Provinces mark Labor Day with protests
OLONGAPO CITY—Workers and community groups staged Labor Day protests across the country on Friday, Labor Day, with separate rallies raising concerns over rising prices, alleged corruption and broader socio-economic issues.
Oustide the Subic Bay Freeport gate, around 60 protesters joined a one-hour program, where speakers linked local economic hardships to national policies, including fuel taxation and defense cooperation with the United States.
The protest focused on reported plans for an ammunition hub in Subic and the ongoing “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises, which organizers said reflect priorities that sideline urgent social needs.
Efren Vinluan, spokesperson for Workers for People’s Liberation, said continued government support for the use of Subic facilities by US forces endangers the public and undermines national sovereignty.
Military drills
“Instead of prioritizing the country’s interests, we risk being caught in a conflict between China and the US,” Vinluan told the Inquirer.
Once a major US naval base, Subic Bay Freeport was turned over to the Philippine government in 1992 and has since been developed into a commercial and industrial hub, though it continues to host joint military activities due to its strategic location facing the West Philippine Sea.
In recent years, it has been included in expanded defense cooperation efforts, including the Balikatan exercises.
While officials describe these as part of defense preparedness and alliance-building, critics have raised concerns over foreign military presence and its implications for sovereignty.
Protesters also denounced what they described as a lack of government accountability amid corruption issues, as workers face low wages, inadequate benefits and limited access to basic services.
The protest was led by Workers for People’s Liberation and Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya, with support from allied groups.
It was part of wider Labor Day mobilizations across Central Luzon, with parallel actions in Angeles City and parts of Bulacan, as well as similar protests in Metro Manila and Cebu.
In Baguio City, progressive groups and various sectors marched along Session Road and converged at Igorot Park on the same day, calling for government action to ease the impact of rising prices.
Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Cordillera spokesperson Mike Cabangon said the widening gap between the rich and the poor is becoming more evident as fuel price hikes continue to drive up the cost of basic goods and services.
Labor groups, including the No to Oil Price Hike Coalition Baguio-Benguet, KMU Cordillera, and Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide Metro-Baguio, urged the government to provide immediate relief measures to address soaring fuel prices.
Migrante International representative Josie Pinkihan also highlighted the plight of overseas Filipino workers, many of whom continue to face unsafe and uncertain conditions abroad, particularly in the Middle East, due to limited opportunities at home.
In Bacolod City, a small group gathered Friday morning in front of the Bacolod City Government replica at the Bacolod City Public Plaza, condemning what they described as atrocities committed by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental, including the killing of 48 civilians.
The group branded the Communist Party of the Philippines–NPA–National Democratic Front of the Philippines as human rights violators and called for an end to violence during what they described as a Labor Day rally for peace. —REPORTS FROM JOANNA ROSE AGLIBOT, KIMBERLIE QUITASOL, CARLA P. GOMEZ AND GREG REFRACCION
