Workers present demands, doubt major change

MANILA, Philippines — Organized labor yesterday presented demands to the new Marcos administration, but expressed doubt about achieving much improvement in their lives.

Partido ng Manggagawa chair Renato Magtubo wants an outright wage increase as well as a change in the current wage fixing mechanism.

Magtubo said they are also seeking a package of universal social protection programs that aim to lower households’ daily cost of living.

He also called for a safer workplace, freedom of association and an end to red-tagging and extrajudicial killings.

However, Magtubo said workers are not pinning much hope on the hype of the Marcos administration of a “golden era” for the country, particularly for workers.

“Never has there been a golden age for workers under any administration and neither will it be realized under BBM, or until full employment, a living wage, safe workplaces and a healthy environment are achieved,” he stressed.

“If Marcos Jr. simply goes on as business-as-usual during his first SONA, the rest of his six years will be the same over and over again, or even worse,” Magtubo added.

Kilusang Mayo Uno chair Elmer Labog said Marcos should address labor issues or face the workers’ rage.

“The entire country will be focused and anticipating what Junior (Marcos) will say about the (labor) crisis. This is because we haven’t heard of any plan to address this despite him being in position for almost a month now,” Labog said in Filipino.

“If Junior’s plan is to continue what (former president) Duterte started, he may as well say he plans on continuing the abuses and hardships workers have been facing,” Labog said.

Social enterprises

Meanwhile, civil society organizations, led by Oxfam Pilipinas, have urged the 19th Congress to prioritize the passage of the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) Bill to help more Filipinos recover faster from the COVID pandemic.

“At the heart of the proposed social entrepreneurship bill is the aspiration to help members of low-income communities and vulnerable groups, especially women, earn a decent living and escape poverty,” Oxfam Pilipinas country director Lot Felizco said in a press statement.

Felizco pointed out that despite the comprehensive assistance that social entrepreneurs have been extending to the communities that they serve – such as training and jobs creation, entrepreneurship support and market intermediation – they still face many challenges with the current policy environment.

“Social enterprises are forced to fit into the mold of for-profit businesses or non-profit organizations, but they are neither,” said Felizco.

Felizco said it was high time to “recognize a social enterprise as a different entity altogether that requires its own set of definitions and assistance.”

“Especially in rural and far-flung areas, these social enterprises are filling the gap that the market and the government do not have the capacity or the expertise to fill,” Felizco said.

Marie Lisa Dacanay, convenor of the PRESENT Coalition and president of the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia, said that the proposed measure also aims to promote social entrepreneurship as a strategy for poverty reduction.

“This bill, if passed, will enable the creation and strengthening of social enterprises as transformational partners of the poor and marginalized,” Dacanay said.

She pointed out that even without systematic government support, social enterprises have grown from 30,000 in 2007 to more than 164,000 before the pandemic.

“With systematic government support, a vibrant social enterprise sector can address poverty on a grand scale while ensuring inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic towards accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of zero poverty, no hunger, reduced inequality, women’s economic empowerment and building resilient and sustainable communities,” she said.

Dacanay said that they are now collaborating with the Department of Trade and Industry for the creation of a database of social enterprises after the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council recently passed a resolution recognizing social enterprises as “partners of government” in poverty reduction and inclusive recovery.

“With a clear picture of what and where social enterprises are in the Philippines, we can put together distinct and systematic government programs, services and incentives to support their development and growth,” Dacanay said. – Elizabeth Marcelo