May 1, 2020
Caritas Philippines urges the government and business owners to initiate just and concrete actions for the country's labor force amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The humanitarian arm of the CBCP calls on the government and conglomerates to provide compensation packages during the quarantine period for informal workers; ensure safety, provision of equipment, transportation, temporary shelter, full meals and hazard pay to medical workers; and guarantee emergency employment assistance to stranded overseas Filipino workers.
"Rerum Novarum, the first social encyclical reminds us of the Catholic Church’s teachings on labor which enjoins us to protect and respect the dignity of labor, encourages equitable participation and just compensation, and challenges the capitalist norm with generosity and kindness. COVID-19 is presenting us the perfect opportunity to do justice, and to promote genuine solidarity," Caritas Philippines national director Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo says.
May 1, 2020
The National Anti-Poverty Commission formal labor and migrant workers sector calls on the government to focus on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic through mass testing and redirecting all funds to health care, food and other essentials.
Noting that the quarantine in several areas in the country limited mobility to gather during Labor Day, the NAPC says this does not prevent the formal labor and migrant workers sector from uniting and calling on the government to strengthen workers' rights.
"This experience is a reminder that capital is nothing without the moving force that keeps the whole world alive and hopeful in these trying times — the workers," the group says in a statement.
May 1, 2020
Agricultural worker group Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) accuses the Duterte administration of "exacerbating" the dire situation of the people during the COVID-19 crisis.
UMA chairperson Antonio Flores said the enhanced community quarantine imposed in several parts of the country for the past one and a half months had not deterred the spread of the disease, which has so far infected 8,488 in the Philippines.
The group also described the government's economic aid to the people as "dismal."
"The Duterte regime though should not underestimate the simmering resentment among the people including agricultural workers in the country. It should not add fuel to the fire with more threats on the people unless it wants to end up like the Marcos dictatorship which Duterte and his militarist government fully adores," UMA says.
May 1, 2020
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines expresses solidarity with Filipino workers, particularly frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lawyer Domingo Cayosa, national president of the IBP, hails health workers and other frontliners in his Labor Day message.
"Kasamang manggagawa, nawa'y ramdam ka ng Abogadong Pilipino. Pagpaumanhin kung kulang ang among pagkilala at kalinga sa iyo. Kaming mananaggol ay maki-isa, manguna at maghubad balatkayo upang sa iyo'y may saysay ang pinagdidiinan naming rule of law," Cayosa says.
May 1, 2020
Sen. Nancy Binay says the Senate is ready to help temporarily displaced Filipino workers by crafting measures to supplement the government's existing funds and help create opportunities for new jobs and investments.
The senator urges the Department of Labor and Employment to continue and improve its programs for displaced workers, its emergency fund for overseas Filipino workers and its assistance program for those in the informal sector.
"Uncertainty may grip the labor sector, but it is critical that that we in government—together with movers in the private sector—support the Filipino workforce as they face new challenges in this trying time. We must be enablers, not disablers, who will strengthen our workers' competitive edge," Binay says in her Labor Day statement.
May 1, 2020
Labor group Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (COURAGE) calls for pro-worker and pro-people response to the coronavirus pandemic from the government.
COURAGE national president Santiago Dasmariñas Jr. notes that a number of health workers and other frontliners have been infected by the new pathogen.
"Aside from those in the health sector, there are already frontline workers from the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) who became ill and died of COVID-19. The rest remain vulnerable because of the lack of health and occupational safety measures and gears. Those who work in public health facilities, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), local government units (LGUs), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Agriculture (DA), National Food Authority (NFA) and local water utilities are at most risk," Dasmariñas says.
President Rodrigo Duterte vows to safeguard the rights of Filipino workers through the humanization of laws and the equalization of social forces.
In his Labor Day message, the president reminds the business sector to provide stable career opportunities and humane working conditions to workers.
"As all work is vital in forging a more inclusive and more progressive Philippines, may each and every Filipino rightfully enjoy the fruits of their labor and lead more productive and dignified lives," Duterte says.
President Duterte's message for Labor Day pic.twitter.com/EiiX9PkVbm
— Alexis B. Romero (@alexisbromero) May 1, 2020