love letter na hindi naibigay

DP

Hindi pulitikal ang nararamdaman ko para sa iyo pero bahagi ito ng pag – unlad ko bilang isang kasama – hindi ko man maipaliwanag sa siyentipikong pamamaraan kung bakit nga ba kita minamahal, basta’t ang alam ko mahal kita at marami akong mga kahinaang mababaka sa mga darating na panahon.

Hindi ko naman masasabing batay ito sa karanasan, ito kasi ang unang pagkakataong masasabi kong nagmamahal ako. Yung iniisip ko kung anong kalagayan ng isang tao, ang mga kagustuhan nya, kailangan nya, kasiyahan nya, at mahalin pati ang kalayaan nya pero hindi lang basta concern – dahil tiyak kong mahal ko sya at mamahalin habang buhay ko.

Hindi ako papayag na hanggang palipad hangin ko nalang masasabing mahal kita – sasabihin ko rin ito sa’yo sa kahandaan ko.

JV

Liham sa masa ng isang peti - burges

Liham sa masa ng isang peti - burges

Ni: Lukrecia Katigbak

Akala ko ang lahat ay nasa akin na, hindi ko iniisip ang iba dahil sa pagkaka-alam ko ang sarili ko lang ang mahalaga. Pero ang lahat ng ito ay nagbago ng ikaw ay nakasama.

Para kay DP

Sa Masa,

Hinihiling ko ang iyong kapatawaran sa aking kapalaluan, sa pagmamalabis, at pagiging makasarili ako’y nagtaksil sa iyo at nakalimutan ang aking tungkulin na ika’y imulat at samahan ka sa iyong paghihimagsik.

Hinubog akong bulag ng ating lipunan, tinatratong hayop na mas mainam ang kalagayan kaysa sa iba para matiyak ang patuloy na pangangamuhan sa naghaharing sistema. Binubusog sa repormang limos bilang pabuya sa katapatan at kataksilan sa aking sariling uri, ng mga pangakong abot tanaw ang pag – unlad at kapayapaang marahas. Pinatutubuan ang aking buhay at kamatayan para sa aking liberal demokratikong mga kahilingan na mas mapainam ang sa totoo’y patuloy na nalulugmok ko nang kabuhayan at ng mga mahal ko sa buhay.

Pinag – aral at tinuruan upang manlinlang sa kanilang kapakinabangan, upang matiyak ang patuloy na panbubusabos sa nakararaming manggagawa at magsasaka. Hinirang bilang mahusay na ahente ng kanilang mga pakunwaring kabutihang loob. Tagapagpadaloy ng bulaang pag-asa sa baytang – baytang na pag – unlad, na balang araw ay makakamit ng maralita ang tugatog ng tagumpay. Na balang araw sa sipag at tiyaga giginhawa ang nakalugmok ng pamumuhay. Na sa mapayapang pamamaraan kahit sagutin ka ng karahasan, may awa parin ang mga demonyong panginoon.

Hindi na ako papayag na muli na danasin pa natin ang pagkabusabos na dulot ng kasakiman ng iilan, handa na akong iwan ang karangyaan, lumaban at lumaya…

Nagbabagong Hubog na Peti Burges

Rejoinder to Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel

Statement ng mga 73 manggagawa ng Kowloon House West

Ibalik sa trabaho ang 74 manggagawang iligal na tinanggal!

Noong Sabado, September 13, hindi na pinapasok ng mga guwardiya ang 73 manggagawa dahil sa desisyong ibinaba ng National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) na pumabor sa isinampang kaso ng Kowloon Management na illegal strike laban sa aming unyon.

MALI at WALANG BATAYAN ang naging desisyon ng NLRC. Ang piket-protestang isinigawa namin noong Hunyo ay mapayapang sama-samang pagkilos sa panahon ng aming breaktime. Walang natigil na produksyon, malayang nakakapasok ang mga kustomer sa restawran.

