Militants assailed corrupt DOLE officials

Press Statement/Release

May 10, 2011

Militants assailed anew alleged corrupt Officials

hounding in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

Hundreds of members of the BMP and its allied organizations trooped in front of the office of the Department of Labor and launched a rally to denounce over the recent so called “tainted decision” of the results of the Certification Election where 500 votes of the workers submitted by the Goldilocks management were approved and became part of the votes counted together with the 200 protest workers votes earlier contested. The 500 workers votes were not employees of the company.

“Something fishy is happening in the labor Department. The DOLE-NCR decision dated April 27, 2011, signed by Med. Arbiter Atty Simonete Colobocal and reaffirmed by Director Agravante was totally unthinkable and must be investigated. This is a case of corruption and a sell out, the handiwork of a mother and son tandem or a collusion of a mother and father.” Mr. Ronnie Luna, BMP Executive Vice President lamented during the rally.

The decision is a total neglect for the workers and a clear case of corruption. If this will continue, the labor ministry is guilty of a double whammy, injustice and unfairness.

“We are in unison with the DOLE’s crusade to fight corruption in the department. We are also supportive of the government’s efforts to get rid of officials in the same mold of Merciditas Guttierez in the Ombudsman. If this can be done in other government offices, then the floor is now given to Secretary Baldoz to start the clean up. Corrupt and abusive officials in the agency should go and spare no one.” Atty. Jimmy Miralles, Chairman of AGLO (Alliance of Genuine Labor Organization) lamented in the program held during the rally.

“The workers were at a loss in these trying hard times. More so they deserved to be protected and not reduce to being used as a tool for corruption. It is high time that the government should institute a system that will overhaul its manpower devoid of any corrupt and abusive public servants. In this way, the workers are assured of what Pnoy is flaunting, a straight path achieving decency of work.” Leody De Guzman, BMP President, articulated also in the same rally. (30)

PR - Proposed P22.00 ECOLA, an insult to Filipino Workers!

Press Statement/Release

May 10, 2011

Proposed P22.00 ECOLA of the NCR-RWB, an alms and an insult to the Filipino Workers!

The Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) pronouncement of the proposed P22.00 ECOLA by the NCR-RWB (National Capital Region-Regional Wage Board) is a far cry from NEDA and NSO’s study of around P967.00 daily cost of living for family of 6 to have a decent life. The present minimum wage is pegged by the National Wage Council of only 404.00 per day in the National Capital Region. On the other hand, much lower minimum wage is being enjoyed by workers outside the Metropolis. If applied in the National Capital Region, around P563.00 is needed to cope up the daily cost of living.

The P22.00 ECOLA will not be commensurate to the all time high inflation rate and the 29.2% price increases of prime commodities and basic expenses on electricity and water rates. The irony of it all is that big capitalists for the last three months were in the headlines making huge profits. In an earlier report, the top 1,000 corporations were raking in billions of pesos in profits since 2001 and were tripled in 2008 from P116 Billions in 2001 to P416.7 in 2008. Many Filipino billionaires were in fact cited in the Forbes Magazine’s Richest Men in the world.

The staggering downfall of the real wage as reflected in the Consumers’ Price Index (CFI) in the year 2000 data that for every peso spent of that year compared to this year, the value of P1.00 then is now pegged at P.60 Centavos. Roughly 10% will benefit the proposed additional ECOLA. In the past, loopholes in the implementation will again cropped-up because of too many exemptions and deferments. Above minimum wage earners and those employers with 10 workers and below were exempted from the proposed scheme. Not to mention those companies expected to present financial losses to enjoy some exemptions.

“We find the DOLE proposal as an insult to the Filipino workers. The scheme will not alleviate the plight of the workers now wallowing in poverty. The proposal is not meant to help the helpless Filipino workers but to appease and condone the whims and caprices of the greedy capitalists.” Leody De Guzman, BMP President asserted in an interview.

Mr. De Guzman further added that “The men and women of the DOLE should be reminded that they are running the agency to protect the cause of labor and not becoming alter ego and mouthpiece of big businesses and capitalists. If they can’t live up to the aspirations of the Filipino workers then they have no business manning the department. More so with the wage boards that should be ultimately abolished in favor of an increase through legislated mechanism. ”

For his part, Mr. Ronnie Luna, incumbent BMP Executive Vice President, challenged the P-noy administration and averred that “The scheme is not in consonance with the pronouncement of President Aquino during the Mayday Celebration where he proposed profit sharing as a means to achieve real productivity and progress of the country. In fact, the President himself believed that to enhance partnership of labor and capital, the best prescription would be profit sharing in order to ensure clean and honest governance to the people and the industry. This is what P-noy called the right path. So, Mr. Aquino, where is profit sharing here as exemplified by NCR-RWB ECOLA proposal? “. (30)