BY MAE SINGUAY
BACOLOD City – The National Mines and Allied Workers Union Local 103 (Namawu Local 103) is asking President Rodrigo Duterte to help them acquire the properties of the defunct Maricalum Mining Corp. (MMC) in Barangay San Jose, Sipalay, Negros Occidental that they claim are theirs.
Namawu Local 103 – which is composed of around 1,200 members – is the former workers’ union of the MMC.
Nemencio Libo-on Jr., president of Namawu Local 103, wrote Duterte explaining their two-decade plight to acquire the properties.
On Jan. 29, 1996, Namawu Local 103 proposed a collective bargaining agreement to the management of the MMC, which later ensued to a “declaration of deadlock.”
As a result, the members of Namawu Local 103 were removed from the company.
On Aug. 23, 1996, the workers’ union filed a complaint against the MMC management before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The Labor department issued a decision on May 9, 2001 favoring the union. It ordered the management of the MMC to reinstate the dismissed employees.
However, before it could implement DOLE’s order, the company closed.
To recompense the workers, DOLE issued a partial writ of execution on May 11, 2001.
The partial writ directed DOLE’s assigned sheriff to inspect MMC’s properties to be given to the workers.
The sheriff went on the MMC site on May 21, 2001 bringing the final writ of execution and a notice of levy.
The sheriff has levied 27 titles from that day until July 21, 2001.
However, G Holdings, Inc. claimed that it has a part in MMC’s properties.
G Holdings, Inc., as third party, filed a complaint against the DOLE sheriff for implementing the writ of execution before the Regional Trial Court Branch 49 in the city on Sept. 12, 2001.
But the court dismissed the complaint.
On June 5 this year, the Regional Trial Court Branch 7 in Manila issued an order based on a petition that intervener Topline Resources Co. filed.
The petition stated that some individuals have been stealing what’s left of the MMC structures.
The June 5 order authorized the Topline Resources Co. to deploy security guards in the MMC site.
Libo-on said Namawu Local 103 members until now have not availed themselves of the properties due to them.
Libo-on is hoping for Duterte’s positive response to settle the issue./PN
