Ang BISIG ay bilingual na refereed journal na nagtatampok ng mga artikulo o papel pananaliksik hinggil sa kalagayan ng paggawa, anakpawis at kanilang mga pagawaan at komunidad. Ito ay taunang inilalabas ng PUP at pangunahing nagtatampok ng mga pag-aaral sa mga isyu at usaping iniluluwal ng relasyong pang-industriya at panlipunan. Karaniwang nakatuon ang mga paksa sa mga usapin tulad ng unyon at unyonismo, neoliberal na globalisasyon, kilusang manggagawa, kalagayan ng mga anakpawis at iba’t ibang saray nito, kalagayan ng mga industriya, at iba pang katulad. Maaaring ang paksa ay tumatawid o naghuhugpong sa mga disiplina tulad ng kasaysayan, sosyolohiya, politika, ekonomiya, sikolohiya, pagpapaunlad sa pamayanan at lipunan, wika, sining, kultura, kasarian, kababaihan, diaspora, agham, teknolohiya at iba pa tungo sa paglapit na multi/interdisiplinaryo. Tumatanggap din ng mga kontribusyon sa anyo ng rebyu ng aklat, komentaryo, transkrip ng talakayan, at mga akdang pampanitikan, basta nakatuon ito sa mga nabanggit na paksa. BISIG is a bilingual refereed journal which features articles and research on workers, their working places and communities. This is published annually by PUP which primarily discusses issues born out of industrial and social relations. It highlights topics on unions and unionism, neoliberal globalization, workers movement, conditions of toiling masses, industry situations and the like. The topics can also tackle issues across disciplines like history, sociology, politics, economy, psychology, development of communities and society, language, arts, culture, gender, women, diaspora, science, technology and others towards multi and inter disciplinary correlation and discussion. The journal also welcomes contributions on book review, commentary, interview transcriptions, and literary pieces, provided that they conform with the prescribed topics.
Polytechnic University of the Philippines
In November 2024, Scholars for Peace asked for an interview with Rey Claro Casambre, a peace consultant involved in the formal negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), to shed light on important issues related to the peace process. Scholars for Peace sent him a set of questions, and Mr. Casambre’s answers are presented verbatim in the text below. The group expresses its deepest appreciation for Mr. Casambre’s positive response to its request.
Copyright (c) 2025 BISIG https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Photos of the late former NDFP chief political consultant Jose Maria Sison and current interim NDFP chief negotiator Julieta de Lima. The photos, taken in October and November 2019, show journalist Michael Beltran interviewing Joma Sison and Julie de Lima in and around their home in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The interviews served as part of the material for his book, The Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book: Essays on Exile. The photos were taken by Beltran’s good friend Kim Garcia who sadly passed away a year later.
Book review: The Singing Detainee and the Librarian with One Book: Essays on Exile (2023) by Michael Beltran
As founding chairperson of the reestablished Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) in 1968, Jose Maria Sison’s life is inscribed in the revolution. He penned tracts on the history of the CPP, prospects of the National Democratic revolution and international solidarity building. However, his life story is mainly told in the interview format to show the foremost Filipino revolutionary answering questions to an interested reader. Interspersed with political analysis regarding the Philippine semi-feudal and semi-colonial state, he narrates his ancestry from the landed elite in Ilocos Sur, political awakenings and student activism in the University of the Philippines, rebuilding of the movement, torture and arrest during Martial Law, and exile in the Netherlands after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.
COMMENTARY: A Just and Sustainable Peace in the Philippines
On July 16, 2024, the Council of Leaders for Peace Initiatives, a group consisting of prominent peace advocates from the church and academe, as well as youth leaders and former civil servants, was formally launched in a gathering held at the Santo Domingo Church in Quezon City. Scholars for Peace convenor Sol Iglesias, Ph.D, was at the launch to deliver a talk about the current state of affairs in relation to the formal negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). The commentary below presents the main points of Dr. Iglesias’s talk.
