Ensuring an orderly Labor Day celebration

In an open letter published in a newspaper, former President Joseph Estrada asked the Philippine National Police to exercise maximum restraint in dealing with his supporters who will demonstrate in the streets this coming Labor Day. We will always uphold the rights of any protest group to hold peaceful protest rallies. But we maintain that last year’s May 1 celebration, now called EDSA III, was anything but a People’s Power Revolution. It happened because both the Police and our Armed Forces were caught flatfooted. We say this because the crowd that gathered in front of Malacañang last year were taken by buses from different points before daybreak. And some trucks did not bring people. What they unloaded were not demonstrators, but rocks for the demonstrators to throw on the soldiers and the police. It is impossible to find rocks or stones in the streets in Metro Manila. Yet, last year’s May 1st demonstrators had all the rocks they needed to stage a violent demonstration.

We hope that this will not happen again in this coming Labor Day commemoration. Manila Mayor Lito Atienza announced that permits are required for any rally or demonstration to be staged in Manila. So a rally without a permit is per se illegal. Admittedly, some policemen over react. But when demonstrators throw rocks at the police or soldiers, they have the perfect right to strike back.

We must draw a rigid line between a peaceful protest rally and anarchy. Anarchy means political or social disorder. It comes from a Greek word meaning without a leader or a head. It began in ancient times when some people believed mankind’s "golden age of freedom" was when there were no governments. They believed that true freedom starts with freedom from all regulations and government. Johann W. Goethe defined it as the liberation of the human mind from religion and the human body from the shackles and restraints of government. In short, an organization sans discipline, fear, punishment or government. That can only bring chaos and ruin.

Philippine National Police Chief Director General Leandro Mendoza has assured Erap that the police will exercise utmost restraint and sobriety in ensuring peace and order this coming May 1st. Peace is liberty in tranquility, order based on law. Again our greatest wish this coming May 1st is that it be a peaceful homage to labor.

Labor Day is a product of the Industrial Revolution. Before that the greatest tribute to physical labor was the feast of San Isidro Labrador, patron Saint of farmers traditionally celebrated on May 15. It is ironic that today, the Feast of Farmers is a church holyday while the Feast of Laborers is a national holiday. The Feast of San Isidro Labrador should also be a national holiday. Civilization started in the farms. It was tillage that made all arts possible. In the words of Edward Gibbon, "The productions of nature are the materials of art." And to quote Jean-Jacques Rousseau, farming is "the first and most respectable of all the arts." We can’t honor labor if we disregard the farmers. Labor Day must not eclipse the traditional feast of farmers. We must put things in their historical perspective.

Work is the only answer to all our national problems. So we must have a meaningful Labor Day celebration, one that will focus on the great contribution of our farmers and laborers to the progress of the country. Don’t desecrate the day by turning it into a political event.