SANTA MARIA, Bulacan — Members of the militant group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) stormed an apparel factory in this town as they staged a lightning rally on Tuesday, police said.
Superintendent Raniel Valones, Santa Maria police chief, said the Kadamay members forcefully entered the C and S Apparel Manufacturing Inc. located in Barangay Bagbaguin here as they protested the company’s policy disallowing workers to park their motorcycles inside the factory premises.
Valones identified the leaders of the militant group who staged the rally as Jeselyn Asadon, Kadamay campaign organizer, a resident of Quezon City and Pat Tupaz, a resident of Barangay Mapulang in Pandi, Bulacan.
The police chief said the rally was conducted as “show of force to air demands for the three members of Kadamay who wished to park their motorcycles inside the factory.”
A report said the rallyists initially engaged security personnel of the company in a scuffle until the group was able to overcome them and forcefully entered the compound, and denounced the management’s treatment of Kadamay members working in the factory.
The timely arrival of the Santa Maria police led to a negotiation between Kadamay officials and the management which led to the eventual peaceful dispersal of the protesters.
However, it is not yet clear if the company has filed any formal charges against the Kadamay officials and members who barged inside its compound.
In early March 2017, members of the said group occupied National Housing Authority (NHA) housing units in Pandi, Bulacan that had been left idle in the past years. (Manny Balbin/PNA)