EDCA as the Geopolitics of Imperialist Crises and its Threat to Peace in the Philippines
The authors, through the theory of capitalist crisis and the theory of imperialism, aim to make an exposé and critique of the Enhanced Defense Cooperative Agreement or EDCA. We employ a methodological framework of historical-geographical materialism and critique of internal relations, entwined with the crisis theory of capitalism manifesting in its late phase of imperialism. We apply such theories to the problem of EDCA as evidenced by various points and experiences of people living in an area near EDCA sites based on the peace mission conducted by the nationalist democratic alliance organization of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance) or BAYAN and Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya (Filipinos United for Sovereignty) or P1NAS. Moreover, we argue that the United States of America is enjoying proven-and-tested political and military impunity, from its imperial sovereignty to meddle in affairs of other sovereignties, based on the political concept of a global state of exception through American exceptionalism. From the US genocidal spree against the Filipinos during the Filipino-American war at the outset of the 20th century killed revolutionaries and innocent ones altogether; to its nuclear bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima; the massacre of Vietnamese during the Vietnam War and Laotian people during Operation Barrel Roll; and to its support of dictatorial states in South America and in Asia to buffer popular antiimperialist politics. We investigate how EDCA poses hurdles for peace since it is a geopolitical agenda of continued US hegemony in the world, particularly extending its rotting power and political paranoia in the Asia Pacific Region, which brings spatial and economic logic for a solution to continuing crises of American and Western capitalist domination. Such historical backdrops provide empirical and historized aspects of why EDCA should be seen as a threat to peace and therefore must be continually exposed and resisted.
Praxis ng rebeldeng pamamahala ng Kilusang Pambansa-Demokratiko at Posibilidad ng Muling Pagbubukas ng Usapang Pangkapayapaan
Sa Pilipinas, umiiral ang isang digmaang sibil at, sa ilang bahagi ng kasaysayan, ang usapang pangkapayapaan sa pagitan ng gubyerno at mga rebolusyonaryo ng Kilusang Pambansa-Demokratiko. Gamit ang konsepto ng rebeldeng pamamahala (rebel governance), tumutugon ang papel na ito sa kakulangan ng iskolarsyip sa rebolusyonaryong gubyerno sa Pilipinas at nagmumuni sa sitwasyong untul (deadlock) ng usapang pangkapayapaan. Batay sa kalitatibong panunuri ng nilalaman ng mga artikulo ni Patnubay de Guia, tagapagsalita ng National Democratic Front of the PhilippinesSouthern Tagalog, mula 2019 hanggang 2023 at mga artikulo ng Ang Bayan at Liberation, isinalarawan ang praxis ng rebeldeng pamamahala ayon sa pag-iral nito sa aspekto ng karahasan, kontrol sa teritoryo, pamamahagi ng rebeldeng serbisyo, at lokal na iniinugang konteksto para sa pampublikong layunin ng rebolusyon. Proposisyon din ng papel na positibo ang epekto ng mataas na pamamahagi ng rebeldeng serbisyo sa posibilidad ng muling pagbubukas ng usapang pangkapayapaan, na siyang pinaka-ideyal na scenario, dahil nakaangkla iyon sa motibasyon ng kilusang magrebolusyon at magpapalakas sa kanilang puwersa na magtutulak naman sa gubyernong humarap sa lamesang pangkapayapaan. Mahalaga ang implikasyong teoretikal at praktikal ng pag-aaral na ito sa pagdalumat sa ugnayan ng digmaang sibil at usapang pangkapayapaan na hindi pa gaanong napagaaralan sa konteksto ng Pilipinas tungo sa pagbabasura ng militaristang kontra insurhensiya at pagbubuo ng mga mas matatag at demokratikong politikal na institusyon pagkatapos ng armadong tunggalian.