Kami ay naglunsad ng sama-samang pagkilos dahil sa hindi pagpapatupad ng management ng mga wage order na ibinaba ng Regional Wage Board. Maliwanag na paglabag ito ng management sa aming Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Nakasaad sa aming CBA na dapat ipatupad ng management nang across-the-board ang anumang dagdag sahod na ipag-uutos ng gobyerno. Hindi naman nag-file ng exemption ang management kaya’t wala silang dahilan ibinbin ang mga wage order #13 nang mahigit isang taon at patuloy na binbin itong pinakahuling wage order #14.

Dahil na rin sa aming sama-samang pagkilos, napilitang makipag-usap ang management at nakipag-ayos na ibibgay nila ang P50, mula sa P82 (na total na utang ng management sa aming mga manggagawa mula sa hindi pagpapatupad ng Wage Orders #13 at #14). Buong tiwalang nakipagkasundo ang aming unyong sa management sa harap pa mismo ng National Concilliation and Mediation Board (NCMB). Bagama’t naniniwala kaming kayang ibigay ng amangement nang buo ang aming mga kahilingan.

TOTAL BACK WAGES NA HINIHINGI NG MGA MANGGAGAWA MULA SA MGA WAGE ORDERS = P3,498,600.00

BENTA NG KOWLOON HOUSE SA SIOPAO SA ISANG ARAW (7,000 pcs. X P47.00) = P329,000.00 X 11 DAYS = P3,619,000

11 araw na benta ng SIOPAO lang ang katumbas ng BACK WAGES ng mga manggagawa!

Ngunit sadyang TUSO ang mga may-ari ng Kowloon na sina Paul Ng at Michael Ng. Ilang linggo lang pagkaraan ng pag-uusap hinggil sa wage orders, lumalabas ang desisyon ng NLRC hinggil sa illegal strike at tinanggal ang 73 manggagawa at kasapi ng aming unyon. Isang beses lang pinatikim sa amin ang napagkasunduang P50. Ito na pala ang aming huling sahod at tanggal na kami sa trabaho!

Paul Ng, Michael Ng: MGA UNION BUSTER! MGA GANID SA TUBO!

May mga manggagawang 40 taon ng nagtatrabaho sa Kowloon: P377/day lamang ang sinasahod

May manggagawang 10 taon ng nagtatrabaho sa Kowloon: P250/day ang sinasahod

Kontraktwal pa rin at hindi ginagawang regular ng management

Walang payslip at hindi itemized ang mga salary deductions

Malinaw ring ang layunin ng kapitalista sa pagtatanggal ng 73 manggagawa ay ang WASAKIN, DURUGIN ang aming UNYON! Sagabal sa kanyang pagkamal ng sobrang tubo ang aming palaban at militanteng unyon.

Sa ganitong kalagayan, WELGA ang tanging armas naming mga manggagawa upang ipaglaban ang aming mga karapatan. Wala na kaming aasahan pa sa gobyerno at mga institusyon nito tulad ng NLRC. Sa halip na pangalagaan ang aming trabaho at kabuhayan ng aming mga pamilya ay sila pa mismo ang nagiging kasabwat ng management sa pagtatanggal sa amin sa trabaho. Pinapatay nila ang aming mga pamilya.

Kaya’t hinihingi namin ang inyong pag-unawa at pagsuporta sa aming welga. Tunay na makatarungan ang aming mga ipinaglalaban at patuloy kaming maninindigan hanggang makamit namin ang tagumpay!

IBALIK ANG 73 TINANGGAL NA MANGGAGAWA SA KOWLOON HOUSE!

SAHOD, TRABAHO, AT KARAPATAN – IPAGLABAN!

KONDEHNAHIN ANG SABWATANG  NLRC at KOWLOON!

KOWLOON HOUSE WEST CHAPTER – GLOWHRAIN – KMU

Genuine Labor Organization of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant, and Allied Industries

KILUSANG MAYO UNO

On the Kowloon Restaurant workers currently on strike

Before June of this year, the Kowloon management refused to pay the minimum wage which was mandated by law. In fact, it did not follow the three most-recent wage hikes, amounting to 82 pesos. As a result, while other workers were already receiving at least P382 a day, the workers of Kowloon only got home P300.
To pressure management into giving them SOMETHING WHICH THE LAW ALREADY MANDATED AS THEIRS yet which management refused to give, the workers wore black ribbons at work in a single day last June. But instead of listening to the workers, management instead reprimanded them, especially the union leaders.

