workers forum - maiden edition (march 8 2013)

8/13/2019 Workers Forum - Maiden Edition (March 8 2013)

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WORKERS HEADLINES March 20132

NGO for unorganized workers launchedNoel Sales BarcelonaEditor in Chief

MANILAHope shines

now to unorganized

sector of labor as the All-

Workers Forum launches

its programs and projects

on March 8.It has been a long time since more

than 32 million of Filipino entireworkforce remained defenselessagainst abuses as they were notmember of any union. But now thereis hope. Atty. Joseph T. Entero saysthat the All-Workers Forum, Inc.()would be a unique labor center sinceit is where the capital and labor wouldmeet.Business is not only about prot

and capital; it is also about humanresource. A machine would remain amachine and it cannot work withoutany human intervetion. That is why,the idea of creating a labor centerwhich would serve as a platformfor a friendly dialouge betweenstakeholders, that is, capital andlabor, is what he had in mind inregistering the the organization,Entero said in an email interview.

Registered just last year atthe Securities and ExchangeCommission, the AWFI is beingmanaged by labor experts, includingtwo lawyers and some labororganizers and sympathizers.Atty. Edwin S. de la Cruz, also aveteran labor lawyer and expert inmaritime labor laws serves as theVice President for Legal Affairs ofthe group while Samuel Roland

M. Ganzan serves as CorporateSecretary and its chief operatingofcer.

Other ofcers include: Capt.

Anthony Dan S. Ogbinar, Corporatetreasurer; Ms. Anna Lisa D. Maligat,Vice President for Membership;Ms. Lolit Payumo, Vice Presidentfor Logistics and Support Services;Jose Mari P. Entero, and AssistantVice President for Logistics and

Support Services. Other members ofthe Board of Trustees were MichaelGerardo P. Mencias and Renato P.Uy.

Gathering a strong support

AWF boasts support from thedifferent grassroots and labororganizations, thus making it alreadya strong organization.

Its rosters of supporters includethe Intenational Seafarers ActionCenter (Philippines) Foundation,Inc.; National Union of FilipinoSeafarers Crewing Danish Ships,Inc. (FILDAN); Bank of CommerceEmployees Association (BOCEA);GSIS Family Bank Employees Union;Philippine Congress of Employees;and International Wiring SystemsWorkers Union Tarlac.As time goes by, we will try to enlist

more organizations and institutionsthat will suppor the laborers cause.Furthermore, we are now gearing fora massive recruitment of individuals,as our members, says Entero.Via their website, Ganzan on the

other hand said, one can automaticallyenlist himself as a member and witha minimal membership fee, he or she

could enjoy some priviliges such asfree labor consultation, accident andhospitalization benets, subscription

the news and information packetsbeing published by AWF, andentrance to the AWFs symphosiumsand seminars.

Membership is open toeveryone

Notwithstanding the workers oremployees status in his company, hecould avail AWF membeship.As long as he is not the owner of

the company, he could be a memberof the AWF, Ganzan explained.This, according to Ganzan, gives

much opportunity for everyone toget involved in developing a friendlierworking environment for labor andcapital.

MANILAThe newlyestablished labor center All-

Workers Forum, Inc. hadexpressed its support tothe Mamamayan Tungo saMaunlad na Pilipinas (MTM

Phils.) partylist, which is vyinga seat in the 16thCongress.In its website, it said that it

fully support MTM Phils., as it has

its founding chairman and ChiefExecutive Ofcer Atty. Joseph T.Entero serves as partylists secondnominee.Based on the MTMs website,

the partylist is consist of differentsectors representing the Filipinopeople as a whole.Entero, aside from being the

founding chairman of AWFI, alsoserves as the vice-president andthe secretary general of anothernon-governmental organization(NGO), International SeafarersAction Center (ISAC) PhilippinesFoundation, which is in the forefronton the advancement of the Filipinoseafarers rights.Based on his curriculum vitae

published both in MTM Phils. andAWFs website, Entero is the 6thofthe nine brood of Mr. Valeriano Q.Entero, Sr. and Dominga D. Tolang(now deceased) and has been aconsistent honor student from

grade school to high school.He nished a Bachelors degree

major in Political Science at theUniversity of the Philippines inDiliman, which he was a consistentat the Deans List. He graduatedfrom the College of Arts andSciences in 1981.On that same university he

nished his Bachelor of Laws andwas admitted at the Philippine Bar

in 1986. From then on, he practicedlaw focusing on labor cases.Aside from being a labor lawyer,

he also founded and co-foundedvarious organizations advancingthe rights of the poor and theunderprivileged.On the other hand, the MTM

rst nominee, Renato P. Uy is aSamarnon, who has started hispolitical career as a city councilor ofthe rst district of Calbayog City in

1989.He has completed three termsornine yearsas councilor in his cityand had also served his belovedprovince as a Provincial BoardMember from 2001 up to 2010. Heis concurrently the Vice Presidentof the Provincial Board MembersLeague of the Philippines. (30)

Noli Sta. MariaCorrespondent

All-Workers Forumsupports MTM Partylist


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March 2013 NATIONAL 3

What is AWFI?