KASAYSAYAN NG MILITANTENG KILUSANG PAGGAWA SA PILIPINAS
Unang bahagi ng artikulo na nalimbag bilang Yunit 7 ng Gabay sa Tunay na Unyonismo (editor: R.E.Felicia), Eilier Inc. 1995. Muli itong inililimbag ng Bisig para higit na maipaliwanag ang napakahalagang papel ng mga manggagawa sa pagkakabuo ng mapanghimagsik na Katipunan at ang impluwensya nina Bonifacio at mga kasama sa pagkakabuo at oryentasyon ng mga unang unyon sa Pilipinas. Sa muling limbag na ito, isinama ang mga kalakip na talababa (footnote) na hindi naisama sa edisyon ng 1995. Mahalaga ang mga naiwaglit na talababa dahil lalo pa nitong nilinaw at binigyang detalye ang makabayang simulain at militanteng tradisyon ng mga unang unyon sa Pilipinas.
ALAY KAY ANDRES BONIFACIO BAYANING MANGGAGAWA
Produced and written in his detention cell, labor leader Renante Gamara contributed this song to give tribute not only to A. Bonifacio but to the “proletariat who will lead the continuing revolution of Bonifacio and ensure the national democratic struggle towards socialism, the workers society”. The song of Tay Nante, also talks about the pledge of every worker to Bonifacio and his comrades, to continue the struggle against foreign colonization and oppression. Also included are Tay Nante’s notes about the song, handwritten and smuggled out from his detention cell.
'Sandaang Taon (Centenary) is the theme song of the Proletaryo: Dokumentaryo ng Kilusang Manggagawa sa Pilipinas (Proletariat: Documentary of the Philippine Workers’ Movement) produced in 2002 to commemorate the 100 years of militant unionism in the country and the very important role of the workers in sowing the seeds of the struggle for national freedom and democracy. Musikang Bayan contributed the song as a tribute to the inspiring and continuing struggle of the Filipino workers. In Danny Fabella’s own words, “This song is a tribute to the 100 years of workers movement in the Philippines to honor their heroism and the greatness of their struggle for a sovereign and just society”.
Speech of the Vice-President of the Republic of the Philippines read during the National Conference on the Life, Works and Contributions of Gat Andres Bonifacio held at the Bulwagang Balagtas of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, November 5, 2013.
BAKIT LAGING KAILANGAN ANG HALIMBAWA NI ANDRES BONIFACIO SA ATING PAKIKIBAKA: ILANG MUNGKAHI
Tinatalakay sa papel na ito si Andres Bonifacio at ang kanyang mga katangiang nagsilbing liwanag upang magpatuloy ang pagsulong tungo sa tunay na kasarinlan at kalayaan. Ang Supremo ay pinagsanib na lakas ng uring manggagawa, sinasagisag niya ang mga nagawa ng mga naunang rebelled – Dagohoy, Diego Silang, Apolinario Cruz, Marcelo del Pilar, Lopez Jaena, Rizal, at ng iba pang mga bayaning lumaban sa mga mananakop, at sa pagtatag at pagpapalago ng Katipunan, matagumpay na naitampok ang pasasama ng teorya at praktika sa anumang kolektibong proyekto ng sambayanan. Pinatutunayan ng papel na buhay ang Supremo sa bawat pagsulong tungo sa tunay na kasarinlan at kalayaan, sa mga programa ng kilusang naghahangad ng katarungan at pambansang demokrasya, at sa mga taong nagmimithi ng pagkakapantay-pantay ng mga kasarian, kasaganaan at dignidad ng Filipino.
TUNDO: LUNDAYAN NG MATATALINONG MANGGAGAWA
Nababanggit sa tuwina ang lugar ng Tundo sa bawat salaysay sa buhay at pakikibaka ni Gat Andres Bonifacio. Hindi rin maiwawaglit ang Tundo kapag pinag-uusapan ang Katipunan o maging ang mga sumunod pang mga organisasyong mapanghimagsik gaya ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas noong 1930. Sa artikulong ito, iniuugnay ng may-akda ang habitus o kontekstong panlunan sa mga mahahalagang kaganapan sa kasaysayan at sa partikular ang paghihimagsik na pinasimulan nina A. Bonifacio at iba pang taga-Tundo. Tinutukoy nito ang kalagayan na ang kalakhan ng nananahan sa Tundo ay mga manggagawa, mangingisda at iba pang anakpawis na ayon sa may akda ay maaring magpaliwanag sa radikal at mapanghimagsik na tradisyon ng Tundo.
