Mayo Uno: Fil-Am activists demand protection of Filipino workers’ rights

Image: malayamovementsf/ Instagram

SAN FRANCISCO – For International Workers Day, BAYAN NorCal and Malaya San Francisco are set to host a joint protest action tomorrow, May 1, in front of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco to raise the issues that Filipino workers are facing both in the Philippines and the San Francisco Peninsula.

Organizers said the rally, scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., follows “the lack of response from the Philippine Consulate” to their concerns regarding the welfare of migrant Filipino workers.

Last December, they delivered a letter with more than 1,500 signatures raising concerns over the Philippine government’s National Expenditure Program and the “lack of funding for migrant Filipino workers.”

International Workers Day, also known as May Day, is celebrated every year on May 1st to commemorate not only the workers’ struggle for the 8-hour work day, but also the ongoing fight for better conditions for working class people.

In the Philippines, there is massive drought and food insecurity from El Niño, rally organizers said.

Thousands of jeepney drivers are also at risk of losing their livelihood because of the PUV phaseout on April 30 and more Filipinos are leaving the country – about 6,000 a day – to seek better wages, they added.

“This is also happening while (President) Marcos drags the Filipino people closer to war by strengthening the presence and cooperation of the US military in the Philippines, further provoking Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea,” the organizers said in a statement.

“This rally is aimed at uplifting the ongoing struggles of the Filipino workers, women and youth who are being severely neglected by the Philippine government. “

Speakers will be sharing working class people’s  issues, both in the Philippines and in the San Francisco Bay Area, to uplift their struggles and encourage Filipino workers to continue their historic fight for their rights.

The program will include speakers from GABRIELA Excelsior, Malaya San Francisco and GABRIELA SFSU.