BPO firms not remitting

mandatory deductions?

MANILAThe BPO [BusinessProcess Outsourcing] IndustryEmployees Network (BIEN)holds some call center frms

guilty of not remittingmandatory contributions suchas Social Security System, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth.In a press statement published on its

website (http://www.bienphilippines.com) it says that some companiesdeliberately not remitting thesecontributions and the poor employeewould only notice the anomaly whenthey le loans and other claims onthe aforementioned State healthand social insurance and housing

agencies.These benets are really importantto us BPO employees. Everyday, weface hazardous environments on ourway to work and health risks withour night schedule. We also thinkof our future, about our retirement.We hear stories, however, aboutdifculties in accessing thesebenets stories about unremitted

contributions, ineligibility to apply forloans, and other problems that arisewhen employees try to avail of thesebenets, BIEN stated.Meanwhile, BPO employees

are also facing some difcultieswhen it comes to processing thenecessary requirements in applying

for Pag-IBIG, SSS and PhilHealthmembership.Because many of us work at night,simply processing a request may

really be hard for some of us. Manyof the institutions that manage our

benets who are supposed to helpus get through crucial parts of ourlives are renowned for delayedprocessing, unbelievable load of

requirements, and even red tape,BIEN explained.

Noel Sales Barcelona

Sacked BPO employeesgather sympathy


MANILAThe BPO [BusinessProcess Outsourcing] IndustryEmployees Network (BIEN)

sympathized with their 200colleagues in Cebu, who wereillegally sacked by Cordia-Philippines. The termination is dueto the untimely closure of thecompany.News reports said that only 23

out of the 200 employees hadled formal complaints before

the National Labor RelationsCommission (NLRC), asking the

owners of Cordia-Philippines topay their unpaid salaries andto clarify where did their SSS,PhilHealth and other mandatorydeductions go.It is said that the management

It is a non-stock, non-partisanorganization of the unorganized,non-unionized laborers, workers andemployees.

It offers a helping hand and a shoulder tolean on to non-unionized and unorganizedworkers, whether working domestic oroverseas, regular, casual, contractual,itinerant, temporary, permanent, rank-and-le, supervisory, condential ormanagerial, private or public. It also

provides proper and convenient venuefor discussion, deliberation and debate,interaction, exchange of ideas, opinions,experiences, and information about theirjobs, working conditions, and all othermatters and issues that affect them.Through this FORUM, the workers shallempower themselves as an effective andpotent force that could shape their futureand secure their own destiny. We believethat an empowered and united laborforce can effectively secure and defend

themselves from any forms of abuse,oppression and exploitation.AWF has a pool of qualied

and competent labor lawyers andpractitioners and staff who are more thanwilling to help its members with legalneeds. It also offers welfare benets andassistance to qualied members under itsvarious programs and projects designedto alleviate and uplift their social andeconomic condition.

Currently it is conducting a massivenationwide campaign for membership.

AWF Vision:ALL-WORKERS FORUM envisions

an economically secure, socially andpolitically mature labor force, fullyempowered to choose its way of life anddetermine and shape its own future.

An economically secure worker hasincome that is more than sufcient toprovide him and his family with basicnecessities such as food, clothing, shelter,health care, education and relaxation. Aworker is socially mature when he canfreely mingle, interact and relate withfellow workers regardless of status,gender, race, or religious beliefs andafliations, without sacricing quality

time with his own family.Political maturity is achieved when a

worker knows his legal and contractualrights by heart. He has the full freedomto exercise, protect and defend himselfagainst any form of abuses, oppressionor exploitation that would diminish hisdignity, honor and respect as a citizenand human being. A politically matureworker realizes that he has the potential,ability and power to inuence and shapea better society.

ALL-WORKERS FORUM envisionsONE, UNITED, and VIGILANTworkforce that would serve as a pillarin the nations economic growth and

progress.Mission:ALL-WORKERS FORUM aims

to promote, organize and supportan enlightened, strong, united andresponsible workforce with thefull capacity to defend and protectthemselves from any forms of abuseand thus, secure for themselves justand humane conditions of work.This would be achieved not only by

educating the workers of their rightsunder their contract of employment,existing laws, rules and regulations,labor conventions, treaties, bilateral andmultilateral agreement entered into thePhilippines with third parties or entities,but also their duties and responsibilitiesin the workplace in particular, andin the society in general, towards theestablishment of a better society.

