In solidarity with the different labor groups, former senator and the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines Ernesto “Boy” Herrera expressed full support to the senatorial bid of former labor undersecretary Susan “Toots” Ople.
In a message delivered by TUCP Spokesman Alex Aguilar at Ople’s launch, Herrera said the TUCP welcomes and supports the candidacy of the late Senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople’s youngest daughter.
“Every OFW owes Ka Blas a debt of gratitude for opening the doors to labor migration long before the word “globalization” became a buzz word of our times,” Herrera said.
“I am happy that his daughter, the one who always accompanied Ka Blas and aided him in his work and continued it long after he had passed away, is now prepared to rise to the challenge of national leadership, as a vanguard of labor and OFWs.”
“Her passion for helping OFWs is something that she undoubtedly inherited from her father,” Herrera said.
Overseas Filipino workers and organized labor who have found a common ally in the youngest daughter of the late Senator and Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas F. Ople are now mobilizing its ranks to promote the senatorial bid of Susan Ople.
The movement dubbed as “Maka-Manggagawa Movement” is chaired by OFW-turned-businessman Jun Aguilar, one of the founders of the Partido ng Pandaigdigang Pilipino or PPP. A former OFW who worked in Saudi Arabia for several years, Aguilar said that he has been using the Internet to reach out to fellow OFWs and Filipino community leaders abroad.
“This marks the first time that overseas workers and their dependents are working with organized labor and informal workers for a common cause: to get an Ople back in the Senate,” Aguilar said.
Members of MMM include UP Professor and former Dean Rene Ofreneo, Linda Manabat of the Philippine Transport and General Workers Organization, an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Dr. Ernita Santos, chair of the NCR Federation of OFW Family Circles, Boy Desierto of the Alliance of Independent Hotel and Restaurant Workers, Annie Geron as representative of public sector unions under PSLink, among other groups.
During the launch of the “Maka-Manggagawa Movement”, Ople received hugs and good wishes from the many victims helped by the Blas F. Ople Center, a non-government organization founded by the senatorial aspirant after her father died.
Bus drivers from Dubai who were duped by their licensed agencies came out in full force to express support for Ople during the latter’s declaration held at the UP SOLAIR Building in Diliman, Quezon City.
Ople vowed to work for tougher laws against illegal recruitment and human trafficking as well as reforms in OWWA and other institutions that help OFWs. She also expressed concern over the growing trend towards agency-hires or labor-only contracting practices that include even jobs deemed essential to a company’s core operations and services.
