Profile of Wilson Baldonaza

PHILIPPINES | 03 – 07 – 2009 | Secretary General, Kilusang Mayo Uno

President, Alliance of Nationalist and Genuine Labor Organization (ANGLO-KMU)

Wilson Baldonaza was born on August 26, 1953 in Victoria, Tarlac.  He was the second of five children by Mr. Lino Baldonaza and Mrs. Francesca Fronda (both deceased).  He entered school at the age of seven at Victoria Elementary School and at Victoria High School at the age of 13 and graduated with honors in 1970.  After graduation, he went to Manila to pursue his college studies.  He enrolled at the University of the East (UE) and took up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE).  He was not able to finish his college degree due to poverty.In college, he got involved in student activism.  He became a member of the Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan (SDK).  It was at the height of student activism and struggle against the dictatorship of Marcos that Wilson got involved first time in the movement for social change.  Almost daily, they held a rally at the foot of Mendiola bridge leading to Malacanang Palace.

When Marcos declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972, all schools in Manila were virtually closed.  All organizations were also banned.  Wilson decided to go back to the province and helped organize the community youth in their place.  When the political situation showed some semblance of normalcy in 1975, he went back to Manila to look for a job so that he can pursue his schooling.  He got a job as a security guard at the Manila Domestic Airport.  But this job did not last long.  He applied in Mabuhay Textile Mills in Valenzuela, Metro Manila in 1977 and was admitted as Quality Control.

While working, he enrolled again in UE.  However, the pressure of time between job and school had taken its toll on his health.  So, he has to give up his schooling after a year and continued with his work.

In 1980, the workers in Mabuhay Textile Mills formed their union and Wilson became a member of that union.  A year after, the union won in the certification election and was recognized as the sole and exclusive bargaining unit in the factory.  In 1982, they launched their first strike ever on the issue of deadlock in the collective bargaining negotiations.  During the strike, Wilson got involved in every activity of the workers in the picketline.  He took up all trade union courses being given to them by the organizers, from trade union economics to political discourse.  He also participated in every rally and protest actions called by the union.

In August 21, 1983, Sen. Benigno Aquino was shot dead.  The workers’ movement became more active in the political movement for social change.  The union president in Mabuhay Textile was threatened with a warrant of arrest so he has to resign and go underground.  The vice president took over and Wilson was elected as vice president in 1985.  However, the new president was recruited in a labor federation.  Wilson took over as the new union president by virtue of the union’s constitution and by-laws.

In 1986, the union, under the administration and guidance of Wilson, went on strike again over the issue of violations in the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).  The strike went on for six months.  In the picketline, Wilson experienced all sorts of intimidation and harassments from the police and the management.  Almost monthly, the management through the local police attempted to break the picketline.  But the workers stood their ground.

When the strike was settled, Wilson decided to go full-time in union organizing in the area.  In 1987, because of his experiences in the union, he was elected Secretary General of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance) – Valenzuela chapter.  BAYAN is the umbrella group of national democratic organizations in the Philippines.  As Secretary General of BAYAN-Valenzuela, he has to unite all local opposition parties (traditional and personalities) opposed to the Marcos rule for a common cause.  He remained Secretary General up to 1990.

In 1991, he applied for a job at the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), a church-supported workers’ institution.  He became an educator for Genuine Trade Unionism courses and later became a Project Evaluator of the institution’s Daop-Palad project until 1997.  He stayed in EILER for nine years.

In 2000, he decided to go full-time trade union organizer again, this time in KMU.  He worked as an organizer in ANGLO, a member-federation of KMU.  During that time, ANGLO was experiencing corruption problems being committed by some incorrigible elements in the federation’s leadership.  Wilson led a group of trade unionists and leaders and they fought against these labor aristocrat and corrupt leaders.  They succeeded in ousting them from the federation.  Eventually, due to his sincerity in serving the interest of the workers, he was elected president of ANGLO-KMU in 2002 and holds the post until at present.

Because of his good record in the trade union movement, he was elected Secretary General of KMU during its 9^th National Congress in April 2007.  For now, Wilson holds both positions in the organization, as president of ANGLO-KMU federation and as Secretary General of KMU.

Conferences Attended:

Feb 16-20, 2009         2009 Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) West Coast State Conference, Perth,

Australia

2002 – 2009                Annual KMU International Solidarity Affair conferences in the Philippines

June 18 – 20, 2008    International League of Peoples’ Struggle Third International Assembly,

Hongkong

Oct – Nov 2007        speaking tour in Europe covering UK, Belgium, Germany, Austria, the

Netherlands and Italy

May 7, 2007              International Forum: “Freedom for Ka Bel is Justice for the Toiling Masses!

Free Ka Bel Now!”

Dec 11, 2006              ILPS East Asia and Oceania Consultative Conference, Cebu City, Philippines

Dec 9-10, 2006          Conference on US Militarism and War on Terror in the Asia-Pacific, Cebu

City, Phils

Dec 7-8, 2006            Jobs and Justice: An International Conference on Neoliberal Labor Market

Structuring, Labor Rights and Workers Resistance, Cebu City, Phils

July 18-29, 2006        Maritime Union of Australia(MUA) State Conference in Perth, Australia.

Invited as a speaker and later did a speaking tour in West Australia.

1986                           Workers Exchange Program.  One-month visit in West Germany to study the

trade union movement there.