“When my constituents are being deprived of liberty as they fight for their rights as workers, I cannot sit around and do nothing,” Sotto said in a post on Facebook. #RegentFoodsStrike #VicoSotto

Mayor Sotto with the detained strikers at the Pasig City Police Station jail.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto has vowed to help 11 detained strikers of Regent Foods Corporation (RFC) get bail by Monday even as he warned the company for turning down his request to withdraw charges against the workers.

Sotto on Saturday said Regent Foods should rethink their position if they want to have a healthy relationship with the city government.

“These people are not criminals; they do not have the goal of hurting you. They are fighting for what they believe to be just. You can continue with the labor dispute without sending the poor and powerless to jail! I condemn the misuse of your privileged position to suppress the rights of your protesting workers,” he said.

The mayor issued the statement after Regent owners Irwin and Susan See told him they are leaving the fate of the workers to the court.

“Yesterday (Saturday) upon multiple follow-ups, Regent’s lawyer informed us that they would not withdraw the charges,” Sotto said.

“Instead, they will “just trust the judicial process” — which is of course easy to say as multimillionaires who will eat 3x a day no matter what happens here; while the people they have sued have recently lost their main source of income and are now even torn away from their families,” the mayor added.

Sotto said he would do everything within his power to help the 23 strikers regain and maintain their liberty.

“From the start, I have made it clear to both sides: as the local government, we cannot interfere with the labor issues at hand, as this is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor and Employment. However, when my constituents are being deprived of liberty as they fight for their rights as workers, I cannot sit around and do nothing,” Sotto said in a post on Facebook.

According to the mayor, 12 of the 23 have already posted bail, including the tricycle driver, after he and his friends pooled in money to raise the amount needed for their bail.

“Yesterday (Saturday) afternoon, I talked to the 11 still inside, and assured them that I will personally make sure that they are out on bail by Monday,” he said.

On 9 November, four people were injured and 23 others were arrested during the violent dispersal of a picket line at the Regent’s factory in Pasig City.

Violence erupted around 9 a.m. when security guards of RFC reportedly tried to disperse striking workers of the snack manufacturer and dismantle their picket line at Jimenez Street corner Elisco Road in Barangay Kalawaan.

The strikers started throwing numerous big stones, pieces of metal bars, and pieces of hardwoods at the security guards, personnel of the Philippine National Police Civil Disturbance Management team and policemen.

The injured were taken to the Rizal Medical Center for treatment while those arrested were detained at the Pasig City Police Station to face charges of physical injuries, illegal possession of a bladed weapon, alarms and scandal.

Around 50 members of the Regent Foods Workers Union were striking to protest the alleged unfair labor practices and union busting moves of the Filipino-owned company that produce Snacku, Cheese Ring, Tempura, Sweet Corn, Cheese Ball, Labzter, Custard Cake and other snacks.

The strikers were also demanding the implementation of their collective bargaining agreements, regularization, and other worker’s benefits.