Government told to address unemployment surge

CEBU, Philippines - Four militant groups in Cebu are calling for the Arroyo administration to unveil relevant measures to address the increasing unemployment rate, as the Department of Labor and Employment recently projected that some 300,000 workers will lose their jobs by the end of first semester of this year.

The Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino-Cebu (BMP-Cebu), the Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralita sa Lungsod-Cebu (KPML-Cebu), SANLAKAS-Sugbo and the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) said the number of displaced workers is fast catching up with the labor department’s projection.

Sanlakas-Sugbo spokesperson Jose Aaron Pedrosa said that late last year, retrenchment and business slowdown have been reported all over the country.

Since January, he said thousands of workers have been displaced following the shutting down of factories and companies.

Pedrosa said that the stand of the so-called capitalists against granting wage increase has in effect put a moratorium on workers’ pay hike.

“A pro-capitalist Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has given her nod on the measure. There is no reasonable recourse left for workers but to unite and resist the Arroyo government’s anti-labor stimulus package,” Pedrosa said.

Sanlakas emphasized there is no hope for workers under a capitalist regime that feeds on the sweat and blood of labor to ensure profit for the few and when the economy is in bad shape, the workers’ hard earned money is resorted to bailout capitalists.

“A regime of this type depicts only the true character of capitalism: growth that thrives on labor. Profits gravitate towards the hands of a few, while costs are socialized and ultimately borne by workers,” the group said.

It cited the figures from the National Statistical Coordinating Board that showed 92 percent of its tax base is comprised of ordinary workers and employees while an average of $14 billion in annual remittances from OFWs keep the frail Philippine economy afloat.

“Despite these, for a capitalist bias government the balance tilts in favor of capital.

The order of the day, hence, for distressed workers is to displace an anti-poor, ant-worker government from power. Social justice can only be approximated by putting the impoverished, marginalized and exploited workers in governance,” the group further said. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)