On KMU’s
silver anniversary
Through the Storms:
KMU’s Leaders
Twenty five years ago,
some 30,000 workers gathered on May 1 at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon
City and founded the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (May first movement).
Through the years, KMU became a scourge for capitalists but a devout ally
of the working class. The history of KMU though could be best understood
by learning the stories of its leaders.
BY RONALYN OLEA
Bulatlat
Twenty five years
ago, some 30,000 workers gathered on May 1 at the Araneta Coliseum in
Quezon City and founded the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (May first
movement). Through the years, KMU became a scourge for capitalists but a
devout ally of the working class. The history of KMU though could be best
understood by learning the stories of its leaders.
The following are
some of the persons who have helped shaped KMU to what it is today, the
center of militant trade unionism in the country:
Ka Bert
That the KMU was
militant from the beginning is not an understatement. It was founded
during the Marcos dictatorship at a time when the right to strike was
stifled. Its first chairperson, Felixberto “Ka Bert” Olalia, was a
well-respected and veteran labor leader.
For Ka
Bert, ”isang banal at dakilang gawain ang maglingkod sa manggagawa”
(Serving the workers is a holy and
noble work). He spent practically all his life doing this.
At the age of 16, Ka
Bert left his province, Tarlac, to work in Manila. He was immediately
attracted to unionism. In 1920, he joined the Union de Chineleros y
Zapateros de Filipinas, one of the first industrial unions in the
country. Later on, he became its president.
In 1929, he became an
officer of the Collective Labor Movement and in 1949, secretary general of
Katipunan ng mga Anakpawis sa Pilipinas (Association of the Toiling Masses
in the Philippines). It was during this period that he worked with
Crisanto Evangelista, a veteran labor leader.
Ka Bert had always
valued unity among the working class. He was also one of the founding
members of the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO) in 1945 and of the
Kalipunan ng Samahang Manggagawa (KKM or Federation of Workers’
Associations). The KKM was abolished in 1951 when Ka Bert was arrested.
Released in 1954, he formed the Confederation of Labor in the Philippines
(CLP).
In 1956, Ka Bert was
again arrested and charged with rebellion. This did not stop him from
union organizing. He founded the National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU)
in 1957. In 1959, he served as the vice chairperson of the Katipunan ng
Manggagawang Pilipino (Association of Filipino Workers). In 1962, he was
the vice president of the Lapiang Manggagawa (Organization of Workers) and
in 1964, the chairman of the Malayang Samahang Magsasaka (MASAKA or
Association of Free Farmers).
Under his leadership
at the KMU, the strike movement spread all over the country. Most
prominent among these was the strike at the Bataan Export Processing Zone
(BEPZ) in June 1982. Despite heavy deployment of police and military
elements in the area, 13,325 workers in 24 factories participated.
When Marcos announced
the lifting of Martial Law in 1981 due to international pressure, Ka Bert
was quick to describe it as nothing but hocus pocus. No doubt he earned
the ire of Marcos. On Aug. 13, 1982, Ka Bert, together with two other
labor leaders, 28 organizers and some sympathizers from the church sector,
was arrested. The crackdown ignited more protests in the country as well
as overseas.
During his eight
months of detention, however, he suffered from a heart ailment. A day
before his death on Dec. 4, 1983, he sent a message for workers gathering
at the Plaza Roma,“Paano ko isasalarawan ang lipunang Pilipino? Isang
malaking bartolina!
Walang duda, sa ilalim ng
diktaduryang Estados Unidos-Marcos, ang Pilipinas ay isang malaki at
mabahong bartolina. Ano ang lagay
ng mamamayan sa bartolinang ito? Alipin...busabos...at pulubi! Pagkat
karapata’y sinusupil, kabuhaya’y ipinagkait, kaluluwa’y garapal na
ibinebenta sa dayuhang mangangalakal…Mabuti pa ang mga alagang aso at tuta
ni Irene Marcos—kumakain sa oras, kumpleto sa gamot at nakatira pa sa
palasyo!” (How do I describe
Philippine society? A big prison cell! No doubt, under the U.S.-Marcos
dictatorship, the Philippines is a big and stinking prison cell. What is
the condition of the people in this prison cell? Slave... poor... and
beggar! Because rights are suppressed, livelihood is deprived, our soul is
being sold to foreign business... The dogs and puppets of Irene Marcos are
more fortunate – they eat on time, they are complete with medicines and
they live in a palace!).
Ka Nitz
Nenita
Tolentino-Gonzaga or Ka Nitz presently heads the women’s department of the
KMU but has been with the labor center since 1962 when she first served as
NAFLU’s office secretary.
Ka Nitz related to
Bulatlat that she was a commerce student at the Philippine College of
Commerce (now Polytechnic University of the Philippines) and took her
practicum at NAFLU. She said the labor union could not afford to hire a
secretary due to financial constraints. Every six months, NAFLU had a new
secretary taking practicum.
But Ka Nitz stayed
on. She said Ka Bert must have seen something in her. Though Ka Nitz was
fond of reading pocketbooks and comics while at the office, Ka Bert
noticed she was always listening to the discussions. Once, Ka Nitz said,
Ka Bert’s colleagues complained of his long speech, saying they already
knew what he was saying. Ka Bert replied, “May tagapakinig pang isa”(I
have one other listener). Looking back, Ka Nitz said Ka Bert was
organizing her.
