Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine

This story was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 13, May 8-14, 2005

On KMU’s silver anniversary
Through the Storms: KMU’s Leaders

Twenty five years ago, some 30,000 workers gathered on May 1 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City and founded the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (May first movement). Through the years, KMU became a scourge for capitalists but a devout ally of the working class. The history of KMU though could be best understood by learning the stories of its leaders.

BY RONALYN OLEA
Bulatlat

The following are some of the persons who have helped shaped KMU to what it is today, the center of militant trade unionism in the country:

Ka Bert

That the KMU was militant from the beginning is not an understatement. It was founded during the Marcos dictatorship at a time when the right to strike was stifled. Its first chairperson, Felixberto “Ka Bert” Olalia, was a well-respected and veteran labor leader.

For Ka Bert, ”isang banal at dakilang gawain ang maglingkod sa manggagawa” (Serving the workers is a holy and noble work). He spent practically all his life doing this.

At the age of 16, Ka Bert left his province, Tarlac, to work in Manila. He was immediately attracted to unionism. In 1920, he joined the Union de Chineleros y Zapateros de Filipinas, one of the first industrial unions in the country. Later on, he became its president.

In 1929, he became an officer of the Collective Labor Movement and in 1949, secretary general of Katipunan ng mga Anakpawis sa Pilipinas (Association of the Toiling Masses in the Philippines). It was during this period that he worked with Crisanto Evangelista, a veteran labor leader.

Ka Bert had always valued unity among the working class. He was also one of the founding members of the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO) in 1945 and of the Kalipunan ng Samahang Manggagawa (KKM or Federation of Workers’ Associations). The KKM was abolished in 1951 when Ka Bert was arrested. Released in 1954, he formed the Confederation of Labor in the Philippines (CLP).

In 1956, Ka Bert was again arrested and charged with rebellion. This did not stop him from union organizing. He founded the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU) in 1957. In 1959, he served as the vice chairperson of the Katipunan ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Association of Filipino Workers). In 1962, he was the vice president of the Lapiang Manggagawa (Organization of Workers) and in 1964, the chairman of the Malayang Samahang Magsasaka (MASAKA or Association of Free Farmers).

Under his leadership at the KMU, the strike movement spread all over the country. Most prominent among these was the strike at the Bataan Export Processing Zone (BEPZ) in June 1982. Despite heavy deployment of police and military elements in the area, 13,325 workers in 24 factories participated.

When Marcos announced the lifting of Martial Law in 1981 due to international pressure, Ka Bert was quick to describe it as nothing but hocus pocus. No doubt he earned the ire of Marcos. On Aug. 13, 1982, Ka Bert, together with two other labor leaders, 28 organizers and some sympathizers from the church sector, was arrested. The crackdown ignited more protests in the country as well as overseas.

During his eight months of detention, however, he suffered from a heart ailment. A day before his death on Dec. 4, 1983, he sent a message for workers gathering at the Plaza Roma,“Paano ko isasalarawan ang lipunang Pilipino? Isang malaking bartolina! Walang duda, sa ilalim ng diktaduryang Estados Unidos-Marcos, ang Pilipinas ay isang malaki at mabahong bartolina. Ano ang lagay ng mamamayan sa bartolinang ito? Alipin...busabos...at pulubi! Pagkat karapata’y sinusupil, kabuhaya’y ipinagkait, kaluluwa’y garapal na ibinebenta sa dayuhang mangangalakal…Mabuti pa ang mga alagang aso at tuta ni Irene Marcos—kumakain sa oras, kumpleto sa gamot at nakatira pa sa palasyo!” (How do I describe Philippine society? A big prison cell! No doubt, under the U.S.-Marcos dictatorship, the Philippines is a big and stinking prison cell. What is the condition of the people in this prison cell? Slave... poor... and beggar! Because rights are suppressed, livelihood is deprived, our soul is being sold to foreign business... The dogs and puppets of Irene Marcos are more fortunate – they eat on time, they are complete with medicines and they live in a palace!).

Ka Nitz

Nenita Tolentino-Gonzaga or Ka Nitz presently heads the women’s department of the KMU but has been with the labor center since 1962 when she first served as NAFLU’s office secretary.

Ka Nitz related to Bulatlat that she was a commerce student at the Philippine College of Commerce (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines) and took her practicum at NAFLU. She said the labor union could not afford to hire a secretary due to financial constraints. Every six months, NAFLU had a new secretary taking practicum.

But Ka Nitz stayed on. She said Ka Bert must have seen something in her. Though Ka Nitz was fond of reading pocketbooks and comics while at the office, Ka Bert noticed she was always listening to the discussions. Once, Ka Nitz said, Ka Bert’s colleagues complained of his long speech, saying they already knew what he was saying. Ka Bert replied, “May tagapakinig pang isa”(I have one other listener). Looking back, Ka Nitz said Ka Bert was organizing her.

Ka Nitz said Ka Bert was also a disciplinarian. “Parang anak niya ako” (She treated me like her daughter). Once, she was asked to type the Filipino version of the Philippine Constitution. Full of typographical errors, Ka Bert scolded her. “Kahit umiyak ako, kailangan ko raw matuto.” (It doesn’t matter if I cry, he said that I must learn).

