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Women workers call for system change on Women's Day
Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party-Philippines) - March 8, 2008
Thousands of union members of Fortune Tobacco Corporation [the biggest cigarette manufacturer in the country] in Marikina [an industrial city on the eastern part of the capital Metro Manila] and members of the Partido ng Manggagawa (PM) [Labor Party] celebrated women's day with a march from their factory gate to the town plaza in the afternoon.
Marilyn Calilap, the Fortune Tobacco Labor Union (FTLU) women's committee director said that "Our mobilization is in solidarity with the rest of the women's movement and we support the call for system change not just regime change. Replacing the evil president with just another reactionary with no pro-labor and pro-women track record will be a betrayal of the people's quest for genuine change."
Judy Ann Miranda, secretary-general of PM, declared "We want the text of the RP-China exploration agreement [a controversial agreement that has been assailed for reneging on the claim of the Philippines to the disputed Spratly's islands] to be revealed so that truth about sell out by President Gloria Arroyo of our motherland for millions of pieces of silver can be exposed. Women have no future under this corrupt government but we will not settle for just a lesser evil."
The women rallyists celebrated March 8 in a festive mood despite the seriousness of its call for system change. In their placards were demands for education budget, healthcare for women and childcare support.
The women workers sang their own rendition of a novelty song patterned after a popular TV commercial. "Instead of wasting the people's money in kickbacks and corruption, we want increased funding for social services to lighten the double burden of women," explained Judy Miranda.
In the morning, women workers and urban poor led by the PM commemorated international women's day with a mobilization that denounced corruption in government and called for change in the system. The contingent of women workers marched from their assembly point to the historic Mendiola Bridge that is just several hundred of meters away from the Malacanang Palace [the seat of government].
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