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Silip sa mundo ng paggawa! Hatid sa inyo ng School of Labor and Industrial Relations (SOLAIR) Miyerk

18/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 10. GUILLERMO CAPADOCIA

Capadocia was the son of a poor labourer but that did not deter him from becoming highly literate and gaining a deep knowledge of Marxist-Leninist thought. He was one of the founders of the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1930. He was a leading figure in the Katipunan ng mga Anak Pawis ng Pilipinas (KAP). He helped unify the Communist and Socialist Parties of the Philippines. From 1938 to 1941 he was the executive secretary of the Collective Labor Movement, a trade union confederation which advocated for full independence of the Philippines, condemned racketeering among trade unions and advocated for social justice. From 1945 to 1950 he was vice president of the Philippine Congress of Labor Organization (CLO), a post world war 2 trade union federation formed by former Hukbalahap guerrillas. CLO was once a dominant labor federation, representing a significant portion of organized labor force on industries based in Panay and Manila.

In January 1942, Capadocia, Pedro Abad Santos and Crisanto Evangelista were arrested by Japanese forces and imprisoned in Fort Santiago. He was released several years later.

In 1950 he went underground to lead the Hukbalahap guerillas on the island of Panay. Capadocia and several fighters were killed by government forces in their hideout in the mountains of Panay on September 1951.

18/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 9. CRISANTO EVANGELISTA

The birthing of capitalism and industrial revolution in Europe gave birth to its antithesis, i.e. the rise of the working class and the formation of communism as an ideology. This ideology was the brainchild of Karl Marx, giving rise to Marxism whose theoretical tenet "class struggle," advocates that the conflict of interest between the working class and the capitalist class was inevitable and could only be resolved through violent means.

Marxism began to spread in Europe particularly Russia and made its way to other countries where capitalism was on the rise. It eventually caught the imagination of filipino nationalists. Among those who slowly converted to this ideology was Crisanto Evangelista, who was generally regarded as the"Father of Philippine Trade Unionism".

Evangelista was a skillful organizer of trade unions. He spearheaded the leftist wing of the worker's movement during its early period. In 1919, Evangelista participated in an independence mission to the US headed by Quezon where he learned from the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and other American trade unionists. He was one of the organizers of the Legionarios del Trabajo which was formed as an offshoot of the strike against the Manila Electric Company.

He was an influential head of the Congreso Obrero de Filipinas (COF), the largest trade federation in the Philippines during its time. He served as its secretary for many years. He also headed the Union de Impresores de Filipinas as its Secretary General. During the 1929 Labor Congress of COF, the radicals led by Evangelista clashed with the conservatives' workers wing. This caused Evangelista and his group to form the Partido Obrero de Filipinas, otherwise known as Katipunan ng mga Anak Pawis ng Pilipinas (KAP). The aim of KAP was to unite workers and peasants in the struggle against US Imperialism and lift workers from their deplorable working conditions.

KAP was reformed and in its place, the members established the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on November 17, 1930, in conjuction with the 13th anniversary of the October Socialist Revolution of the Soviet Union. Not long after, the government cracked down on CPP after a series of labor strikes. CPP was banned by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Evangelista and several others, including Dominador Ambrosio, Guillermo Capadocia and Alfonso Pangilinan were arrested and charged with sedition and imprisoned. The CPP was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in October 1932.

He was arrested by invading Imperial Japanese Army troops along with Pedro Abad Santos, and Guillermo Capadocia on January 25, 1942, and executed on June 2, 1942.

15/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 8. LOPE K. SANTOS

In 1901, Santos published his own newspaper "Kaliwanagan" and thereafter a weekly labor magazine "Muling Pagsilang". His writings dwelt on social justice and labor issues. He synthesized his ideas in his first novel "Banaag at Sikat," considered the first socialist oriented book in the Philippines. The book expounded on the principles of socialism and how to apply them by way of labor reforms. It became an inspiration for the 1932 assembly of the Socialist Party of the Philippines and the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP).

When Dominagor Gomez was sentenced by the Supreme Court of sedition and illegal association in 1903, Santos absorbed the labor group Union Obrera Democratica Filipina (UODF) and renamed it as Union Del Trabaho (UTF) but this was dissolved in 1907 due to internal union conflicts. About the same year, he organized the laborers of the Katubusan Cigar and Cigarette Factory into Lunas Dalita (Relief of Poverty) which initially solicited funds for the support of labor strikes and later developed into a worker's cooperative.

Writing in the vernacular tagalog was Santos' most useful asset and he used this talent in all his undertakings. He was an expert grammarian, and had written the first grammar book Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa. He succeeded in lobbying and promoting a "national language for the Philippines". He authored the Philippine Legislature Act No. 2946 enacting November 30 as Bonifacio day. He was once a governor of Rizal and Nueva Vizcaya and was appointed Senator to the 5th Legislature.

