Amidst pandemic and The working folk cannot stop from fighting

 Amidst pandemic and The working folk cannot stop from fighting

by Kat Ulrike

At first, this note firmly salutes the working class in celebration of the International Workers Day. This occassion marks the labouring folk's continuous struggle for a just society amidst intesnse crisis around the world and intensified oppression, exploitation of workers and of the toiling masses. Through this commemoration let the folk strengthen its determination not just to assert its just calls for decent wage and better living conditions, but to advance the struggle to put forward a just new society. 

Like the struggles of the labouring folk in the past, its lessons has served as beacon, an inspiration for the Filipino working class. The Paris Commune, the Russian Revolution, even the first Labour Day protest in the Philippines has brought lessons that for the Filipino working class continue to carry up to present. 

For sure the order and its apologists would try to downplay the patriotic and proletarian fervour of the Filipino labouring folk. The fact that in this current situation wherein age old problems (low wages, contractualisation, unjust working conditions, repression of unions and concerned laborers alike) has intensify struggles for nationalism, democracy, and freedom for the folk. 

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This problem also aggravates with the COVID19 pandemic that continues to rage as more and more Filipinos becoming infected, and still downplayed by the government alongside its failed response and denial of appropriate medical attention. The order's treatment of the pandemic as "peace and order" rather than "medical" matter has shown through massive checkpoints and militarisation rather than ensuring the people's welfare; of scrimped funds for mass testing, treatment, effective contact tracing, and support for medical frontliners while bigger funds for his agendas that benefited those of his camarilla especially those from the police and the armed forces. Worse, during the pandemic, instead of focusing on disentangling the Filipino people, it used the ensuing social turmoil as a leverage to hasten the enactment of anti-people laws in the congress and senate.

Again, the order and its apologists would downplay this matter as it insists that their idol Duterte "tries its best" to control the problem. While favouring those of interest seekers, the economic crisis brought by COVID19 continues to aggravate. Almost 11 million remained unemployed, that worker's wages remain extremely low. Distribution of subsidies for the folk as slow and insufficient amidst rising prices of commodities and services. But again, the order's treatment of this pandemic is way far from its neighbours- that as Indonesia, Vietnam approached it with both medical and scientific means, Duterte's way of treating the pandemic remains militarised in a form of checkpoints, prolonged curfew, if not harassments against concerned groups and persons whose calls include just wages, subsidies, an end to contractualisation, and others. The regime, by having half-hearted approaches to the demands of the needy has causing people to starve, beg, and line up in long queues for food aid- way far from his passage of the Rice Tarrification Law (RTL), the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, the Philippine Program for Recovery with Equity and Solidarity (PH-PROGRESO), the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and Higher Quality Opportunities (TRABAHO) Bill which became the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), and the new Corporate Recovery, and the Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Bill. All these are but neoliberal reforms and policies that favor foreign capitalists and the big landlord-comprador oligarchs with tax cuts and various concessions, all for the preservation of the semicolonial and semifeudal features of the country.

The crisis also created heavier blows against workers. Under a regime that's pursuing continuity contrary to its earlier message of "change" and "inclusive development", state-sponsored oppression and exploitation continues to intensify in the form of lower wages, contractualisation, lack of protection in workplaces, and unjust working conditions amid the pandemic. In an attempt to silence opposition (including those who expressed concern), attacks against organized labor are also worsening such as attempts to disunite workers, surveillance on union organizing in enclaves, killing union leaders, and threats against their members and supporters. Even in the countryside, where militarisation is at worst, disrupts socio-economic life as it consolidates interests of the few who supports the "efforts" of the Duterte regime- that those who call for genuine agrarian reform and rural empowerment as tantamount to terrorism and hence . These measures, coupled with the lack of adequate health services and relief, further serve to exacerbate the growing fear and panic among the people. And along with red-tagging, the suppression of the Filipino people’s basic freedoms and democratic rights, and other countless human rights violations (HRVs), these relentless attacks against the Filipino folk, as justified with the implementation of the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) and the creation of the National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

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Other than the affected workers in the cities and in the countryside, concerned individuals, including those who organised the community pantries been faced condemnation, and surveillance by the order. The community pantries served as a temporary measure by means of mutual aid towards the needy workers and other affected sectors, but the order detested it as a "superspreader" of virus if not an act of rebellion against the regime. Again, the order's perception towards this mutual aid is way contrary to the actions the order appears willing to accommodate such as those offered by the United States and China in a form of military and economic aid that benefited those of the military establishment and of the bureaucrats. 
And while following the dictates of both United States and China for a pittance of economic and military packages, the Duterte regime continues to justify kowtowing be it the United States for Military aid, and China for huge loans with high interests for their "Build, Build, Build" projects. Moreover, due to the fact that they have amassed and continue to accumulate enormous corruptions from Chinese investment contracts, loans and vaccines, Duterte and his camarilla, contrary to their "defence of sovereignty", has let imperialist China freely continue its economic and military interventionism in the rich West Philippine Sea (WPS) with its manmade islands, military installations, even refraining Filipino fishermen from entering the contested waters; while trying to curry favour with the United States for military aid contrary to Duterte's feigning "anti-Americanism" and promises of scrapping the Visiting Forces Agreement. 

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Such fears brought by the order as well as this COVID19 pandemic doesn't stop the labouring folk from fighting. No matter how the order passed its antipeople laws, intensify repression, or silence those who expressed dissent and calling for radical alternatives, That the folk, having seeking truth from facts, exposed and criticised the regime’s incompetence in giving assistance to millions who are forcibly unemployed because of its militaristic treatment in facing the pandemic. Within and outside the country, workers are becoming more condemnatory and active in rising up against the anti-people policies of the regime. 
And because of this growing awareness, the working folk must rise, stand at the forefront of struggle for nationalism and democracy. It must continue to advance worker's rights and welfare as unions be created, expand, and strengthen amidst repression brought by the order. The need for emergency wage increase, subsidies for the unemployed, as well as an end to contractualisation and repression in the workplace. Furthermore, the workers should firmly link to the  democratic demands and struggles of the Filipino masses, and its calls be asserted further such as support the clamor of health workers for salary increases, hazard pay and greater subsidy for health services. They must also strengthen their support for peasants’ demand for genuine land reform, lowering rent, an end for exploitation, and for rural empowerment. At the same time, the calls from children, youth, and students for the safe reopening of schools, increased budget in education, and for increased support for teachers. The workers’ movement must also strongly oppose the government’s unending foreign-borrowing, and oppose the huge budget allocation for satiating the attack dogs of the order.

The order may continue to remain stubborn in its interest-centric venture, but as Filipinos, this commemoration of International Workers Day is more than just celebrating the labors and commemorating hardships, but rather, to push forward the national and democratic aspirations of the Filipino working folk, hand in hand with the other oppressed labourers and masses of the world, altogether fighting against the prevailing socioeconomic order and to forge a new society that's just and prosperous.