SI BONIFACIO, ANG MGA GREMIO AT ANG KILUSANG MANGGAGAWA SA PILIPINAS
Ang papel na ito ay tungkol kay Bonifacio, sa kilusang gremio at kilusang unyon noong dantaon 19 na humantong sa kilusang pambansa para sa pagpapalaya ng bayan noong 1896 at nagtapos sa unang pagdiriwang ng Mayo Uno bilang Araw ng Paggawa sa Pilipinas noong 1903. May limang na bahagi ang papel na ito: 1. Saang uri nagmula si Bonifacio? Bakit siya maaring ituring na uring “timawa;” 2. Paano sila nataguriang plebeyo sa panahon ng Kastila; 3. Ang mga gremio bilang maagang samahan ng mga manggagawa at pundasyon ng unyon; 4. Ang pakikisangkot ng mga anak pawis, timawa o dukha, mga manggagawa sa panahon ng himagsikan; 5. Ang kilusang unyon at welga pagkamatay ni Bonifacio hanggang sa unang pagdiriwang ng Mayo 1 o Araw ng Paggawa noong 1903.
Neoliberalismo at ang Kilusang Paggawa sa Pilipinas: Epekto at Pakikibaka
Isinagawa noong Oktubre 8-9, 2014 ang isang Pambansang Kumperensya ng mga lider manggagawa, trade union centers mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa at iba pang obrero mula sa plantasyon, minahan, manupaktura, serbisyo at iba pang labor advocates mula sa hanay ng akademya, lawyers, legislators, taong simbahan at iba pang pang mula sa mga organisasyon na nagtataguyod ng karapatang pantao. Ang nasabing kumperensya ay magkatuwang na inilunsad ng PUP Institute for Labor and Industrial Relations (ILIR), ng All UP Workers Alliance at pinangunahan ng Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) bilang bahagi ng kanilang ika30 anibersaryo ng paglilingkod at pakikibahagi sa pakikibaka ng uring manggagawa at sambayanan. Ang Pambansang Kumperensya ay may temang “Isulong ang Karapatan, Labanan ang Neo-liberal na Atake sa Manggagawa at Kilusang Paggawa” at dinaluhan ng mahigit 100 kalahok mula sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Ang sumusunod na artikulo ay kabilang sa mga tampok na papel na inihapag sa nasabing kumperensya. Ito ay orihinal sa Ingles pero ngayo’y isinalin sa Filipino at inililimbag sa Bisig sa layuning patuloy na ipalaganap sa mga manggagawa at mamamayan ang pangangailangang magkaisa upang labanan ang neoliberal na atake sa manggagawa at kilusang paggawa.
Kontra-Modernidad: Ilang Mungkahi sa Pagbabagong Radikal ng Lipunan
Salungat at tahasang lihis sa Kanluraning tipo ng modernidad, ang alternatibong uri ng pakamakabago sa Pilipinas ay natatangi. Dahilan nito ang kolonyal/neokolonyal na estruktura ng pormasyong sosyal. Kasanib ng ating pakikibaka para sa pambansang demokrasya at kasarinlan ang pagka-modernidad ng bansa. Isang hibla ng kontemporaryong daloy ay nagbubuhat sa siglang popular-nasyonal na masisipat sa panitikang bernakular. Sa tatlong dekada ng siglong nakaraan, maibabalangkas ang trajektori ng imahinasyong makabansa’t makamasa, mula sa obra nina Jose Corazon de Jesus, Benigno Ramos, Amado Hernandez at Carlos Bulosan. Sa diyalektikong ugnayan ng pesanteng radikalismong naghahangad ng mala-utopikong lipunan at realismo ng proletaryong diwa, bumubukadkad ang isang demokratikong kulturang mababansagang kontra-modernidad. Tinutuhog nito ang sakripisyo ng mga bayani ng rebolusyon laban sa kolonyalismong Espanyol at ang pagsisikap ng mga intelektuwal ng unang hati ng ika-19 dantaon na itakwil ang komoditi-petisismo ng kapitalistang pamumuhay na ipinataw ng Estados Unidos. Layunin ng kontra-modernidad ang magtaguyod ng isang rebolusyong magbabago sa imperyalistang orden at magpapalaganap ng makataong katarungan, pagkakapantay-pantay, at kasaganaan para sa lahat.
