CPA Denounces
Statement of Lepanto's Villaluna that Igorots are Unggoys
and Patay-Gutom
Lepanto’s
Resident Manager Augusto Villaluna uttered “ang mga Igorot
ay mga unggoy, ang mga Igorot ay patay gutom” in his desperation
to thwart the strike of Lepanto mineworkers. Lepanto has essentially
declared the Igorots as their enemies by issuing such discriminatory
statements.
We condemn
and denounce Lepanto’s discrimination and oppression among
the Igorots. This irresponsible statement has made public Lepanto’s
anti-Igorot sentiment and Villaluna’s complete disrespect
for Igorots, who happen to be at the forefront and leadership of
the strike.
Lepanto’s
corporate officers should be reminded of people like Jun Labo and
Carlos P. Romulo who were condemned by the Igorots because of their
discrimination over these people who deserve respect and honor.
Lepanto and its arrogant Resident Manager must learn from history
and recognize that they have profited much from the resources of
the Cordillera people in Mankayan, Benguet since Lepanto started
operating in 1936. They are strangers who come and exploit our lands
and have the nerve to discriminate and lambaste us in our own home
and territory.
In this respect,
Lepanto and Villaluna owe the Igorot peoples an apology. These greedy
capitalists should retract this derogatory statement. Otherwise,
they must keep out of the Cordillera and be condemned as enemies
of the Igorots. In fact, this statement by Villaluna has challenged
the wives and children of Lepanto mineworkers in a protest rally
against the company on May 31. Also, this fueled strike which exploded
in the early morning of June 2 after seven months of negotiations
and deadlock for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Since
then, the strike has totally paralyzed the underground mining operations
of Lepanto.
If the Lepanto
leadership will not promptly instruct Villaluna to issue a public
apology, such discriminatory remarks would lead to Lepanto’s
downfall and expulsion from the Cordillera as this becomes a converging
issue among Igorots for broader unity and action against Lepanto’s
discrimination and destruction of our resources. We cannot tolerate
this discrimination and exploitation. Justice has to be served.
Like in their
February 2003 strike, the workers’ issues and demands are
plain and simple. They are merely requesting for a little increase
in their wages for their family’s survival given the series
of skyrocketing prices of basic goods, commodities and services.
In fact, the workers’ demand for a P29-P29-P33 increase does
not even qualify for a living wage considering that wages of workers
have long been left unattended and neglected both by government
and capitalists. Lepanto must give what is due to its workers. After
all, it is the workers’ sweat and blood that brings superprofit
to Lepanto. It is the workers that made Lepanto the biggest gold
mining company in the country today. By all indications, Lepanto
has the capacity to grant the workers’ demands for wage increase
and benefits. They have even announced raking in profit from their
Victoria and Teresa projects. Besides, if the company is losing,
why has it filed on January 12, 2005 three separate applications
for Financial and Technical Assistance Agreements (FTAA), each having
a land area of 81,000 hectares covering the provinces of Benguet
and Ilocos Sur and extending as far as Nueva Vizcaya? Instead of
allotting first a budget for the wage demands and benefits of workers,
Lepanto diverts its capital for new and huge mining exploration
projects at a time when the negotiation for a new CBA is going on.
The strike is legitimate and just as the last recourse of workers
to demand justice and living wage.
Lepanto has placed Mankayan under a reign of terror by requesting
the deployment of more troops from the 54th Infantry Battalion,
CPLA integrees and CAFGUs to augment the police and security forces
of the company. The militarization of Mankayan is deplorable. The
striking workers, their wives and children are civilians calling
for little additional pay. They are not armed combatants. As the
objective of deployment in the area, the military will be used to
disperse, harass, intimidate and create more chaos to the lives
of these long exploited workers and their families. To serve and
protect the voracious Lepanto capitalists, the 54th IB and their
bloodthirsty CPLA integrees and CAFGUs would result to massive human
rights violations worse than what happened in the February 2003
strike violent dispersal by the Philippine National Police. The
workers appealed to Igorot soldiers and police for compassion as
all of them are Igorot brothers and sisters seeking survival.
In another
hopeless effort to bust and suppress the strike, the management
issued termination orders against officers of the Lepanto Employees
Union (LEU) and leaders of the striking workers. In the past strike,
this did not affect the determination of the workers to win. They
challenged the management and countered its dirty tricks and maneuvers
in their just struggle. To further intimidate and force the workers
to put down their strike, Lepanto employed a very inhuman tactic
by pushing hospital employees to go on vacation leave thus leaving
hospital patients, workers and communities’ health and life
in great danger. What a barbaric and inhuman way in the name of
corporate greed!
With the strong
support of indigenous and peasant communities affected by Lepanto’s
mining operation, the workers remain resolute in their strike. As
demonstrated in the February 2003 strike that brought Lepanto to
its knees, the firm solidarity of workers and peasants against Lepanto
inspires the strike to win. We are called upon to support the striking
workers of Lepanto. With the discriminatory policy statement of
Lepanto’s Resident Manager Villaluna, the company will surely
earn the fury of Igorots. They should be considered persona non
grata in the Cordillera. Time and again we have to fight this discrimination
and oppression at the hands of Lepanto and the few ruling elite.
Time has come we have put an end to this injustice. After all, we
maybe the unggoys of the Cordillera that should control and decide
of our own mountains and forests!
Windel Bolinget
Secretary General
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