[asia-apec 1715] KMU news releases - Philippines

[APEC Monitoring Group]

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "kmuid" <kmuid at csi.com.ph>
> To: "kmuid" <kmuid at csi.com.ph>
> Sent: 24 January 2001 03:37 pm
> Subject: kmu news releases
>
>
> >
> > NEWS RELEASE
> > DATE:  January 24, 2001
> >
> > KMU URGES GMA TO JUNK GLOBALIZATION POLICIES
> >
> > The militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) today deplored reports that
President
> > Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo insists on implementing the globalization
policies
> > of deregulation, liberalization and privatization, and that she will
base
> > her government's programs on these policies.
> >
> > KMU chairperson Crispin Beltran said that the president would do very
well
> > to rethink her adherence to these policies because they are what have
> > hastened the destruction of economies not only in Asia, but all over the
> > globe.
> >
> > "Globalization is the bane of all economies and all working peoples. It
is
> > precisely because of these policies that hundreds of thousands of
workers
> > have lost their jobs, and currencies all over Asia plummeted. President
> > Macapagal-Arroyo will not be able  undo the damage done by the previous
> > administrations that advocated globalization if she insists on pushing
for
> > full blast privatization, deregulation, and liberalization in the
economy.
> > On the contrary, she will be exacerbating the crisis, and hastening the
> > economy's destruction," he said.
> >
> > Beltran urged the president to reverse the policies of globalization.
> > "Nationalization and stricter government control over the strategic
> > businesses and industries such as oil, water, electricity,
> > telecommunication and transportation are what's needed on the onset to
> turn
> > this economy around. Further opening the national economy to foreign
> > business will result in the closure of small local  businesses,
> > confiscation of lands and dislocation of millions more of farmers in the
> > countryside; greater unemployment and the heightened and more rampant
> labor
> > rights violations ," he said.
> >
> > "We strongly urge GMA to  junk these policies. There are not enough
safety
> > nets for the kind of damage globalization creates. Under  globalization,
> > all the nets have holes, or there are no nets at all and the people's
> > livelihood crash directly to the ground."
> >
> > The labor leader meanwhile also said that the local big business groups
> > should not be too enthusiastic about the economy's chances for recovery.
> >
> > "The crisis is not merely a result of the corruption and repressiveness
of
> > the previously deposed Estrada administration. Even before juetengate,
the
> > economy was already in recession. Fundamentally, the crisis is a result
of
> > government's adherence and implementation of the globalization policies
> > that have made the economy very vulnerable to the plunder of big foreign
> > businesses, and their local partners and counterparts in the local
> business
> > and landed  community," he pointed out.
> >
> > "The protests will be starting up again soon enough if the livelihood of
> > Filipinos continue to plummet along with the value of the peso. Already,
> > the retrenchments from various factories all over he country have begun
to
> > pile up. The new administration should address these  very basic issues
as
> > soon as it can if it intends to win the confidence and trust not just of
> > big business, but more importantly, of the Filipino people," he
concluded.
> #
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > PLEASE TAKE NOTE!   PLEASE TAKE NOTE!   PLEASE TAKE NOTE!
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------
> > This address is good until January 31, 2000:
> >
> > Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center
> > (May First Movement Labor Center)
> > 37-A Quinto's Compound
> > Tomas Morato Ave., Quezon City 1112
> > PHILIPPINES
> > Telefax: (0063-2) 414-6539 (national)
> > (0063-2) 725 6781 (international department)
> > E-mail: kmuid at csi.com.ph
> >
> >
> > >From February 1, 2000 KMU's ADDRESS WILL BE :
> >
> > KILUSANG MAYO UNO (KMU) LABOR CENTER
> >  (May First Movement Labor Center)
> > G/F, BALAI OBRERO
> > 63, Narra Street, Brgy. Claro
> > Project 3, Quezon City
> > PHILIPPINES
> > email: <kmuid at csi.com.ph>
> > Telephone Numbers : (63-2) 912 2530 (international department)
> >     (63-2) 421 1049 (international department - telefax)