VVC pays tribute to Filipino workers on Labor Day

Rejina Aniano

Stories of four Filipino workers were featured in a Viva Voce COC (VVC) webinar “iBoses 2023: Workers, Wakers! Kayod para sa Pagbabago” on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, via Facebook live, acknowledging their contributions to society and their coping mechanisms to the prevailing struggle.

One of these workers is maintenance worker Warlito Salamat who contracted leptospirosis back in 2016. He found himself fortunate to have an employer who supported his medical expenses, a manifestation of how laborers should be treated.

“Mga trabaho ko, minsan mahirap, minsan madali. Ginagawa ko ito para sa pamilya ko, para may ipambuhaysakanila,” Salamat narrated.

Fruit vendor Carlito David Jr. also shares the same motivations as Salamat. Tending to this business entails waking up early despite having no guarantee of substantial sales. To boost his sales, he claims he makes use of sales talk. All of this to sustain his family’s basic needs.

Salamat and David Jr. both imparted the values of “sipag attiyaga.”

Despite experiencing occasional hostile treatment, beauty consultant Maricar Tejano and ground staffer Jennifer Teña still find fulfillment in serving their respective customers and passengers. It may sometimes take a toll on them, but they always cope “with a smile.”

“Pilit nating trabahuhin ang paghayag ng ating mensahe hanggang sa maging tunay na ang ating mga pangarap, mataas na sahod, mababang presyo at bansang may trabaho sa bawat Pilipino, sulong!”

VVC President John Lester Teña emphasized that Filipino workers should be consistently represented and that their struggles deserve not only to be remembered but also appreciated.

The webinar also showcased literary pieces written by Viva Voce COC members and contributing students dedicated to Filipino laborers, amplifying their call for wage increase and workers’ rights.

Speakers from civil society organizations and government agencies discussed the significance of FOI in promoting government transparency and accountability.

“Currently, the Philippines [has] an FOI Executive Order but it only covers offices under the executive administration. We are actively pushing for a law,” PCIJ Executive Director Carmela Fonbuena declared in her welcoming remarks.

Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA) representative Christel Sobredo shared her team’s experience in requesting documents from various government agencies for a research project.

The Department of Finance (DOF), the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ), the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and PhilHealth took one month to respond.

The Department of Health (DOH) took three months, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) six months.

While the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) have no response as of writing.

Government agencies usually cater to requests within a week but fail to provide status updates, exhibiting ‘poor data management’ with issues in data presentation, formatting, transparency, and overall data quality.

Meanwhile, Partido Manggagawa representative Randy Miranda echoed FOI’s critical role to inform workers about their rights, working conditions, and benefits.

Their inquiry about the decline in funds of labor institutions like the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) was left unanswered by the government for a year.

Jericho Robles, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice (PMCJ) representative, discussed FOI’s relevance especially with the inaccessibility of supposedly public documents like the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) and environmental impact studies

Atty. Aison Garcia, former Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) secretary, presented the Hacienda Vicente case in Western Visayas wherein a suspicious land conversion was granted to the landowners without informing the farmers.

He requested for the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) certificate used by the Land Use Cases Committee (LUCC) for such legal cases, but LUCC neither found nor provided a copy.

“Freedom of Information is a reclaiming power for transparency and accountability,” Internews Philippines’ Country Director Greg Kehailia concluded the event.

CAEPUP now allows students to choose desired courses

Aries Altavano

The Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Main Campus released the list of College Admission and Evaluation (CAEPUP) passers for academic year 2023-2024 on Monday, May 29.

According to the PUP website, about 20,000 out of 82,282 applicants received by the Sta. Mesa campus were admitted under the new admission process.

The new admission process enabled CAEPUP passers to choose their intended program for enrollment, unlike last academic year wherein admission is based upon the ranking from the final evaluation of grades and the availability of slots in each course.

There was no explanation as to why the admission process was revised.