Month: June 2019

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
June 28, 2019, Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Various progressive groups are calling for the boycott of Pepmaco products, following the violent dispersal of their striking workers early today, June 28.

 “No amount of chemicals or goons can ever curtail the striking workers’ fight for their rights,” said state workers union Courage in a statement.

Boycotting Pepmaco products, said Kabataan Rep. Sarah Elago, is one way of throwing support to striking workers.

Anakpawis Partylist said that Pepmaco is behind brands such as Hana shampoo, Champion and Calla detergents.

Casilao said Pepmaco workers are only “demanding their due rights and living wage levels,” adding that big businesses want to preserve the slave-like conditions of the Filipino workers.” He said, “an all-united national workers’ movement, supported by other sectors, will defeat this agenda. We urge the people to support Pepmaco workers.” (https://www.bulatlat.com)

Mula sa Pepmaco Workers Union-NAFLU-KMU

Mga kababayan,

Marahas na binuwag ang piketlayn ng mga manggagawa ng Pepmaco ng mga security at goons ng kapitalistang si Simeon Tiu. Marami ang matinding nasugatan at sinugod sa ospital.

Hunyo 24 nang ilunsad ng Pepmaco Workers Union – Naflu – KMU ang welga dahil sa malawakang kontraktwalisasyon, masahol na kalagayan sa paggawa, pagmamalupit sa mga manggagawa, malawakang tanggalan, union busting atbp. Limpak limpak na yaman mula sa pawis ng manggagawa ang kinamal ni Tiu pero sa halip na dinggin ang kanilang hinaing ay dahas ang tinugon ng ganid na kapitalista.

“They drove us out with force. They even used water canons.”

Janess Ann J. Ellao 
June 28, 2019, Bulatlat.com

MANILA – Images of bloodied striking workers of the Peerless Producers Manufacturing Corp. (Pepmaco) in Calamba, Laguna greeted netizens on Friday morning, following a violent attack against them by armed goons in the wee hours early that day.

For the past four days, Pepmaco workers have been on strike to assail their poor pay and dire working conditions.

Several media outfits have earlier reported the company’s failure to make them regular employees, despite working for at least 12 hours a day for the past 15 years. Apart from the poor pay they are receiving – about P373 a day – they are also reportedly deprived of mandatory benefits such as social security insurance, and on housing and health.

In an apparent effort to quell the workers’ active call for the management to look into their concerns, at least 64 employees have been dismissed, including their union leaders. Among the most recent was the dismissal of another three workers early this month.

This morning, striking workers were attacked and dispersed while they were still asleep. Pepmaco Workers Union, in a Facebook post, said the company’s security guards even took away personal belongings of the striking workers.

“They drove us out with force. They even used water canons,” the union said.

Early this afternoon, while attempting to return to their picket line, police officers were sent to serve as barricades, some were even armed with high-powered firearms.

In its company profile, Pepmaco described itself as a Filipino company that was built “ground up” back in 2004. Today, it claims to be able to produce the “best surfactants in the world” using the “most current and innovative technology” available.

Their technology, however, apparently does not include safety gears for their workers who are left to work with toxic ingredients with practically bare hands. Workers have reported having skin and respiratory diseases.

In a statement, state workers’ union Courage said their plight is no different to many workers all over the country who are employed under a “labor only contracting” work scheme.

“The pending ‘security of tenure’ bill allows job-contracting by big firms and will fail to regularize workers. The only change it will do is that even the labor pool market will be left for monopoly big companies due to the capitalization requirement. Thus, contractual workers will be at their mercy, enduring low wages and without benefits,” Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said in a statement.

As such, it is not surprising that workers all the way from Laguna arrived today at the picket line to show their support to the striking Pepmaco workers.

Their plight, Casilao said, underlines the failure of the Duterte administration to finally put an end to contractualization – a campaign promise, which, three years later, remains unfulfilled. (https://www.bulatlat.com)

May 27, 2019

The Most Rev. Broderick S. Pabillo, DD
Chairperson
CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Laity

Your Excellency,

Greetings from the Global Catholic Climate Movement – Pilipinas (GCCM-Pilipinas).

