First of May is Labor Day

Traditionally, the month of May was associated with two religious celebrations – the Santa Cruz de Mayo and the devotion of the Virgin Mary as Reyna de las Flores and Rosa Mystica. Now May annually starts as the Labor Day holiday. The truth is that even during the Spanish times May 1 was a day devoted to workers because May 1st is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Many interesting things have happened on May 1. It was on that day in 1898 that the American Squadron under the command of Commodore George Dewey destroyed the Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral Patricio Montejo. That marked the start of the American Regime in our history. Ironically, one of the very first demonstrations against American colonialism took place on May 1, 1903. Led by the Union Obrera Democratica, activists went right in front of Malacañang shouting "Death to Imperialism!" Exactly ten years later, the First National Labor met in Manila and commemorated that initial labor demonstration against the American regime. Thirty-four years later, President Manuel A. Roxas officially celebrated May 1 as Philippine Labor Day. Is it just a coincidence that on May 1, 2001, the sympathizers of deposed-president Joseph Estrada tried to stage another EDSA.

Earlier, the opposition announced that they would hold a mass demonstration in Malacañang today. We are very glad that they themselves decided to cancel the protest. We are only ten days from election and what we need are events that will ensure an honest, peaceful and orderly elections. The problem with holding protest rallies now is that they can easily be infiltrated by terrorists. All it takes to explode a peaceful rally is one provocateur to throw a bomb where it will kill as many people as possible. No one wants that, specially on a day that has been declared a holiday so we can pay proper tribute to labor’s great contribution to the progress of our country. The best way to do that is to emphasize not the arms of man but the tools of man.

Our problem is not only to give due recognition to labor’s contribution to progress but to create more employment. We have many who canot make their contribution because, through no fault of their own, they are unemployed. Sometimes they are unemployed because they do not have the basic skills required for a particular employment. In Mexico, people who are serving sentences in prison are taught the basic skills that would help provide them with employment after they are released. We should have a similar program here.

In closing we quote, Newman Hall’s tribute to labor:

"Work for some good, be it even so slowly;

Work for some hope, be it ever so lowly;

Work! for all labor is noble and holy."