Cause-oriented groups express support to Duterte administration

From the Philippine News Agency (Jun 23): Cause-oriented groups express support to Duterte administration
 

Eight cause-oriented organizations based in this city launched today, Thursday, their readiness to support the incoming Duterte administration.

For the first time, these groups headed by Bayan Western Visayas, will not hold a protest action but will deliver their agenda -- People’s Agenda for the First 100 days -- to President Rodrigo Duterte on June 30 as the latter starts his six-year term.

Aside from Bayan, the leftist groups include Anakbayan WV, Kaisog, Pamanggas, KMU WV, Gabriela- Iloilo and ACT out to give support to the First 100 Days of the Duterte Administration.

Reyland Vergara of Bayan WV said they are holding a rally on the same day of Duterte’s oath-taking as the 16th President of the country to welcome and support the administration’s pro-people policies and programs and to highlight the people’s agenda meant to give immediate relief and change.

Considered as among the good pronouncements of the incoming President are the resumption of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the release of more than 500 political prisoners with immediate consideration of NDF consultants including Concha Araneta-Bocala of Panay Island who was arrested in August 2015.

As for the workers, Elmer Forro of KMU welcomes the appointment of former Anakpawis representative and KMU Mindanao vice chair Joel Maglunsod as undersecretary of DOLE.

Other new presidential appointees are Rafael Mariano as Cabinet secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Judy Taguiwalo and Hope Hervilla as secretary and undersecretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), respectively.

The KMU, however, is set to demand a Php750 daily across the board minimum wage nationwide.

 

On the other hand, Pamanggas will lobby for the passage of a genuine agrarian reform bill now that the Aquino administration’s CARPER is dead.

Youth group Anakbayan is pushing to stop the implementation of K-12 program while Gabriela is demanding assistance to victims of abuses, especially to women and children.

Urban poor group Kaisog will support Duterte’s “walang relokasyon, walang demolisyon” policy but the relocation program should include livelihood opportunities for the poor.

Government workers especially the teachers will lobby for the Php16,000 minimum wage and a stop to public hospitals' privatization.

Vergara stressed that while they welcome many of Duterte’s policies, they will remain vigilant and watchful over his anti-people pronouncements. They will also employ the strategy of unity and struggle with the Duterte government.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=897975