Labor Center condemns continuous surveillance and harassment of union leaders

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Labor Center condemns the continuous surveillance and harassment of its leaders in Central Luzon by suspected elements of the military.

Last September 20, 2007, at around 12 noon, Angela Ladera, KMU Vice-President for International Affairs and Chairperson of the Workers Alliance in Region 3 (WAR 3), along with Roman Polintan, Chairperson of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Central Luzon (BAYAN-CL), Joseph Canlas, Chairperson of the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL), Jovelyn Suson, staff of BAYAN-GL and Nelson, their driver came from a press conference regarding 35 years of Martial Law held at the Armando’s Pizza popularly known as Camalig, Sto. Rosario, Angeles City, Pampanga. While leaving the restaurant, they noticed two men following them. The men immediately rode a blue motorcycle with plate number OH 5948 and started tailing their van, which was headed towards the city of San Fernando, also in Pampanga.

“We noticed the two suspicious characters and so our driver decided to immediately turn towards the direction of Jenra Mall. Despite our sudden change in direction the two men on the motorcycle remained on our tail. They had so many opportunities to overtake us but they never did and kept eyeing the inside of our van,” said Angela Ladera.

“We decided right there that this is something beyond the ordinary and we are in danger. We told our driver to head to the nearest Police Station located at Plaza Miranda, Angeles City and immediately made a complaint. Upon seeing us nearing the police station, the two men on the motorcycle made a u-turn despite it being a one-way street. That bolstered even more our suspicion that we were indeed being tailed,” narrated Ladera.

Ladera stressed the same pattern occurred during the many political killings and enforced disappearances in Central Luzon. “This is definitely a part of their strategy to harass union leaders and activists and to build enough information on them to set in motion what the military calls as ‘neutralization’ of the ‘enemies of the state’.”

“Comrade Angela Ladera name is mentioned in the Trinity of War, a book used by the military to identify their so-called ‘enemies of the state’ along with various powerpoint presentation and has been included in the Order of Battle (OB) of the military. She and her companions were correct to think of malice from those unidentified men,” said Elmer “Ka Bong” Labog, National Chairperson of the KMU.

“Many persons mentioned in the OB of the military have been victims of more than 1,000 cases of political killings and enforced disappearance in Central Luzon and the rest of the Philippines. The victims in Central Luzon alone include Central Azucarera de Tarlac (CAT) union president Ric Ramos, Hacienda Luisita Incorporated (HLI) Workers Board Director Tirso Cruz, Hacienda Luisita Massacre witness Marcelino Beltran, Tarlac Councilor Abel Ladera, Fr. William Tadena ,IFI and Bishop Alberto Ramento, IFI. It has been almost three years since the Hacienda Luisita Massacre yet no one has been made to pay for their crimes to the workers of the Hacienda,” ended Labog.

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released its 2007 Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights Violations which documented 144 cases of killings of trade unionists in 2006 and more than 800 cases of beatings and torture. Out of the total 144, 33 of the murders happened in the Philippines.