PRESS RELEASE

22 July 2009

Rosario, Cavite

With strong indignation against a systematic effort by what it deems a repressive and anti-people government to harass and intimidate its ranks and worker’s unions, the Solidarity of Cavite Workers or SCW joins other people’s organizations in the Southern Tagalog Region (STR) and the National Capital Region (NCR) in a people’s march, which will culminate in a people’s rally during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 27 July.

The Cavite contingent bearing the slogan “Lakbayan ng Mamamayan Laban sa Anti-mamamayang Proyekto, Panunupil, at ChaCha ng Rehimeng US-Macapagal Arroyo” takes off at Dasmariñas, Cavite in the morning of 22 July 2009, the first leg of a 6-day march, which stops-over in Bacoor, Cavite for the night.

The SCW joins the march at Imus, Cavite after its protest picket at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor to demand for the dismissal of the various cases filed against workers and workers unions in ChongWon Fashions and Phils Jeon Garments located at the Cavite Economic Zone in Rosario; and in Golden Will Fashion Phils., Inc. located at the First Cavite Industrial Estate in Dasmariñas. In a letter addressed to Chief Provincial Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, the SCW claims that the cases are nothing but devious efforts by the companies to harass union members and bust the unions, and reinforces the workers suspicions of judicial oppression to favor the business sector.

Meanwhile, in another statement released last 21 July, the SCW calls on the Filipino people to oppose and put an end to the Malacañang and House of Representatives (HOR) strain of the AH1N1 virus.

Claiming that “the Arroyo regime undoubtedly contracted the virus from its conspiracy with the imperialist United States and foreign businesses, the Arroyo-backed House Resolution 1109, the No. 1 virus will pave the way for the HOR to convene Congress into a Constitutional Assembly (ConAss)” to amend the Philippine Constitution or Charter Change (Chacha).

“The Filipino people could already feel the symptoms of the Arroyo virus,” the statement read in Tagalog pertaining to the recent spate of alleged terrorist bombings aimed mainly to derail the 2010 elections, at the same time scheming to cheat the forthcoming elections, both purporting to perpetuate the Arroyo clique in power.

The SCW asserts that Arroyo’s Chacha will bring further poverty and hunger as it will deliver full control of the Philippine economy and sovereignty to the U.S. and foreign businesses in a silver platter at the expense of the Filipino workers, peasants, urban poor, youths and students, and small and medium sized businesses.   Further, Chacha will give power to Arroyo and her allies to declare martial law and state of national emergency without hindrances from the Congress and the Supreme Court and will perpetuate the current regime’s term in power.

Asserting that the Filipino people have had enough in the more than eight years of Arroyo’s repression and treachery, it calls on the Filipino people to collectively express the real State of the Nation and join the call to oust Arroyo from power. ###

Reference Person

Merly Grafe

SCW Chairperson

+630968898274 (mobile); 046-8840076 (landline)