Afterwards, they decided to hold a “picket protest” AFTER  their WORK-HOURS and AWAY from any locations that would result in DISRUPTIONS of OPERATIONS. Afterwards,  management decided to hold negotiations with the union. But secretly, they filed a case of “illegal strike” against the workers at the NLRC (National Labor Relations Commission). So when management did agree to raise their wages to P377 a day, the workers only enjoyed this wage hike for one pay day. Why? Because the other Saturday, all 73 members of the union were fired.

Meanwhile, the contractual workers of Kowloon receive only P250 a day.

All of this is ironic because Kowloon could easily pay for the demands of the workers. After all, the owners of the restaurant never applied for “exemption” from the minimum wage, something the Law affords to businesses that can’t afford to pay the minimum wage to its workers without going bankrupt. A lot of local businesses do that, but Kowloon never did. Its either they simply can afford to pay the minimum wage, or the owners of the restaurant have a severe case of amnesia (selective that is).

To illustrate their point, the workers calculated the amount in backwages (the amount of wages which all workers in Kowloon should have received if management had obeyed the three most-recent wage hikes). They then compared it to the sales for a SINGLE product of the restaurant: the siopao. Their calculations showed that the total backwages owed to all the workers was more than equalled by Kowloon sales for siopaos in only 11 days!

If this is greed at its worst, then the NLRC is stupidity exemplified. It ruled in favor of Kowloon management, agreeing that the workers indeed held an “illegal strike”. How could that have happened? Could it be possible that someone from NLRC forget that the definition of a “strike” is a stoppage of work? How could there have been a strike, when the workers protested outside of their work hours? 

As of my writing, the workers of Kowloon have already established their picket line. To confront these unarmed and hungry workers, management has hired so many security guards that they virtually equal the number of striking workers. Who has heard of a restaurant with 20-30 security guards? The only restaurants that I know that have such a number are those in the movies that house activities of the Mafia. Come to think of it, its appropriate. The Kowloon management’s greed and dishonesty in dealing with the workers can only be described as nothing short of “criminal”.

And like everything in the Philippines, the Government sides with the thieves, not the theft victims. The Phil. National Police keeps a few cops on the scene at the ready… to disperse the picketline should there be a moment where no outsiders will intervene. Members of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Phils. have installed a security camera near the picket line, an obvious attempt to harrass students and youths who have regularly visited the picket line in the past few days to show their support to the workers.

This is something which should never be tolerated, and has no place in just society. I urge everyone, my relatives, friends, classmates, schoolmates, casual acquaintances, “online buddies”, and anyone else who is reading this, to adopt the cause of the Kowloon workers as if it was their own. Because like in the time of Hitler, the best accomplice of evil are those who keep silent and remain apathetic.

Please participate NOW. Everything is stacked against the workers. Here are a few suggestions…

- Tell everyone you know to boycott Kowloon Restaurant until it agrees to take back the 73 laid-off workers. The best way to hurt greedy people is by denying them our money.
- Repost an online version of their statement (http://redstudentswill.multiply.com/journal/item/236/
Urgent_Statement_of_the_Striking_Workers_of_Kowloon_Restauran_paki-kalat) all over the internet, write blog entries, post in message boards, and send emails, all regarding this issue.
- Donate money so they can sustain their strike. Its not easy to feed 73 people especially when they all just recently lost their jobs. If you belong to an organization, have your org make it an activity of theirs to raise funds for the strikers.
- Visit the picket line and show your support. As the workers in my previous visits have told me, the morale support they get from us is priceless to them. In a system that stacks everything against them, our support really matters. And aside from that, the constant pressure of youths and students constantly raising hell at the picket line has created negative publicity towards the restaurant, forcing management to promise to hold a dialogue.
- Have your organization, barkada, block, church, family, or whatever, to support the workers.

Thank you and a Good day to you all.

mula sa 

http://redstudentswill.multiply.com/journal/item/237 

ISKOLAR NG BAYAN, SUPPORT THE STRIKE OF THE WORKERS OF KOWLOON RESTAURANT!

