PHILIPPINES: A trade union leader constantly threatened by the military

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission has received information from the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) regarding serious threats to a trade union leader by the military in Ormoc City, Leyte in the Philippines. The victim has been receiving serious threats since April 2004 due to his activities in the protection of workers’ rights. The latest threats he received was on 16-17 December 2007. The victim was too afraid to report the matter to the police as he believes that they would immediately inform the military of his whereabouts and it was only with the encouragement and support of activists from CTUHR that he has now revealed the information. We therefore call for your immediate intervention in this matter.

CASE DETAILS: (Based on an interview with the victim by the CTUHR)

Mr. Dante F. Senillo, aged 37, has been the regional staff member of the National Federation of Labour Union-Kilusang Mayo Uno-Eastern Visayas Chapter (NAFLU-KMU-EV) since April 2006. His major work include the coordination of the different unions under the NAFLU and the follow-up of the cases and issues which these unions are facing within their companies such as low wages, illegal dismissal and union busting.

The latest threats on Dante happened on the early morning of 16 December 2007. Some elements of the 19th Infantry Battalion (IB) attempted to enter his friend’s house in Barangay Dolores, Ormoc City, Leyte where he stayed overnight. Fortunately, he was able to escape.

On the following day, his friend told Dante to go to some other place for his safety because the 19th IB were looking for him and had offered a reward of P100,000 (USD 2,500) for anyone who could help them locate him. Since then, Dante has been moving from one place to another without knowing why the military placed a hefty sum for his capture.

Even until January 2008, Dante’s neighbours informed him that they often see some armed men from the 19th IB roving around at the back of Dante’s house.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Dante was also a vice-president for external affairs of Leyte “A” Geothermal Plant Employees Union (LAGPEU) in 1998–a local union in Leyte. In 2000, the LAGPEU staged a strike which the Department of Labor and Employment assumed jurisdiction and ordered them to end the strike without settling the issues involved. The union defied the order which led to the mass dismissal of the unionists including Dante.  After that, Dante and his other colleagues filed the cases of an illegal dismissal at the labour office in Leyte.

Aside from being a trade union leader, Dante was also a general secretary of Anakbayan–a youth organization–Citywide Chapter in Ormoc City, Leyte in 2000. He organized youths in their community and encouraged them to involve themselves in different local issues such as demolitions, low wages, and tuition fee increases, as well as in national issues such as low budgets for social services, high unemployment rate, and corruption in government. Dante continued as a community organizer until 2004.

When national election was coming in the May 2004, Dante volunteered to help campaigning for Anakpawis Party List (Toiling Masses Party) and later became one of its key organizers in Leyte. Anakpawis stands against demolitions, contractualization in work, treaties with other countries which they think as unjust and will not help in improving the economy, and many more that it is considered as one of the militant party lists in the country.

Dante’s active involvement in these organizations solicited interests from the military. Eastern Visayas particularly Leyte is one of the heavily militarised regions under the command of Gen. Jovito Palparan at the time. Dante was later accused of being a communist insurgent and has been hunted by forces of 19th IB based in Camp Aguiting Kananga, Leyte. Since April 2004 and even after the May 2004 election, the military constantly asked his neighbours about Dante’s whereabouts.

For example, in the first session of Barangay Council in Barangay Dolores on May 2004, 3 military personnel sat in the meeting and asked the Barangay officials if they know Dante and the place where he lives. One of the councilors, Rosie Cabaltis, told them that Dante is a resident of Barangay Dolores and he was in Manila at that time. But the military insisted that Dante was actually in the countryside and accused him as a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).

After this incident, Dante fearing for his safety went to Manila from Leyte and lived there for almost two years. He took different jobs during his stay in Manila but then again returned to Leyte in 2006, hoping that all the previous threats to his life might be gone.

Upon his return to Leyte, he resumed his activities as a union and community organizer and was appointed as a regional staff of NAFLU-KMU-EV in April 2006. However, at around 1pm on 15 September 2006, about 30 elements of 19th IB raided his house in Purok 6, Barangay Dolores, Ormoc City, Leyte.  As he was not home, the military searched from house to house in the whole Purok 6, 5, and 7. The military pointed a hunting knife to one Dante’s neighbour, who was popularly called as Guloy, with plastic bag put in his head, and threatened to cut his legs if he would not tell where Dante lives. Because of fear, Guloy told them where he was. Dante was at his mother’s house at that time. He barely escaped and moved from one house to another since then.

On 10 May 2007, four days before the election, Dante was supposed to go home from campaigning for Anakpawis Partly List. He then noticed that two armed men were following him with guns in their sides. He tried to confuse the two by taking other route and luckily, he escaped from them and saved his life from danger.

Prior to this incident, one of Dante’s colleagues named Vincent Borja was arrested May 7 by the elements of 19th IB and was charged with rebellion and murder. Borja, a National Council Member of Kilusang Mayo Uno–a militant trade union center– was also accused of being an NPA member and remains in detention until now.

Dante continued to campaign for Anakpawis until the election ended and then concentrated with his work as a regional staff of NAFLU. Despite the constant serious threats to his life, Dante continues with his work for protecting workers’ rights until now.

The high number of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines is a result from far higher level of threats and intimidation on the human rights defenders in the Philippines. Killings and threats to the human rights defenders in fact reflect that fear is manifested in the society and the government rules people by fear. Many times, the victims who receive serious threats from the military or police do not report their cases to any government authorities fearing that their location would be exposed. The circle of serious threats often ends only after a victim is arrested or killed.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write letters to the authorities listed below urging them to investigate the continued threats of Dante F. Senillo by the military and provide protection to human rights defenders.

The AHRC writes separate letters to the UN Special Representative on human rights defender calling for intervention in this case.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER