Senatorial bet Espiritu to manpower agencies: We will exterminate you
Labor leaders Leody de Guzman and Luke Espiritu at the Partido Lakas ng Masa. INQUIRER.net / DIANNE SAMPANG
MANILA, Philippines – “To all manpower agencies, you better pray. Because we will exterminate you—useless and parasitic entities.”
This was the statement of senatorial candidate and labor leader Luke Espiritu when asked how he would address unemployment and underemployment if elected.
Espiritu stressed the urgent need to end contractualization as a solution to the country’s persistent labor issues, which he said, can only be achieved by abolishing manpower agencies.
“Kailangan nating ma-resolve ang matagal nang problema ng ating mga manggagawa na ginagawa silang contractual both sa public and private employment. ‘Yung mga manpower agencies na ‘yan, ‘yan ay walang silbi sa ating ekonomiya, puro mga linta ‘yan,” he said during an election forum at Far Eastern University – Institute of Technology (FEU-IT) on Wednesday.
(We need to resolve the longstanding problem of workers being made contractual in both public and private employment. These manpower agencies are useless to our economy, they are nothing but leeches.)
Espiritu further argued that manpower agencies do not contribute to the country’s economy and only exploit workers by taking a cut from their wages.
“Pagka kami nasa Senado, hindi kami nagbibiro. Ang mga manpower agencies na ‘yan, magdasal na kayo. Dahil talagang pupuksain namin kayo—mga walang silbi, mga parasitiko,” he warned.
(Once we are in the Senate, we are not joking. These manpower agencies better start praying because we will exterminate them—they are useless and parasitic.)
“Sila ay simpleng added layer parasitic na namumorsiyento sa sweldo ng mga manggagawa,” he added.
(They are simply an added parasitic layer that takes a cut from workers’ salaries.)
The labor leader also criticized former President Rodrigo Duterte for failing to fulfill his campaign promise to end contractualization.
“Ang tagal na namin pinaglalaban yan. Si Duterte, nangako, pupuksain niya ang kontraktwalisasyon. Siya ang unang budul-budul,” Espiritu said.
(We have been fighting for this for so long. Duterte promised to end contractualization, but he was the first to scam us.)
READ: Duterte promise to end ‘endo’ a ‘farce’ – labor groups
He reiterated that manpower agencies are not real businesses and do nothing to benefit workers
“Kailangan puksain ang mga ganyang klaseng business na ”non-business” and totally useless, at palayain natin ang ating mga manggagawa sa tanikala ng kontraktwalisasyon na ‘yan,” he said.
(We need to eliminate these so-called businesses that are non-businesses and totally useless, and free our workers from the chains of contractualization.)
To end contractualization and provide sustainable jobs, job security, and livable wages, Espiritu said the government must shift its focus to a production-based economy.
“Dapat nagke-create tayo ng ekonomiya na nakabase sa produksyon. Hindi ‘yung ganyan na business ang pinapalaki natin. Produksyon. At para magkaroon tayo ng produksyon, unahin natin ang agrikultura… na may agricultural production tayo. Kailangan ng reporma sa lupa,” he concluded.
(We should create an economy based on production, not one that prioritizes these kinds of businesses. Production should be our focus, and to achieve that, we must prioritize agriculture… we need agricultural production. We need land reform.)