Balanseng Paggugrupo ng Trabaho: Ang Bisyon ng Parecon ni Michael Albert
This paper is a presentation of North American writer and activist Michael Albert’s vision of participatory economics, or parecon. On a first reading Albert’s ideas seems to be unrelated to the issues faced by Filipino workers. But, a closer reading reveals that Albert’s concept of “balanced job complexes” may be connected with the crises faced by our nation. The paper uses Cristina Guevarra’s “Visiting Ericson” and Chuckberry Pascual’s “Cars at the Airport,” to further buttress the assertion that Albert’s ideas are appropriate responses to our current politico-economic order. At the conclusion, two more short stories by Filipino writers, belonging to the genre of future fiction, are elaborated on as prognoses of this same politico economic order. The paper argues that because capitalism cannot just be put up with or reformed, we must begin the theoretical labor of imaging its replacement.
Pangangapital sa Wika sa Espasyo ng Kolonyal na Moda ng Produksyon sa Pilipinas
This paper focuses on the analysis of the significant role of language in the spaces of mode of production in the country through its contextualization in colonial history from the feudal system to capitalism. Likewise using notes on the growth and spread of neoliberalism as a mechanism of economic control, primarily of powerful countries, issues on policies on language dispensed by the state to its system of education are scrutinized. In this age of globalization where effects of neoliberalism especially on systems of education continue to intensify, this paper contemplates on language as a form of capital to respond to the labor market controlled by global capitalism.
Panimulang Dalumat sa mga Tula ng mga Magkokopra sa Bondoc Peninsula Tungo sa Pagsiyasat sa Panlipunang Kaakuhan
Ang papel na ito ay nakasentro sa panimulang pagsusuri sa panitikan na may kaugnayan sa pagkokopra o paglulukad (paglulukad ang taal na tawag sa Lalawigan ng Quezon sa pagkokopra) na ang karamihan ay naisulat ng mga magkokopra o maglulukad sa Bondoc Peninsula (isang distrito sa Lalawigan ng Quezon). Nakaugat ang pagsusuri sa danas at gunita sa pagkokopra na nakapaloob bilang konteksto ng panitikan na karaniwang tumatalakay kung paano nakikibaka at nakikipaglaban ang mga maglulukad sa Bondoc Peninsula sa karapatan sa lupaing kanilang kinokopra at ang karapatang magkaroon ng maaayos na buhay na hindi napagsasamantalahan ng mga panginoong maylupa na nagmamay-ari pa rin ng ekta-ektaryang lupain sa Bondoc Peninsula. Nagiging mabisang kasangkapan ng mga maglulukad ang panitikan, katunayan nito, naglalabas sila ng mga pahayagan na sila mismo ang nag-iimprenta na naglalaman ng mga akdang pampanitikan tulad ng mga tula tungkol sa karanasan nila sa pagkokopra kasama na ang paggunita nila sa kahirapang dinaranas nila sa hanapbuhay na ito, na halos dugo’t pawis ang iniaalay upang kumita lamang ng panustos sa kanilang pamilya. Dito sinubukan ko ang panimulang pagmamapa sa kultura at kasaysayan ng pagkokopra sa Bondoc Peninsula. Gamit ang dalawang halimbawang tula na likha mismo ng mga magkokopra, sinimulan kong dalumatin ang nagiging panlipunang kaakuhan o identidad ng mga maglulukad mula sa danas at gunita nila sa pagkokopra sa Bondoc Peninsula. Ginamit kong batis ang mga akdang tumatalakay sa kalagayan ng Bondoc Peninsula, tiningnan ko rin ang konsepto ni Alejandro Abadilla kung paano nalilikha ang kaakuhan sa panitikan. Samakatuwid, perspektibong pangidentidad at panlipunan ang tinahak na landas ng pananaliksik na ito tungo sa pagkokonsepto ng tinatawag kong “siyasat sa panlipunang kaakuhan”.
