DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Progressive partylist groups under the Makabayan bloc advised Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio legitimate issues being raised by various sectors instead of resorting to red-tagging.
Duterte-Carpio on her Instagram post, slammed the roadblock of banana plantation workers from Compostela Valley province under Namasufa-Naflu-Kmu in Barangay Lasang, Davao on Monday, following the move of Task Force Davao to bar the entry of close to 600 workers in the city.
The Namasufa workers were scheduled to attend a conference dialogue at the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) XI.
“The roadblock led by Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in Barangay Lasang in Davao City yesterday was an example of how these groups intend to govern should they be given the power to lead our government and the country.” Duterte said in her Instagram post.
The city chief executive urged voters to be reminded of same incidents involving these militant groups. “Do not support the partylist groups under the Makabayan bloc — these are Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers or ACT Teachers, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, and Migrante.”
ACT Teachers partylist representative Antonio Tinio said it is unfortunate that Mayor Sara is red-tagging to divert the attention of Filipinos from real issues.
Tinio said that plantation workers from Compostela Valley were actually protesting the continuing contractualization of labor inside the Japanese-owned company Sumifru.
“This is to prove that the purpose of martial law is to repress the protest of the oppressed sectors.The real issue here that have to be addressed is about contractual workers that need to be recognized as regular workers,” Tinio said.
While Anakpawis representative Ariel Casilao said the intention of the authorities was very clear: to obstruct the workers from entering Davao City and participate in the conduct dialogue.
Reacting to the mayor’s criticism, Casilao said: “We have a very distorted definition of freedom of expression [now]…we are in a dangerous society where your rights to freely express, redress grievances against government are being considered as acts of destabilization. This is not democracy.”
Gabriela Womens Party 2nd nominee Bai Ali Indayla, also added that “The local government wants to restrain protests because thousands of people are now marching against their state policies in the very city where the president came from.”
Members of the Makabayan bloc took part in the Mindanao-wide demonstration last October 23, 2018 where thousands from progressive organizations participated to condemn the killings and grave human rights violations under the two years of martial law in Mindanao.(davaotoday.com)
