This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 19, June 19-25, 2005
Sharing Struggles
At the ongoing strike of
Lepanto mineworkers in Mankayan, Benguet, women and youths take turns to extend
support. One of them, a young female pharmacology student in Baguio, shares a
story.
By
Abi T.Bengwayan MANKAYAN, Benguet — Salem
Dilem sits outside the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU – May 1st Movement) office in
Mankayan this province on June 14. The weather is generally fair but breezy,
with cool, blue skies. Beside her lie her books, piled neatly inside a polyester
bag. Two more bags contain her clothes and other personals. She is all set to
travel to Baguio City for her final year at the Pines City Colleges as a
pharmacology student. “I still have to wait for a
package from Bauko,” she says while adjusting her cap. She plans to take the 11
a.m. bus trip. The Dilem family migrated
from Bauko in Mt. Province in 1989. Her father, Vicente Dilem, has worked
Lepanto’s underground mines for 16 years. He is also an officer of the Lepanto
Employees Union (LEU). Salem, 20, is the second of
four children. The eldest is now working. Her two younger siblings are in
college and high school, respectively. All four children grew up in the village
of Pallatong. But with the ongoing labor
dispute between management and the employees of the Lepanto Consolidated Mining
Company (LCMCo) here, she is not quite prepared to leave home. She wants to stay
and support the workers’ struggle until all demands are won. The strike has also
become her struggle. “No mabalin koma ket
ditoyak pay tapno tumulong. Kayat ko pay koma nga agbati ditoy inggana agballigj
daytoy” (I still would like to stay here and help. If I had to choose, I
would want to stay here and support die workers’ struggle…until they claim
victory). She admits she has not set
her mind for schooling because of the dispute and the possible picketline
dispersal since the return to work order was issued on June 9 by Department of
Labor and Employment (DoLE) Undersecretary Manuel Imson. Press
conference On June 13, Salem
represented the youth of Lepanto in a press conference, where she called on
company management to grant the workers’ demands. This seemingly quiet youth
spoke firmly. “Iteddan koma ta bassit
laeng daytoy a dawdawaten mi. Saan mi met a dawdawten a maramanan mi ti biag ti
annak da, dawaten mi laeng nga maited daytoy nayon a sweldo ti am-ama mi” (I
only ask the company to give what is due to our fathers. We are not asking to
have the same lives as those lived by families of high-paying company officials,
but do give the workers what is due them), she said. She also called on her
fellow youth to understand the situation their families are in and be more
patient about it. “Let us try to be more
understanding with the situation our families are in at this time. If we need to
stop our schooling for this semester, let us not take it against our families,”
she said. Salem relates that her
family is going through hard times with the ongoing labor dispute, But we are
not giving up,” she affirms. The Dilem family showed the same determination
during the workers’ 2003 strike. Back then, Salem narrates,
she, together with other miners’ children studying in Baguio, would pool in
their resources to save on food expenses. Trading
post “Nu awan talaga idi ti
kuwarta, mapan kami kadagidyay am-ammnu mi idiay Trading Post tapno makipangan”
(When we would run out of money, we would go to our friends living near the La
Trinidad Trading post to share their meals), she recalls smiling. She adds that
true enough, allowances did not come in full, but she made do with what was sent
and was thankful for it. Resiliency has taught her to survive. Salem’s mother, Prescilla,
continues to support the workers’ struggle for just wages and benefits. She has
joined the women and children of Mankayan on that historic May 31 march-rally in
support of the workers’ demands, even before the strike took off on June 2. While she will attend to
her studies in Baguio, Salem only hopes that the miners’ children will continue
to support the strike. “I also hope that support from communities outside
Mankayan will pour in,” she says. Salem is a new member of
the Anakbayan (nation’s youth) chapter here. She shares that through Anakbayan,
she has discovered more means to help other people and understand the issues
behind the strike more comprehensively. She wishes to be able to
come home here immediately. “But that all depends of course,” she quips, with
the family’s economic constraint. “After this, I plan to look
for a job... hopefully,” she adds. With the recent rains, the
road from Mankayan to Baguio City is a bit tedious. Landslides have narrowed the
main highway. But Salem will get there once she boards that city-bound bus.
Nordis / Posted by Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat