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| Culture Class: Holidays in the Philippines, Season 1, Lesson 19 - Labor Day |
| Hello, and welcome to the Culture Class- Holidays in the Philippines Series at FilipinoPod101.com. In this series, we’re exploring the traditions behind Filipino holidays and observances. I’m Eric, and you're listening to Season 1, Lesson 19, Labor Day. In Filipino, it’s called Araw ng Paggawa. |
| Labor Day, also known as the Day of the Workers in the Philippines, is a public holiday observed every 1st of May. This is a day to celebrate the contributions of the work force, but it’s also the day when workers express their grievances through rallies, protests, and demonstrations. |
| In this lesson, we will learn about what usually goes on in the Philippines on this day. |
| Now, before we get into more detail, do you know the answer to this question- |
| When was Labor Day first celebrated in the Philippines? |
| If you don't already know, you’ll find out a bit later. Keep listening. |
| Labor Day is a day on which many job fairs are traditionally held. Led by the Department of Labor and Employment, various companies and local governments hold job fairs offering approximately 300,000 jobs, or trabaho. Aside from this, the Department of Labor and Employment also offers free services, or libreng serbisyo, such as livelihood training, legal consultation, medical checkups, and many others. |
| Job fairs aside, Labor Day is also a day when many demonstrations are held by various sections of the work force. There are many people who join transport strikes, or tigil-pasada, of public utility vehicles like jeepneys and buses as a form of protest against low transport fares and the continuous rise of oil prices. A number of militant groups also take the opportunity to mobilize to demand a raise in the minimum wage and an increase in the benefits received by all workers, in Filipino called manggagawa. |
| Because this is a public holiday, many people also take the opportunity to go on a short vacation, or bakasyon. Those who have no choice and must go to work on this day usually receive twice their normal pay, and for those who work beyond eight hours, a certain percentage is usually added to their hourly wage. |
| In 2012, over 40 worker organizations joined forces to form a coalition called “Nagkaisa”, an organization of people united to persuade the government to raise the minimum wage, ban contractual work, and to regulate the prices of oil, electricity, and water. |
| Now it's time to answer our quiz question- |
| When was Labor Day first celebrated in the Philippines? |
| Labor Day was first celebrated in the Philippines in 1903. In that year, over 100,000 workers marched to the Malacañang Palace, the seat of the Philippine Government, to call for the improvement of working conditions. |
| How did you find this lesson? Did you learn anything interesting? |
| How do you celebrate Labor Day? |
| Leave us a comment telling us at FilipinoPod101.com! |
| And I’ll see you in the next lesson! |
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