MANILA, April 30, 2009-The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday urged employers and the government to recognize the contribution of the workers.
In his message on Labor Day 2009, Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo lamented that workers in the Philippines are oftentimes deprived of the just share of the fruits of their work.
The archbishop said there should be interdependence between labor and capital to achieve economic progress.
He noted that the protection of the work force and justice of charity must always be taken into account in the just ordering society.
"The celebration of Labor Day would be all the more meaningful if our labor force will feel more concretely and tangibly the care and concern of the business sector, the government and civil society," he said.
The Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, whose priorities included transforming the local church into a "church of the poor," recognized the "priority of labor over capital."
"We acknowledge the mutual dependence of capital and labor. It has been well said 'neither capital can do without labor, nor labor without capital,'" Lagdameo said.
"This mutual dependence can exist only in the atmosphere of social and distributive justice. Acts of justice take precedence over acts of charity," he added.
The church official also said the work force which is the responsible in producing the food and wealth of the country must be provided with their just share of the fruits of their labors.
Retirement benefits must likewise be part of the program for workers, Lagdameo said. (Roy Lagarde)