Tambuling Batangas Publication June 13-19, 2018 Issue | Page 8

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NutriAsia workers go on strike against
‘illegal termination,’ contractualization
He (company representative) said
it is prohibited to form a union,
what nonsense! Even the clapping
of hands is against the law? He is
making up these laws. There is
nothing in the law that prohibits the
clapping of hands.
By RUTH LUMIBAO
MEYCAUAYAN, Bulacan —
Owned
by
Filipino-Chinese
businessman Joselito Campos,
NutriAsia, Inc. is the biggest
producer of liquid condiments in the
Philippines. In 2015, it recorded at
least P16.8 billion ($320 million) in
total assets, and distributes and sells
products in Europe, Middle East,
Asia, Pacific, and North America.
It is known for the products Datu
Puti, UFC, Papa, Mang Tomas,
Jufran, Golden Fiesta, and Happy
Fiesta.

In an interview with
Jessie Gerola, chairperson of the
union Nagkakaisang Manggagawa
ng NutriAsia, there are about
1,400 workers in NutriAsia, only
100 among them are regularized.
The rest are employed by six
subcontracting agencies.

On June 2, workers
started to go on strike after about
50 workers were terminated for
having participated in a protest
condemning the dismissal of five
union leaders and members.

Today is their third day in
the picket line.
Terminated for clapping

“Pumalakpak lang kami,
nawalan na kami ng trabaho, (We
just clapped our hands and we lost
our jobs) a worker said.

According
to
the
NutriAsia management, this caused
the disruption of work and resulted
in massive losses for the company
— yet, the clapping of hands
began as the least intrusive though
expressive way of condemning the
termination on the job of the leaders
of the pioneer union without just
cause.

According to Gerola,
B-Mirk Operations Manager Rey
Apolinario said it is illegal for the
workers to form a union. B-Mirk
Enterprises Corporation is one
of the subcontracting agencies
Sundan sa pahina 3..
Expert warns: 12% yearly
rise in kidney disease
among Pinoys
QUEZON CITY -- Every year, more
and more Filipinos are afflicted with
kidney or renal disease that could result
to their death, based on data presented
by an expert, Tuesday.

“We see an increase of
[around] 10 to 12 percent per year in
the number of new patients undergoing
dialysis,” said nephrologist Dr. Russel
Villanueva.

Chronic kidney disease
(CKD) is one of the primary causes of
mortality among Filipinos.

Doctors consider CKD as a
“silent killer” type of illness. Many with
the condition experience no symptoms
until their kidneys fail completely.

Health practitioners link the
increase to the epidemic of obesity
and hypertension. Obesity, caused by
unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle,
can lead to diabetes, and diabetes and
hypertension, on the other hand, can
lead to kidney disease.

For this reason, June is
celebrated every year as National
Kidney Month by virtue of Presidential
Decree 184 to drumbeat the importance
of proper kidney care.

The
observance
has
generally become a responsibility for
the National Kidney and Transplant
Institute (NKTI).

Through the years, the
NKTI has reached out to various
sectors nationwide and continuously
disseminated health information,
provided medical services, shared
expertise and rendered assistance to
better prevent and treat various kidney
ailments.

This
year’s
theme,
“Kalusugan ng Bato’y Makakamtam
sa Pag-aalaga ng Kalikasan” focuses
not only on health awareness on the
prevention of kidney ailments, but also
on the impacts of the environment on
renal diseases.

On the other hand, health
experts recommend to regularly seeing
a specialist in order to know one’s
current kidney condition.
Here are some of their recommendations
to lessen the risk of having kidney
disease:
• Stay fit and active
• Ensure having proper blood sugar
levels
• Monitor your blood pressure
• Eat healthy and nutritious food and
maintain proper weight
• Drink enough water, around 3 liters
per day for women and 5 liters per day
for men
• Quit smoking and stay away from
secondhand smoke
• Avoid repeated consumption of over-
the-counter medicines
• Have your kidneys checked especially
if high risk

Meanwhile, the NKTI will
conduct free kidney consultations on
June 8, 22, and 29 for the first 100
patients, at their facility in Quezon City.
To know more, please visit the NKTI
website. (PIA-NCR)
(Photo by Ruth Lumibao/ Bulatlat)
Year in, year out | Public school
teachers put up with school woes
“We wore our protest gears
during the flag ceremony and
while teaching to deliver to
the Duterte administration
our demands to prioritize the
allocation of sufficient budget
to fill up the deficiencies in
education, raise the salaries
to P30,000 ($571) for Teacher
1 and create enough items for
education support personnel.”
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
and ADAM ANG
MANILA – Despite the
pronouncement
of
the
Department of Education
(DepEd) of “all systems go”
for this year’s school opening,
teachers and students began the
first week of classes decrying
“lack of preparedness.”

The
Alliance
of
Concerned
Teachers-
Philippines together with other
groups has once again called
on the DepEd to address what
they described as “perennial
problem of shortages” from
classrooms to teachers as they
trooped to Chino Roces bridge
(former Mendiola bridge) on
Monday, June 4.

With these shortages,
public school teachers have to
be creative to make learning
still conducive to students,
ACT Philippines lamented.

“Year in and year
out, the teachers, students,
and
parents
suffer
the
inadequacy of the government
to
address
facility
and
personnel shortages, budget
misallocation, meager salaries
and
contractualization.
To protest during school
opening is only appropriate
and justified,” said Benjamin
Valbuena, ACT Philippines
chairperson.
But such claims were refuted
by
Education
Secretary
Leonor Briones. During her
visit at the Quezon City High
School on June 4, she said the
department was ready for this
school year.

“May I remind you
that if the one percent is not
ready, it does not mean that
the whole education system
is not ready, because we are
ready.” (Ire-remind ko kayong
lahat na kung one percent ay
hindi ready, hindi ibig sabihin,
iyong
buong
educational
system ay hindi ready, dahil
ready tayo.)
Classroom shortages

According to ACT
NCR Union president Joselyn
Martinez, there were the
usual confusion on classroom
assignment and crying pupils
in most public schools. But
more than these, she called
attention also to the lack
of classrooms and needed
facilities to cater to over 27
million enrollees nationwide
under the K-12 program.
“Regarding
the
implementation
of
K-12,
they’re not yet prepared
(DepEd).
The
reference
materials, curriculum guide,
and the books itself for the
kids aren’t completed until
now,” said Martinez said.

A Social
Science
teacher
at
the
Imelda
Elementary
School
in
Malabon, Martinez reported
that books for the subjects are
not yet available. “That’s why
the teachers have to conduct
research, spend their own
money to have it printed out.”

Even data from DepEd
showed that Public schools in
Metro Manila alone need at
least 18,000 more classrooms.

Tinio also said, there
is a total of 81,750 classroom
shortages in all public schools
in the country including
Metro Manila. Teachers and
administrators have to make
do with whatever available
facility in schools like
transforming storage rooms
Sundan sa pahina 6..