Bonifacio day rallies: Five labor leaders detained

CEBU, Philippines —  Labor group Partido Manggagawa has denounced the arrest of its five leaders and organizers in Cebu while the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino - Cebu were dismayed after 20 of its members were held and failed to attend the Bonifacio Day rally yesterday.

PM held a rally at the gate of the Mactan Economic Zone in Lapu-Lapu City while BMP at Fuente Osmeña Rotunda in Cebu City.

“We call for the release of PM leaders Dennis Derige, Myra Opada, Joksan Branzuela, Jonel Labrador and Cristito Pangan. Activism is not terrorism. Repression of labor rights and harassment of human rights defenders must stop. This is precisely the theme of today’s national and global commemoration of Bonifacio Day,” said PM chairman Rene Magtubo.

Magtubo said that the arrest of PM Cebu labor organizers put a spotlight on the escalating attacks on workers’ rights in the country and added to the unsolved killings of unionists, busting of unions and red-tagging of union activists.

According to Atty. Stephanie Claros, of the five, three were detained for disobedience. They are Derige, Branzuela and Labrador who were all detained at Lapu-Lapu City Police Station.

“The truth is the workers stopped the police from arresting Dennis. So there was a resulting scuffle,” said Claros, Derige’s legal counsel.

The two others were fined for quarantine protocol violation and were already released after paying the fine.

The PM-Cebu organizers joined the retrenched workers of factories in the MEZ against repression of labor rights.

Members of MEPZ Workers Alliance, PM-Cebu, Sentro and workers of First Glory Apparel assembled at the Gate 3 of the MEZ at 8:00 a.m. then marched towards Gate 2 where they held a program that highlighted the attacks on workers’ rights to unionize, bargain collectively, seek redress of grievances, and peaceful assembly.

While members of the BMP and Sanlakas Cebu were able to launch their rally in front of Fuente Osmeña but another delegation numbering around 20 people were intercepted by the police at the other side of the circle and were unable to join the rally.

Teody Navea, BMP Cebu chairperson and Sanlakas Cebu secretary-general said that despite of the efforts of the police to frustrate the holding of the rally by invoking the “no permit, no rally”, the rallyists negotiated and demanded that they be allowed to pursue a short program.

Navea said that the police allowed the rallyists to proceed with the rally for 10 minutes where two speakers were allowed to speak before the rally of around 30 participants.

“The Duterte administration must heed on the voices of the Filipino people. For in the past, history taught us that the people played an important role to effect changes like what happened to the Marcoses in 1986 and even during the time of Estrada. The Filipino people will not stop struggling for a government that is truly responsive to their interests and aspirations,” Navea said.

The protest in Cebu is part of nationally coordinated action focusing on the theme, “Trabaho, Karapatan, Kaligtasan, Pananagutan” (Jobs, Rights, Safety, and Accountability).

In Manila, the main labor centers in the country mobilized for a rally at the University of the Philippines while abroad, global union federation held solidarity actions.

In particular, the global unions demand the Philippine government to stop the red-tagging activities against trade unions and other legitimate organizations and to hold accountable those responsible for it, especially those involved in extrajudicial killings; scrap the Anti-Terrorism Act, ensure the health security and safety at work of all workers, and protect the jobs and income of the Filipino workers and embark on massive public employment programs. —GMR (FREEMAN)