Para sa Negosyo o Kalayaan? Pagsipat sa Dayuhang Pagmamay-ari at Kalagayan ng Manggagawa sa Media
This article intends to provide some notes on the emergence and development of traditional media in the Philippines such as printed publications, radio, film, television and advertising, including the new media such as online publications and others. It explores the following periods: Spanish colonialism and earlier, reform movement and the Katipunan, Manifest Destiny of the United States, martial law, and current situation. It seeks to create, through review, a preliminary discussion on the history of media ownership, and the economic and political interests underlying it. Aside from mentioning the leading media conglomerates in the world, the article analyzes the effects of liberalization within the framework of neoliberal globalization, and the proposed charter change to accomplish foreign ownership of media. It illustrates the role of printers in the history of the labor movement and the people’s tireless assertion of democracy and press freedom, which includes revealing the killing of media workers one by one through contractualization and the instantaneous killing of journalists through assassination. It was deemed necessary to identify some failures of the media in fulfilling its duties as well as weaknesses in its standards, while emphasizing the call for Filipinization.
Ang Pagdalumat ng Bentahan sa Navotas Fish Port Complex Upang Masipat ang Kalagayan ng Pangingisda sa Pilipinas
The fishing problem in the Philippines increases due to the political mismanagement of the government. This paper analyzed the condition of selling in Navotas Fish Port Complex in the light of weather, industry, and the Covid-19 pandemic. The aim was developed based on the three objectives: (1) the period in which the average number of imported and sold fish, (2) the importation of fish based on volume, classification, and import/export, (3) the set price based on the supply and demand of fish imported. The study used socio-economics as a theory to understand the people’s behavior in selling fish to meet the income and contribute to the economy. The study revealed that the government controls fisheries because standards need to be accomplished before finding and importing the fishing food. In addition, it has been explained that the imported fish decreased in the NFPC due to the problems in fishing, unforeseen disasters, and the impact of the current pandemic. As a result, it affected the price of fish in the market and other stores. But mostly, the fishermen and people involved in selling are the ones who sacrifice the most because the government’s solution focuses on importing fish to other countries. In the end, the people should be aware of the volume of selling so that they can adjust to the system, while the government should implement a platform to help the fishing economy in the Philippines.
Ang Fast food Crew sa Mabilis na Globalisasyon: Naratibo ng mga Manggagawang “Hindi Laging Bida ang Saya”
Fast food chains, particularly the shared experiences of its working service crews, take part on labor discourses in relation to the rapid growth and demands of globalization. Despite the positive views on its effects, several social science experts also view that such global phenomenon has negative impacts on the socio-economic and cultural facets of developing countries – in which a numerous citizens tend to not reognize due to its economic opportunities. This paper discusses various shared experiences of selected fast food crews related to their work situations in working spaces explicitly affected by neoliberal globalization – fast food chains. From the data gathered through informal conversations and interviews with 17 key informants, this study thematized a number of significant resembling experiences that they face as service crews associated with the ‘fast, instant, and/or rapid’ attribute of globalization: (1) self and familial economic needs is the primary reason of students to work as fast food crews while studying; (2) the exploitative system of regularization is apparent in the industry and should be addressed; (3) due to the long time spent working in the store and in school, student-service crews’ social relationships especially with the family are also significantly affected; (4) underestimating fast food crews as workers is observed in Philippine society; (5) fast food crews’ minimum wage is not competitive despite the all-around work; and (6) the designation of tasks in a store according to sex and age of fast food crews is a common practice amongst fast food chains. These shared experiences among Filipino service crews – or several other labor forces in Third World countries – are believed to be paralleled to the continuous implications of globalization.
