Workers’ struggle morphed into an uprising

(Excerpts from an interview with Beltran, the vice chair of the Kilusang Mayo Uno in February 1986. He is now an Anakpawis party-list representative.)

http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=1&story_id=67539

Workers’ struggle morphed into an uprising
First posted 03:59am (Mla time) Feb 26, 2006
By Anton C. Natividad
Inquirer

LONG before EDSA I, the Left had been fighting the dictatorship. The workers were part of that struggle. The Kilusang Mayo Uno took part in the anti-imperialist, antifeudal and antifascist struggle.

It was a continuous, hard and long struggle. Our organizers were imprisoned (I myself was jailed for a long time). Many others died.

By 1986, we were about 520,000, composed of nine full-blown federations. It was also the time when we had a big alliance with so-called company unions and government-supportive unions.

Because of our struggle, others sectors were enlightened. Before if you ask them, “Are you in favor of what the KMU is fighting for?” They would not answer immediately. But through painstaking struggle, along with other factors like the deteriorating economic and political situation, we won them over to our side.

That struggle metamorphosed into an uprising in February 1986.

The promise of Edsa was transformation of Philippine society from fascism to democracy, from poverty to satisfaction of human wants.

In addition, Marcos should have been punished. That did not happen.