MANILA, Philippines--Sen. Francis ?Chiz? Escudero Saturday got the nod of the militant Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) labor group for having broken off from the Nationalist People?s Coalition (NPC) headed by tycoon Eduardo ?Danding? Cojuangco.

KMU leader Elmer Labog lauded Escudero in a statement for being ?proworker.?

?In the context of the rotten and elitist party system in the Philippines, Chiz is saying the right thing,? Labog said.

Escudero, he said, had been against labor ?contractualization? and the Oil Deregulation Law and was also a staunch critic of the Arroyo administration. Kristine L. Alave