White & Blue is the official student publication of Saint Louis University, Baguio City We're more than just a paper.
01/05/2025
๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ
When the sun reaches the crest of its arc in the sky, laborers are the first to weather its blaze. Exhaustion and strain condense into droplets of sweat on their brows, evaporating quicker than cities are built. Each centavo earned leaves a mark: a callous on a migrant fisherโs hands from casting nets in foreign waters, a bruise on a housekeeperโs left cheek from where her employer struck her, and a bug bite on a farmerโs wrist from tilling ancestral land that corporations seek to acquire. Still, they push onward, for the thought of losing their jobs and letting their families go hungry is far more difficult to stomach.
These daily trials and the workforceโs indispensable contributions to the nation are honored during the 1st of May every year. For more than a century, Labor Day has served as a salute to the backbone of our society, celebrated with paid days off or extra pay for those required to work. It commemorates years of struggle against injustice, recognizing the determination of those who fought for the privileges workers enjoy today.
Labor Day traces its roots to the Filipino labor movement of the 1900s, led by the Union Obrera Democratica de Filipinas (UODF), the nationโs first labor organization. Founded by Isabelo de los Reyes in 1902, the UODF staged rallies and strikes protesting the American governmentโs refusal to increase worker wages, culminating in de los Reyesโs arrest. His successor, Dr. Dominador Gomez, soon pushed for the colonial administration's recognition of May 1 as a national holiday. Their refusal led to the May 1, 1903, rally, with over 100,000 workers mobilized by the UODF to protest imperialism and labor exploitation. Like his predecessor, this ended in Dr. Gomezโs arrestโbut the seeds were already sown. By 1908, the Philippine Assembly passed a bill recognizing May 1 as a national holiday, and by 1913, the first Labor Day was celebrated.
Long after the historic May 1 protests, the struggles that plagued the workforce of the 1900s continue to echo into the 21st century, evolving to fit the present urban landscape. Minimum wage earners struggle against exploitative practices such as contractualization and โend-of-contractโ or โendoโ schemes. At the same time, they barely survive on wages that fail to keep up with inflation. As they toil within hazardous environments and substandard working conditions, they are also left vulnerable to heatstroke and other illnesses. PAGASA reports dangerous heat levels in more than 20 areas nationwide. Meanwhile, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) sacrifice the warmth of home to fight battles on foreign soil, including overwork with little pay, abuse from their employers, recruitment scams, and working in the crossfire of warโall while grappling with homesickness, cultural alienation, language barriers, and mental health issues.
This Labor Day, the shadows of injustice continue to lurk beneath hollow promises of progress. Along with it, the legacy of the 1903 protests endures. Labor leaders, unions, and workers carry the torches passed down by those before them, enduring waves of threats, suppression, and violence to fight for lasting reforms safeguarding their well-being and dignity. Each rallying cry on the streets propels them forward, giving them the strength to push back against the iron fists threatening to undermine their advocacies. Yet despite the various hardships they experience, they are always the first to step up, working diligently to breathe life into the nationโs economy and weathering storms to secure the well-being of their families.
The pillars of our country, built by the worn hands of our workforce, are at risk of crumbling beneath our apathy and ignorance. Labor Day transcends annual celebrations to honor a movement that embodies the workforce's collective experiences, sacrifices, and hopes. Beyond Labor Day rituals and enjoying the privileges won by decades of resistance, it is up to us to amplify the voices of our workers and push for policies that actively uphold their rights and security. The calluses on the fishermanโs hands, the bruise painting the housekeeperโs cheek, and the roughened palms of the farmer are reminders to look past glorified depictions of Filipino resilience and recognize the issues beneath our workers' struggles.
By Kimee Semougne Morales
Artwork by Jayvee Manganip
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Today, White & Blue, the official student publication of Saint Louis University, stands with the Filipino workforce in celebrating Labor Day and recognizing its history. May this day serve as an opportunity to reflect on the daily sacrifices of our laborers and stand in solidarity with those who fight bravely to shape the system to protect their welfare. And as election day approaches, may we be reminded of the power we hold to shape the future of our compatriots. In honoring our laborers, may we cast our votes to protect their well-being, rights, and dignity.
