'Pro-worker' Diokno, Gordon, Colmenares among TUCP's senatorial bets
MANILA, Philippines — The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) endorsed 12 'pro-worker' senatorial bets, since their platforms are aligned with the group's agenda of protecting workers and their families as the country continues to cope with the pandemic's impacts.
TUCP, which claims a membership of 480,000 rank-and-file workers, said Monday that its list went through a lengthy and thorough vetting process in consultation with the members of its federations.
Below are TUCP's 12 chosen candidates whom they will actively campaign for. The names are stated in the order they were mentioned:
- Risa Hontiveros, reelectionist senator
- Mark Villar, public works secretary
- Neri Colmenares, human rights lawyer
- Gilbert Teodoro, former defense secretary
- Joel Villanueva, reelectionist senator
- Loren Legarda, House deputy speaker
- Alan Peter Cayetano, former House speaker
- Elmer Labog, labor leader
- Chel Diokno, human rights lawyer
- Emmanuel Piñol, former chairman of Mindanao Development Authority and former agriculture secretary
- Richard "Dick" Gordon, a reelectionist senator and Philippine Red Cross chairman and chief executive officer
- Jinggoy Estrada, former senator
“We are confident that these twelve pro-workers Senatoriables will carry the torch for working men and women as well as their families in the next Senate," TUCP President Raymond Mendoza said in an emailed statement shared with reporters on Monday.
"Their presence will be critical in ensuring that the next Administration will address the need to create jobs that have been lost in pandemic, and to ensure that workers will not fall victim to increased labor flexibilization, and to unfair wages," he added.
Mendoza represents the TUCP party-list at the House of Representatives.
According to him, TUCP wants the current and next administrations to create four million jobs by 2023, which, if completed, will prevent unemployed workers in the informal sector from falling deeper into poverty.
Citing statistics, Mendoza said that there were four million workers who remained unemployed over a ten-month average, and seven million who were unemployed during this time.
Mendoza said TUCP has also been pushing for job security in both the public and private sectors, where contractualization — or issuing short-term contracts to workers which, in turn, prevents them from securing permanent employment — remains a problem for millions of workers across the country.
TUCP earlier endorsed the late dictator's son Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio for the presidency and vice presidency, respectively, after union members chose the tandem in a series of caucuses which began last year.
The Philippine Trade Group Workers Organization, which is under TUCP, also endorsed the Marcos in his 2016 vice presidential run.
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