By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Anakbayan vehemently condemned the killing of a paralegal officer of the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) Industry Employees Network (BIEN) here last Monday.
Police Captain Edward Bolivar, head of Police Station 7, identified the victim as Alex Dolorosa, 35, of Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
Dolorosa was identified by police a day after he was found lifeless with at least 23 stab wounds in a small bamboo house at Purok Villa Rosario, Barangay Alijis here on April 24.
Bolivar said it was possible that the victim was robbed since his motorcycle was reportedly missing.
Bolivar said that according to the victim’s colleague, the victim would usually pass by the area, which police considered as isolated. His personal belongings were also reported missing, according to Bolivar.
Bolivar said that the victim might have been killed there, considering the bloodstains in the area.
According to Anakbayan, the victim went missing for three days.
The group demanded the immediate investigation of Dolorosa’s death, which they claimed to be linked to his continued service not only to his fellow BPO workers but to the masses at large.
“This is a direct attack on workers who are fighting for their rights,” the group said.
This is especially contemptible for us, given that the BPO industry consists of a large youth population that is forced to put their aspirations aside in order to survive, the group said.
Despite its productivity and largely young workforce, the BPO industry in the Philippines barely provides enough for a family’s needs, they added.
Currently, there is a “race to the bottom” with regard to BPO workers’ salaries, the group said, adding that the current average salary of P18,000 per month cannot possibly cover the costs of living in a country rocked by rising prices and unemployment.
As May 1, or International Workers’ Day approaches, the group said that this incident all the more proves the necessity for collective action of workers supported and joined by the youth.
They also called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to finally listen to the demands of his constituents.
