Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino
Press Release
March 1, 2010

Land dispute in Parañaque escalates as community burned to ground

The land dispute at the depressed community of Palasan continues to escalate as the remaining houses were burned to the ground for the second time yesterday. More than 20 residents and their supporters were also arrested yesterday for resisting the demolition and detained in the Parañaque police precinct along Coastal Road in Brgy. La Huerta. The labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa slammed the demolition as not just illegal but inhuman.

For the third time in two weeks, leaders of the Palasan Neighborhood Association together with scores of supporters among the Parañaque affiliates of Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP)—a network of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon—and the labor party-list Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) marched at 9:00 a.m. on the city hall of Paranaque to seek a dialogue with Mayor Florencio “Jun” Bernabe. Early this morning protesters picketed the police precinct were the Palasan residents and their supporters were detained.

“The demolition is illegal because there no order of demolition has been issued by any court.  Moreover the eviction is very inhuman. They did not just use heavy equipment but also put our houses on fire. Finally they arrested us like terrorists. But fighting for rights and defending our homes is not a crime,” explained Rodrigo Bautista, president of the Palasan Neighborhood Association.

Appeal for Solidarity
February 23, 2010

Appeal for Solidarity for the Alta Mode Workers Struggle

The embattled workers of Alta Mode Inc., a garments factory in the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ) II and subcontractor for global brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, are appealing for support and solidarity from fellow workers, the broad public and even concerned candidates running in the elections.

Since February 15, 2010, they have protested outside the main gates of the MEZ II, one of the biggest export zones in the Philippines, after they were refused entry and not allowed to go to work. The following day, they set up camp at the MEZ gates in order to oblige the Alta Mode management to dialogue with the union. But the very next day, security guards of Acoland, lessor of the MEZ II, tried unsuccessfully to force them out of the export zone that is built on privately-owned land.

AMWU is demanding that they return to work and for management to establish to the workers the alleged financial losses of the company. The workers though have proof through Alta Mode’s own financial statements for years 2007 to 2008 that management’s claims of monetary losses are lies. AMWU accuses the company of closing the factory in order to bust the union.

This is the reason management adamantly refuses to hold a dialogue with the workers about the supposed losses. All the workers have received was a written notice about the closure. Since the picket line was set up, no one from Alta Mode management has faced the workers. Management even boycotted the mediation hearings called by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino
Press Release
February 22, 2010

Parañaque urban poor march for justice to victims of demolitions and slain mediaman

Chanting “Katarungan para sa mga biktima ng demolisyon sa Palasan! Katarungan para kay Albert Cordova Lumbang!,” some 500 Parañaque urban poor marched again to the city hall. Last February 11, the homes of 110 families in the depressed community of Palasan were demolished. Lumbang meanwhile was a mediaman who died while covering the violence-marred urban poor rally at the Parañaque city hall last Thursday, February 18.

The protesters assembled behind Jaka Plaza in Sucat Road, Parañaque around 7:30 a.m. today and then marched by 8:00 a.m. on to the city hall. “We ask that Mayor Jun Bernabe of Paranaque hold a dialogue with the urban poor regarding the demolitions in the city. We want financial assistance for the Palasan residents so they can be provided with decent relocation. Finally we demand a ban on demolitions for the duration of the election period,” explained Robert Labrador of the Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino AMP), a coalition of urban poor organizations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Tagalog.

The rally today is a follow up to the rally last Thursday in which supporters of the incumbent mayor threw stones at the marchers and Lumbang died during the confusion. The rallyists insist that Lumbang was hit by a stone thrown from the Parañaque city hall while Mayor Bernabe has been quoted attributing his death to heat stroke. One of the rallyists brought Lumbang to the Parañaque Hospital. Beside Lumbang, several protesters were also hit by stones but only slightly hurt.