19th Congress and Malacañang Betrayed Workers

The 19th Congress has ended in treachery against the working class. The proposed ₱100-₱200 legislated wage hike, which was just two steps away from becoming law—requiring only bicameral approval and the President’s signature—was deliberately set aside and sacrificed in favor of capitalist interests.  

There is no one else to blame for this betrayal but Martin Romualdez and Chiz Escudero, the two leaders of the 19th Congress who were not just slow and indolent, but deceptive and fraudulent. However, workers must not forget that Martin and Chiz merely follow the orders of their master, Marcos Jr., whose stance on wage hikes is to leave it to the useless regional wage boards.  

There is no more fitting occasion for outrage against the three highest officials of the Philippines than this very Independence Day. These three should symbolize the lack of freedom of workers and the poor from poverty and hunger. They should represent the continuing oppression of the people, despite the so-called "progress" boasted by their economic managers.  

The 20th Congress will open with the same leadership —all traitors to workers, all captured by capital. There is no new hope under the institutions they lead.  

But we will not stop fighting for a just wage, the right to collective bargaining and organizing and the advancement of more reforms, including political reforms. Because if the working class gives up in the face of hopelessness, those in power will only further enjoy their wealth and power as a ruling class.   

We did not gain freedom just to be ruled by them forever.  True freedom and independece will one day be in the hands of the working class. 

INDIGNATION STATEMENT - NAGKAISA: Senate Majority Turns Impeachment into Monkey Business

We strongly denounce the Senate majority’s decision to return the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte without dismissing or trying the case. Instead of letting her face the music, they gave her a backstage pass — shielding her from facing the music of public accountability and justice.

Through procedural acrobatics and legal technicalities, they threw a monkey wrench into the process — reducing a solemn constitutional duty into nothing more than political theater.

The Senate could have conditionally proceeded while allowing the House, in a pre-trial conference, to:

1. Certify that there was no violation of the one-year impeachment bar under Article XI, Section 3(5) of the Constitution;

2. Clarify the timeline and sequence of earlier complaints; and

3. Assert that impeachment — like electoral protest cases — may rightfully cross over from one Congress to another, as supported by both Philippine precedent in the electoral tribunals and U.S. and British practice and jurisprudence.

But instead of action, they chose abdication. The legal giants are gone — and in their place, small minds now dominate with alacrity, dragging the Senate’s reputation down and turning it into a global laughingstock.

This is not how justice is done — it’s how truth is buried.

Senate Must Proceed with VP Duterte Impeachment Trial — Not Short-Circuit It

The Senate has been procrastinating far too long. It is time to forthwith proceed with the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, as the Constitution commands — not to toy with shortcuts.

Naimpeach na po si Sara ng House kaya dapat ang Senado ay agad-agad na lilitisin siya. Iyan po ang utos ng ating Saligang Batas — let her face the music na. Iyan po ang ibig sabihin ng “shall forthwith proceed to trial” sa Section 3(6), Article XI ng 1987 Constitution.

Hindi pwedeng sumayaw palayo sa public accountability. The public must now demand not whether to impeach — that step is done — but that the Senate proceed with the trial as mandated.

Yet Senator Tolentino now proposes to abbreviate the trial to just 19 days that ends on June 30. That is far too short.

NAGKAISA Labor Coalition disagrees with Tolentino’s proposal.

Past impeachments were never rushed. President Estrada’s trial took 22 trial days (cut short by a walkout and the EDSA 2 that followed). Chief Justice Corona’s trial took 44 trial days over several months. Rushing a trial today would deny due process to both the prosecution and defense, violate the Constitution, and undermine the Senate’s duty to conduct a fair and credible proceeding.

Moreover, NAGKAISA  emphasizes that an impeachment trial can and should continue even if it crosses into the 20th Congress. The Senate exercises institutional and continuing jurisdiction over such trials.

U.S. experience — the very model upon which the Philippine impeachment system was patterned — clearly shows this principle. The framers of our 1987 Constitution adopted much of the U.S. Senate’s role and procedures in impeachment trials. In U.S. history:

• President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021 was conducted by a new Congress after the impeachment by the House in a prior term.

• President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial likewise carried over into a new congressional session.

• Judge West Humphreys’ impeachment trial in 1862 proceeded after a change in Congress.

• In British parliamentary history — another reference for our drafters — House of Lords impeachment trials routinely continued across new parliaments.

Thus, there is no constitutional obstacle to continuing the VP Duterte impeachment trial into the next Congress. What is needed is political will to uphold the Constitution and the people’s demand for accountability.

The public demands justice — not short cut and cover up.

Nagkaisa Hails Deferment of UHC Amendments: A Victory for Health, A Win for Workers!

The Nagkaisa Labor Coalition warmly welcomes the deferment of the proposed amendments to the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act—a major win for healthcare justice and the millions of workers who depend on PhilHealth for life-saving services.

Under mounting pressure from healthcare professionals, workers, and civil society advocates, the Congressional bicameral conference committee backed down from advancing what would have been harmful and regressive changes to the UHC Law. In a stunning but welcome move, the committee decided to put the amendments on hold.

“This is a huge relief for everyone who believes in universal, accessible, and affordable healthcare,” said Nagkaisa Spokesperson Rene Magtubo.

“Workers contribute to PhilHealth, rely on it in times of need, and deserve to be heard before any law is rewritten. Congress must ensure that the UHC dream is not derailed by shortsighted proposals,” Magtubo added.

This groundswell of opposition follows massive protests over the blatant defunding of PhilHealth—when ₱60 billion was sequestered from its fund in 2024, and the agency was given zero budget in 2025. These attacks on public healthcare triggered outrage across sectors, deepening public mistrust and fueling calls to defend and strengthen—not sabotage—universal health care.

Nagkaisa emphasized that the deferment now gives the incoming 20th Congress a crucial opportunity to conduct broad, meaningful, and inclusive consultations—with healthcare workers, patients, civil society, and the working people who pay premiums and rely on PhilHealth to survive medical crises.

The decision came just in time: a massive rally organized by the UHC Collective and Nagkaisa was set to take place at the Senate tomorrow. The mobilization will continue—not in protest, but in vigilance and solidarity, to ensure that any future reforms strengthen, not gut, the vision of universal healthcare.

“This fight is not over. But today, we celebrate a crucial win. Congress heard the people. Now, we demand that they keep listening,” Magtubo concluded.