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Labor groups: Marcos admin 'lacking' in programs for Filipino workforce

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Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Hundreds of workers under the banner of the All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) hold a protest march to Mendiola Peace Arch in Manila on Monday, May 1, 2023 Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/05/01/05012023-labor-groups_-marcos-lacking-programs-ph-workforce.jpg"/><figcaption>Hundreds of workers under the banner of the All Philippine Trade Unions (APTU) hold a protest march to Mendiola Peace Arch in Manila on Monday, May 1, 2023 <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em>.</figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The administration of President Ferdinand &quot;Bongbong&quot; Marcos, Jr. is lacking in policies and programs to meet the demands of workers nearly a year since he assumed the presidency, labor groups said Monday.</p><p>During the commemoration of Labor Day held at the Mendiola Peach Arch, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino chairperson Leody de Guzman said his group has felt no improvement in policies benefitting workers under the Marcos administration.</p><p>&quot;Walang pagbabago sa programa ni Bongbong Marcos Jr. Kinopya lamang sa mga nagdaang administrasyon na simpleng &#x27;neoliberal&#x27; pa rin — na suportahan ang mga kapitalista sa panloloko nila na &#x27;pag umunlad ang mga kapitalista, uunlad din ang bayan, uunlad ang mga manggagawa, gaganda ang buhay ng mga mamamayan. &#x27;Yan ay failure,&quot; de Guzman told ABS-CBN News in an interview.</p><p>&quot;Lahat ng presidente natin pagkatapos maluklok sa pwesto, wala nang ginawa kung hindi mag abroad at mag-imbita ng foreign investor. Ang umuunlad, &#x27;yung mga investor, mga kapitalista. &#x27;Yung buhay ng manggagawa, yung pag-unlad ng bayan, hindi nangyayari. Kaya lumalaki ang agwat ng mahirap at mayaman,&quot; he added.</p><p>Nagkaisa! Labor Coalition chairperson Atty. Sonny Matula added that Marcos has not addressed concerned of workers in terms of wage increase and security of tenure.</p><p>&quot;Ang mga manggagawa hindi pa natugunan &#x27;yung pangangailangan sa sahod. Wala tayong narinig na policy, direction ng pangulo kaya po siguro [kailangan mag] double time, triple time ang Office of the President at ang Department of Labor and Employment para matugunan ang pangangailangan ng mga manggagawa sa sahod, trabaho, at karapatan,&quot; Matula told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>&quot;Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po ang kontraktwalisasyon sa mga pagawaan, dapat maging effective rito ang inspection ng Department of Labor and Employment at tingnan itong mga violations sa security of tenure,&quot; he added.</p><p>Labor groups and workers have continued to lobby for increase in wages and the end of contractualization amid inflation and the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Kilusang Mayo Uno chairperson Elmer &quot;Bong&quot; Labog explained: &quot;Ito lang &#x27;yung pagbabalik sa lost purchasing power of the peso at mahigpit namin itong sinusuportahan sapagkat makakatulong ito sa walang patid na inflation na nagtutulak sa pagtataas ng presyo ng mga bilihin at serbisyo sa ating lipunan.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Matibay ang ating pagtangan at paninindigan na isulong ang mga mayor na kahilingan ng mga manggagawang Pilipino at ginuguhit namin &#x27;yan sa araw na ito,&quot; he told ABS-CBN News.</p><p>Sentro secretary-general Joshua Mata spoke similarly: &quot;On top of that, &#x27;yung real wages ng mga manggagawa has been eroded to the point na marami sa manggagawa natin, &#x27;yung real wages nila is below the poverty line na kaya there is a very strong demand for all the labor groups for wage increases. Even if magkakaiba ang position, lahat nagkasundo na suportahan ang proposition.&quot;</p><p>Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte earlier paid tribute to the Filipino workforce in their respective Labor Day message, saying the government was &quot;working conscientiously&quot; to provide ways to uplift their living conditions.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/01/23/marcos-duterte-pay-tribute-to-filipino-workers-on-labor-day">Marcos, Duterte pay tribute to Filipino workers on Labor Day</a></li></ul><p>Marcos described Filipino laborers as &quot;essential to the sustenance of our soaring economy and also in laying the groundwork for our important industries.&quot;</p><p>&quot;That is why we strive to address the cares and concerns of our workers as we provide them with better opportunities so that they are capacitated to their full potential as active participants in nation-building,&quot; he said.</p><p>Duterte, who is also the secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd), said the agency was also creating ways to ensure that the Philippine education system would prepare Filipino learners to become part of the workforce.</p><p>&quot;Sa susunod na limang taon, sisikapin ng Kagawaran ng Edukasyon na bumuo ng matibay na pundasyon ng kaalaman at kasanayan para maging handa sa hinaharap ang ating kabataang Pilipino at makaakit ng mas dekalidad at disenteng trabaho,&quot; she said.</p><p>Duterte also underscored the need for &quot;more decent and quality jobs that are fulfilling and supportive of individual growth,&quot; as well as creating work culture that understands the dual role of workers as family members.</p><p>The President&#x27;s message came as he returned to the United States for a 5-day official visit to reaffirm the alliance between the US and the Philippines, which US officials have previously described as &quot;ironclad.&quot;</p><p>During his visit in Washington, DC, Marcos is slated to have bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden at the White House.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/01/23/marcos-back-in-us-for-weeklong-official-visit">Marcos back in the United States for weeklong official visit</a></li></ul><div><strong>—with reports from Zen Hernandez, Katrina Domingo, and Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News</strong></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tN8OygC_gi8?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

The administration of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, Jr. is lacking in policies and programs to meet the demands of workers nearly a year since he assumed the presidency, labor groups said Monday.

Labor groups: Marcos admin 'lacking' in programs for Filipino workforce

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Labor groups: Marcos admin 'lacking' in programs for Filipino workforce

Josiah Antonio,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 01, 2023 08:31 PM PHT

Read More:

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Labor Day

Filipino workforce

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