Thousands of workers “see red”: Militant labor marches to an anti-Noynoy, anti-elite,and anti-imperialist war drum

May 1, 2015

Thousands of workers “see red”:
Militant labor marches to an anti-Noynoy, anti-elite,
and anti-imperialist war drum

AROUND ten thousand workers – from both the formal and informal sectors, belonging to militant groups Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP), Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), SANLAKAS, and the socialist labor alliance Manggagawang Sosyalista (MASO) – wore red shirts today in a Labor Day march that calls for the ouster of Noynoy, the rejection of elite rule and foreign domination, and the establishment of a pro-worker and pro-people government.

Anti-Noynoy

In the Greater Manila area, the “red shirts” converged in front of the Manila City hall before proceeding to join the Nagkaisa broad labor coalition in Mendiola.

BMP President Leody de Guzman said, “In five years, the electoral slogan ‘kung walang korap, walang mahirap’ has waned. Not only because Noynoy’s supposed mandate has only targeted the elite opposition with the jailing of Revilla, Jinggoy and Enrile and has defended various forms of lump sum and discretionary budgeting such as the PDAF and DAP. More so, this administration has failed to lift the lives of the poor”.

“No amount of Noynoy’s political gimmickry could satisfy the hungry masses. Wages are at starvation levels. The NCR minimum wage of P481 is almost a third of the daily cost of living (P1,200). Jobs are not only scarce. They are also precarious due to contractual employment,” he added.

Anti-Elite

“The economic woes of the people fueled the major decrease in Noynoy’s trust ratings in the recent surveys. But the problem lies, not just with the current resident of the Malacanang Palace, but in elite rule, which is no other than the dictatorship of political dynasties under a system of elite democracy,” PLM chair Sonny Melencio clarified.

Melencio said, “The political consciousness of the electorate must be raised – from a mere disgust against the bungling Noynoy to a keen critique against the politics of the privileged few. If not, they would only be used as cannon-fodders by a rival faction of the elite in the 2016 elections”.

“Thus, we vow to organize a strong movement of wage-workers and the propertyless masses to lead the anti-Noynoy struggle into developing a platform not just for regime change but for a meaningful and substantial transformation of Philippine society. It is a working class movement that is independent of the interests of the elite and seeks not just the resignation of Aquino, which only serves the ascension of Binay as constitutional successor, but the ouster of Noynoy in order to establish a truly democratic government of the Filipino people,” he elucidated.

Anti-Imperialist

SANLAKAS president Manjette Lopez averred, “The Labor Day protests this year would be the spark of an anti-imperialist struggle against the recolonialization of the country by foreign powers, particularly by transnational corporations through the neoliberal policies of liberalization, deregulation, privatization, and labor flexibilization”.

“These were the same policies and programs that were proclaimed to usher our country to the global market when the country hosted the APEC Summit in 1996. After nineteen years, the ravage they caused to local industry and agriculture could not be denied. As the country would again open its doors to trade ministers, CEOs (chief executive officers) and economic leaders in November for another round of the APEC summit, the labor movement has taken the lead in the Filipino people’s struggle against imperialism, as can be ascertained not only in the Labor Day protests this year but also in the Noynoy’s last SONA in July,” she concluded.

The “red shirt” protest in Manila was participated in by trade unions, urban poor associations, rural and mining workers from the National Capital Region and nearby provinces. Similar protests were also scheduled in Bacolod, Cebu, and Tacloban. #

(Photos by Jhuly Panday)