History has delegated the 1st of May as Labor Day, in recognition of the workers of the world.
But in this month of May, the Philippines Graphic takes a step back in time and opens a door not many Filipinos have entered. It is a door that leads us to the womb of the Filipino working class—in the beginnings and development of the Philippine trade union movement, in hopes of understanding the voice and viewpoint of labor unions today.
In an essay penned by noted public anthropologist and film critic Tito Genova Valiente, we witness poetry and fiction welling from the hearts and minds of Filipino poets, novelists, short story writers, and essayists whose life experiences involved organizing and leading in trade union movements here and even in America.
We give you the Obrero poets and fiction writers—Andres Bonifacio, Lope K. Santos, Amado V. Hernandez, Manuel Arguilla, Carlos Bulosan, Edgardo M. Reyes, Jose Ma. Sison, and Emmanuel Lacaba