Representasyon ng Kababaihang Manggagawang Pilipino sa Europa Batay sa Pelikulang Pag-ibig na Milan (2004) at Barcelona (2016) ni Olivia Lamasan
Every Filipino worker’s dream is to set foot and earn their living overseas - Europe is one of them. The high value of its currency - the Euro, provides comfort, support, and stability for migrant Filipinos and their families. Europe also offers the ideal lifestyle and picturesque landscapes that draw Filipino migrant workers to settle and do whatever it takes to get there. From this phenomenon, is this the formation of the ideal Filipino mindset of the European Dream? We can infer this from blockbuster movie representations that took place in Europe. In relation to this paper are films produced and directed by Olivia Lamasan, specifically Milan (2004) and Barcelona (2016), that showcase and are centered in Italy and Spain - countries with the largest concentration of Filipinos residing in Europe. Both Milan and Barcelona exemplify their characters and dialogues. Their entire cinematography delineates the image of the Philippine society that dreams, struggles, and aspires to achieve ginhawa (comfort) in Europe as the land of opportunities
Ang Industriya ng Niyog sa Pilipinas Pagkalipas ng EDSA at ang Kalagayan ng mga Magniniyog sa Kanilang Panitikan
On January 22, 1987, about a year since the start of President Corazon C. Aquino’s incumbency, many farmers marched on the streets of Manila to protest the lack of land reform promised by Aquino when she began her term as a president. The Aquino administration responded with bullets from an M-16 that killed 13 farmers and wounded 51 protesters near the Malacañang palace, specifically in Mendiola. Among the dead were some coconut farmers. The purpose of this study is to present and analyze the literature of coconut farmers in the Philippines, specifically in the Bondoc Peninsula which is part of Quezon Province and to present the status of the coconut industry in the Philippines since President Corazon C. Aquino’s term.
A Critical Discourse Analysis of Rodrigo Duterte’s Language on Endo and Labor Unionism
Rodrigo Duterte, back in his presidential campaign in 2016, promised to end endo or contractualization. It is a labor practice in the Philippines where companies temporarily employ workers not exceeding six months otherwise regularization comes that obligates employers to pay workers’ benefits. With less than a year remaining in his term as president, endo continues affecting millions of Filipino workers as ending it is no longer a priority of his government. Since taking power, Duterte gave numerous speeches and interviews on some labor issues, such as endo and unionism. Interestingly, his perspective had shifted significantly from being a working class hero to a status quo defender characterized by his red-tagging of labor unions that he sees as communist ‘fronts’ and his refusal to end endo to seek a so-called balance between labor and capital. In this study, I considered the spoken and written discourse of Duterte on contractualization and unionism which can be found online in the websites of different news agencies and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). The text and talk then were analyzed through the lenses of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), specifically the socio-cognitive approach by Teun van Dijk. The results show that Duterte’s discourse on labor issues exemplifies power and ideology and reinforces social representations against labor unionism.
Copyright (c) 2024 BISIG https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Digitalisasyon ng Paggawa, Digitalisasyon ng Pagsasamantala: Panimulang pag-aaral sa mga manggagawa sa gig economy sa Pilipinas
Ang artikulong ito ay hango sa nagpapatuloy na pananaliksik ng EILER Inc. sa Kalagayan ng mga Manggagawa sa TNVS at sa kabuuang pagsisikap ng institusyon para mag-ambag sa edukasyon at organisasyon ng mga manggagawa sa sinasabing bagong larangan sa ekonomya tulad ng gig economy. Ang ilang bahagi ng pananaliksik ay nasa online platform ng Digital Justice at may pamagat na Digitization of Exploitation - Study on the platform workers in the gig economy in the PH: A thematic case study presented by the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research together with the Computer Professionals’ Union and World Association for Christian Communication. Patuloy na nagsasagawa ang EILER ng ganitong mga pananailiksik kasabay ng bukas nitong paanyaya sa mga faculty, istudyante at iba pa sa akademya na makibahagi sa mga gawain ng EILER.
