The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) condemned the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the attempt to disperse its protest camp despite the status quo order of Pasay Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Rosario Ragaza.

“We denounce in strongest terms the police for their demolition attempt. The police will have to face responsibility for their illegal act today. The power and money of Lucio Tan has influenced the Labor Department, the Office of the President, the Supreme Court and now as clear as day the PNP,” stated Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa.

The police were forced to retreat in the face of the resistance of some 500 PALEA members at who linked up in arms in defense of the protest camp. Tensions abated by 5:00 pm when the police left for good. No one was hurt but a tent and some streamers were torn down by the police.

A sheriff accompanied by police arrived at the PALEA campout at past 3:00 pm to serve a demolition order. PALEA leaders confronted them with the status quo order from Judge Ragaza. At 4:15 pm, the police started tearing down streamers at the front of the protest area and then tried to enter the campout but were blocked by PALEA members. Unable to proceed with the dispersal, at 4:45 pm the police finally started negotiations with PALEA leaders and legal counsel Atty. Marlon Manuel.

“In its insistence in dismantling PALEA’s campout, PAL is exposing its contradictory claims. PAL says that the 2,400 PALEA members cannot be accepted back to work since the airport services, in-flight catering and call center reservations departments have been closed and outsourced. So how come PAL alleges that the IFC which houses the catering department is essential to its operations. This raises the suspicions that it will allow Sky Kitchen, a supposed separate entity that at present provides substandard catering service according to reports reaching PALEA, access to the facilities of the IFC,” Rivera explained.

At the national sectoral assembly of the National Anti-Poverty Summit, the plenary unanimously approved a resolution “expressing deep concern on the harmful consequence of outsourcing/contractualization schemes to the exercise of labor rights; and urging President Aquino, with all his powers to intervene in the labor-management dispute which is vital to the national interest, to reinstate with full rights the 2,600 workers locked out by PAL on October 1, 2011.”

In the hearing today on the case filed by PAL against six PALEA members for obstructing the free ingress and egress at the In-Flight Center (IFC) along MIA Road, Judge Ragaza ruled for a status quo and warned any party against moving against the protest camp. ###

Press Release
October 19, 2011
Contact Alnem Pretencio (PALEA VP) @ 09209543634
Bong Palad (PALEA Secretary) @ 09165740596