It seeks to bridge the gap betweenworkers and capital to achieve unity

and cooperation and thus, bring aboutindustrial harmony, increased efciencyand productivity that should ultimatelyredound to the welfare and benets of theworkers. Conformably to the nationalpolicy, the fruits of labor should befairly and equitably distributed to thoseresponsible in producing them. The All-Workers Forum also aims to promotedecent work and secure dignity, respectand fair treatment that the workers trulydeserve. (NSB) (Source: http://www.all-workersforum.org)

(cont. on page 5)


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OPINION March 20134

EDITORIAL

Can capitalists enrich themselvesalone? Can manufacturing produceproducts by machines alone?Can the nations economy growand progress without the pillarsworking for it? Can politicians winwithout the mass votes? All theseare counted on the WORKERS.

Workers make the capitalistsricher everyday Manufacturingoutputs are measured by thenumber of efcient workers man

the machines The nationseconomic growth and progressare propelled by the numberof workers in every economicwheel Politicians count muchon workers for the mass votes forthe winning candidates.But in most cases, Workers

welfare are seemingly overlooked,they are oftentimes abused,especially the workers in informal

employment, whose ranks havebeen increasing through theyears, with estimates varying from

about half of the countrys laborforce or 77% of the countrys totalemployed based on Labor ForceSurvey. Most of the poor areworking in an informal employmentand these are the workers whoare vulnerable to abuses of theiremployers.Article II, Section 9 of the

Philippine Constitution declaresthat The State shall promote ajust and dynamic social orderthat will ensure the prosperityand independence of the nationand free the people from povertythrough policies that provideadequate social services, promotefull employment, a rising standardof living, and an improved quality

of life for all.But has our government donesomething about this constitutionalprovision for the workers? Wehave so many Bills and Laws aboutworkers protection, but in mostcases, they are overlooked by ourleaders and are only rememberedcome election season. Has ourLabor Department, the localgovernance done something

to about to alleviate poverty byproviding informal workers theirrights to healthcare and othersocial benets? To where dothese informal workers ran forprotection about their complaintson their employers abuses? Theyare left alone under the heat of

the sun or in the cold of rain afterbeing terminated for trumped upcauses. Seldom does an informalworker have any nerve to le acomplaint because they do notbelong to any union, associationor federation.The protection of the workers

rights and the promotion of thewelfare are one of the primaryreasons for the creation of theALL-WORKERS FORUM, INC.(AWFI) It is a must that everyworker knows his rights, they bestatutory or contractual. However,knowing his rights is not enough.He must be able to exercise andto use them against any form ofabuse. Thus, AWF does providethe workers with necessarytools through labor advisories,

legal counseling and assistance,seminars and workshops. TheAWFI provides legal assistanceand free counseling to workers onmoney claims, contract violations,and other employment-relatedconcerns.Workers are also confronted with

legal problems that may affecttheir efciency and productivity

in work. Thus, AWFs counselingservices may also extend topersonal, domestic and non-laborrelated concerns of the workers.It has qualied; competent andexperienced labor lawyers,practitioners and staff who aremore than willing to assist themembers in addressing their legalneeds.

The Nations Undisputed Asset...

WORKERS!


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March 2013 SPECIAL REPORT-BPO 5

Working for a call center for over 5years has taught me so much aboutthe industry. I have personallywitnessed our call center growfrom scratch. The most importantingredient is hiring a good leaderwho will source a good team thatwill work for him. Initially he needsthe following leaders to performspecic roles in the organization.

Recruitment Head to helpsource out the best leadersin the industry. Positions thatinitially need to be lled in are

the high level management postsHR head - take care of the rewards

and compensation packagesof employees, organizationaldevelopment and all other

employees related servicesFacilities head the person who

will build the call center ofce and

infrastructure; he will coordinateclosely with contractors andsuppliers to create a veryconducive call center environmentIT Head someone who has the

technical expertise in building theIT infrastructure requirements of

the call center based on the needTraining Head someone

who will train hired agentsand representatives later onProviding this information would

lead us to a realization that the callcenter success is highly dependenton the abilities and skills of itspeople or employees occupyingthe top level management

positions for the simple reasonthat they are the main DRIVERsof the organization. They shouldbe role models of the companybut are they really setting a goodexample to their subordinates?They should be That is why ourcompany is nding continuous

means to keep their highperforming leaders within the

company by bathing them withdifferent kinds of monetary andnon-monetary benets some of

which include generous sharesof stocks, prot sharing, other

bonuses and incentives, caroptions etc... Since the Philippinesmore often serve as the backofce of a mother company based

abroad, glitches are but natural inthis world. Politics is widespreadin this kind of industry. Even ifyou are a solid performer, youcannot move up and climb theladder of success if you dont

have the right connectionseven if you have what it takesto be a leader. Apart from this,

personal and family relationshipsare broken because marriedemployees from agent level allthe way up to top managementget into a relationship with theirco-employees. Pressure is alsohigh for operations side becausethey need to meet targets andif they dont, the company caneasily send them out. That is why

attrition rate in a call center isincreasingly high. Because apartfrom competition is tough fromagent level posts all the way upto managerial posts, most of theemployees do not feel their self-

worth because there is very littlemovement in the organization.

