New series of concocted charges: US-Arroyo regime’s desperate attempt to persecute and criminalize leaders

Member unions, organizations, and provincial alliances under the leadership of Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK-KMU) and Organized Labor Associations in Line Industries and Agriculture (OLALIA-KMU) condemn to the highest terms US-Arroyo regime’s new rounds of harassment, employing its courts, police and military, pressing false charges against and arbitrarily arrest known leaders and members of progressive organizations in Southern Tagalog.

Along with the warrant of arrest issued by the Mindoro Oriental Regional Trial Court against Atty. Remigio Saladero, Jr., board chairman of Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center, concocted charges of murder and multiple frustrated murders were also filed against 74 leaders and members of progressive organizations following the alleged bombing of a Globe cell site in Batangas in 2006. Included in the 74 are Romeo Legaspi, Luz Baculo, Emmanuel Asuncion, and Emmanuel Dioneda, all officers of various trade union organizations in Southern Tagalog.

Romeo Legaspi is the chairman-elect of PAMANTIK-KMU and OLALIA-KMU. He is also the incumbent regional chairman of Anakpawis Partylist-Southern Tagalog and the union president of Lakas-Manggagawang Nagkakaisa sa Honda Cars Inc. (LMNH-OLALIA-KMU).

Luz Baculo is the secretary-general of PAMANTIK-KMU, Emmanuel Asuncion, counsel to Solidarity of Cavite Workers, and Emmanuel Dioneda, executive director of SEC-registered Labor Education Advocacy Development Response Services, Inc.

Both Legaspi and Baculo are also national council members of Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement).

The courts were supposed to be, as they claimed, the civilized world’s battle arena of right and reason. However, the anti-people and anti-worker stance of the US-Arroyo regime had now formally seeped into the partiality of the legal courts charging leaders and activists en masse of false accusations. And reason and civil liberties have been enslaved and regressed back to the Dark Ages-ala Arroyo.

In the days following the release from court, police are expected to serve the arrest warrants. However, armed military operatives, both in uniform and plainclothes, frequented the vicinities of OLALIA office located in a subdivision in Cabuyao. Subdivision residents even expressed alarm in the scenes forewarning a Gestapo-style arrest or any classified operation other than arresting.

With the new rounds of fabricated charges, red baiting, and eventual arrests of leaders and activists, the US-Arroyo regime aggravates the already worse situation of the poverty-stricken Filipino masses by attempting to silence their leaders and advocates for genuine freedom and democracy.

To the labor sector, the government is in hot pursuit to criminalize legitimate labor organizations, unions, issues and demands. The current political persecution and repression of labor leaders and activists are reminiscent of Marcos’ crackdown of labor leaders in the 80’s, differing only in breadth and severity. Marcos had to declare Martial Law in order to take full control of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the government. Currently, Gloria Arroyo imposes a de facto Martial Law, using the government for her ill-motives and whims while in utmost servitude to foreign monopoly capitalists, local big landlords and comprador big bourgeoisie.

Arroyo is hell-bent in clinging to Malacañang as evident of her machinations over almost all government institutions and using underhand moves such as political killings against labor leaders and activists. However, the workers and the people shall not tolerate the rule of irrationality, injustice, and impunity. The workers and the people shall thwart all attempts of the US-Arroyo to further exploit the masses.

Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK-KMU)

Organized Labor Associations in Line Industries and Agriculture (OLALIA-KMU)

NUJP expresses concern over the arrest of human rights lawyer Remigio Saladero Jr.

Original URL

November 4, 2008

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines views with concern the arrest and continuing detention of Atty. Remigio Saladero Jr., veteran human rights, labor and media lawyer. He also writes a column for Pinoy Weekly.

Although known more as a labor lawyer, Atty. Saladero is a defender of press freedom, having argued before courts against the Arroyo government’s implementation of the Presidential Proclamation No. 1017, which resulted in the raid of a national broadsheet, threats of closure of broadcast stations and arrest of journalists. He also lawyered for various labor unions in media organizations and defended the media workers’ right to organize.

