THE 122nd Labor Day celebration was especially important because it was also the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Labor Code of the Philippines, that piece of legislation that defines the rights and privileges of workers, and governs their relationship with their employers.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the obligatory praise to the workers, extending his gratitude to Filipinos here and abroad for their dedication and unwavering support for their families and loved ones, bringing significant contributions to the Philippine economy.
The President made special mention of the 50th anniversary of the labor legislation issued by his father, former President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Presidential Decree No. 442, or the Labor Code of the Philippines, which was issued on May 1, 1974.
Since Bongbong Marcos talked about PD 442 which was promulgated during the second year of his father’s martial law regime, it is interesting to review what this Code is all about, and what it has done to merit a big celebration on its golden anniversary. For many years, this code written by President Ferdinand Marcos in the exercise of his legislative power is the last word governing employment practices and labor relations in the Philippines.
‘As Simon and Garfunkel sang,
“After changes upon changes,
we are more or less the same.”’
The Labor Code serves as the book of implementing rules that give flesh to the cardinal labor rights of all workers as enumerated in the Constitution, namely the right to self-organization, collective bargaining and negotiations, peaceful concerted activities, the right to strike in accordance with law, security of tenure and humane conditions at the workplace.
A full 50 years later, the labor movement today is seen by many as just a shadow of its self. There are no towering figures like Olalia, Lacsina, Oca, Cid, Herrera or Ople. Disease or bullets have cut the productive lives of Crispin Beltran and Popoy Lagman. Organized labor has become disorganized.
We note here that Bongbong’s observance of Labor Day mirrored that of his father’s. Those who are old enough to remember know that President Marcos used to assemble the conservative unions in Malacañang for the Labor Day rites. Usual attendees were the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) and other friendly union leaders. Meanwhile, the so-called radicals and progressives were out in the streets, on Mendiola and Liwasang Bonifacio, airing their demands. Those rallies, of course, were planned and supervised by operatives of the Communist Party of the Philippines, something that ordinary union members and labor advocates were not aware of.
Included in the Labor Day activities this year and in the previous ones were job fairs in the city of Manila, in other cities in the National Capital Region and the provinces, in popular malls and supermarkets, and selected government agencies. These job fairs were either few or unheard of during the time of the elder Marcos. But if there is something that might be called a legacy in the labor market that Ferdinand Marcos Sr. left, it is the export of our skilled laborers, first to the Middle East and later, all over the world, making the term overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) a byword here and abroad.
At the event in Malacañang, key union leaders along with officials from the government and development partners led by the International Labor Organization (ILO) joined President Bongbong in hurling praises and platitudes to the nation’s workers for their sacrifices and courage, and for their contributions to the growth of the economy.
Half a century after President Marcos, a second President Marcos is confronting the same problems of poverty, low pay and job insecurity of Filipino workers, and the same well-off group listened to his Labor Day speech inside the Palace, while hundreds of jeepney drivers and operators were out in the streets protesting the transport modernization program.
As Simon and Garfunkel sang, “After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same.”
