Philippine labor

Cops arrest 34 headed to Labor Day protest in Cebu City

John Sitchon

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Cops arrest 34 headed to Labor Day protest in Cebu City

LABOR DAY PROTEST. Police at a Labor Day protest in Cebu City on May 1, 2021

John Sitchon/Rappler

The workers have been released after labor groups paid a fine of P500 for each of them

Police arrested 34 people from different workers’ groups who were on their way to join a Labor day protest in Cebu City on Saturday, May 1, for allegedly violating social distancing rules.

BAYAN Central Visayas told Rappler that 34 workers were apprehended by police and were brought to a detention facility. They were all released by Saturday afternoon after labor groups paid the P500-fine for each worker.

The workers include  8 miners from Carmen Copper in Toledo City, 12 fishers from Talisay City, and 14 members of urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY).

Workers of Partido Manggagawa (PM), Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), KADAMAY, among others, arrived in buses but were apprehended along Mango Avenue while on their way to gather at the Fuente-Osmeña Circle, near the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, for the Labor Day protest to call out the government’s “irresponsible pandemic response.”

“Gipaningkamot sa mga kapulisan nga way mahitabo nga selebrasyon kay ang May 1 kay maong adlaw para sa protesta, hilabi na sa pandemya nga ang mamumuo ang pinakaapektado,” said John Ruiz, Bayan Muna Central Visayas Coordinator.

(The police are working hard to prevent any celebration because May 1 is the day for protest, especially in a pandemic where the worker is the most affected)

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PM-Cebu spokesperson Dennis Derige said in a statement that “the government is using COVID-19 as an alibi to suppress the right to peaceful assembly of workers who are airing their demands on Labor Day.”

“Today’s arrests reveals the impunity of police against workers who are suffering under the economic crisis that has been spawned by the failed COVID response of the Duterte administration…. COVID is being weaponized against workers who are fighting for their rights and welfare,” Derige added.

Emman Palma, a member of urban poor group Kadamay said the police knew where they were headed to.

Dili pa ang target para sa health protocol, ang tuyo nila is ang pagharang sa mga taw nga musalmot sa rally (The target wasn’t for health protocols, but their true intention was to prevent people from joining the rally),” Palma said.

Palma told Rappler that police apprehended his group while they were still in their vehicle and that they were told to point out their leader.

It was after this encounter that they were “escorted,” and brought to a detention facility in Barangay Cogon-Ramos, Cebu City.

Rappler tried to reach out to the police and the Cebu City’s Prevention Restoration Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team but they have yet to give a statement as of posting.

The arrests, however, did not keep other groups from holding a Labor Day protest.

In Manila, police blocked groups that were headed to the usual Labor Day protest sites in Mendiola and Liwasang Bonifacio. The groups held their activities at the Welcome Rotonda in Quezon City. – Rappler.com

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