LABOR and progressive groups staged a protest on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at Freedom Park, calling for justice and accountability two years after the enforced disappearance of labor organizer William Lariosa.
The protest, organized by the Surface William Lariosa Network (SWLN) and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)–Southern Mindanao, gathered sectoral representatives and advocates who continue to demand Lariosa’s surfacing and the resolution of his case.
Lariosa, 64, a longtime organizer of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), was reportedly abducted on April 10, 2024, at Purok Sunny Day, Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon, while working with agricultural laborers. Since the 1990s, he had been actively organizing workers in the pineapple and sugarcane plantations across Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, and parts of Bukidnon.
Rauf Sissay, secretariat member of Bayan–Southern Mindanao, alleged that Lariosa was taken by elements of the 48th Infantry Battalion under the operational control of the 10th Infantry Division. To date, his whereabouts remain unknown.
“Sukad pa sa paglingkod ni President Bongbong Marcos Jr. atung 2022, ingon nga Bagong Pilipinas, na mausab ang kahimtang sa mamumuo ug katawhang kabos. Pero hangtod karon, nagpabilin ug misamot pa gani ang kalisud nga nahiaguman sa katawhang kabos,” Sissay said.
(Since President Bongbong Marcos Jr. assumed office in 2022, there were promises under the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ that the situation of workers and the poor would improve. But until now, the hardships faced by the poor persist and have even worsened)
The groups said they have already sought assistance from various government agencies, including the Commission on Human Rights and the Department of Labor and Employment, and have filed petitions in courts up to the Supreme Court in pursuit of remedies and protection for Lariosa’s family and colleagues. However, they said no significant progress has been made.
Sissay also noted that the Philippines remained among the top 10 worst countries for workers for nine consecutive years, saying this reflects the continued neglect of labor rights despite government pronouncements.
Dodong Lariosa, the son of the missing labor organizer, expressed the family’s determination to continue seeking justice.
“Bisan pa man sa kasakit nga among nasinati, kami dili muhunong sa pagpangita kaniya ug sa hustisya (Despite the pain we have endured, we will not stop searching for him and seeking justice),” he said.
He added that they continue to pursue all legal remedies and are currently awaiting the resolution of their petition before the Supreme Court.
“Wala mi nawad-an ug paglaom nga unta usa ka adlaw siya among makita ug makauban (We have not lost hope that one day we will find him and be with him again),” he said.
As the search continues, the family and supporting groups remain hopeful that Lariosa is still alive, while intensifying calls for accountability and justice for other victims of enforced disappearance in the country. KRISTINE BAOYA, DORSU, INTERN
