WHAT IS THE PHILIPPINE LABOR DEPARTMENT doing amid reports that labor activists and unionists are being abducted and killed? So far, nothing, says unionists from National Federation of Labor Unions (NAFLU), an affiliate of Kilusang Mayo Uno. Worse, according to NAFLU Vice President Emilia Dapulang, Labor Secretary Brion seems to be in a state of denial as so far, he has been trying to deny there were cases of abduction, wrongful arrests, imprisonment and killings of labor unionists and activists.

"We gather in front of the DOLE office today to help Secretary Brion see the fact that a growing number of labor activists and unionists are being abducted, imprisoned or murdered. We hope Secretary Brion will soon stop his hear-no-evil, see-no-evil response. We're urging the Labor Secretary to immediately call for an investigation on the abduction and killings of our fellow unionists, and to help bring its perpetrators to justice," says Dapulang.

She adds that it is only appropriate for the labor department to lend a hand in ensuring laborers are enjoying their trade union and human rights. Not to do so is tantamount to supporting and abetting the abusers of laborers' rights.

According to Dapulang, the abductions, arrests based on trumped-up charges, and killings, have all been going on without mercy since Gloria Macapagal-Aroyo came to power. In fact, by 2005 alone, organized labor has documented up to 8 cases of abduction, 139 imprisonment, and 34 cases of murders. No one has been charged up to now, Dapulang lamented.

"Instead of acting on the calls of organized labor for a P125 wage increase and humane conditions in the workplace, the Arroyo government's response has been a seven-year refusal to increase the workers' wages, calling the workers names for asking for wage adjustment, like trying to call militant unionists as 'terrorist,' when all we're asking for is humane treatment," says Dapulang.

Early this year, KMU lodged a complaint with the International Labor Organization and requested the international body to help put an end to the abduction and killing spree of Filipino unionists. They are still awaiting the ILO response, as well as the Philippine labor department's response.

Real people, real unionists being abducted and murdered


According to Emilia Dapulang, NAFLU alone, their organization that is composed of fifty-five unions, has leaders and members who are either desaparecidos, in jail due to wrongful arrests and trumped up charges, or were killed.

According to Dapulang, military men abducted, tortured and interrogated the regional chairperson of NAFLU-KMU in Eastern Visayas two years ago. The military then hounded the next chairperson until he was forced to leave the country. Up to now, she says military men are conducting surveillance operations on active unionists in their Visayas and Mindanao regional chapters. Dapulang said NAFLU's regional coordinator in Visayas, Sammy Bandilla, was gunned down a year ago. Next murdered was NAFLU's legal counsel in the Visayas, Attorney Felidito Dacut. Recently, too, Vicky Samonte was murdered. She was the vice-chairperson of KMU in the Caraga region and an employee of Andres Soriano College, an affiliate of NAFLU.

Last December, shared Dapulang, a known military asset orchestrated an ambush of a motorcade of NAFLU union leaders in Mindanao, killing Jerson Lastimoso, a banana plantation worker and union member, and wounding five other union officials including the killer's main target, the union president.

And then last election, during the campaign period, Dapulang shared that a NAFLU officer and former oil rig worker, Vincent "Bebot" Borja, was arrested and jailed. According to Dapulang, the said arrests featured so many circumvention of the rule of law that it is a legal wonder why up to now, Vincent Borja was still in jail. Dapulang said the men who came to serve the warrant of arrest were not the police but military men in civilian clothes. The name of the person they're supposed to arrest was not Vincent Borja, but someone else with the same surname. Bayan Muna Party-list representative Teddy Casino had pointed out the mistakes, but still the military arrested and jailed Vincent Borja.

"So now we're picketing the office of Secretary Brion, to bring to his attention the fact that there are abductions, arrests and killings of Filipino unionists and workers. We're bringing him the names of these persons. For the sake of justice and peace which the Arroyo Government keeps saying they also wanted, we're urging the labor secretary and the Arroyo government to speak against the perpetrators of these abductions and killings, call for a speedy investigation, and bring the criminals behind it to justice," Dapulang explained.