The Global Catholic Climate Movement is an international movement that tries to get Catholic individuals and institutions involved in the urgent issues of Climate Change and the Ecological Crisis. It takes its mandate from the call of Pope Francis in his encyclical letter Laudato Si on Care for Our Common Home.

Focusing on the young people this year, GCCM has launched its youth arm, which is called the Laudato Si Generation during the World Youth Day (WYD) held in Panama in January. This is to encourage all young people around the world to organize inspired by Laudato Si to care for Earth, our Common Home.

Laudato Si Gen-Pilipinas, which will serve as the youth arm of GCCM-Pilipinas, will be launched on June 22nd. The launch will be the culmination of our annual celebration of Laudato Si Week and will take place from 7am to 4pm at Hardin ng mga Bulaklak, Quezon City Memorial Circle. We have invited Cardinal Tagle to be the main presider of the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 8 o’clock in the morning as he is a Board Member of GCCM (on the international level) and was present at the Launching of Laudato Si Generation during the WYD. We hope he will be available. In any case, we will deeply appreciate if you can join and concelebrate with him, together with the Directors of your Diocesan Youth Ministry and Ecology Ministry.

We are inviting young people from 15 to 30 years old to participate in this event. We are communicating separately to all your parishes requesting each to send at least 10 participants. It will be of great help if your Diocesan Youth Director could follow up on them.

We will also deeply appreciate if the Diocese can spare us at least 10 volunteers to help us in the event. We will schedule an orientation meeting for all the volunteers.

June 22, 2019, 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Hardin ng mga Bulaklak, Quezon City Memorial Circle

Important Information and Reminders:

1. This gathering is primarily a celebration of the gift of life, the gift of creation and the many great works that are already being done by many groups to care for and protect Earth, our Common Home.

2. At least 10 young people (15 to 30 years old) from each parish/organization/institution are enjoined to participate in this event. Please accomplish and submit the confirmation of attendance and pre-registration sheet as soon as possible.

3. If your group has an eco-advocacy, you are invited to submit a 2-minute video of what you are already doing to express your care for Earth, our Common Home.

4. Confirmation of attendance and pre-registration sheets as well as advocacy videos must be submitted to the GCCM-Pilipinas Secretariat at gccmpilipinas@gmail.com not later than June 14.

5. Please print and accomplish also the registration form and submit it at the Registration Booth/Table upon entry to the venue on the event day itself.

6. The gathering is also an eco-friendly/zero-waste event.

7. Each group is expected to bring their own snacks and packed lunch. We strongly encourage simple and healthy food and discourage anything coming from fast-food restaurants (i.e. Mc Donalds, Jollibee, etc). The less trash, the better. Please note that Bring Your Trash Home (BYTH) will be practiced.

8. Participants are also expected to bring their own tumblers and water bottles. There will be water dispensers around for participants to refill their water containers.

9. The organizers have chosen white t-shirt as the event’s wear. It will be nice if everyone can come in this attire.

We have prepared a t-shirt design for this event. You may make your order (per group only) not later than June 10. For the design and order details, please visit the FB page of Laudato Si Gen – Pilipinas.

The silk screen will be brought to our venue on June 22. Participants may bring an extra white shirt if they want to have one printed.

10. We are looking for performers who are willing to share for free some ecological dances, songs, or spoken poetries for the Laudato Si Musical Fest in the afternoon. If your group is interested, note that slots are limited so please connect with us as early as possible, not later than June 14. You may contact Sr. Bing Carranza @ 09563855609 or 09393552403.

The organizers will provide snacks and lunch for our guests and performers.

11. Please pray with us for a good and beautiful weather the whole day of June 22. In any case, just bring your umbrellas or raincoats and maybe extra t-shirts.

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