Project snubs Macabug execs

OFFICIALS of Macabug were enraged when the 4^th Leyte Engineering District (Led) conducted a ceremony starting a road-concreting project in their community on Oct. 21 without their knowledge. Barangay Captain Marina T. Placido’s blood pressure rose upon seeing a backhoe on the site without her being informed.

She immediately confronted Joniever Achacoso, proprietor of Achacoso Enterprises. “Nakaminus gyud ni sila namo. Naa unta mi sa inyong groundbreaking. Problema gyud na ninyo pagkahuman kay dili gyud ko mopirma (sa acceptance sa proyekto)!” Placido threatened the contractor.

“Nakalimot gyud ko kap. Boanga, nakalimot ko. Pasayloa ko kap, nakalimot gyud ko,” said Achacoso who was embarrassed for the breach of protocol. But Placido is convinced they were deliberately left out considering the project appeared to be initiated by Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez as indicated by a tarpaulin.

“Basin ang napilde nga kapitan maoy ilang gipasabot kay mao man tong ilang kapartido. Gisagulan gyud nila’g politika ang proyekto nga para unta ngadto sa katawhan,” Placido said, adding that they are not against the project but by the way they were bypassed. She reminded 4^th Led that the barangay is a local government unit by itself. “Bisan tuod Codilla mi, dili man ingon nga dili modawat. Basta lang kaayohan sa katawhan, nganong dili man dawaton?” she said.

But 4^th Led clarified that the farm-to-market road is not a project of Rep. Gomez but by the Department of Agriculture (DA). Asked why the congresswoman’s tarpaulin didn’t credit DA, District Engineer Lino Francisco C. Gonzales said he couldn’t do anything if a politician lays claim on a certain project.

The 475-meter road concreting worth P5 million leads to Leyte Golf & Country Club in Mabini. Other DA-funded farm-to-market roads to be implemented by 4^th Led are Can-untog-Quezon Jr. in Ormoc and Cambalong-Mainit in Merida town that are worth P5 million each.

Engr. Gonzales admitted the faux pas on their failure to invite barangay officials to the ceremony because of their intention to speed up the project. But he assured that their planning department informed Placido about the project beforehand. by Jun Tarroza

(Issue of Oct. 24-30, 2011)

Contractors ink Moa for labor-mng’t cooperation

DOLE Asst. Regional Director Cyril L. Ticao (right) congratulates PCA-OC President Engr. Joseph Frederick A. Pepito after the signing of a Moa for labor-management cooperation in Ormoc's construction industry. Also in photo is Philamcop national president and Express man Rene V. de los Reyes.

THE Philippine Contractors Association-Ormoc Chapter (PCA-OC) signed a memorandum of agreement (Moa) with the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) for the establishment of a Labor Management Cooperation (LMC) mechanism in the city’s construction industry. LMC promotes alternative dispute resolution being encouraged by the government to amicably settle labor disputes. Rene de los Reyes, national president of Philippine League of Labor-Management Cooperation Practitioners Inc. (Philamcop), credits LMC for the industrial peace enjoyed by Region 8 for the past nine years.

But De los Reyes cautions LMC advocates from being complacent in times of peace. He draws inspiration from the sign at the 38th parallel in Panmunjom, South Korea which states “We must be ready in times of peace so that we are all ready in times of war.” 

LMC is a revolutionary way to settle disputes and conflicts and create an atmosphere of peace. Under this system, employers’ prerogatives and workers’ rights meet halfway to attain a win-win solution in labor disputes. De los Reyes said LMC would have made a big difference in settling the row at Philippine Airlines (PAL). 

According to him, the Labor Department summoned him to Manila twice to see if a dialogue can settle the PAL dispute but it was too late. PAL’s LMC council died in 1993 and has not been revived. Since then, labor-management disputes have been handled through legal processes and strikes.

Ironically, other companies of Lucio Tan who owns PAL have LMC systems in place like Asia Brewery Icn. and Century Park Hotel that are enjoying industrial peace. PAL’s biggest competitor, Cebu Pacific (CEB), also has an LMC council. “In fact, our biggest member (in Philamcop) is JG Summit (CEB’s parent company) with 23,000 employees,” he said.

De los Reyes is currently concentrating on establishing LMC councils in non-unionized industries wherein workers are not protected. The Employers Confederation of the Phils. indicates that only 8% or 2 million of the country’s 36 million workers belong to a union.

De los Reyes congratulated PCA-OC for responding quickly to his invitation to establish an LMC. He recalled proposing the initiative to its president Engr. Joseph Frederick A. Pepito and secretary Engr. Javier Arradaza on Aug. 28. Two months and three days later, a Moa is signed.

In contrast, it took three years for the formation of the Isabel Contractual Agencies’ Association for Industrial Peace which covers 18 contract service providers to Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining Corp. and Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Co., Inc. It also took seven months for him to negotiate with Ormoc Hotel and Restaurants Association which will sign a Moa next month. by Felix N. Codilla III
(Issue of Oct. 24-30, 2011)

Sex differences in health needs: the biological dimension

THE most obvious differences in the health needs of women and men are those related to their reproductive characteristics. Women's capacity to conceive and give birth can have major effects on their wellbeing. If they cannot control their own fertility or lack the resources to move safely through pregnancy and childbirth, women will be unable to realize their potential for health.
 

This is why reproductive rights have been so high on the agenda of feminine health advocates around the world and in President Benigno Aquino’s government (Petchesky & Judd 1998; Sen, Germain & Chen 1994) and the proposed Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. Differences in male and female biology must therefore be a central concern in any strategy for promoting more equitable health policies. Most importantly, RH care must be given high priority.

In the Philippines, gender roles are distinctly divided into two, along a male/female axis. Those who are defined as females are given primary responsibility for household and domestic labor. Conversely, males have been more closely identified with the public world in the arena of waged work and the rights and duties of citizenship.

In the Philippines, there are not just differences but inequities inherent in the social definitions of femaleness and maleness especially in RH rights. Those things defined as male are usually valued more highly than those things defined as female. Thus, men and women are rewarded according to the value of their jobs.

These patterns of discrimination are more extreme in some rural communities than in the cities. However, there are no societies in the Philippines where women are treated equally or equitably or where women are treated better than men (UNDP 1995). Not surprisingly, these inequities often prevent women from realizing their potential for health (reproductive rights).

Depriving women of their RH rights results in Gender inequities that are most obvious in the distribution of income and wealth. This reflects women's unequal position in the labor market, their less favorable treatment in most social security systems and their lower status within the household. Discrimination against women is also evident in the political sphere. Their access to power is not commensurate with their numbers.

In Congress and the Senate, the number of women is proportionately much less than men. Therefore, their needs or their contributions as citizens are minimized. All these dimensions of gender inequity are very evident in every aspect of Philippines societies. Nevertheless, the inequities in reproductive rights are at the bottom of the scale and have to be given priority.

Within the household, women often have little support and the nature of their labors may affect their health. Household work and taking care of large number of children can be debilitating especially for those living in poverty. With every additional number, the time consumed in caring for the children can lead women to neglect their own health.

For too many this may be exacerbated by domestic violence. For women, even work outside the home can also be hazardous to physical, emotional and spiritual health if there are too many children in the family. A detailed account of women’s RH rights is already given in Section 4e (gender equality).

(Issue of Oct. 24-30, 2011)