The President’s directive, issued during the celebration of the centennial of the Philippine labor movement at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City the other day, was apparently prompted by reports that port workers were growing restive and agitated by what they perceived to be a conspiracy among shipping operators, importers and exporters to roll back port charges.
The President, who has vowed to win the war against poverty within the decade, declared during her Labor Day speech that "the way to fight poverty is to create jobs, not destroy them."
Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr., who is concurrently head of the Presidential Management Staff, also issued a statement on Labor Day, assuring port workers that the Arroyo administration will give special attention to their plight.
Afable said while "there must be a balance between the interests of the port workers and the shipping owners, it is the policy of the government to give preferential attention to the plight of workers, and to do all it can to alleviate this plight."
The government, Afable stressed, "will consistently act within this policy line."
Shipping companies, exporters and importers are demanding a rollback of the 10-percent increase in port charges that were supposed to have taken effect last February.
A rollback of cargo handling and stevedoring fees could lead to the displacement of thousands of port workers all over the country. It would also result in millions of pesos in revenue losses for the government.
For most port workers, whose families live a virtual hand-to-mouth existence, a reduction in port fees will mean sizable slashes in economic benefits such as bonuses, overtime pay and profit-sharing incentives.
Manuel Arias, vice president of the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU), earlier warned that the government may be faced with more labor problems if it agrees to the demands of shipping firms, which would be among the first to benefit from modern and better port facilities that would result from the port tariff increase.
The Philippine Chamber of Arrastre and Stevedoring Operators tagged the rollback demand as "unreasonable," saying that port workers were pinning hopes for more benefits and a better life on the higher port collections that would result from the rate increase.
A comparative study made by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific showed that port tariff levels in the Philippines are the lowest in the entire region. The study covered 21 ports all over Asia and the Pacific.