Port workers protest North Harbor privatization

MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of porters, truck drivers and vendors stormed the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in South Harbor yesterday morning to protest the privatization of the North Harbor.

Led by the Alliance of Port/Transport Workers and Porters-North Harbor, the workers slammed the looming lay-off of some 5,000 truckers and dockworkers, including 2,000 vendors at the pier zone.

“A massacre of livelihood awaits us with the turnover of the North Harbor to the private sector… (which) is certainly unacceptable to the thousands who live and work inside the port area,” said APTWP president Jake Azores.

APTWP has questioned the PPA in court for favoring Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. and the Hongkong-based Metro Pacific Investments in the bidding for the privatization of the North Harbor.

Kilusang Mayo Uno chairperson Elmer Labog said the purported modernization of North Harbor is only meant to destroy the workers’ unions in the port area and thus render invalid their hard-earned collective bargaining agreements.

The groups said privatization will result in higher port fees, just like what happened to other privatized services and utilities under the liberalization program of past and present administrations.   – Nestor Etolle