L: That’s what we’re sensing. The military who got Cabales…there’s supposedly a deadline for those applying for amnesty. If those people don’t surrender, they’ll be arrested.
So far there’s the two RJs, then Cabales, then Vic. The latter left for Manila from here, and two days later he got arrested. So our impression is that it’s getting bad again.
D: Is the resistance getting strong again?
L: Yes, up in the mountains. Our impression that it’s getting strong is bolstered by…for example in the past, people in areas where NPAs were found were afraid, but that’s not true anymore since after Ramos and Erap. Our gauge is what people say, and now they say that there’s no improvement whatever. With Erap it’s that the Marcos cronies are back.
D: Would you say that the movement is strong here in Iloilo?
L: In the city when the jeepney drivers declare a strike, other sectors immediately join in, and not only Iloilo City but also outside areas are paralyzed. In Iloilo it’s Icada (drivers’ association), outside it’s Fida. Two years ago the rally against Cha-cha, that was huge, about 10,000 people. Apart from church-based organizations, there were independent initiatives, outside of Bayan as well. For example, in the rally of Protestants against OPH [oil price hike], there were large turnouts also.
D: So you’re optimistic?
L: [Laughs.] Of course! Only, this demands work. [Laughs.] But especially now, I’m doing teachers’ organizing. Earlier on, all that was left in the teachers’ union was the University of Iloilo Teachers’ Association, but this year we’ve had a lot of walk-ins, especially from private schools.
D: What are walk-ins?
L: They are those who walk in to the office, asking to be organized. This year especially, many have come asking for help. In private schools, the salary is P3,400 or P3,800 monthly for new hires. The highest is P5,000. You can’t live on that if you have a family. In private schools the route of organizing is like in labor. If they have complaints they have to go through conciliation, through NLRC. There’s no difference from trade unions. So the feeling of teachers is that their status is no more than that of casual workers. Their load is controlled.
Maybe my optimism is not simply due to the crisis. Many people are aware of the crisis, but then these issues are not new. The problem on our part is to show alternative ways of doing things by organizing. Organizing is the key. If people are not organized, even teachers, nothing will happen. There are some teachers who retire after 30 years and get no retirement benefits. If only one individual complains, nothing will happen.
D: So people are aware that solutions have to be collective in nature?
L: Yes, and people find out soon enough the limited parameters of purely legal struggles. Those who’ve had experience in unions are well aware of these limits. We’ve noticed that many people are disappearing and dropping out, opting for higher forms of struggle.
D: You mean going underground?
L: Yes, going underground. Of course, I can’t do it now. I have many sicknesses now, and have had numerous surgeries. [Laughs.]
D: Maybe there are younger people being prepared for this?
L: There are young people, even in trade unions. My impression is that’s a wholly different group now that attends rallies. We had a celebration with Jules and Rose, a memorial meeting. Rose said that she didn’t know anyone there except me, my husband, and Jules. Maybe just five of us knew each other, a handful, and there were 60 in the gathering. We remarked to each other how good it was that a new batch of people had come forth. If we were still the same old faces, that would suggest stagnation. There were new faces among students. Even Rose commented that students whom she knew weren’t around. Instead, a new group came. We said maybe those students we knew have moved on to something else…
