Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Rival protest groups quarrel over space
CEBU CITY -- Instead of protesters and the police clashing, rival militant groups under the umbrella of Sanlakas and Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) were the ones that faced off over a spot to hold their Labor Day protest actions.
The two organizations are one in pushing for a P125 across-the-board wage increase but they found themselves arguing over who should use the road fronting Gaisano Metro in downtown Cebu City at past 9 a.m. Monday.
The Associated Labor Unions, a major labor federation asking for a P75 minimum wage hike, opted to hold a mass and listen to the speeches of their leaders to commemorate Labor Day.
Government agencies and private companies, on the other hand, drew crowds for their job fairs at the Capitol and the Cebu City Sports Center.
Officials of four cities in Metro Cebu also signed an agreement to support industrial peace, during a Labor Day celebration Monday.
At the Malacañang sa Sugbo, crowd dispersal management teams from three police offices in Cebu surrounded the area, but it turned out that heavy security was not necessary as protesters concentrated their activities in Colon.
KMU and its affiliates—Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Nagkahiusang Drayber sa Sugbo, Karapatan-Central Visayas, Gabriela and the Cebu Alliance for Renewable Energy—claimed they had the right to hold a protest rally in the area because they had a permit from the Cebu City Government.
But the Sanlakas-led group, which positioned itself in the area early in the morning, argued there was no need for a permit.
The permit issued by City Hall to KMU allowed the group to hold a rally but did not specify the venue, although the group’s letter-request signed by Elpidio S. Caterbas said they would hold the rally on Colon St. in front of Gaisano Metro.
Sanlakas was with its affiliate organizations that included Bisig, Akbayan, Kilusan para sa Pambansaing Demokrasya, Association of Progressive Labor and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)-Cebu.
Winnie Badayos of Bayan tried to negotiate with Edwin Ruaza, chairperson of BMP-Cebu for the latter to leave the area, but this resulted in a heated exchange of words.
The KMU group eventually backed off and held their protest at the corner of Colon and Pelaez Sts. some 100 meters away.
Except for the confrontation, the Labor Day celebration was peaceful, said Cebu City Police Director Melvin Gayotin.
Policemen secured the Malacañang sa Sugbu as early as 7:30 a.m. Monday, after the Presidential Security Group ordered a heightened alert status effective 8 a.m.
At the job fair, Capitol Labor and Employment Office Chief Mathea Baguia said some 2,000 jobs were available yesterday and hundreds of the 3,000 jobseekers were hired on the spot, Baguia said.
Among the 3,000 jobseekers were 100 persons with disabilities.
Most of those hired were food handlers, baggers, merchandisers and salesgirls for food chains and supermarkets. Call centers and manpower agencies also joined the fair.
Meanwhile, Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) 7 Director Elias Cayanong told the Metro Cebu Tripartite and Peace Council the continuing dialogue with workers, businessmen and government is a must.
And any wage increase should be done in a way that it won’t hurt business, Cayanong said during the council’s Labor Day celebration.
Labor Undersecretary Manuel G. Imson also lauded local officials from the Cities of Talisay, Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu for binding themselves with workers to attain industrial peace. (JST/EOB/MBG/MEA of Sun.Star Cebu)
(May 2, 2006 issue)
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