Based from my experience

and observations, working ina call center could be fun andexciting because of the pay andother employee benets, the

unending company organizedparties and events, no strict dresscode policies, locations of ofces

are strategically along Makati,Ortigas, Eastwood and Fort areaswhere public transportation is not

a problem and working with hippeople between the ages of 22-35 makes you feel young but itsure can be stressful too becauseits fast paced and progressive.

Working in a call centerCheryl May T. Samaniego

still owes the 200 employees P15to P20 million (US$368,188.66 -

$490,918.21) in payables.It is apparent that even the so-called countrys sunshine industryis not spared from y-by-nightcompanies, which obviously includeCordia-Philippines. What happenedto our fellow BPO workers inCordia-Philippines is not the rst.The case...clearly shows that BPOemployees, like migrant workerswho keep the countrys economy

aoat, are also prone to violationsof their labor rights, BIEN said.We are concerned that theDepartment of Labor andEmployment and other concerned

government agencies have failed tomonitor the operations of Cordia-Philippines. We raise the question:Is the DOLE monitoring BPOcompanies so as to weed out y-by-night ones like Cordia-Philippines?it added.Meanwhile, BIEN also urges the

NLRC to expedite the decision onthe case and grant the employeeswhat is due them.

Sacked BPO...

(cont. on page 5)

BPO by the numbers

CALLING it a sunshine industry, the

business process outsourcing (BPO)

industry promises better pay and

wholesome benefts to young and not-so-

young professionals. With the estimated

accelerated growth both in profts and

in assets, BPO workers still face some

challenges, especially when it comes to

their benefts, salaries, and health.

Here is some statistics about the

Philippines sunshine industry:

350,000 500,000 is the numberof yuppies and other professionals/

subprofessionals working in a booming

call center industry

16,000 20,000 pesos is the expected

salary of an employee who will explore

the call center world

5 is the number of call center types

inbound, outbound, web-enabled,

telemarketing, and phone call center

50 is the average call that a BPO

employee (on-board) receives per day

3,000 is the average population ofagents of a call center

The call center employees are expected

to reach 2 million by 2015, from only

500,000 in the average today.

24/7 is of operation time of a call center,

which includes Philippine holidays

12.2 billion US dollars is the average

income that the entire call center industry

had raked in 20104 and it is expected to

balloon up to US$25 billion annually,

until 2015;5 the current market value

of the entire BPO sector is around $150

billion and to reach up to $250 billion inthe next three years.

It is cheap labor and the English

profciency that drives the call center in

the Philippines. The salary of the local

center agent is 50 to 80 percent lower

compared to the agents in the United

States. This rate also applies to India,

which the Philippines is expected to

surpass the coming years.

One writer has written three years ago

saying:

Labour typically makes up 60% of

the cost of a call centre, so reducing

labour costs by 50-70% through offshore

outsourcing has a tremendous impact.

While costs are lower from the point

of view of the US companies, the

skilled and knowledge workers in thedeveloping countries are benefted by

the increase in their incomes since their

current salaries for local work are still

lower compared to the workers of the

developed countries.

The top 10 call centers in the Philippines

are: Convergys, E-Telecare, SVI, Aegis

People Support, Teleperformance,

ICT Group, West Services, Epixtar,

Teletech, and Telus.

(Sources: http://www.callcentersresource.

com/call-center-types.html ; http://www.

tucp.org.ph/news/index.php/2012/03/call-

center-statistics/; http://www.teletech.com/

news/enterprise-management/bpo-growing-

fast-in-the-philippines-800270427)



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FEATURES March 20136

Seafarers NGO kicks off another MLCQUEZON CityThe International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC) had started

a new leg of its Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006 educational campaignin Ilo-Ilo as part of its commitment to advance seafarers rights and welfare.

ISAC had been in the forefront of the ratication campaign of the Convention,

some six years ago and even organized a series of forums discussing the

importance of the labor instrument

to both employers and the workers.

Atty. Edwin S. de la Cruz, ISAC

president in a statement said, now

that Convention has been ratied last

year, the continuous education and

campaign on the pertinent provisionsof the aforementioned international

labor instrument is inevitable.

The situation of our 400,000

Filipino seafarers is not getting any

better. However, with the recent

developments in the MLC 2006

ratication, there is a bigger chance

for them to get what is due them:

right salary, protection of their rights,

and a better working environment,

says the veteran labor lawyer.More than 80 students from

the John B. Lacson Foundation

Maritime University have attended

the seminar which dealt mostly

on the issues that the future and

current seafarers are facing.

ISAC information and

communications chief Cristina

Clemente Tiozon has discussedthe seafarers situation while de

la Cruz focused on the overview

and the implementation of

the six-year old convention.

