By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

On the day the yellow president of the yellow crowd delivered his Statement of No Achievement (SONA), progressive organizations, groups and sectors staged a protest activity in one of the parks where many citizens go. These groups posted or displayed visual materials including tarpaulins depicting forms of hardship and exploitation suffered by the Filipino people under the administration of president of the “daang matuwid”.

Passersby began to look at the photos and other displayed materials at the park. One of the tarpaulins showed the map of the Cordillera region where over half of its total land area has overlapping applications for mining exploration, and of course exploitation.

One among the crowd told the others that this means many mining corporations will come to operate here in the region so they will need more workers. He said that many will be employed and there will be progress. On one point, he is right, many will be employed. The question is for how long they will be employed? Good for that man because now he is a retired miner and that he is receiving a monthly pension from the state insurance system. And, good for him because when he was still a miner, contractualization was not so popular in the mining industry.

A worker is happy if he is employed and receiving his wage. He is glad because he has a house to shelter himself and his family.

Now, workers are haunted everyday because they are no longer sure if they shall remain employed come tomorrow. Mining capitalists like other kinds of capitalists do not think of how they can give more to their workers while bigger gain is at stake. The capitalists will always look at the workers as mere instruments or tools that can be changed anytime.

The business capitalists look to lessen labor expense and boost the accumulation of huge gains. They reduce the regular workforce if not eradicate them all and replace them with contractual labor. So that they will no more be obliged to pay the regular full wage. They would choose to lessen the number of paid employees thus employing mechanization where machines that can do the job of many workers.

A worker will is not be dignified if he knows he is working for a destructive industry where many kakailyans will suffer from displacement and famine because of extensive and destructive mining operations driven only by corporate greed. But he will be proud if he knows that he will not only be working for himself but for the rest of the people in a society, where the industry is being run not simply out of greed but for the service to his fellow men. # nordis.net