To demand for jobs and justice; Workers, advocates rouse Cebu with early morning jog

CEBU CITY – Local labor federation Alyansa sa Mamumuo sa Sugbo – Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA-Sugbo-KMU) will join today national and foreign labor leaders and advocates in waking Cebu's uptown thoroughfares through their "Jogging for Jobs and Justice."

According to Wenceslao Badayos, chairperson of AMA-Sugbo-KMU, the labor group aims to "shatter delusions spread by government and big capitalists that the coming 12th ASEAN Summit, particularly the pre-cursor Business Advisory Council's Business and Investment Summit, is a manna from heaven that will lead to economic growth and more jobs for the Filipino workers. We want to awaken everyone to this reality."

"If the different ASEAN member-states will continue toeing the U.S. business and investment policy dictates, not much can be hoped for from the Business and Investment Summit. It will just be another tea party of big capitalists whose only aim is to generate more profits for themselves neglecting its consequences on the labor sector," said Badayos.

AMA-Sugbo-KMU has earlier challenged ASEAN leaders to resist the U.S. economic and military impositions in Southeast Asia and tend to the pressing need of their people for jobs and justice.

Arroyo's Final Push for Cha-cha hit

Badayos lambasted the approval of the Constituent Assembly (ConAss) by President Gloria Arroyo's "rabid" allies in the House of Representatives saying "it's a contemptuous and tacitly immoral move that will ensure the 'success' of Arroyo and her lackeys' final push Charter Change (Cha-cha)."

"The approval of the ConAss completely neglected the previous and standing sentiment of the Filipino majority against a charter change under the Arroyo administration." He also said that "the overnight approval is a nightmare of the Filipino people which was designed to impress U.S. and other imperialists who are intently watching the coming 12th ASEAN Summit."

"We vow that Arroyo's Chacha will be eventually derailed. The people's refusal to heed to Arroyo's selfish Chacha will turn into bigger and massive protests even in Cebu which the President considers as her bailiwick."