#SulitDeals, Pero Lugi si Rider? Ilang Pagtatasa Ukol sa Lumalaking Gig Economy sa Pilipinas
Existing digital delivery platforms such as Grab, FoodPanda, Angkas, and Lazada brought comfort and ensured speedy services to its users. While they offered innovative service solutions, a more incisive analysis shows that these platforms create more harm than good. Work structures and its overall value are diminishing, and delivery riders are not getting decent pay, proper support, and actual benefits even if they are the main service providers in these platforms. This paper intends to examine various studies on platform or gig economies, and collate and analyze the issues that directly affect delivery riders. These findings will serve as foundations to develop policy recommendations designed to significantly improve the conditions of delivery riders, alongside a critical review of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Labor Advisory No. 14-21. To this end, the study is hinged on the pandemic manifesto “Democratizing Work” by Isabella Ferreras — gigworkers should not be seen differently from traditional conceptions of work. As such, policies intent on improving the gig economy should be geared towards social justice and securing the rights of Filipino workers.
Reporma Sa Pera: Ilang Pagmumuni-Muni Sa Utang, Stock Market, At Kapitalismo
Binubuo ang sanaysay na ito ng mabusising pagbabasa ng antolohiyang Democratizing Finance, at maikling pagninilay sa pelikulang Sid and Aya. Sa papel, gagalugarin ang kalikasan ng pera, at ang mga maaaring ipatupad na reporma para gawing demokratiko ang akses sa yaman. Susubukan ding magpaliwanag ng ilang terminong may kinalaman sa ekonomiya, stock market, at investment. Sa komprontasyon ng kilusang manggagawa at kapitalismo, hindi maikakaila ang sentral na papel ng pera (kailangang tandaan na ang pera ay hindi kapital, at ang kapital ay hindi simpleng pera). Kailangang mas maintindihan ng ordinaryong Filipino, manggagawa man o hindi, ang pera, lalo na at sa kasakuyang orden ay tila ba lagi siyang kapos na kapos nito.
Ang 15-Point Labor Agenda at ang Pagkakaisa ng Kilusang Paggawa sa Pilipinas
Ang pagkakaisa ng kilusang ng paggawa sa Piipinas ay pinanday ng higit isang daan taon ng pakikibaka at paglaban sa pang-aapi ng mga kapitalista, naghaharing uri at dayuhang monopolyo kapital. Subalit sa maraming pagkakataon, kinatatampukan din ito ng mga tunggalian at malalim na hidwaan sa loob mismo ng kilusan. Mailap ang pagkakaisa. Ang pagkakaiba sa ideolohiya, pulitika, maging sa paraan ng paggawa at mga personal na katangian ng mga lider manggagawa, at panunulsol ng mga tiwaling opisyal, kapitalista at mass media na kontrolado nito, ay mga salik na pumupigil sa pagkakaisa ng mga manggagawa.
Adyenda ng Paggawa (Labor Agenda) sa Pagtatatag ng Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN): Kontekstwalisasyon ng Ilang Pahina ng “Kapaki-pakinabang na Kasaysayan” Tungo sa Mga Adbokasing Maka-Manggagawa sa Siglo 21
In traditional books on Philippine history, especially commercial textbooks, there is often little mention of workers and labor movements, as well as the labor agenda in listing them as significant markers of each “era.” Consequently, it is not surprising that historical studies in many schools tend to focus on a state-centric discourse, relegating labor to the background or, at best, a historical footnote (if there is any). In response to this trend, this paper serves as an initial contribution aimed at describing, contextualizing, and popularizing the labor agenda through an examination of related documents from the founding documents of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan/New Patriotic Alliance (BAYAN). In general, this paper is guided by the lens of people’s history. Thus, documents from social movements rooted in “voices from below” are considered part of the so-called “usable past,” a history that helps in understanding the present. This paper aims to answer the following specific questions: 1) How was the labor agenda highlighted in BAYAN’s founding documents?: 2) How has the labor agenda evolved or remained the same from then until now?; 3) Why is the labor agenda, as emphasized in selected historical documents from the mentioned social movements, still relevant today, and how can it be promoted in the 21st Century?