson,” Reyes said.


Bayan also said that President Aquino has failed to stop the permanent basing of US troops in Southern Philippines. The US-Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines has been stationed in Zamboanga since 2002. “This is an ongoing violation of our sovereignty. The VFA has allowed an unlimited number of US forces to conduct undefined activities for an unspecified duration in PH territory. What’s to prevent US forces from conducting military operations in our country, similar to what is being done in Pakistan?” he added.###

BAYAN berates union busting by Superstar Coco firm

Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today staged a protest demonstration at the plant of Superstar Coconut Products Incorporated in Maa, Davao City to castigate the firm for its recent actions to maliciously cripple the Kahugpungan sa mga Trabahante sa Superstar (KTS) Union.

KTS, a union duly recognized by the Department of Labor and Employment, is said to be preparing a strike to demand from the management to implement labor standards and to stop union busting.

“The workers are the life and limb of the company. Without them, the entire production will come to a halt and then the company will be nothing but a dead facility,” said Franchie Buhayan, BAYAN-Southern Mindanao regional spokesperson. “That is the very reason why the company should treat the workers well, give them decent wage and benefits and respect their democratic rights particularly the right to protest and organize a genuine union,” added Buhayan.

One of the top 1000 corporations in the country and considered as the largest coconut products manufacturer in Mindanao, Superstar Coconut Products Incorporated is said to be producing and shipping ton loads of desiccated coconut worth P7.5 million per day. The company is also manufacturing other coconut-based products like coco powder and coco oil.

“Superstar is earning millions from the labor of the workers but ironically the management rewards them with unimaginable exploitation and repression. For years, the workers suffer from poor working conditions with excessive workload and received wages that are far below from the minimum wage mandated by the government. It is only logical for the workers to struggle against the company’s modus operandi,” Buhayan said.

BAYAN explained that recently, leaders and members of the KTS Union experienced different forms of harassments from the management including demotion of 26 union leaders and members, threats of dismissal, intimidation and the use of hush money.

“This is unacceptable! It is an indication that the management is not interested in resolving the problem rightfully under due process. Instead, they use cowardly dirty tactics to get rid of the union and disenfranchise the legitimate demands of the workers. This leaves the workers no option but to intensify the struggle and raise it to a higher level,” said Buhayan.

In a solidarity lunch today with the workers outside the plant of Superstar Coconut Products Inc, BAYAN expressed its total support for the workers and their families.

“If the KTS union will go on with the plan to lead a strike, we, along with our allied organizations will support it through and through,” Buhayan said.

“The city government and DOLE should not slow-foot in addressing this issue. Union busting is a critical offense against the working class and must be dealt with seriousness. And allowing these profit-hungry capitalists to continue making us their modern-day slaves and starve our families to death is a greater offense. These are important points that the government, both local and national, must consider,” added Buhayan.

Superstar company is anti-worker, anti-women - GABRIELA

Davao City – Progressive women’s organization GABRIELA manifested its support to the beleaguered workers of Superstar Coconut Products Company, Incorporated in a protest action held in front of the regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment yesterday.

“Kontra-trabahante ug kontra-kababayen-an ang kompanya sa Superstar. Angay lang nga paspasan na og pag-imbestiga sa DOLE ang reklamo sa mga mamumuo ug patubagon ang mga tao sa management nga wala nag-atiman sa kahimtang sa ilang mga trabahante nga kadaghanan mga babaye,” said Corazon Espinoza, Vice-Chairperson of GABRIELA and head of the local urban poor women’s organization, Samahan ng Maralitang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa or SAMAKANA

Around 50 women workers and support group of Superstar workers coming from progressive organizations picketed in front of DOLE Region XI and demanded to look into the complaints of the workers against the management.

For Grace Makatuna, a mother of three kids who has worked for eight years at Superstar Coconut Company, their condition as women workers are hapless and inhumane.

“Kadaghanan sa mga trabahante didto sa Superstar mga babaye nga nakasinati sa dili maayong palisiya sa kompanya,” Makatuna said.

“Kung naa mi bation sa lawas ingnan ra mi nga nag-atik-atik mi ug dili pirmahan ang among sick leave.Wala mi ka-pilian kay maka-absent mi ug gani pag mag-absent ilaha pang isuspinde, tulo kaadlaw warning. Kung muabsent na sad ka, kinse ka adlaw napud nga suspension hangtod tanggal na dayon sa trabaho,”  she said.

Workers of Superstar have long been complaining about the lack of clinic inside the company given that the firm employs more than a thousand workers.

Aside from the lack of health facilities, the management also failed to supply the necessary equipment and gears to protect the workers from work related accidents.  Workers of Superstar are the ones who pay for their gloves, uniform and even the knives use by “parers” (workers who peel the thin and brownish coating from pieces of de-shelled coconuts).

“Women workers should be accorded with humane working conditions. We even have a city ordinance which comply companies to provide seats for all the women workers.  
Lingkuranan nalang gani, dili pa mahatag sa kompanya kay ang mga trabahante man ang mopalit, kung magpagamit man sila og lingkuranan panahon ra nga kung adunay bisita o inspection ang DOLE ug uban pang ahensya,” Espinoza said.

“Busa angay lang nga paspasan sa DOLE ang pagresolba sa kaso sa mga trabahante sa Superstar ug patubagon ang mga anaa sa management,” she said.

Usurers, rice cartel, not farmers to benefit from high farmgate prices--KMP

Davao City --- How can farmers benefit from simple farmgate prices when they do not own the land they till and they continue to suffer from high land rent? This was the statement made by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas - Southern Mindanao Region (KMP-SMR) belying claims of the National Food Authority that “high” farmgate prices will benefit the farmers .


