PLM Statement on the Impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona

WHILE THE IMPEACHMENT by the House of Representatives of Chief Justice Renato Corona is a welcome accomplishment – the PLM (Partido Lakas ng Masa) insists that the entire membership of the Supreme Court should resign, that the government review the appointment powers of the president of the Philippines, and that a democratic method be put in place to replace Supreme Court justices.

The impeachment of Corona highlights the long-standing tension between the executive branch and the judiciary, or the two co-equal branches of the government. The tension between President Noynoy Aquino and the Chief Justice began right after the midnight appointment of the latter by former President Gloria Arroyo a week after the 2010 presidential election. It was exacerbated by the rejection of the Corona-led Supreme Court of President Aquino’s project of convening a Truth Commission.

But we believe the issue that got the President’s ire is not only the earlier ones nor the TRO (temporary restraining order) granted by the Supreme Court in order to aid the escape of the Arroyos to a foreign country during the NAIA stand-off. It was the Supreme Court’s latest decision to distribute the 4,916 hectares of Hacienda Luisita (owned by the Aquino-Cojuangco clan) to 6,296 farmworker beneficiaries.

While the decision is commendable, we believe it has long been overdue and has been used as a mere scoring point against President Aquino. This decision, whose practical implementation will likely be stayed by more court litigations, comes in the heels of pro-capitalists’ and pro-landlords’ decisions made by the Court. These include the decision to grant the multi-billion peso coconut levy fund, collected from the coconut farmers during the martial law period, to Marcos’ crony Danding Cojuangco; and the reopening and reversal of a favorable Court ruling on the flight attendants and stewards’ case (Fasap case) based on a mere demand letter sent by Lucio Tan’s lawyer.

This Supreme Court has long been tainted as a court that does not serve the interests of the workers and the poor people, and a court that only curry favors for factions of the ruling elite, be it the Arroyos, the Lucio Tans and Danding Cojuangcos of the land.

We believe that it is not only Chief Justice Renato Corona who should be impeached. To spare the people from further machinations of an Arroyo-controlled Supreme Court and a court beholden to the ruling class’ interests, we call for the resignation of all the Supreme Court justices.

The government should be given a clear hand to choose new justices who have proven integrity, competence, probity, and independence; justices who have clear track records of serving the interests of the people, not factions of the elite.

But we also believe that the appointment power of the President of the Philippines over Supreme Court justices is one of the main reasons we always have a factionalized Supreme Court. The Court has become a plaything or a stamping pad for the president’s wishes.

While it is true that members of the Supreme Court come from a list provided by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the JBC itself is composed of appointees by the President and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments which is, in turn, controlled by whichever is the ruling party in government.

To ensure that the court will be independent from the executive and legislative branches of government, the President should adopt a transparent approach in choosing the new justices. This can be done in a process that integrates public nomination, consultation and hearings. Independent people’s organizations, including the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, human rights groups, civil society groups, and others should be asked to nominate members of the Supreme Court based on constitutional requirements.

The impeachment by Congress of Chief Justice Corona can really be a ‘historic act’ if it is coupled with an independent, graft-free, democratic methods of choosing the new replacements. Sonny Melencio, Chairperson, PLM

Suportahan ang pakikibaka ng mga manggagawa sa PAL

Nananawagan kami sa pagkakaisa ng buong uring manggagawa. Lampasan ang pagkakahati-hati anuman ang mga dahilan nito – ideolohiya, apilasyon, at iba pa – at bigkisin ang hanay para isulong at ipagwagi ang pakikibaka ng mga manggagawa sa PAL.

Ang pakikibaka ng mga manggagawa sa PAL, sa pangunguna ng unyong Palea, ay pakikibaka ng lahat ng manggagawa. Laban ito sa walang patumanggang pagtatanggal ng regular na trabaho at pagpapalit dito ng trabahong kontraktwal sa kakapiranggot na sweldo at benepisyo.