Ka Nitz said Ka Bert
was also a disciplinarian. “Parang anak niya ako” (She treated me
like her daughter). Once, she was asked to type the Filipino version of
the Philippine Constitution. Full of typographical errors, Ka Bert scolded
her. “Kahit umiyak ako, kailangan ko raw matuto.” (It doesn’t
matter if I cry, he said that I must learn).
Ka Nitz also talked
of how Ka Bert’s friendship with Blas Ople, who served as Marcos’ ghost
writer, ended. She said Ople used to listen to Ka Bert. Ka Bert, on the
other hand, hoped to articulate the interest of the workers through Ople.
Until, in the words
of Ka Bert, Ople “enriched” himself. Ka Bert warned Ople not to accept
Marcos’ offer to live in the Corinthian Gardens, that time one of the most
luxurious subdivisions in Manila. Ople, nevertheless, took it. Ka Nitz
said that when Ople came to Ka Bert’s house on his birthday, Ka Bert
refused to talk to Ople. “Hindi niya iniwan ang mga manggagawa para kay
Ople” (He did not leave his co-workers for Ople).
Ka Lando
Ka Bert’s son, Lando,
also spent his life working for the interest of the workers. He served as
the lawyer of NAFLU and was elected president of Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) and Partido ng Bayan (people’s
party).
Ka Lando, together
with Leonor Alay-ay, was abducted on Nov. 13, 1986. The following day,
their bodies were found, marked with torture. Ka Lando had four gunshot
wounds on the head and six stab wounds on the body. His mouth was shoved
with newspaper and his hands tied with a belt. His fists were still
clenched.
On the day of his
funeral, more than 600,000 workers and ordinary people marched in
protest. All over the country, 217 enterprises went to a halt.
In KMU’s 3rd
Congress paper, it reported, “Ibinunsod ng pagkamatay ni Ka Lando ang
malalaking pagbabago sa kalagayang pampulitka ng bansa. Ipinakita nito na
sa kabila ng mga tagumpay na nakamit ng mamamayan mula sa pag-aalsang
bayan ng Pebrero 1986, nananatiling malakas at mabangis ang pwersa ng
reaksyon at kailangan pang palakasin ang mga progresibong pwersa…upang
lubusang magapi ang mga kaaway ng bayan.” (The death of Ka Lando
brought major changes in the country’s political situation. Despite the
victories won by the people since the February 1986 uprising, the force of
reaction is still strong and ruthless and there is a need to strengthen
the progressive movement…to frustrate completely the enemies of the
people).
|
Ka Bel
Crispin “Ka Bel”
Beltran, chairman emeritus of the KMU and representative of Anakpawis
party-list group, spoke of his days at the KMU before a gathering of
workers’ allies, April 27 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.
Ka Bel, holding his
only remaining copy of the KMU’s 3rd National Congress papers,
read aloud significant parts of the KMU history. He said that during this
Congress in 1986, 450 heroes from the working class were honored.
Ka Bel, then KMU
secretary general, was also arrested along with Ka Bert on Aug. 13, 1982.
He escaped from prison in 1984 and went straight to the hills. In 1986,
he re-joined the KMU.
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 |
Ka Bong
Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog
has been the elected KMU national chairperson since October 2004. Before
this, he handled different positions in the KMU leadership. In an
interview, Ka Bong admitted he was at first apprehensive about being the
chairperson, knowing full well the track record of its past national
leaders like Ka Bert and Ka Bel.
But Ka Bong is not
really a neophyte. A working student, he became a contractual worker at
the Manila Hilton, a leading hotel in Manila,
and immediately became a union leader. Later, he worked at the Regent
Hotel and was elected union president.
When KMU’s national
leaders were arrested in 1982 , there was a need to fill in new leaders.
Ka Bong described this period as his “crossroads.” A job promotion was
certain and so thus a more comfortable life for him.
 |
Nevertheless, he
decided to work full time for the trade union movement. Ka Bong said his
exposure as a student of the University of the Philippines in Diliman was
a factor. “Hirap din ako bilang estudyante kahit may scholarship.”
(It was also difficult for me to pursue my studies despite the
scholarship.)
Ka Bong related an
incident that became an eye opener for him. When the Regent Hotel held its
formal opening, the construction workers who were at the finishing stage
of the construction took some food. Ka Bong said they were severely
scolded by the guards and he felt so enraged by the incident.
The abduction of Jun
Flores, an organizer of hotel employees, also made him decide to work
full-time. He said it was Jun who organized him.
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Ka Bong also talked
to Bulatlat of the militant strike movement in the 1980s. As
president of the National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied
Industires (NUWHRAIN), they led 13 strikes in five-star hotels.
“Iyong Manila Garden, parang
Baclaran sa laki ng mobilisasyon.”
(Manila
Garden looked like Baclaran because
of the huge mobilization.)
Asked about the
achievements of the KMU in 25 years, he said the militant labor center has
always striven for a just society. During the Marcos regime, the workers
defied the strike ban by launching strikes. The campaign for higher wage
has always been there. The KMU contributed to the political struggle of
the workers and the people in toppling the dictatorship.
The KMU was also
among the first national organizations that called for Estrada’s ouster.
Again, the KMU joined the Bayan contingent that marched to Mendiola on
January 20, 2001.
Ka Bong said Filipino
workers from various factories, economic zones, industrial zones and work
places nationwide are armed with the experience of the Marcos and Estrada
ouster campaigns and are ready to continue and advance the oust Macapagal-Arroyo
movement. Bulatlat
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