News Release
November 28, 2007

Labor centre encouraged by Alston report: cautions for continued
vigilance against extrajudicial killings

Manila, Philippines – Workers with the Filipino labor centre Kilusang
Mayo Uno (KMU or May First Movement welcomed the final report released
Monday by Australian academic Philip Alston, commissioned by the
United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to investigate extrajudicial
killings in the Philippines.  Alston laid responsibility on the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the killings leftist activists as
part of a campaign against communist insurgents.

"A step towards long-awaited justice" is how Elmer Labog, KMU National
Chairperson described the concluding findings.  "We hope the report
serves as a wakeup call to the military rule of President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo to hone in accountability to the worsening state of
human rights violations all over the country, instead of going through
the motions of commissioning investigations and task forces which have
not brought about justice for the victims and their families,"
asserted Labog.  He drew attention to the infamous Hacienda Luisita
massacre in 2004 during which seven striking farm workers and
supporters were killed in a violent dispersal who are still seeking
justice.

The report concludes Alston's investigation after visiting the
Philippines in February during which he described the military's state
of denial about its role in the deaths and a climate of impunity that
have allowed the extrajudicial killings to continue unabated.

Since Arroyo came to power in 2001, KARAPATAN (a national alliance of
human rights organizations in the Philippines) has documented 886
cases of extrajudicial killings, and more than one million people who
have been forcibly displaced because of militarization and systematic
human rights violations.  Among these, 76 workers were victims of
trade union killings from January 2001 to December 2006.  None of
their cases have been closed despite so many promises by the
government whose press releases, courts, and commissions have failed
to punish those responsible.

Labog criticized "aside from killings, there are systematic assaults
on the picket line, illegal arrest and detention, intimidation,
abductions and harassment inflicted on leaders, members, and labour
advocates of trade unions who are actively pursuing the Filipino
people's legitimate demands."

Labog also carped on the reaction of Arroyo through the deputy
spokesperson of the President who replied, "We don't have a policy
like that.  The President will not tolerate this kind of killings.  Of
course, the President values human rights."  "It's a slap in the face
to the farm workers killed in the Hacienda Luisita massacre which hurt
scores of strikers and supporters and so many other victims of trade
union repression whom we commemorated on November 16," explained
Labog.

He also brought attention to Arroyo's track record of inaction which
has failed to stop the imposition of the death penalty by Kuwait's
highest court last night on another overseas Filipino worker, Marilou
Ranario.

"We demand an end to the non-stop violation of trade union and human
rights and will continue the struggle of the Filipino workers and
people for genuine freedom and democracy in every way we can,"
concluded Labog.