President Benigno “PNoy” Aqunio III failed in its many promises in his first year as president. The life and rights of the workers and the poor have worsened as he continued the same old policies espoused by the Arroyo administration.

Five trade unionists, and 3 urban poor were killed in his first year.

PNoy promised to prosecute human rights violators and put an end to extrajudicial killings. But his first year as president registered higher incidence of extrajudicial killings which totaled to 48. In the labor sector, five workers and unionists, three urban poor were killed, compared to one under Arroyo’s first year in 2001. Worse, no one has been prosecuted and held accountable for even one case of extrajudicial killing or enforced disappearance which is in sharp contrast to his strong statements in his first SONA last year.

Documented victims of human rights (HR) violations, both civil and political as well as economic social and cultural, is six times higher during PNoy’s first year compared to GMA’s. From July 2010 to June 2011, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights documented a total of 33178 victims of HR violations compared to only 5363 in 2001. Aquino’s counter insurgency program, Oplan Bayanihan (OB), accounts for most of the reasons. Intensified civil-military operations under Oplan Bayanihan, only perpetuates militarization of communities and workplaces as experienced by workers in Dole Philippines and other plantations in Mindanao. This kind of program has long been identified as causes of numerous violations in the past, but PNoy continued the same. Legal offensives against workers and workers advocates persist. Trumped up murder charges against ST72 which include a renowned labor leader, Atty. Remigio Saladero, was refiled in May this year even though it was already dismissed two years ago.

Widening gap between the rich and the poor

The rich became richer under PNoy. The richest Filipinos, according to the latest Forbes survey, increased their net worth by 39 percent totaling to US$22.8 B from US$16.4 B in the previous year. On the other hand, the government – in order to boast about the decreased number of poor Filipinos – changed the poverty threshold from P54 a day to only P46 a day. Despite this, the number of poor Filipinos remained high at 23.1 million. The controversial Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) – a program which is more of a remedy than a solution – only lessened the incidence of hunger temporarily but failed to diminish the number of poor.

High prices and low wages

Increased taxes and fees were imposed in the first year of PNoy government while it is most lenient to imposing taxes on oil companies despite the series of oil price hikes. Since January 2011, oil prices have increased 18 times thus pushing the prices of basic commodities and transportation to soar. Consequently, the real value of wages at a low P245 has further been eroded by P10.50 due to price increases(Ibon). Yet , the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) only granted a meager P22 increase in COLA to private sector employees in the National Capital Region (NCR). Increase in COLA is lower or non-existent in other regions where poverty is more visible. Government employees were given their 3rd tranche of SSL increase a month earlier than expected but the average increase of P1800 a month is still insignificant compared to the sector’s demand of P6000 monthly wage hike.

No clear employment program

Total number of unemployed increased to 11.3 Million (SWS survey) and underemployment rate is not improving despite continual change in definition and categorization of unemployed. SWS survey noted that PNoy now has the distinction of being the first President in recent decades whose first year in office is marked by the steep worsening of unemployment. Six out of 10 employed are part time workers and almost half of the employed are in the informal sector or considered in vulnerable employment: with no security of tenure, no benefits and not allowed to unionize. Yet, the government does not have clear employment program except for creating emergency employment, inviting more investors through public private partnerships( PPP), employment facilitation through provision of technical skills and resolving labor mismatch and exporting Filipino workers abroad. There was nothing fundamental in how employment could be generated locally or how industries could be developed. All programs that PNoy government pursue are programs that have been proven bankrupt and failed to stem unemployment in the last administrations .

“Worst year for OFWs”

The number of OFWs increased to nearly 15 million, a clear indicator that labour export policy is the Aquino administration’s core employment strategy. Horrendous reality that beset OFWs was not abated. In fact, six to 10 OFWs are brought home dead everyday while the number of OFWs in the death row increased from 108 to 122.

And despite the unrest in the Middle East and neighbouring western African countries, the government is still encouraging Filipinos to work in the Arab states. This is not surprising as the government expects to earn US$22 B (Php860 billions) in remittances by the end of the year, up from a $18 billion last year. Despite the gigantic gains from OFWs, the Aquino administration slashed the budget by half for OFW services from $19.5B to $10 B this year. Thus, it was not surprise that the government is unable to repatriate 90% of Filipinos stranded in Libya and is unable to provide legal aid to OFWs facing criminal charges abroad.

Favouring capital over workers rights and interests

The straight path clearly directs favouring capital over the rights and interests of workers especially on the issue of job security. DOLE for instance approved PAL’s decision to outsource one of its departments at the expense of the livelihood and job security of 2600 employees. The Department of Trade and Industry in the early months of the Aquino administration also expressed the need to relax labor law provisions on constitutionally guaranteed right to security of tenure to encourage more investors. PNoy is also mum in the issue of ABS-CBN workers who were illegally dismissed after forming a union despite DOLE’s decision that the workers were indeed regular employees of ABS-CBN. Worse in a move to legalize contractual labor, Malacañang allies in Congress particularly Akbayan, is now pushing for a so-called security of tenure bill which will legally allow industries to have 20% of their employees hired as contractual, a practice which was actually not codified under the law.

Hazardous occupation

PNoy’s first year also highlighted the dismal state of occupational health and safety in the country with the death of 11 construction workers in the Lucio Tan-owned Eton Properties who have fallen from a gondola February this year. Aggregate data as documented by CTUHR and Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOSHAD) totals to 214 deaths since January last year. But PNoy appears to have no plans to change its occupational health and safety policy which exempts companies with 200 above employees from government inspection and instead give them a free hand to self-assess and rate its OHS policies and practices.

Monthly demolitions, and diminished social services

One urban poor community is destroyed every month, in demolitions that were marred by violence and death. Since July last year, there have been 14 demolitions all over the country affecting 27, 000 families or 103,555 individuals. Just yesterday, two individuals were killed in a demolition in Pangarap Village, Caloocan – a community being claimed by Mar Roxas’s clan, the Aranetas.

The way communities are destroyed to pave the way for so-called national projects only suggests that the urban poor have no place in PNoy’s PPP. Informal settlers are forcibly removed from their communities even without relocation and access to livelihood and services. In fact, budget for social services such as higher education, agriculture, transportation, and health were also slashed by 26%, 26%, 5% and 3.5% respectively.

Straight path for whom?

PNoy has miserably failed. His promised of straight path did not uplift the lives of the majority of people whom he called his BOSS. His boss were sent deeper into destitution, the poor were driven to streets to dwell and its workers to wallow from lower wages whose value keeps diminishing everyday.

A year after, if ever there was straight path that PNoy government walked on, it was the path that was not clearly for majority of the Filipinos but for foreign capital and the richest few Filipinos. One year is over, and the direction the country is heading is apparently becoming no difference from the direction that the Arroyo administration took that he promised to change, a promise that catapulted him to Presidency. He failed in his first year.

Thus, in his second SONA, he has every chance and power to deliver not just the rhetorics but effect to realize the demands of the basic sectors: legislated substantial wage hike, clear and regular employment programs, genuine agrarian reform, prosecution of human rights violators and social services for majority of the Filipinos. These demands are just and undoubtedly possible if only PNoy will follow the straight path he promised to the people.#

To see and download full report, CTUHR Assessment of Pnoy’s first year, click here or visit ctuhr.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Reference: Daisy Arago, Executive Director, Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, +63910.380.1897