Bravo Filipino | Angel G., Correspondent | Construction Workers Solidarity – Advocates for Filipino Construction Industry | MySpace Show and its host, Mys V. Sandico, made the conversation about politics more insightful and fun at the same time. They told viewers about the end of their show’s second season in a way that was both informative and fun. It’s about the advocacy of an organization that has been around for a long time. Its goal is to speak up for the well-being of people who work in construction.
People who work in this job don’t get paid, and they don’t get any benefits. There are a lot of people who talk about their jobs on construction sites like that, For this reason, years ago, there was a group called the Construction Workers Solidarity Party List. People who care about our kababayans have seen how they are hurting and want to help them. Their goal is to be the voice of these blue-collar workers, improve their status and welfare in our society, and give them the comforts of life that they were denied.
Atty. DJ Jimenez, better known as “The Pinoy Street Lawyer,” was invited to appear on the show. Jimenez has been very active in the organization because he wants to help people who are poor. A former math teacher who is now a well-known lawyer and leader has had to deal with a few problems, like working odd jobs to pay for his law school education.
The host started the conversation by asking about his personal life and how he started out as an exceptional lawyer from humble beginnings. He also talked about how he found the passion and fulfillment in law and public service and how he ended up becoming a lawyer. He also said that it’s important to love and care for yourself because your kids will outgrow some of the things you used to do together when they were younger. During this pandemic, which brought out both the best and the worst in us, he said that this would be a good time to look into your own interests and hobbies.
After talking for a while, they started talking about the party list in the Philippines, where he is giving his services for free. Labor union CWS or Construction Workers Solidarity Party List was started 30 years ago by construction workers. It later evolved into a party list, which is when they decided to go mainstream and become a party. They were given a place in Congress in the past that was led by Congressman Momo because of their hard work. A group called CWS doesn’t just fight for the interests of people who work on construction projects. They also fight for their allied workers and commercial builders by putting a balance on all of their interests.
Businesses look into how the 30-year infrastructure plan will affect them. This is one of the party list’s priorities right now. It doesn’t matter who is elected president in the 2022 national election. CWS wants the next administration to keep going with the build build build program, whoever is elected president. Many projects started by the previous administration aren’t finished because new leaders want to work on other things. Jimenez said this was one of the downsides of the Philippine government. Build, Build, Build! If you keep going on the build build build project, that will not only help the construction workers and their families but also the economy.
CWS has already proposed a number of bills in Congress, but because the pandemic isn’t over, it’s hard to put these laws into place. As a part of this, they want the government and private businesses to work together to help Filipino construction workers instead of giving local projects to foreign workers. The construction workers should also be registered in the local government where they are working. This way, when there are problems like the covid pandemic, the workers can still get help from the government programs where they are working.
The leaders of the organization will have to fight for a long time to get the regulations they need to make the programs work. Jimenez says that the organization’s members will be well-represented in Congress and that they will be heard.
