TUCP moves to unseat House sectoral rep

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s leading trade union is starting to show some cracks and is now moving to expel its elected sectoral representative in Congress.

Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) president and former senator Ernesto Herrera said the union’s board is coming out with a resolution seeking to replace incumbent sectoral representative Raymond Mendoza.

“The majority members of the TUCP board are set to convene to approve a resolution to unseat Mendoza because he is no longer representing the interest of workers,” Herrera said in an interview.

Herrera said upon the approval of the resolution, the TUCP board would file before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) a petition seeking to unseat Mendoza.

The former senator, who assumed the TUCP presidency last year upon the resignation of Mendoza’s father Democrito, said trade union members have already lost their confidence in the young Mendoza.

TUCP members said that under the law, a sectoral representative should represent the party, but it appears that Mendoza is just representing himself and not the union.

But other TUCP officials said the move is just part of Herrera’s desperate effort to grab power and take over the union’s leadership.

TUCP officials led by Victor Balais said Herrera, although just leading a minority faction of the union, was ousted as secretary-general after the discovery of some financial anomalies in the organization.

In a statement, Balais said Herrera tried to forcibly enter the TUCP compound the other night but was prevented from doing so by the arrival of police officers.

They said Mendoza had tendered his resignation but was prevailed upon to reconsider his decision.

Balais’ group also expressed doubt that Herrera’s faction would succeed in their effort to replace the young Mendoza in Congress.

Herrera, meanwhile, maintained that he legally assumed power as president under the “succession rule” of the union’s constitution.

He also said that the TUCP national executive board has unanimously accepted Mendoza’s resignation and it can no longer be withdrawn.