WHY ARE THE WORKERS ON STRIKE?

First, it is because Kowloon management has been violating the Minimum Wage Law. The management has ignored the past two wage hikes ordered by the Government’s Regional Wage Board, amounting to P82. In other words, while other workers in the National Capital Region already receive P382 a day, they only receive P300.

Even the official minimum wage is not enough for the workers to give their families a decent existence. The average daily cost of living for a family in the NCR is at P871. It is a double-insult to those who keep our economy running when they do not even receive the insufficient minimum wage.

Second, it is because Kowloon management illegally dismissed all 73 union members just because they wanted the Law to be obeyed. To pressure the management, the workers held a “Black Ribbon Day” last June where all workers wore black ribbons while at their job. Yet, instead of even just listening to their demands and appreciating the peaceful way which the workers conducted their protest, management reprimanded them. So a few weeks later, the workers held a protest action after their work hours, and away from the restaurant entrances so as not to disrupt restaurant operations.

Yet despite this, management filed a case at the NLRC (National Labor Relations Commission), charging the workers with an “illegal strike”. But how does the Law define a “strike”? According to the Labor Code, a “strike” is any “stoppage of work” caused by the actions of workers. Obviously, no “stoppage of work” occurred because the workers held their protest when they were no longer working, and they did it where their protest would cause no disruption.

WHY WON’T THE MANAGEMENT PAY THE MINIMUM WAGE?

It is pure greed in the part of the owners of Kowloon. According to the workers themselves, Kowloon House sells around P330,000 worth of siopao every day. Meanwhile, the total backwages (or the amount they should have received if Management decided to pay the correct minimum wage) amounts P3,489,600. In other words, Kowloon’s sales for one product alone easily amounts to the wages the Management owes the workers.

Additionally, the restaurant never applied for minimum-wage exemption, an option available to SMEs (Small & Medium Enterprises) which cannot afford to pay its workers the proper minimum wage. It is clear that the management can afford to pay its workers. It is clear that it pure greed is the motive of the restaurant owners for firing all 73 union members.

SUPPORT THE STRIKE!

What is happening to the workers of Kowloon is no isolated incident. The stories of capitalist greed, pro-capitalist bias by Government agencies, and the repression of workers who speak out and stand up for their rights, are common to most workers in our country. The workers at the PaperTec Factory in Pasig, and Far Eastern Garments in Las Pinas, are also currently on strike because they were dismissed for demanding proper wages. The workers at the Advan Shoe Factory in Muntinlupa also held a strike this year because, aside from getting below-minimum wages, the owner of the factory regularly sexually harassed the female employees. And the workers at the Nestle Factory in Cabuyao, Laguna, continue their strike because their management continues to ignore a Supreme Court decision favoring the workers!

The fight of these workers from different workplaces is actually part of the bigger fight against policies that are biased against the workers. It is a fight against official Government policy to make our country “attractive” to investors by crushing any dissent from the workers and enabling companies to pay them at wage levels that make them look like slaves.

It is a fight that none of us can afford not to join, because as soon as we graduate, we will be the ones who will be experiencing labor oppression. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

-         BOYCOTT Kowloon Restaurant and all its branches until Management agrees to pay proper wages and accepts the dismissed workers.

-         MORALE SUPPORT Join our visits to the picket line, provide morale support, and learn from their experiences first hand. 

-         VOLUNTEER Be a volunteer and help us organize activities that will garner more support from other students for the striking workers.

-         ORGANIZE Your friends, relatives, and classmates, into support committees that will coordinate with us in providing support for the striking workers.

-         FUND-RAISING Donate and raise funds to sustain the strike.

-         PUBLIC PRESSURE Join protest actions to pressure the management into accepting the just demands of the workers, and to pressure Government agencies in ruling in favor of the workers

-         SPREAD THE WORD Through word-of-mouth, text messaging, and the Internet. Tell people of the plight of the Kowloon workers, and how they too can help.

-         CONTACT US AT 09174791720 or 09293924587

fair under protest 50 pesos lang