Press Statement

May 4, 2016

Big Labor Group Endorses Digong, Bongbong

A major labor federation which counts on 150 local labor unions representing close to a hundred thousand workers has thrown its full support to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, in their campaign to be the next President and Vice President , respectively.

In a statement released today, lawyer ArnelDolendo, President of the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO) announced that they will mobilize their members to vote and campaign for Duterte and Marcos.

“We are throwing our support for Mayor Duterte and Senator Marcos because they are the only two who have expressed a clear program for the workers and their families”, Dolendo said.

He added that the position taken by the two against the pernicious practice of labor contractualization is a major step in ensuring job security and benefits for the workers.

         With the election of Duterte and Marcos, we look forward to a more labor-friendly government in 2016, Dolendo added.

         PTGWO is affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP).  It has presence in almost all industries all over the country, including transport, manufacturing, petroleum, mining, food, brewery, water distribution, electricity, racing clubs, steel, agriculture, poultry, garments and textile, OFWs and BPOs.Its local unions are scattered nationwide with concentration in the National Capital Region, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Batangas in Calabarzon and Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga and Tarlac in Central Luzon. One of its affiliate organizations, the Association of Minimum Wage Earners and Advocates (AMWEA) was responsible for the minimum wage increase granted last year by the various wage boards, including that by the DOLE NCR Wage Board of P15. The AMWEA-PTGWO, which counts minimum wage earners comprising around 90% of the working class, as its members, filed again this year for a P150 increase.