MLC ratifcation has been slow

But the ratication of said convention

was not that easy. Since 2006, different

groups have been campaigning

for the adoption of the MLC in thePhilippines but, it took it six years

before it was ratied and submited

to the International Labor Ofce in

Geneva. The review for the possible

raticationand eventually, the

adoptionof the MLC 2006 had begun

during the years of the administration

of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

When Mr. Benigno Simeon C.Aquino III had assumed power in

2010, his administration had also

been slow in ratifying the MLC.

It took his administration a year,

before MLC was ratied despite

the fact that we our country is one

of the huge suppliers of maritime

workers in the world, says Dada

Nava, of the ecumenical group,Faith and Deed Movement which

(cont. on page 11)


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March 2013 CLASSIFIED ADS 7


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SPECIAL REPORT - WOMEN March 20138

Women continously discriminated at work - think-tank

Noel Sales BarcelonaEditor in Chief

MANILASad, but true:women are continuouslybeing discriminated at theworkplace.The independent think-tank

on women, Center for WomensResources (CWR) last Valentinesday issued a research packet whichstated, women participation in

labor is on 50.10 percent, or morethan 28 percentage points lowerthan men. This, says the group, isan indicator of discrimination at theworkplace, since there is no equaljob opportunity available for girlsand women at their working age.

Using Government data, it alsostated that jobless women had

reached a whopping 1.06 millionlast year.Women laborers and unskilled

workers receive a meager averageof Php.142.80 (US$3.50) dailywage. They compose 27 percent of

the total employed women in 2011,according to that study, using

the latest data from the NationalStatistics Ofce (NSO), the Statescensus agency.

More discrimination in theagriculture sector

The Philippines, notwithstandingits economic progress remains anagricultural country. The countrysidestill breeds impoverished sectorssuch as sherfolks, farmers, andagricultural workers.Women lag far behind men in

access to land, credit and decentjobs, even though a growing bodyof research shows that enhancingwomens economic options boostsnational economies. Macroeconomicpolicies and policy-making canmake the connections to genderequality. The multiple barriersthat prevent women from seizingeconomic opportunities must bedropped, observes the United

Nations Entity for Gender Equalityand Empowerment of Women(UNWomen formerly Unifem).In the Philippines, the issue on land

ownership and distribution underthe 25-year old ComprehensiveAgrarian Reform Program, whichwas extended under the Mrs. GloriaMacapagal-Arroyos term, in 2007by the virtue of Republic Act 9700.As the problem of land ownership

continue, critics observe, thus theincrease of impoverished sectors,which include, most of the time,women.

The CWR revealed that 49.41percent of employed women inagriculture, hunting and forestrysectors are unpaid family workers,while 69.47 percent are unpaid inthe shing industry.In 2009, the Food and Agriculture

Organization of the UN had statedthat the participation of womenin the agriculture sector has alsosuffered a steep decline between

2009 2011.That is why, the peasant women

organization Amihan said, around800,000 women in the countrysidehad turned to prostitution just to llin the gaps in their meager income.Women face a serious gender gapin access to productive resources.Women control less land than menand the land they control is oftenof poorer quality and their tenure

is insecure. Women own fewerof the working animals neededin farming. They also frequentlydo not control the income fromthe typically small animals theymanage. Women farmers are lesslikely than men to use moderninputs such as improved seeds,fertilizers, pest control measuresand mechanical tools. They also useless credit and often do not control

the credit they obtain. Finally,women have less education andless access to extension services,which make it more difcult togain access to and use some ofthe other resources, such as land,credit and fertilizer. These factorsalso prevent women from adoptingnew technologies as readily as mendo. The constraints women face areoften interrelated and need to be

addressed holistically, explains theUN-FAO. However, this is not limitedto the Philippines but also in otheragricultural countries in Asia, Africaand other parts of the world as well.


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March 2013 SPECIAL REPORT-OFW 9

How did Filipinos become a frequent view in the Mid-East?Danica Zita Castillo

Historically, it was during thediscovery and development ofoil industry that started theinux of migrant workers in

the Middle East. Professionalsand managerial positions areusually lled up by those who

are from the United States ofAmerica (USA) and the UnitedKingdom (UK). Meanwhile,South East Asian and theIndian Sub-Continent hasbecome the major suppliersof the semi-skilled workers.The year 1973 was when the rst

batch of Filipino migrant workers

(FMWs) arrived in Saudi Arabia.Since then, they never stop looking

for employment in the said country.

Today, the Embassy of Saudi Arabiaprocesses over 800 jobs every day.

Aside from Saudi Arabia, the UnitedArab Emirates (UAE) is another

Middle Eastern country where a

lot of FMWs work. According tothe Philippine Embassy in UAE,

there are 450,000 or 4.3% of theentire population in Dubai alone.

Qatar is another country in theMiddle East where Filipinos choose

to work. According to a news article

in balita.ph, there are over 200,000

Filipinos working in Qatar. Most

of them are working as domestichelpers and construction workers.