Ang pakikibaka ng mga manggagawa sa PAL ay pagpapamalas ng pag-alpas ng dumaraming manggagawa sa ilusyon ng demokratiko at makataong gobyerno ni Pangulong Noynoy Aquino. Batid ng mga manggagawa sa PAL na walang nagawa ang bagong gobyerno para ipagtanggol ang kanilang mga karapatan. Sa halip, ang kinatigan ng gobyerno ay ang interes ng kapitalistang si Lucio Tan para panatilihin ang malaking tubo ng kompanya, kapalit ng pagpapababa ng sweldo at benepisyo ng mga manggagawa at pagkawala ng kanilang kasiguruhan sa trabaho.

Ang laban sa PAL ay mapagpasyang laban na siyang magtatakda ng tatakbuhin pang laban ng mga manggagawa. Kung ito ay magwawagi, mabibigyan ng pag-asa ang marami pang mga laban na gaya nito. Kung ito ay mabibigo, dadanas ng masidhing siphayo ang kilusang manggagawa na kasasadlakan sa mahabang panahon.

Tinatawagan namin ang lahat ng mga manggagawa, saanmang unyon o apilasyon kayo nabibilang, halina’t suportahan ang laban ng mga manggagawa sa PAL. Magmobilisa at sumama sa walang-tigil na piket sa harap ng Terminal 2 ng NAIA. Gayundin, hikayatin ang marami pa na magpahayag ng kanilang suporta sa pakikibaka ng mga manggagawa sa PAL.

Sa paglawak ng ating pagkakaisa, paghandaan rin ang posibilidad na maitaas pa ang laban sa kapitalistang si Lucio Tan sa pamamagitan ng pagboykot sa PAL at iba pa niyang mga produkto.

Mabuhay ang mga manggagawa sa PAL!
Mabuhay ang uring manggagawa! Sonny Melencio, Tagapangulo, Sa ngalan ng Partido ng Lakas ng Masa

No to Sabre-Rattling! A Negotiated Political Settlement to the Spratly Islands Dispute!

The Partido Lakas ng Masa condemns any actions that increase military tensions in the region and contribute to a regional military conflict, by countries that lay claim to the Spratly Islands. We are opposed to any sabre-rattling and stand for a negotiated, political settlement, of the disputed claims to the area. Therefore we deplore China’s strong-arm tactics and bullying, which undermines efforts towards a peaceful, political settlement, of the disputed claims.

The Spratly Islands, less than four-square kilometres of land area spread over 425,000 square kilometres of sea and usually submerged under water, probably have strategic importance fuelling the numerous territorial disputes. The area holds significant reserves of oil and natural gas: reportedly some 17.7 billion tons of oil and natural gas reserves, larger than the 13 billion tons held by Kuwait, thus making it the fourth largest reserve bed in the world. In an energy hungry world, these reserves intensify the disputed claims over the area.  Due to clashes over claims on the islands, no successful exploration of the area has as yet been successfully undertaken. It is a productive area for world fishing and accounted for 8% of the total world catch in 1988, a number which has most likely risen since then. China has estimated that the South China Sea holds one trillion dollars worth of oil, natural gas and fishing. The region is also one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Tanker traffic through the South China Sea is over three times greater than through the Suez Canal and five times greater than through the Panama Canal.

The history of the various claims is lengthy and contorted. Malaysia has militarily occupied three islands that it considers to be within its continental shelf. Swallow Reef (Layang Layang) has been turned into an island through land reclamation and the establishment of tourist facilities. China and Taiwan claim that the islands have historically been a part of China for nearly 2000 years, discovered during the Han Dynasty in 2 BC and marked on maps compiled from thereon. China also claims that neighbouring countries and European Powers took advantage of China’s situation during the revolutionary upheavals to impinge on its sovereignty. Today, China’s Peoples Liberation Army and the Taiwanese government armed forces are both stationed in several islands, including the largest, Taiping Island . Vietnam disputes China ’s claims on the basis that the ancient Chinese records were about non-Chinese foreign territories and that China did not claim sovereignty over the Spratlys until after the Second World War. Vietnam claims the Spratlys based on international law on declaring and exercising sovereignty. Vietnam currently occupies 31 islands. Brunei's claims to the reef are based on the United Nations Law of the Sea. Brunei claims that the southern part of the Spratly Chain is actually a part of its continental shelf and therefore a part of its territory and resources.

