BY SUSAN PRICE
MANILA — November 30 — Bonifacio Day, and this year the 129th birthday of one of the Philippines' national proletarian heroes — became a day and night of mobilisation and protest by radical forces against the government of President Gloria Makapagal Arroyo and the US "war on terrorism".
Almost 20,000 protesters from radical labour unions, urban poor groups, farm labourers movements and student organisations rallied in Manila and four provincial areas. They demanded an end to corruption, the right to a living wage, an end to neo-liberal globalisation, a peaceful solution to the struggle in the southern Mindanao province and a cessation of the US "war on terrorism".
Mass organisations including Sanlakas, BMP (Solidarity of Filipino Workers), KPML (Congress of Unity of the Urban Poor), Zoto (Zone One Tondo Organisation of the urban poor), peasant organisations as well as several unions were present, including the Gelmart Labour Union, which is one of the BMP's largest affiliated garment unions with 90% women members. Political organisations such as the SPP (Socialist Party of Labour) and the PMP (Philippines Workers Party) also mobilised their forces for the demonstration.
Corruption scandals involving members of the ruling elite and millions of pesos are rife, even reaching as far as Mike Arroyo, the president's husband. These scandals have the potential to destabilise Arroyo's government.
According to Wilson Fortaleza, the national president of Sanlakas, "GMA might even end up more corrupt than Erap [Estrada, the former president] as bigger scams and scandals are being exposed left and right against her 10 month-old administration."
To convey their message to the public at the rally, Sanlakas members displayed posters bearing the pictures of Gloria and Mike Arroyo carrying the captions "If the Mr is corrupt, what about the Missus?", caricatured from a former Filipino TV sitcom.
The campaign for a living wage was also highlighted throughout the rally. Currently the radical labour forces are calling for a living family wage per day of 509 pesos (A$20) compared to the current 250 pesos (around A$10).
Militant unions, including the Gelmart Labour Union, are in the midst of an industrial dispute over wage increases in their new collective bargaining agreement. Gelmart workers came out in full force for the rally, linking their struggle to that of all Filipino workers for wage justice.
Victor Briz, BMP president and head of the Gelmart Labour Union, responded to accusations by the government that a wage increase is "anti-labour" and vowed for "an escalation of the wage struggle" in order to pressure Congress to enact the Living Wage Bill.
Briz, along with Wilson Fortaleza, will be attending the Asia Pacific Solidarity Conference in Sydney next Easter.
Opposition to neo-liberal globalisation was a strong theme of the mobilisation, with protesters raising demands against the willingness of the Arroyo regime to bow to the will of the World Trade Organisation, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, while ignoring the plight of the poor.
The BMP has been outspoken in its criticism of the recent fourth ministerial meeting of the WTO in Qatar and in particular the Agreement on Agriculture which it states is a "death sentence on the agricultural development and food security of countries like the Philippines".
The march proceeded to Mendiola near the Presidential Palace for a rally, where speakers addressed the crowd in between "local" versions of the TV game-shows Who Wants to be a Trillionaire? and The Weakest Link, ensuring that the crowds remained strong throughout the afternoon. Teatro Pabrika, a workers' theatre and cultural group, led the platform throughout the day.
In the evening, the rally marched on to the US embassy for a demonstration organised by Peace Camp (Campaign for Peace with Justice), a united front campaign involving sections of the left, the progressive Muslim community and the Catholic Church.
Initially police in riot gear attempted to block protesters from assembling outside the embassy but withdrew after negotiations with rally organisers, allowing the 3-4000-strong crowd to peacefully assemble by torch-light.
Speakers included Datu Olonto, a leader of the Muslim community and one of the co-chairs of Peace Camp.
The ongoing war in Mindanao and the September 11 attacks are the latest pretext for a renewal in negotiations with the United States for military aid in exchange for the re-basing agreement, which will again grant the US access to airspace and military bases.
From Green Left Weekly, December 12, 2001.
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