THE three Coca-Cola employees who were arrested Friday night, November 16, for setting up camp in front of the softdrink’s plant in Mandaue City will face several charges.
According to Senior Superintendent Julian Entoma, Mandaue City Police Office director, their picket was illegal because the three men did not have a permit.
He said the three were given a chance to push through with their rally and to later take down their tent, but they didn’t.
When police arrived and told them to leave, they resisted.
Entoma said one of the demonstrators even collared one of the policemen.
He said they will file the cases against the three men on Monday, November 19, but he clarified that these will be for minor offenses.
“Una illegal picket nila. Then gitagaan sila panahon to do the rally and dismantle the tent after, but they insisted on continuing to picket and block the gate as if they wanted to install a shelter. Until such they announced they would resist the authorities,” Entoma said in a text message to Superbalita Cebu.
The workers are allegedly members of the Coalition of All Coca-Cola Workers Cebu, which is under the Alyansa sa mga Kontraktwal nga Mamumuo sa Sugbo.
Meanwhile, Department of Labor and Employment 7 Director Johnson Cañete said on Sunday, Nov. 18, that they have not received any termination report from the Coca-Cola Bottlers Corp. in Mandaue City.
Cañete said the basic in any termination is giving an affected worker separation pay.
He said he cannot comment on the arrest of the three Coca-Cola workers because he has no data surrounding the incident.
However, Cañete, a lawyer, said the act to assemble is a basic right guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution.
SunStar Cebu called two Coca Cola Femsa executives for their comment, but they declined, saying they were not the officials concerned.
SunStar Cebu also called Samantha Sanchez, Coca-Cola’s head of communications, but she did not answer. (From FMD, SuperBalita Cebu Correspondent, & EOB)