The Philippines bases its claims of sovereignty over the Spratlys on the issues of Res nullius (literally ‘nobody’s property’) and geography. The claim was Res nullius as there was no effective sovereignty over the islands until the 1930s when France and then Japan acquired the islands. When Japan renounced their sovereignty over the islands, according to the San Francisco Treaty between Japan and the Allied powers signed in 1951, there was a relinquishment of the right to the islands without any special beneficiary. Therefore, argue the Philippines, the islands became Res nullius and available for annexation. The Philippines did not register these claims until the 1970s and annexed the islands in 1978, calling them the Kalayaan Island Group. The cornerstone of the Philippines claim of the Kalayaan islands is that the Spratlys lie within its 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone according to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Philippines also argues, under maritime law that China cannot extend its baseline claims to the Spratlys, because China is not an archipelagic state.

There are many geopolitical interests at play in the area. These include that of the United States, which has stated that it has ‘national interests’ in the South China Sea. The strategic importance of these islands, in a world faced with rapidly dwindling natural resources and increasingly precarious food security, are fuelling the disputes over territorial claims in this region. In a region which has had more than its share of war and conflict, due to colonial and imperialist aggression, we must reject all and every response which escalates military tensions in the region. We must stand for a negotiated, political resolution, to the disputed territories.

Furthermore, we do not believe the argument that the national sovereignty of the countries involved is at stake over the disputed claims, helps achieve this. The issue of national sovereignty is legitimate only if there are national islanders, i.e. an actual islander population inhabiting these islands, whose economic interests and culture historically coincide with the interests of a nation state, but this is not the case. Only a small number of military personnel occupy some of the islands. Sovereignty cannot be solely defined as authority over territories. The Spratlys is simply a disputed territory and therefore must be resolved through straightforward negotiations. To argue, as the various governments do, that national sovereignty is at stake or is being violated is not strictly accurate. It is also dangerous as it raises the stakes and therefore increases regional tensions around the issue.

We also oppose any attempts by the Philippine government and the defense department to purchase military equipment ‘to better address the Spratlys issue’, as described by AFP spokeman Commodore Rodriguez. In a country that continues to face an armed liberation movement struggling for self-determination of the Bangsamoro people in Mindanao, as well as a guerrilla warfare undertaken by left groups in pursuit of social justice, any ‘nationwide modernization upgrade’ as proposed by the AFP will inevitably be used by the government against the legitimate struggle of the Bangsamoro peoples and the left. Therefore, any moves by the AFP to purchase weapons under the guise of ‘national defence’ must also be opposed. -30- Sonny Melencio, Chairperson, PLM

The Workers Creates the Wealth of the Society! We Deserve Better!

The Regional Wage Board’s decision of giving NCR workers a 22 pesos non-wage benefit is unacceptable and considered an insult to all non-agricultural workers. The additional Php 22 was too little to make any economic impact for the workers because it was given way too late when prices of basic commodities and transportation fares were already increased.  We can say that the adjustment is really not an adjustment to help but a mere pampalubag loob (consolation).  Pnoy made an announcement before May 1, International Labor Day, that he has good news for the workers.  But instead of making good of his promise to help alleviate a little the economic condition of the workers, he failed the expectations of the Filipino working class for the nth time.  This decision and the inability of Pnoy to act in favor of the majority, made it clear that Pnoy’s bosses are not the ordinary people but the elites.

The Php 22 is not a wage increase which the workers are asking.  It is way below the Php 125 or the Php 75 that the workers are asking, and is too little for a Living Wage needed by a worker to live a decent life.  The Php 22 that will be added to the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) will not be subject to over time and night differential and 13th month pay computations, making the Board’s decision more favorable to employers than the workers who badly need a salary increase.