Ka Nitz also talked of how Ka Bert’s friendship with Blas Ople, who served as Marcos’ ghost writer, ended. She said Ople used to listen to Ka Bert. Ka Bert, on the other hand, hoped to articulate the interest of the workers through Ople.

Until, in the words of Ka Bert, Ople “enriched” himself. Ka Bert warned Ople not to accept Marcos’ offer to live in the Corinthian Gardens, that time one of the most luxurious subdivisions in Manila. Ople, nevertheless, took it. Ka Nitz said that when Ople came to Ka Bert’s house on his birthday, Ka Bert refused to talk to Ople. “Hindi niya iniwan ang mga manggagawa para kay Ople” (He did not leave his co-workers for Ople).

Ka Lando

Ka Bert’s son, Lando, also spent his life working for the interest of the workers. He served as the lawyer of NAFLU and was elected president of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) and Partido ng Bayan (people’s party).

Ka Lando, together with Leonor Alay-ay, was abducted on Nov. 13, 1986. The following day, their bodies were found, marked with torture. Ka Lando had four gunshot wounds on the head and six stab wounds on the body. His mouth was shoved with newspaper and his hands tied with a belt. His fists were still clenched.

On the day of his funeral, more than 600,000 workers and ordinary people marched in protest. All over the country, 217 enterprises went to a halt.

In KMU’s 3^rd Congress paper, it reported, “Ibinunsod ng pagkamatay ni Ka Lando ang malalaking pagbabago sa kalagayang pampulitka ng bansa. Ipinakita nito na sa kabila ng mga tagumpay na nakamit ng mamamayan mula sa pag-aalsang bayan ng Pebrero 1986, nananatiling malakas at mabangis ang pwersa ng reaksyon at kailangan pang palakasin ang mga progresibong pwersa…upang lubusang magapi ang mga kaaway ng bayan.” (The death of Ka Lando brought major changes in the country’s political situation. Despite the victories won by the people since the February 1986 uprising, the force of reaction is still strong and ruthless and there is a need to strengthen the progressive movement…to frustrate completely the enemies of the people).

Ka Bel

Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran, chairman emeritus of the KMU and representative of Anakpawis party-list group, spoke of his days at the KMU before a gathering of workers’ allies, April 27 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

Ka Bel, holding his only remaining copy of the KMU’s 3^rd National Congress papers, read aloud significant parts of the KMU history. He said that during this Congress in 1986, 450 heroes from the working class were honored.

Ka Bel, then KMU secretary general, was also arrested along with Ka Bert on Aug. 13, 1982. He escaped from prison in 1984 and went straight to the hills. In 1986, he re-joined the KMU.

Ka Bong

Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog has been the elected KMU national chairperson since October 2004. Before this, he handled different positions in the KMU leadership. In an interview, Ka Bong admitted he was at first apprehensive about being the chairperson, knowing full well the track record of its past national leaders like Ka Bert and Ka Bel.

But Ka Bong is not really a neophyte. A working student, he became a contractual worker at the Manila Hilton, a leading hotel in Manila, and immediately became a union leader. Later, he worked at the Regent Hotel and was elected union president.

When KMU’s national leaders were arrested in 1982 , there was a need to fill in new leaders. Ka Bong described this period as his “crossroads.” A job promotion was certain and so thus a more comfortable life for him.

Nevertheless, he decided to work full time for the trade union movement. Ka Bong said his exposure as a student of the University of the Philippines in Diliman was a factor. “Hirap din ako bilang estudyante kahit may scholarship.” (It was also difficult for me to pursue my studies despite the scholarship.)

Ka Bong related an incident that became an eye opener for him. When the Regent Hotel held its formal opening, the construction workers who were at the finishing stage of the construction took some food. Ka Bong said they were severely scolded by the guards and he felt so enraged by the incident.

The abduction of Jun Flores, an organizer of hotel employees, also made him decide to work full-time. He said it was Jun who organized him.

Ka Bong also talked to Bulatlat of the militant strike movement in the 1980s. As president of the National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industires (NUWHRAIN), they led 13 strikes in five-star hotels. “Iyong Manila Garden, parang Baclaran sa laki ng mobilisasyon.” (Manila Garden looked like Baclaran because of the huge mobilization.)

Asked about the achievements of the KMU in 25 years, he said the militant labor center has always striven for a just society. During the Marcos regime, the workers defied the strike ban by launching strikes. The campaign for higher wage has always been there. The KMU contributed to the political struggle of the workers and the people in toppling the dictatorship.

The KMU was also among the first national organizations that called for Estrada’s ouster. Again, the KMU joined the Bayan contingent that marched to Mendiola on January 20, 2001.

Ka Bong said Filipino workers from various factories, economic zones, industrial zones and work places nationwide are armed with the experience of the Marcos and Estrada ouster campaigns and are ready to continue and advance the oust Macapagal-Arroyo movement. Bulatlat

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