The Middle East may be abundant in

terms of employment opportunities;

there are still those who choosenot to work there. In a survey by

OFW guide, the following are thetop 3 reasons why some OFWs

choose not to work in the Gulf area:

1. Unbearable weather. Duringsummer, the weather in the Middle

East is extremely hot and dry

while during winter, the weather

is extremely cold. Either way,

this extreme opposite conditionof the Middle Eastern Weather

is unbearable to most OFWs.

2. Middle East is a frightening

place. The laws and policies in the

Middle East are strictly implemented

in the Middle East. This is denitely a

culture shock for Filipinos who are usedto complacent law implementation.

3. Cruel and mean. Probably

because of the physical attributes of

most Middle Eastern people, they are

usually mistaken as cruel and mean.Aside from that, there are many casesof maltreatment committed by Middle

Eastern Families to Filipino OFWs.In the Middle East, there are many

employment opportunities. You can

say that the weather is quite similarto the Philippines and it is relatively

easier to apply for a job there

compared to western countries like

the United States of America (USA)

and the United Kingdom (UK). With

over 1.5 Million Filipinos working andliving in the Middle East, every OFWwill always feel close to home. (30)


10/12

ENTERTAINMENT March 201310

Artista man, manggagawa rinni Boy Villasanta

Nang itatag ng namayapangdirektor at kinalaunan ay nagingPambansang Alagad ng Sining para saPelikula (National Artist for Film) na si LinoBrocka ang Unyon ng mga Manggagawang Pelikulang Pilipino noong mga gitnangtaon ng 1980s, nagbunyi ang aking diwadahil sa wakas, hindi lang glamor oningning ng bituin na bumaba sa lupamula sa langit at kalawakanna pigtal sa

marungis at marahas na katotohanan lalona sa larangan ng paggawa, mababangpasahod at mataas na presyo ng mgabilihinang magiging hitsura at hilatsang mga artista. Kundi ipamumukha nila sa buong

lipunang Filipino at sa sandaigdigan nasila man ay mga manggagawa rin nabahagi ng produksyon, ng kapital at tubo,ng pagkita ng pera, ng pagpapagulongng puhunan, ng pag-inog at pag-ikot ngekonomiya.

Ito ay sa panahong nililikha niLino Brocka ang kanyang obra tungkolsa eksploytasyon at kagimbal-gimbal nakondisyon ng paggawa sa Pilipinas sapelikulang Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalimsa pangunguna nina Gina Alajar at PhillipSalvador. Nasa Third World tayo kaya hindi

pangunahing konsiderasyon sa higit nanakararaming mamamayanliban nalang sa mga pasosyalang glamor okislap ng bituin kundi ang pag-alsa ng

pamumuhay sa wasto at makatarungangpaghahanapbuhay at pagkita ng kuwarta.

Dumating at dumagsa noonisang Sabado ng umaga sa St. MarysCollege Auditorium sa Quezon City angmga ekstra, character actor at actress,mga walang pangalang bagitot bagitasa showbiz, mga direktor, manunulat,tekniko kabilang ang mga legman, make-up artist, gaffer, kameraman, utility,dubber, boomman, clapper, soundman,editor, production designer, lagarista,

musical scorer at marami pang iba.Dumating si Vilma Santos na noon ay

bahagyang namumulat sa kamalayanng mga suliraning panlipunan dahil sakanyang pagganap sa Sister Stella L niMike de Leon. Gayunman, ni anino ni Nora

Aunor ay hindi namulatawan samantalangsiya ang sagisag at representasyonng dakilang anak-pawis, ng obrero, nginaaping sektor ng lipunan. Tulad ng dapat asahan, may

mga kontra laban sa pagtatayo ni Lino ngUnyonisang prinsipyo na malamangkaysa hindi ay ilihis ang isip at damdaminng mga taga-showbiz mismo at ng mgatagatangkilik nito at panatilihing nasatoreng garing ang mga glamoroso atglamorosa sa aninong gumagalaw. Isa rito ang namayapa nang

prodyuser at direktor na si Leroy Salvador. Maraming tanong at duda

kundi man pagsalungat si Leroy saikapagtatagumpay ng organisasyon. Pero hindi nawalan ng lakas

ng loob at bisyon si Brocka kaugnay ngkanyang liderato sa mga trabahador ngindustriya ng pelikula.

Itinuloy niya ang laban kahit siyaay nag-iisa.Kahit ningas-kugon lang ang simpatya

at interest ng mga lumagda at sumapi sapagbubuo ng grupo, sumige si Lino sapaglalantad sa mga katangian ng isangaktor at aktres bilang manggagawa. Hanggang ngayon, kahit sa

alaala na lamang ay ipinamumukha niLino na ang mga taga-showbiz ay tunayna manggagawa ng produksyon. Nakapanghihinayang nga at

walang nagpatuloy sa mga layunin niBrocka kahit marami ang progresibo angpuso at utak sa showbiz. Sumusunod nga si Joel

Lamangan sa mga yapak at aral niLino pero hindi unyon ang ginamitniyang kataga sa pagtatatag niya ngNagkakaisang mga Manggagawa ngPelikulang Pilipino kundi ang pang-uringnagkakaisa na humigit-kumulang,napaka-generic at hindi masyadongmilitante at mapuwersa.