This decision is a manifestation that the ruling elite of this country is highly favored by this government.  The Private Partnership Program (PPP) of Pnoy is in full motion to the detriment of the working class.  All those who will benefit from this shenanigan are the capitalists who are cashing in on the government’s inability to protect the interest of the working class who produces the wealth of the society.

The Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Laboring Masses) calls on Pnoy to do something for a change, to do something to benefit the ordinary Filipino, especially the Working Class.  What he needs is a political will to put forward policies that will benefit the poor majority of the society.  What the workers are asking is a Php 125 salary increase, the scrapping of the Oil Deregulation Law, and the cancellation of EVAT for basic commodities!  And we will not settle for anything less!

25 Taon ng Patuloy na Pandarambong at Pagpapahirap sa Masa

ANONG EDSA REVOLUTION?  Walang rebolusyon na nangyari noong February 25, 1986.  Ang naganap ay naibagsak ng pag-aalsa ng mamamayan ang diktadura ni Marcos pero ang namuno ay galing pa rin sa mga elitista.

Naudlot ang dapat sanang rebolusyon na magbibigay ng tunay na ginhawa sa masa. Sinaklot ito ng mga kinatawan ng mga kapitalista, asendero at tradisyonal na politiko na naghali-halili para pagharian ang bayan.

Kaya walang makabuluhang pagbabagong naganap sa 25 taon.  Ang naging pamana ng EDSA:

1.  Walang tigil na pandarambong sa loob ng Armed Forces of the Philippines.  Multi-milyong “pabaon”, “pasalubong”, payola at iba pang sagad-sa-butong panghuhuthot ng mga heneral at pinuno ng militar. Sabi mismo ng ilang heneral sa AFP, nagsimula pa ito sa administrasyon ni Cory Aquino (para pagbigyan ang mga nag-aalburutong militar) at nagpapatuloy hanggang ngayon.

2.  Kurakutan at inhustisya sa loob ng Korte Suprema at sa hudikatura.  Ibinulgar ni Lauro Vizconde na nagsuhol ng P50 milyong piso ang pamilyang Webb para iabswelto ng Supreme Court si Hubert Webb sa kasong panggagahasa at masaker sa kanyang pamilya. 

3.  Kawalan ng kapasyahan ng gobyerno na itigil ang walang humpay na pagtaas ng presyo ng mga bilihin.  Sa kabila nito, ipinag-utos pa ng gobyernong Noynoy ang panibagong mga pagtaas sa presyo ng pamasahe, LRT, toll fees, gasolina at iba pang batayang produkto.

4. Kawalan ng hustisya sa mga magsasaka na patuloy na sinasamantala ng mga asendero. Walang hustisya sa Hacienda Luisita at nakalusot ang pamilyang Aquino-Cojuangco kahit sa pagpapatupad ng sarili nitong batas sa reporma sa lupa (na ipinamana pa ng yumaong Cory).

Kung mayroon mang nabago sa panahon ni Marcos, at kahit sa panahon ni Gloria, ito ay ang pagkakataon na malaman ng taumbayan ang mga kabahuang nagaganap sa gobyerno. Kaliwa’t kanan ang mga pagbubulgar na nangyayari, pero ang tanong ay kung magkakaroon ba ng kalutasan ang lahat ng ito?

Matuto tayo sa nagaganap na People’s Power sa Egypt at maraming bayan sa Middle East. Ang aral ay dapat na ang masa ang mamuno at hindi mga kinatawan lamang ng mga elitista na magpapatuloy ng pandarambong at pagpapahirap sa bayan. Ang hindi natapos na rebolusyon ay dapat ituloy para makamit na ng masa ang inaasam na ginhawa, demokrasya at hustisya!-30-Julian Zacharias, PLM

JUSTICE FOR KA POPOY! JUSTICE FOR THE WORKING CLASS!

February 6, 2011 marks the 10th death anniversary of our leader and slain comrade Filemon “Ka Popoy” Lagman.



