After the brutal killing of Bishop Alberto Ramento, legal counsels of Hacienda Luisita fear for their lives

Labor lawyers from the Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) who handled the legal case of the striking farm workers of the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) in Hacienda Luisita decried the persistent military surveillance and harassments done against them by elements of the Philippine Army.

Last Thursday, October 12, a group of intelligence agents were standing nearby the law office from noon time until the law office closed at around 5:30 pm. "We are distracted by the upfront surveillance activities against our law office. We could not go about our day-to-day work as the military violates our right to privacy. We are planning to press charges against the intelligence agents and their superiors who ordered the surveillance," said Atty. Remigio Saladero.

Since last August, staff members and employees of the law office have been noticing dubious looking men (sometimes with motorcycles) standing outside their office. Last October 5, their suspicions were confirmed after workers belonging to the Association of Democratic Labor Organizations (ADLO-KMU) with FTI police in Taguig accosted Private First Class Rommel Felipe Santiago, an intelligence agent of the Philippine Army. Santiago with an unidentified man, boarding a yellow HONDA XRM motorcycle with plate number NA 7258, followed workers who came from PRO-LABOR office at E. Rodriguez to FTI Complex in Taguig, City. It was Santiago who confirmed that there is an ongoing operation to gather information about the law office. A Philippine Army officer also arrived at the FTI police precinct and demanded Santiago's release since he was on "official duty".

Counsels Remigio Saladero and Nenita Mahinay are among the lawyers handling the case of striking farm workers of Hacienda Luisita and the case of illegally detained Anakpawis representative Crispin Beltran. PRO-LABOR is handling more than 700 labor cases now pending at various courts including prominent cases like labor disputes at Nestle Philippines, SM Inc., San Miguel Corporation among others.

Scores of Hacienda Luisita supporters were assassinated by suspected military men since November 16, 2004. The latest victim was Bishop Alberto Ramento, a staunch defender of striking workers of the hacienda and called "Bishop of the Workers and Poor Peasants" who was brutally stabbed in Tarlac last October 3.

According to KMU Executive Vice President Lito Ustarez, the KMU National Office located at #63 Narra St. in Project 3 is also being closely monitored by military operatives. "The daily activities and routes of transit of KMU leaders and staff are being profiled. With these ensuing activities, we highly doubt if the Melo Commission or the Task Force Usig can bring justice to the hundreds of cases of politically-motivated killings, abductions, torture and harassment done against critics of the Arroyo government."