Gayunman, tribute na ito para samga manggagawa ng pelikulang Pilipino. Isa si Fernando Poe, Jr. sa

mga sumuporta sa kilusang ito ni Joel sapanahong moderato ang pagtrato ni FPJsa pulitika. Gayunman, ang paghubog at

pagtuturo sa madla o sa mga taga-

showbiz mismo na tanawin ang kondisyonnila sa industriya sa perspektiba bilangmga trabahador ay unti-unting kumakapitsa mga kamalayan sa loob at labas nglarangan. May iba pang paraan kundi

man daanin sa santong paspasan aysa santong dasalan, ika nga, dahil, sa

sikolohiya ng mga Filipinong naduhagina sa pagpaparaya kaya hindi namannga ba kailangang piliting magkaisaang mga manggagawa sa pelikula paraipamukhang sila ay mga manggagawanga kundi kusa nga itong mambubulabogat mangungunsiyensiya sa pagdaraanng mga araw, sa paghabi ng mga ito ngkasaysayan? Ito ay kahit puwede namang

madaliin ang pag-asenso ng kaisipansa depinisyon at kahulugan ng isang

manggagawa. Sa ngayon, iangkla na muna

natin ang mga gawain sa showbiztelebisyon, pelikula, musika, teatro, liveentertainment, entabladosa pagtutuonsa mga batas ng Department of Laborand Employment sa ngalan ng paggawa. May mga probisyon nga ang

DOLE sa paggawa ng mga taga-showbizpero nasusunod ba naman ito ng mganamamahala sa mga trabaho lalo nayaong mga rikositos sa mga mababang

klase ng gawain tulad ng pagtitimplang kape para sa shootings o tapings,pag-aalalay sa mga sikat na artista,pagmamaneho sa sasakyan ng mgaito, pagtitimpi sa mga kaartehan atkabaliwan ng mga ito at napakaramipang ibang sistema? O kaya naman ay ang haba o ikli

ng oras ng paggawa? Sa ngayon ay pa-morningan

pa nga ang taping ng ibang mga soapopera o humahantong pa nga sa humigit-

kumulang sa beynte kuwatro oras nawalang tulugan. Ano ang sangksyon ng ahensiya

ng pamahalaan sa ganitong kalakaranbagamat ang legal na implikasyon nito aykayang lusutan ng sinumang kumpanyana may mahusay at agresibong abugadona mabibigyan ng katarungan angpagpapatrabaho parang sa kalabaw ngmga taga-showbiz? May kuwento nga ang nagtapos

ng Nursing at ngayon ay premyado atmagaling na aktres na si Chanel Latorrekaugnay sa child star na si Mary LouiseRey, ang nagbida noon sa mga teleseryeng GMA Network na Munting Herederaat Aso ni San Roque. Nang ginagawa ani Chanel

ni Mary Louise ang Munting Heredera,kailangang pakainin nang pakainin ngmga tsokolate at matatamis na kukutinang paslit para hindi antukin at mataposang kanyang trabaho sa gabi o kayanaman ay hanggang kinaumagahan. Ang epekto ng pagpapakaing ito

ng maasukal sa bata ay diabetes. Kaya ngayon ay nagtuturok si Rey

ng insulin sa kanyang sarili kahit na saset ng kanyang bagong telenovela, angBukod Kang Pinagpala kasama sinaLatorre, Jenica Garcia, Mark AnthonyFernandez at Camille Prats. Pero baka naman may pinirmahang

kasunduan ang magulang nito kaugnaysa maaaring ipagawa sa bata saproduksyon o ang tinatawag na waiverkahit labas na sa mga karapatan ngisang manggagawa ay napapakiusapanat napapabayaan? Di kaya? Kaya walang responsibilidad

at ligtas sa katungkulan at tungkulingopisyal ang kumpanya sa anuman angkahihinatnan ng paggawa ng isangartista. Madalas nating mabasa sa

mga opening o closing credits ng isang

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March 2013 OTHER STORIES 11

pelikula o TV ang pagkuha ng permiso ngproduksyon o ng paryentes o guardian ngchild star mismo mula sa DOLE partikularsa pagsunod sa tamang kondisyon ngpaggawa kabilang ang oras ng paggugolnito sa lugar ng pagawaan. Sa kawalan nga ng pagkakaisa

sa showbiz at sa iba pang larangan ngpaggawa, maraming kalakaran angkinukuwestyon. Halimbaway ang pag-iisyu ni