Ten years have passed, but there’s still no justice for Ka Popoy. A working class hero, Ka Popoy was the president of Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) from 1995 until he was killed by assassin's bullets on that fateful day in 2001, nearly two weeks after the Edsa Two revolution. But his assassins can’t kill his ideas. They had wiped out his body but not his legacy. We’re still here to pursue Ka Popoy’s dream – our dream – to emancipate the working class from the bondage of capitalist oppression, corruption, poverty and deceit, a dream of a socialist revolution to be led by the working class.



Our dream, like Ka Popoy’s, will continue to inspire us to work hard with the fire in our hearts, carrying our socialist ideals to pursue what Ka Popoy has dreamed - a society where there are no slaves of capital, a socialist revolution to be led by the proletariat, a classless society, a victory for the working class. Ten years since his death, poverty and injustices still continue to plague our nation, continue to cripple the life of the poor, contractualization is rampant, the system of greed that Ka Popoy wants to get rid of still continue to destroy the honor and dignity of the working class.



Ka Popoy was an embodiment of a great socialist revolutionary, a hero of the proletariat, a leader beloved and feared, a great teacher, a fearless activist, a prolific writer, a great agitator. More than any activist of his generation, Ka Popoy is the most conscious about developing the proletarian line. He thought and wrote about Philippine society and the working class revolution through Marxist-Leninist line; and even criticizes the Stalinist-Maoist line that led to the split in the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1991. A Marxist-Leninist through and through, he viewed the working class as the main force of change instead of the peasants, which Joma Sison advocates. Ka Popoy advocated the working class-led revolution that will emancipate all the toiling masses from the claws of capitalism.



We started this day by a wreath-laying activity at Ka Popoy’s monument at Marikina on 7am, then we proceed at Loyola Memorial Park to visit and pay respect to Ka Popoy. After that, hundreds of workers and urban poor marched from Loyola to UP Bahay ng Alumni, where he was gunned down a decade ago. We ended the program there, but we didn’t end our crusade.



As we commemorate this day, we are renewing our vow to continue Ka Popoy’s fight, to pursue his dream for system change, to carry on the fight until socialist victory will be achieved. We will continue to organize the workers and the poor to fulfil our goal of a socialist system that will emancipate us, most especially the working class, from the onslaught of capitalism, from the bondage of greed. Ka Popoy’s spirit lives on.



Justice for Ka Popoy! Justice for the working class!-30- Julian Zacharias, PLM

Flowers and Candles for the Workers

Leaders from the progressive and militant political party, Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Laboring Masses) offered flowers and lighted candles at the site where 10 construction workers of the Eton Properties died from a work related accident.

Last January 27, ten construction workers died after the gondola they were riding fell from the 32nd floor to the 7th floor of Eton Towers. Initial result of the investigation revealed that the workers lack the necessary safety equipment, a clear violation of the Safety and Health Standards. The investigation also revealed that the company does not provide minimum wage, Social Security System benefits, and other basic labor standards.

The offering of flowers and lighting of candles is a show of solidarity with the bereaved families as they seek for justice. It is also a call for the Government to look into the health and safety conditions of all workers especially those in hazardous environment.

“The government,” according to Sonny Melencio, PLM National Chairperson, “should treat the case as a national tragedy and not just an isolated case involving only one construction company. “The Department of Labor and Employment should look into the company’s violation of labor standards and ensure that the workers will receive just compensation, including death and funeral benefits and financial support to the bereaved families,” he added.

“To ensure that this kind of tragedy will not happen again and the death of the ten workers will not be in vain, the government and its department of labor should penalize firms violating labor safety and labor standards, set up a life and accident insurance system for all construction workers that the company will have to pay on its own, and toughen its system of inspection on construction worksites,” Melencio said.

PLM also reiterated their call for the government to stop the rampant contractualization which gives the capitalists an excuse to pay lower wages and to avoid employment benefits for workers, including accident and death compensation. “To give justice to the workers, P-Noy should put a stop to contractualization. The small amount of financial support their families may have received today still does not give justice to the plight of the workers who build great edifices that bring enormous profits to the capitalists and misery and death for the workers.”-30- Julian Zacharias, PLM