Labor group: PH misleading ILO by downplaying union leader’s slay

Labor leader Sonny Matula. —screengrab from his Facebook page

MANILA, Philippines — Local trade unions on Sunday slammed the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole) for appearing to intentionally mislead the International Labor Organization (ILO) during its annual conference in Geneva by downplaying the murder of a union leader.

Sonny Matula, president of the Federation of Free Workers, chided the Philippine government for downplaying the killing of Alex Dolorosa, a trade unionist from BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN), in its report to the Committee on the Application of Standards on June 7.

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Matula, part of the delegation of Filipino workers to the ILO’s annual conference, said Dolorosa, 38, was found dead on April 24, 2023, in Bacolod City, with at least 31 wounds, three days after he was reported missing.

But Dole told the committee that Dolorosa was not on its list of union officers or organizers and that the killing was “not motivated by his alleged union activities.”

‘Ordinary homicide’

The government delegation reported the “alleged perpetrator, a private individual, has been accused of homicide and was arraigned in February 2024 at the Bacolod City Regional Trial Court.”

“It appears that the government is attempting to downgrade the case to an ordinary homicide,” Matula said in a statement, calling the government’s investigation “sloppy.”

“[The] handling of Alex Dolorosa’s case by Dole and the government appears to be an attempt to minimize its political and social implications by downplaying the potential connection to union activities. This raises serious concerns about the protection of labor rights and the integrity of the investigative and judicial processes in the country,” he added.

Elmer Labog, chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno and also part of the Filipino delegation, also scored the government delegation’s desire to downplay Dolorosa’s killings and other attacks on organizers by saying these were not labor-related.

“Such a claim is a spit on the grave of the victims, adding insult to injury to their colleagues and families. There is overwhelming evidence of a trade union and human rights crisis,” Labog said in a separate statement.

“Our case has been supported by ILC delegates from trade unions, governments and employers. Such validation and support make Dole’s statements even more ridiculous,” he added.

Besides the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Commission on Human Rights conducted their parallel probes of the killing of Dolorosa, who was a full-time labor organizer and paralegal for BIEN since 2016.