THE PHILIPPINES: THE DIRTY WAR AGAINST TRADE UNIONS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: september/october 2024 :: RMTnews 28 On April 24 last year, the body of 35-year-old Alex Dolorosa was found behind a chicken coop on the outskirts of Bacolod City in the Philippines. He had been beaten and stabbed 23 times. Alex worked for BIEN, a union organising workers in local call centres. Before his killing, he had been “red-tagged” - labeled by government agencies as a “terrorist”. 72 trade unionists have been murdered in the Philippines since 2016, most of them in unions belonging to the leftist Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) union centre. When Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son of the old dictator, assumed power in 2022, one of his priorities was to repair the family’s international image and he promised to end human rights abuses. Yet it was not long before the grip of repression was being tightened. In particular, Marcos retained two key instruments introduced by his infamous predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. These are the Anti-Terrorism Law and the National Task Force to End Communist Local Armed Conflict (NTF-ECLAC). The Anti-Terrorism Law gives the military sweeping powers to arbitrarily designate organisations and individuals as terrorists, detain suspects without a warrant, and freeze bank accounts. The NTF- ECLAC is a dirty war counter- insurgency agency that, among other things, orchestrates the “red-tagging” of those who criticise the government. According to KMU President Elmar Labog, trade union activists are commonly victims of red tagging. “This can be by anonymous social media posts or announcements on local radio. Soldiers may leaflet your neighbourhood; large banners carrying your picture will be hung across the streets or on government buildings. It isolates you in the community and puts your life at risk from death squads.” When the capital Manila was brought to a halt by striking transport workers last year, the country’s Vice President Sarah Duterte publicly accused the KMU’s transport union PISTON of being linked to terrorism. False criminal charges, frequently for illegal possession of arms, are also used to take union activists out of circulation. It is common practice for the police to plant weapons on suspects. No matter how trumped up the charges may be, they can put union activists in prison for years awaiting trial. Lindy Perocho, a staff member of the KMU’s National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW), was arrested by soldiers in 2018 on charges of possessing weapons. Her case was thrown out of court this March, but only after she had spent six years in prison. The Manila- based Centre for Trade Union and Human Rights currently lists 28 trade unionists who have been held in prison for between three and six years without coming to trial. Western governments seem ready to turn a blind eye to the country’s human rights abuses. The Philippines is seen as a strategic partner in the US-led alliance facing off China in the South China Sea. This year the UK Government signed a military cooperation agreement with the Philippines and will be conducting joint exercises with the same Philippines military that is accused of war crimes against indigenous peoples and which shoots and arrests trade unionists. KMU President Elmar Labog says: “Repression of trade unions and other civil society organisations is being ignored. The protection of freedom against tyranny in our region should start with the protection of human and trade union rights. We demand our Government stop the killings, scrap the Anti-Terrorism Law, disband the NTF-ECLAC and release all trade union prisoners.” @ The UK Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines (CHRP) has set up a Trade Union Prisoner Defence Fund. Branches wishing to donate can transfer money to CMPGN HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES Sort code - 08 02 28 A/c no - 50065244 with the reference TU Defence Fund. CHRP also runs a campaign against UK military cooperation with the Philippines. RMT branches may affiliate to CHRP at an annual £100 fee. Contact info@chrp.org.uk. THE PHILIPPINES: THE DIRTY WAR AGAINST TRADE UNIONS Henry Jackson of the UK Campaign for Human Rights in the Philippines outlines the situation