The workers specifically asked the President for a halt in the accelerated and unilateral tariff reduction program, which they blamed for the closure of many domestic industries and the loss of jobs to thousands of workers.
"In these difficult times, the urgent need is job security. We have already lost hundreds of thousands of jobs due to influx of imports. We cannot afford to lose more. The tide must be stemmed and the only way to do it is to address the root cause of import surge which is the premature and accelerated reduction of tariffs on imports," said lawyer Ernesto Arellano, president of the National Federation of Labor and one of the signatories of a letter addressed to the President.
In a letter, the workers thanked the President for her pronouncement two years ago that her administration is "not wedded to unbridled globalization." But they expressed apprehensions that her position and directives toward this direction have been disregarded and subverted by government officials "who seem so enamored to unbridled liberalization."
They cited the clashing positions of agencies like the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Tariff Commission (TC) on one side, which are pushing for accelerated tariff cuts, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) on the other side, which has shown appreciation of the predicament of the workers, local industries and farmers.
The workers cited the issuance of Executive Order 241, but said the tariff adjustments on finished products have been insignificant to make an impact even as a temporary relief. "By and large, the tariff rates were just frozen but not adjusted upwards to the (WTO) bound rates or if unbound, at the very least, to 1994 levels," they said.
Specifically, the workers asked for the immediate scrapping of the unilateral Tariff Reform Program and the amendment of EO 334 to grant petitions of local industries and farmers to increase tariff rates on their goods while reverting tariff rates on all other locally produced or substitutable products to bound rates or, if unbound, to 1994 levels.
Labor also called for the establishment of a comprehensive national industrialization and agriculture development program that calibrates the country’s entry into the globalized trading environment. Workers also called for the strengthening and strict implementation of all safety nets such as the safeguard law, anti-dumping and countervailing duties, and combating smuggling and other unfair trade practices. They also called for appointing of labor representatives in all trade and tariff policy agencies.
The 16 Labor leaders and groups that signed the letter were: Arellano, president of the National Federation of Labor and secretary general of the National Confederation of Labor; Alfredo Pollarca, president of Union Impresores los Filipinos-Katipunan; Pastor Tabinas, president Nagkakaisang Lakas ng Manggagawa-Katipunan; Daniel Edralin, chairperson of the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL); Francisco Mero, president, Automotive Industry Workers Alliance; Florentino Cruz, chair, Lakas Manggagawa Labor Center; Carlito Rallistan, president, Association of Democratic Labor Organization; Rupert Bragado, natioal vice president for Luzon, NACUSIP; Benjamin Basquinas Jr., president, National Mines and Allied Workers Union; Gerry Canja, secretary general, Solidarity of Independent General Labor Organization (SIGLO); Leto Villar, president, Association of Genuine Labor Organization (AGLO); Pete Pinlac, president, Manggagawa sa Komunikasyon ng Pilipinas; Jose Umali, president, National Union of Bank Employees; Johnny Gaudia, Samahan ng Magsasapatos sa Pilipinas, Primo Amparo, vice chair, Makabayan, Bayani Diwa, secretary general, Unified Filipino Service Workers-NCL.