KILUSANG Mayo Uno-Southern Mindanao Region (KMU-SMR), together with Bayan Muna Partylist, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Southern Mindanao Region (Bayan-SMR), and other Dabawenyo labor rights advocates, staged a protest on the morning of August 10, 2024, at Freedom Park, Roxas Avenue, Davao City, to mark the fourth-month disappearance of labor organizer William Lariosa.
Romelito Pablo, chairperson of KMU-SMR, said in a media interview that this protest is in remembrance of Lariosa’s abduction in Quezon, Bukidnon. He added that the protest is a response to the fact that it has been four months since Lariosa was allegedly abducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 48th Infantry Battalion.
“Mao nang ang karon na action isip pahinundum sa estado labi na sa atoang presidente nga si Bongbong Marcos Jr. nga ihunong na ang porma sa pang-harass ug pagpang-labelling sa mga workers sa mga organisador ug ihunong na labi na gyud ang pagpang-abduct labi na ang forced disappearance,” he said.
(This is why we are staging this action to remind the state, especially our president Bongbong Marcos Jr., that they should put a stop to the harassment and labelling of workers and organizers, and especially put a stop to abductions as well as forced disappearances).
He also said there are still no updates on Lariosa’s whereabouts, despite KMU-SMR providing a witness to his disappearance but that the AFP denies the accusation. He then emphasized their condemnation of the actions of the military personnel.
“We demand the surfacing of William Lariosa and holding the AFP and the Marcos Jr. regime accountable for their actions or lack thereof,” KMU-SMR said in their statement.
The progressive groups stated that they marked the fourth month of Lariosa’s disappearance with a Day of Action for Workers and People’s Rights (DAWPR) in the Davao Region and that the DAWPR would be held every month to amplify concerns about workers' freedom of association, as well as civil and economic rights.
The group highlighted that Lariosa’s disappearance reflects the “deplorable state of freedom of association (FOA) in the Philippines.” Under the Marcos administration, they reported that 12 individuals have been victims of forced disappearances, most of whom are from the labor sector. The group also noted that red-tagging, harassment, intimidation of trade union leaders, and union busting remain prevalent in the region.
To recall, Lariosa was reportedly abducted by the AFP in Barangay Butong, Quezon, on April 10, 2024. RGP