Celebrate Labor Day With Optimism

Today, we pay tribute to the generations of men and women, the tremendous contributions and sacrifices of workers who keep our nation standing in the midst of economic crisis and political upheavals. Let us look back to the struggles of our labor leaders who have taken the front line - who have organized, marched, went on strike, and even sacrificed their lives that resulted to a strong labor unions and subsequently conclusions of CBAs for guaranteed salary increases and better working conditions.

Let us remember the great labor leaders of our land, whose voices echoed from the foot of Mendiola bridge to the streets EDSA, the unparalleled contribution of Ka Felix Olalia that has inspired millions of peasant workers for his pro-democracy struggle during the dark era of Dictatorship. Let us also acknowledge the success of respected labor leaders who have invaded the plenaries of Senate and Congress - Ernesto Herrera and Crispin Beltran; and let us acknowledge the icon of Labor Code of the Philippines, Ka Blas  Ople,  who obtained recognition from the ILO and created the POEA and OWWA.

But the battle for reform is not over, still a large working population of our society has been deprived of their right to organize, they are the contractual workers of our society who are abused, exploited and manipulated by entrepreneurs and industrialists who own the popular shopping malls, food chains  and factories which are favored and protected by the elite and the people in power. Thousands of OFWs are languishing in jails, holed in the Embassies, and unaccounted numbers of abused and exploited domestic helpers and women OFWs and migrant workers who are victims of human smuggling and illegal recruitment.

This labor day, let us look with optimism and with the coming National Election, we are given a chance to change the future of our families, the future of our workers and the future of our nation. Let us examine the credentials of the presidential,  VP and Senatorial candidates and let us look for leaders who are incorruptible, God fearing and who has a meaningful reforms that can create business confidence, invite new investments, ensure better job opportunities and protect workers rights.

We need a new leader that can represent the voices of our 10 million OFWs worldwide, a leader that will protect the flight of our migrant workers whose monthly remittances has resuscitated our dying economy. With full confidence, I am endorsing Ms. Susan "Toots" Ople, former Labor Undersecretary, an active advocate of Migrant Workers and protector of the OFW. Toots Ople, the daughter of late Blas Ople is a Senatorial hopeful, No. 38 in the COMELEC official ballot sheet - let us give our vote of hope to Susan so she may continue her advocacies  for the Migrant Workers and let our voices be heard in the plenaries of Senate, let us vote SUSAN "TOOTS" OPLE, No. 38 for Senator.

Susan Ople (left) as key speaker and supporter of PEBA

"Let Susan Ople’s name rise to the Senate from the votes of the OFW (Kenjie Solis)"