The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG) strongly denounces the issuance of warrants of arrest by the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 28 against labor and grassroots organizers Jerome Adonis, chairperson of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Jacq Ruiz of Kilusan ng Kababaihan, and James Edward Anajao of Sandigan ng Manggagawa ng QC.
Charging these leaders with “tumults and other disturbances of public order” under Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code over the May 1 Labor Day rally is a direct attack on basic constitutional rights and the internationally recognized labor rights to freedom of association and the right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, and the right of workers to engage in concerted activities.
CPDG views this prosecution as a grave and dangerous escalation of state repression and further confirms the International Trade Union Confederation’s Global Rights Index report that the Philippines remains on the global watchlist under a Rating 5 status for no guarantee of rights, due to criminalization of trade union organizing and collective action.
Criminalizing leaders for their participation in no other than the International Worker’s Day sends a chilling message to all Filipinos who dare to organize, dissent, and demand economic justice.
This is not an isolated incident. On May Day 2020, a day after the killing of Iloilo activist Jory Porquia, at least 92 individuals were arrested nationwide, including 42 people in Iloilo. The filing of criminal cases against unionists and arrests of activists following mass demonstrations reflects a deeply troubling pattern in which legal processes are increasingly used against organizers rather than against those responsible for widespread labor abuses, contractualization, poverty wages, and unsafe working conditions.
At a time when Filipino workers continue to suffer from high food prices, poverty wages, precarious employment, and worsening inequality, the government should be addressing the people’s urgent economic demands instead of criminalizing collective action.
CPDG therefore raises the following urgent demands:
- Immediately withdraw and dismiss the charges against Jerome Adonis, Jacq Ruiz, and James Edward Anajao;
- Guarantee full respect for the constitutional rights to peaceful assembly, free expression, and freedom of association, as well as internationally recognized human rights standards;
- End the use of police complaints and court proceedings as instruments for intimidating labor organizers and activists;
- Protect, rather than persecute, workers’ leaders, human rights defenders, and grassroots organizations struggling for living wages, secure jobs, and social justice.
We call on trade unions, people’s organizations, churches, academic institutions, human rights advocates, and all development workers to stand in solidarity with trade unionists and community leaders fighting for social justice and workers’ welfare.#