14/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 7. CIPRIANO CID

Cid was called Dean of Philippine Labor by fellow labor leaders during his time. He rose to an eminent position in the trade union movement during the post-war years as a leader of the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO), a trade union federation formed in 1945 by workers turned Hukbalahap guerillas. Toward the end of 1951, Cid also organized the Philippine Association of Free Labor Unions (PAFLU). In his continuing effort to unite the labor sector, he worked for the formation of the Philippine Trade Union Council (PTUC) in 1954 and the establishment of the Lapiang Manggagawa in 1963.

14/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 6. AMADO V. HERNANDEZ

Hernandez was an excellent journalist, poetry and literary writer and a determined labor leader and political activist. He wrote for “Pagkakaisa” and edited “Mabuhay”, delving on social injustice and oppression of the working class. He became President of the Philippines Newspapers' Guild and was appointed councilor of Manila.

During World War II he became a guerilla fighter of HUKBALAHAP. But his most significant contributions were in organizing labor unions, and employed labor strikes as a means of settling grievances in the work place.

In 1947, he was elected President of the powerful Congress of Labor Organization (CLO). He travelled to the U.S. and Europe, absorbing radical concepts and putting them into practice upon his return to the Philippines. His “leftist” activities were condemned by the government, charging him with “rebellion complexed with other crimes" for which he was incarcerated. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

During his stay in Muntinlupa, Hernandez wrote poetry and plays on small strips of paper smuggled by his wife Atang de la Rama. His writings dealt with his experiences as a guerilla, as a labor leader and as a political prisoner. In six years, Hernandez produced among others, Bayang Malaya, Isang Dipang Langit and Ibong Mandaragit. His poem "Kung Tuyo na ang Luha mo aking Bayan" was frequently recited by activists in the 70s for its revolutionary fervor. It took thirteen years before he was finally acquitted by the Supreme Court. He was later posthumously awarded National Artist for Literature. His wife Dela Rama was recognized as Queen of Kundiman and proclaimed as National Artist in 1987.

07/08/2022

PHOTOJOUNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 5. PEDRO ABAD SANTOS

Abad Santos came from a wealthy and intellectually inclined family from the province of Pampanga. He topped the medical exam to become a doctor and topped the bar exam to become a lawyer. The latter he achieved simply by studying on his own. He engaged in local as well as national politics, serving as two termer congressman from 1916-1922. He was a freedom fighter during the Philippine Revolution of 1896 and the subsequent Philippine-American war, for which he was captured and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Fortunately he was released by securing a pardon.

Concentration of land holdings to a few landlords was a perennial problem in the rural areas, particularly in Pampanga, until it came to a boiling point in the 1930s. Poor farmers began to band themselves and engage in bloody encounters with oppressive landlords. Land-tenancy was a contentious problem that needed radical solutions, if not legislative reforms. Abad Santos who was keenly aware of social injustice began arduously organizing workers and farmers and forming them into a solid force. In October 1932 he founded the Socialist Party of the Philippines. Two years later he banded with fellow organizers like Luis Taruc, Agapito del Rosario and Lino Dizon to form “Aguman ding Maldang Talapagobra,” one that was similar to workers’ union in Spain, Mexico and France whose objective was to expropriate big landed estates and friar lands and forming cooperatives in the process to improve living conditions.

In 1938, he merged forces with Crisanto Evangelista to form the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas. Evangelista was a hardline Marxist who found inspiration from the Russian Bolshevik Revolution. Abad Santos on the other hand moderated radicalism with legalism. He espoused engaging the establishment through legal means and finding ways to work within it.

During Word War Two, he fought against the Japanese invading forces, was captured along with Crisanto Evangelist and Guillermo Capadocia and stayed behind bars for two years. He was 66 yrs old by then. He was released under restriction by the Japanese due to stomach ailment but succumbed to complications, dying at age 69 in 1945.

In his remaining years he devoted his life to the cause of peasants and guided promising leaders like Luis Taruc to win their battles. He said that “every strike must be a school even if it is lost.”

Reference: Wikipedia and loose papers archived at the SOLAIR Library

05/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 4. HERMINIGILDO CRUZ

Cruz was a labor leader, writer and former Director of Labor. He studied at the Escuela de Artes y Oficios and at the young age of nine, worked as an apprentice typographer for La Independencia. At the age of 19, Cruz became the spokesperson of striking workers at the La Independencia. As the UOD's original secretary, he was the only worker among the rich or middle class first batch officers of UOD. Later he was employed as a proofreader of the old firm E.C. McCullough @ Co. in Manila and eventually became the editor of a local daily El Trabajo. Desiring to alleviate the miserable working conditions of the laborers, he became one of the founders and the first president of the Congreso Obrero de Filipinas.

