Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Vol. IV, No. 35 October 3 - 9, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
Is
GSIS Under Martial Law? Is
the battle-scarred Government Service Insurance Service (GSIS) now under a
state of martial law? Unionized employees of GSIS now decry of being under
surveillance, the bugging of their phone lines, the hiring of top military
officials for the state corporation’s security department, tight
security checks at the GSIS building and other martial-law type measures. BY
DABET CASTAÑEDA Is
the battle-scarred Government Service Insurance Services (GSIS) now under
a state of martial law? Unionized
employees of GSIS now decry of being under surveillance, the bugging of
phone lines, the hiring of top military officials for the state
corporation’s security department, tight security checks at the GSIS
building in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) complex and other
martial-law type measures. Officials
of the GSIS union, the Kapisanan ng mga Manggagawa sa GSIS (KMG or workers
union in GSIS), have been harassed and their rallies dispersed violently,
it was also reported. A
GSIS employee, who asked to be unidentified, last week said phone lines at
the GSIS are bugged with listening devices installed in the ceilings.
There are also hidden cameras inside the compound that are used to monitor
union activities, the source added. For
demanding the ouster of GSIS president and general manager, Winston
Garcia, employees are now subjected to retaliatory measures. “We are not
even allowed to talk about union matters even during lunch break,” the
source also said. The
source, who has served the GSIS for at least 20 years - 15 of that as an
active member of KMG - was interviewed by Bulatlat through a mobile
phone. “We can’t use our land lines - they’re bugged,” the source
said. KMG
president Albert Velasco, a lawyer, said it is natural for union members
to fear being identified in interviews as they might stand to lose their
jobs. Confirming the electronic surveillance, he added that the union has
at least two witnesses, both members of the GSIS security team, who can
testify that it was Garcia who ordered the setting up of the bugging
devices. AFP
officials To
make sure that martial rule reigns at the GSIS, Garcia has appointed
officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to head the
government corporation’s security department, Velasco told Bulatlat.
In a press statement last Sept. 22, KMG said Garcia appointed Dennis P.
Nagtalon as security department manager “who swaggers around GSIS
claiming to be a General of the AFP.” Two
other members of the department, Felix Mendoza and Rodolfo Masiddo, both
claim to be colonels, the KMG added. Meanwhile,
even staff members of the KMG have not been spared from the wrath of
Garcia. The KMG reported that on Sept. 20 at around 5 p.m., the three
military officers “accosted, detained, questioned, and interrogated
Aldwin delos Santos and Fernando Salvador.” Both are staff members of
the KMG. “The
two were detained for two and a half hours at the GSIS Security
Department, intimidated and questioned like common criminals,” Velasco
said. Velasco
himself was dismissed by Garcia after exposing the latter’s alleged
mismanagement and corruption in the GSIS. Velasco,
who, according to Bulatlat’s anonymous source, won with a big
margin over four other contenders in the union elections last May, was
ordered to be “dropped from the rolls of the system” on Sept. 1. Even
before the elections, the source said, union members had been supportive
of Velasco who has worked with GSIS since 1998. “We believe he could
best represent us,” the source said. The
source added that Velasco has been vocal against Garcia’s alleged
mismanagement even before he assumed the union presidency. After
applying for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) from the Court of Appeals
(CA), Velasco went to the GSIS premises on Sept. 8 to consult with union
members. On Sept. 20, the appellate court eventually issued a temporary
restraining order (TRO) on Garcia regarding Velasco’s dismissal. Velasco
went to the GSIS on Sept. 24 but, according to the source, a commotion
ensued when security guards tried to block Velasco from entering the GSIS
building. The security guards, union members said, deliberately knocked
down the building’s metal detector then took a photo of Velasco beside
the felled machine to insinuate that Velasco was responsible for the act. Threat The
source and nine other employees witnessed the incident. After the
incident, a management superior summoned the source and was warned “not
to associate with Velasco or the management will do necessary actions
against you.” Despite
the CA’s TRO, Garcia ordered Nagtalon to ban Velasco from the GSIS
saying that the “drop order” is already “an accomplished act,” it
was also reported. Meanwhile,
KMG officers also condemned the violent dispersal of GSIS employees and
their supporters in a protest rally held on Sept. 28 in front of the GSIS
building. Joining them in the protest were Anakpawis (toiling masses)
Party Rep. Crispin Beltran and members of the Confederation for Unity,
Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage), which is
composed of state-owned company unions and government personnel. Twenty
of the protesters sustained injuries during the dispersal and were to
taken to the hospital, lawyer Mario Molina, KMG’s majority floor leader,
told reporters the following day. GSIS security men and police attacked
the protesters with water cannons and hails of tear gas. Seven of those
injured were brought to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila
for further treatment due to complications. Jenny
Manuel, spokesperson for the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) who was also
with the protesters, said the tear gas used by the dispersal team had a
72-hour effect on the victims. In
a radio interview on Sept. 28, Garcia admitted that he ordered the rally
to be dispersed because union members and other protester had no rally
permits. Illegal A
labor lawyer from the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) denounced the
harassment of the GSIS employees. In an interview with Bulatlat,
Rachel Pastores said that any act of management to suppress, harass, or
prevent any union member or officer to perform his/her functions in the
union constitutes unfair labor practice. GSIS
authorities, she said, are liable for such violation. Prohibiting
employees from talking about union matters even during lunch break is also
a violation of their labor rights, the PILC lawyer added. Under
the Anti-Wire Tapping Act, bugging or wiretapping is illegal and any
conversation recorded through bugging device is inadmissible in court as
evidence, Pastores said. She
clarified however, that there is no law prohibiting the use of hidden
cameras, as is now done by business establishments including banks and
hotels. But using the cameras to monitor union activities also constitutes
unfair labor practice, Pastores said. Cases
vs Garcia Meanwhile, cases continue to pile up against Garcia. In a separate interview, Velasco revealed that KMG has filed a case against the GSIS president with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Sept. 30. Lawyer Gilbert D. Boiser, director of CHR-National Capital Region, is handling the case. Velasco
said the CHR has summoned Garcia to explain the violent dispersal of
members and supporters of the KMG on Sept. 28, and why Velasco is banned
from entering the GSIS despite the appellate court’s TRO. Set
to be filed with the Regional Trial Court in Pasay City is a criminal
charge in connection with the installation of surveillance gadgets in the
employees’ work areas. Velasco said they have at least two witnesses who
are ready to testify that Garcia ordered the installation of surveillance
devices at the GSIS. Representative
Beltran, on the other hand, has filed administrative cases against Garcia
with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
The cases are in connection with Garcia’s alleged graft practices at the
GSIS, among others. GSIS
employees along with Courage and other cause-oriented groups have been
calling on President Macapagal-Arroyo to fire Garcia from the GSIS due to
his alleged malversation of GSIS funds, among others. Despite the public clamor, Velasco said, Garcia remains ensconced as a rock at the GSIS. Garcia hails from Cebu province where his family is known as a political dynasty. In the May 2004 elections, Cebu delivered sizeable though questionable votes that led to the election of Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency. Bulatlat We want to know what you think of this article.
|
|