“The NFA can not deny the fact that it is the usurers and middle merchants who benefit most from the high farmgate prices because farmers still bear the burden of high interest rates,” said Pedro Arnado, Chairperson of KMP-SMR.


He adds, “Farmgate prices are not indicative of the alleviation of the plight of Filipino farmers because we suffer from still many other forms of exploitation --- landlessness, unjust land rents, high amortization rates even for CARP beneficiaries, lack of government subsidy and support in agricultural services. Even the NFA continues to do farmers disservice by buying only 1 – 2% of crops that farmers produce, while it engages in massive rice importation.”


Arnado cited a case in Boston, Davao Oriental wherein farmers are made to pay more than 100% interest for loans they make. 50% of their harvests are yielded to the land owners as interest while they are still obliged to pay for the principal loan. Interests pile up as long as they cannot pay the principal loan. In the same area, a kilo of copra which is normally pegged at P 50.00 based on market price, are bought by the usurer at P 35.00.


KMP also lambasted reports of looming rice crisis projected by the Department of Agriculture.


“The NFA has an ample supply of rice, however, these are sold at high prices that the poor cannot afford. Proof to this is the tons of NFA rice that the administration of former President Arroyo left to rot in NFA warehouses. This showed that the rice crisis during Arroyo’s time was artificial, created to justify pricey rice importations-- a source of megakickbacks,” said Arnado.


Arnado said the Philippine agricultural system is bound to suffer from further decline as the government continues to ignore implementing genuine agrarian reform.


“We must empower the farmers by giving them free access to lands that they can till. We must liberate them from the exploitative land lords, usurers and rice cartels. We urge the P-Noy government to stop the massive exploitation of farmers, lest we face the eventual death of the agricultural sector,” said Arnado.


KMP stressed that mechanization is also an important factor in good rice production.


“We must as well mechanize our method of farming in order to increase their productivity so that we can do away with importing rice. While the government render our national budget to dole outs and mendicancy schemes through the Conditional Cash Transfer, why can’t it invest in providing farm inputs, irrigation systems and machines to increase rice production?” said Arnado.


KMP recently launched a signature campaign promoting the enactment of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or HB 374 which is still pending in the lower house of the House of Representatives to date.

Davao labor day march draws 5 thousand; shows unrest in the labor front remains

Five thousand people took the streets of Davao City today on Labor Day pressing the Aquino government for higher wages and rejected his proposed palliative non-wage benefits.

The marchers represent organized workers in both public and private industries in the region, the plantation workers, miners, factory laborers, and those from the service sector like construction, transportation, hotel and restaurant, as well as workers from government utility offices.

Joining them are the organized victims of urban poor demolitions, out of school youths, women victims of prostitution, families of overseas workers who have been victims of various forms of exploitations, and organizations representing other sectors.

“The march is a testament that the unrest in the country’s labor front remains no matter how much this government tries hard to placate the outrage,” Franchie Buhayan, secretary general of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan Southern Mindanao Region said.

“President Aquino has offered non-wage benefits, palliatives in the form of subsidies and other dole-outs but it refuses to resolutely stem the people’s hardship by confronting outstanding issues on wage and prices,” Buhayan said in reaction to the President’s declarations at a breakfast forum with some labor groups in Malacañang today.

Instead of providing substantial wage hikes, President Aquino has offered seed money for cooperatives of labor groups, scholarships and promises of benefits from agencies like Pag-Ibig, PhilHealth, Social Security System, and Government Service Insurance System.

“He forgot that these government agencies are the same culprits of the workers’ agony through corruption of the funds that workers have religiously contributed. Besides, the greater issue here is that we have a President who could not face squarely the capitalists, and make these employers provide just wages to the workers whose toil are being exploited for profits. In that way, he could have adequately answered the people’s needs, foremost is surviving the cost of living,” Buhayan said.

“Either he is simply indifferent, or acting as a plain stooge to capitalists whose super profits depend much on making laborers work more and paying them less, one thing is sure, he is a President who lacks the bone to help his people,” Buhayan added.

Aside from deliberately evading abidance of minimum wage standards, many employers intentionally deny workers’ benefits most commonly are remittance to SSS, provision of overtime and holiday pays, allowing leave and other benefits, to save cost on labor costs.  

Buhayan added that capitalists’ exploitation is getting harsher but President has allowed it, as seen in the number of employers, getting retrenched without due cause, and the increasing number of perpetually contractual workers.  

“Other blatant violations take the form of repressing trade unionism, which is ironically provided in labor laws. But you hear many union members being victimized by coercive actions, either physical or by other means to discourage them to give up fighting for what is due,” Buhayan said.

The President’s announcement of new job openings is no good news in itself, according to Buhayan. “What kinds of jobs will these be, if capitalists can maintain exploitative terms with their workers without the slightest fear of being punished?”

“Besides, why do we see the continuing exodus of Filipinos to other countries, taking on odd jobs and ending up as victims if indeed these jobs made available in the country can adequately provide for their needs? The truth is the government has never been able to provide job opportunities that will raise the standard of living and at the same time ensure human development, and respect of dignity among most Filipinos,” Buhayan said.

Buhayan also said President Aquino’s policy pronouncements on the problem of prices indicate same cowardice to confront the perpetrators of people’s hardships.

“He feeds us with the same deception towed by oil cartel companies, such as justifying increases by way of citing oil price trends in the world market, when in fact these are schemes of deception and that he can actually decisively address price hikes in the country by regulating the way oil companies can unscrupulously set pump prices via such speculations,” he said.

“We urge the people not to be hoodwinked by these palliatives. These pronouncements could not provide the meaningful change that people need. We have got to show this government that it is the people who are decisive of the change they most need,” Buhayan said.