Mrs. Lily Monteverde, kilala rin sa tawagna Mother Lily, ng PDC o post-datedcheck sa mga manggagawa. Madalas kaysa hindi,

napakahabang panahon ng paghihintayang petsa ng nakasaad na bayad saPDC bago mapalitan ng isang tseke. Kung maipapalit naman sa

discount, kinakagat na rin ng mga may-ari ng tseke kahit sa mataas na porsyentomaging pera na lamang ang kapirasongpapel. Gaano nga ba ito kamatwid na

kalakaran sa industriya? Ano ang mga moral na implikasyon

nito? Sa panig naming mga peryodistang

pampelikula, nananatiling marami angisang kahig, isang tuka sa aming hanaysa larangang ito taliwas sa impresyon na

mayayaman ang sumasagisag sa aminsa popularidad ng telebisyon kung saannakabalandra ang kanilang mga mukhatulad nina Marie Lozano, Boy Abunda,Butch Francisco, Mario Dumaual, LharSantiago, Pia Guanio, Gretchen Pullido,Laila Chikadora, Mr. FU o Jeffrey Espiritu,

Cristy Fermin, Ricky Lo, Ginger Conejero,Nelson Canlas, Aubrey Carampel, JeffFernando, Lolit Solis at marami pang iba. Karamihan sa mga publikasyon

na aming pinagsusulatan ay wala nangbayad o kung meron man ay barya-barya na lang kaya paano mamumuhayng disente ang isang movie reporterna konektado rin sa produksyon at sapagpapaandar nito?

Madalas kaysa hindi, abut-abot nalang ng mga artista o paksang isinusulat

o ang tinatawag na presentasyon de latorre ang nangyayari o ipapakita mo anglathalain sa taong isinulat at aabutan kang kahit magkano.

Wala nga itong buwis perowala namang direksyon ang pupuntahanng buhay pang-ekonomiya ng mga taga-pelikula.

Pulos kasosyalan lang bagamatdapat ding isaalang-alang ang ilangsibiko ring aspeto ng mga organisasyonsa showbiz mula sa Film Academy of the

Philippines hanggang sa mga grupong mga movie writers at may isa odalawang sasabihing foundation angkanilang organisasyon, sa panlabasna anyo lang yon pero pareho rin angnilalaman sa pangkaraniwang socialclub. Manggagawa sa pelikula at iba

pang sining, magkaisa!Labanan ang kawalang hustisya sa

pasahod!

Mananatili namang makulay angshowbiz, ang manggagawangartistaang kaayusan ng reyalidadsa industriyadahil ang mga intriga,tsismis, away, hidwaan, inggitan at ibapang tunggalian at kaaliwaswasanay nandyan lang naman pero angpagkita ng malaking suweldo angmas higit na dapat pag-ukulan ngpansin dahil ito ang batayan ngmahusay na pamumuhay.

Seafarers NGO(from pg. 6)

is based in Antipolo City, in Rizal.Faith and Deed Movement (FDM) is

a loose socio-pastoral organization

composed of young Christian

and non-Christian professionals.

Weve been observing the process

the whole time. Since the start-up

of the campaigns for its ratication

until it was nally amended by the

Philippine Senate in December

2011. Seeing the fact that abuses

on the rights of our and othernations mariners, the government

should have ratied it right

away, Nava said in a statement.

Nava also noted that even the

conservative Roman Catholic

Church (RCC) had also called for

the ratication by the Philippines

of the important labor instrument.

Even the Popes representative

here in the Philippines, Archbishop

Giuseppe Pinto, had issued astatement that the government

should act on the MLC since the MLC

would, somehow, protect the rights of

more or less 400,000 Filipinos sailing

across the seven seas, Nava added.

A victory to seafarers

On the other hand, the ratication

of the MLC was a victory for the

seafarers, says Atty. Joseph T.

Entero, secretary-general of ISAC

and the founding chairperson

of the All-Workers Forum, Inc.

If not with the collective struggles

of our seafarers, the MLC wont

be speedily ratied last year.

But the challenge now is how tomake sure that every provision is

strictly and properly implemented,

Entero said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the MLC 2006 is

the consolidation of more than 60

maritime labor instruments in effect

for the last 80 years. It imposes

stricter penalties upon ship-owners

and other institutions and individuals

capitalizing in the seafaring and

maritime industries, whenever theyviolate labor and safety standards.


ALL-WORKERS FORUM INC.

Program of Activities

Legal Assistance and Advi-

sory...

- On Labor Rights!

The AWF provides legal asistanceand free counseling to workerson money claims, contract vio-lations, and other employment-related concerns.

- Seminars & Workshops for

What is Human Trafcking?

Human Trafcking is a crime

against humanity. It involves anact of recruiting,transporting,transfering, harbouring or receiv-ing a person through a use offorce, coercion or other means,for the purpose of exploitingthem.

workers empowerment!


12/12

workers forum - maiden edition (march 8 2013)

Documents