The Philippines is experiencing the health and economic impacts of the pandemic under what social movements there call “the worst new normal”. The lockdown is one of the longest and toughest in the world. Filipinos, especially the poor, who were caught violating lockdown curfew regulations were beaten up by the police and put in overcrowded prisons at times. The government is now easing the general community quarantine and this shift is happening without substantial measures for health protection, no mass testing and contact-tracing are being done. There are no procedures to address over-crowding in public spaces and services in big cities.
We talked to Luke Espiritu, national president of the Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino - BMP or Solidarity of Filipino Workers and the Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reforms (SUPER), a trade union federation. Luke shared their experience in union organizing, rights education, campaigns, and organising direct actions and negotiation to win workers’ demands in the time of pandemic.
