PRESS RELEASE
KAMP
Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay
17 October 2011
Contact: Wilson Fortaleza KAMP Coordinator

Echoing the same message of the global “Occupy Wall St.” protesters, members of the Philippine Airlines Employees PALEA and residents of North Triangle in Quezon City occupied the sidewalks of Roxas Boulevard to protest what they described as government bias to the corporate greed of Lucio Tan and the Ayalas.

Carrying placards bearing the “We are the 99%” slogan popularized by the “Occupy Wall St.” protesters, members of PALEA and the San Roque Community Council –North Triangle Alliance (SRCC-NTA)-Kilos Maralita linked arms with each other this morning in a human chain protest held along Roxas Boulevard in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
“Kami ang 99% pero bakit ang gubyerno sa mga Lucio Tan at Ayala panig,” lamented the group while sharing a “boodle lunch” of rice and dried fish depicting their common plight.

The protest coincides with the opening of the Sectoral Assembly of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) at the nearby Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) where President Benigno Aquino is expected to deliver a keynote speech and share “boodle lunch” with delegates.

According to Wilson Fortaleza, coordinator of the Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP), the two sectors represented by PALEA and North Triangle resident s were disappointed with the government’s evident bias to corporate interest as manifested in its endorsement of Lucio Tan’s outsourcing plan in PAL and the Ayala’s development plan for the North Triangle which rejected the on-site socialized housing model being proposed by the residents and the Technical Working Group (TWG).

KAMP is a coalition of different sectoral and civil society organizations campaigning for a life of dignity for all. It is pushing for the universalization of social protection policies such as decent housing, employment, universal healthcare, and other social protection measures for the poor and marginalized sectors.

PALEA rejected the outsourcing plan in PAL and wanted their regular jobs back while the North Triangle residents are fighting for an on-site housing project side by side with the commercial development of the area where they have resided for decades.

President Aquino, said Fortaleza, must rethink his position on these two issues since they represented the most pressing issues of the Filipino working class.

“PNoy may have failed to notice the ongoing rebellion of the working class worldwide against corporate greed. Or he simply doesn’t care at all, for the 99%,” concluded Fortaleza.