In 1918, he was named librarian of the Philippine Assembly and in the same year was appointed Assistant Director of Labor. In 1924, he became the Director of Labor. Cruz also took an active participation in such organizations as the Association of Civil Employees and the Philippine Anti-
Tuberculosis Society. As a tagalog writer, his popular works include "Kung Sino ang Kumatha ng Florante at Laura" the first critical and biographical study of the immortal Filipino poet, Francisco Balagtas; Kartilyang Makabayan, a question and answer historical catechism; and a biographical study of the Father of the Philippine Revolution and founder of the Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio.

05/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 3. DOMINADOR GOMEZ

Gomez was a doctor of medicine who succeeded delos Reyes as UOD leader. He encouraged the establishment of cooperatives, medical and legal services for union members. On May 1, 1903 he led a mass rally of some 100,000 workers in front of Malacanang. Thousands of workers marched from Plaza Moriones to Malacanang demanding complete independence and denouncing capitalism, US imperialis and protesting the American regime' s policy of suppression. As a consequence, the house of Gomez and the printing press of UOD - which Gomez has renamed Union Democratica de Filipinas (UODF) were raided. Gomez was arrested for illegal association and sedition and was tried and sentenced to one year hard labor. Later he ran in the first Philippine election and won a seat at the Philippine Assembly.

05/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

Series 2. ISABELO DE LOS REYES

Don Belong, as he was often called wore many hats in his lifetime, as a journalist, politician, labor activist, publisher-editor of several books, contributor to various periodicals and proclaimed the establishment of the Philippine Independent Church (formerly called Aglipayan Church). He spearheaded the first labor union in the country, Union de Litograficos y Impresores in 1901. Firmly believing in the power of labor unions to effect socio-economic reforms, he organized the first labor federation in the country the Union Obrera Democratica (UOD) in February 1902. He initiated the first Labor Day Rally on May 1 and published La Redencion de Obrero, the first labor newspaper.

From his four year stint as Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and his subsequent imprisonment in Spain for anti-Spanish activities, he returned to the Philippines inspired by socialist writings of Proudhon, Bakunin and Malestesta. The UOD's membership came mainly from 150 unions in the to***co industry and several other unions in the printing industry. In August 1902, UOD called for wage increases and staged the first general strike. In the labor strike of the Fabrica de Tabacos in Malabon, he was charged with violation of a law that prohibits workers to force the increase in wages. The strike was quelled but delos Reyes was tried and sentenced to four months imprisonment.

Later he became a member of the Philippine Assembly, a Councilor of Manila from 1912-1919 and a Senator of Manila's first district from 1922-1928.

02/08/2022

PHOTOJOURNAL SERIES ON THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF THE PHILIPPINE LABOR MOVEMENT

We would like to share with you a sweeping view of the Philippine labor movement by way of the contributions made by its founders and leaders. It used to be that "Labor History" was taught as part of the curriculum of SOLAIR on Labor and Industrial relations. But over the years, this had been replaced by more "relevant" courses that enhance employability and competitiveness in the labor market. Thus we feel compelled to remind everyone of a glorious period when the Philippine Labor Movement meant a great deal to the working class, trade unions, farmers, students and intellectuals. The Labor Movement was founded on beliefs, ideas and principles far greater than issues governing labor-management relations, better wages and working conditions in the work place.

Historically, labor movements were intertwined with issues of anti colonialism, national independence, control of national patrimony and resources. It was an arena for delving deeply into theories and ideologies to transform society, where intellectuals and workers blend brain and brawn in grappling with solutions to socio-economic problems.

We feature here in serial form some of the names and faces that played a major role in advancing the worker's struggle amidst turbulent times in Philippine society. Remember their names, remember their faces, remember their deeds.

SERIES 1. ANDRES BONIFACIO

It is a well known fact that Andres Bonifacio was chief founder and leader of the Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalangan, Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan, otherwise known as Katipunan. It espoused armed struggle as the only means to gain total independence from more than three hundred years of Spanish colonial rule.Under his leadership Katipunan grew to around 30,000 plus members by 1896. It fought a hard battle to defeat Spanish military forces which gradually retreated from battlefields. He later reorganized Katipunan, formed a revolutionary government under a nation-state called "Republika ng Katagalugan." Some historians argued that he should have been the first president of the Philippine republic.

He worked very early in life to support his struggling family by peddling canes and paper fans and also found employment as a sales agent and bodegero for British and German trading firms. But he was also a budding intellectual in his own right. Not having the benefit of a formal education, he studied by himself and read assiduously some great novels including the French Revolution, Les Miserables, Rizal's Noli and El Fili, to name a few. Tragicallly, his lowly background became an issue exploited by a faction of the Katipunan to undermine his authority and seize power, leading to his arrest and ex*****on.

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