Atty. Saladero is currently detained at Calapan City Provincial Jail in Mindoro Oriental. He was arrested last October 23 in his home in Antipolo, Batangas on multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder charges in his capacity, the Philippine National Police claims, as a member of the New People’s Army.

His colleagues in Pinoy Weekly refute the PNP claim, saying that Saladero could not have been writing his weekly column “Husgahan Natin” and working as a high-profile labor lawyer in Manila if he was in the hinterlands as a rebel.

NUJP appreciates Atty. Saladero‘s contributions to the cause of press freedom and advancement of rights of media practitioners and workers. We are concerned that his prosecution may be linked to his high-profile work as a human rights lawyer, government critic and columnist.

We urge the court in Calapan City to speedily act on the case. We likewise ask the members of the PNP in Calapan City to exert restraint and to refrain from further violating the rights of Atty. Saladero.

BAYAN condemns arrest of people’s lawyer Atty. Remigio Saladero, continuing attacks on activists

October 24, 2008
Reference: Dr. Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, Chairperson

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) condemns in strongest terms the arrest of Atty. Remigio Saladero on trumped-up charges of multiple murder in Mindoro. As of this morning, he is being held by police and military forces in a red Toyota vehicle supposedly bound to Mindoro.

The arrest of Atty. Saladero is clearly a case of political persecution. A few weeks before his arrest, Atty. Saladero together with twenty-six leaders and members of people’s organizations in Southern Tagalog, was charged with arson, destruction of property and conspiracy to commit rebellion. They were accused of being members of the New People’s Army (NPA) who allegedly blew up a Globe cell site in Batangas. The enforced disappearance of James Balao in Cordillera, the abduction and torture of 9 peasants in Cavite and this latest arrest of Atty. Saladero prove that political repression in the country remains even as the cases of extrajudicial killings declined after drawing outrage both in the Philippines and the international community.

Atty. Saladero’s clients are workers victimized by low wages and unjust working conditions. His detention will mean depriving the poor of a lawyer who humbly renders his free legal services at the risk of harassment and grave persecution.

Bayan joins the family of Atty. Saladero in demanding the PNP to drop the false charges against Atty. Saladero, to release him immediately and to abort any plan of unlawfully arresting other activists. Bayan also calls on international lawyers groups and human rights defenders to join the Filipino people in demanding the Arroyo regime to release Atty. Saladero. He is neither a murderer nor an arsonist. It is the Arroyos, police and military forces involved in large-scale corruption and human rights violations who deserve to be arrested and jailed for their multiple crimes against the Filipino people.

The Arroyo regime appears to be poised for more attacks on activists as it faces continuing protests for worsening economic crisis, unresolved cases of corruption and human rights violations. Bayan calls on its allied organizations to step up their campaign against the fascist attacks of this regime which aims to cripple the mass organizations that are at the forefront of people’s struggle for land, jobs, dignity, freedom, sovereignty, democracy and social justice. #

Cited as one of notable San Beda College alumni, Atty. Saladero is the Chief Legal Counsel of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) who defended the late Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran against fabricated charges by the Arroyo regime. Aside from handling numerous labor cases, Atty. Saladero represented KMU in challenging the constitutionality of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Proclamation 1017 that placed the country under a state of national emergency and gave powers to Arroyo similar to what the late president Ferdinand Marcos had when he declared martial law.

Human Rights Watch: Philippines: Free Labor Rights Lawyer; Continuing Harassment of Leftist Activists

(New York, October 29, 2008) – The Philippine authorities should immediately release Remigio Saladero, Jr., a labor lawyer who was arrested on charges that appeared to be politically motivated, Human Rights Watch said today.

Philippine police arrested Saladero on October 23, 2008, at his law office in Antipolo City, in Rizal province, his attorney said. The police showed a 2006 arrest warrant for a case of multiple murder and attempted murder in Oriental Mindoro province that bore the name – Remegio Saladero alias Ka Patrick – and a different address. They also confiscated Saladero’s computer hard drive, laptop and mobile phone.

“Suddenly arresting a well-established activist lawyer for a two-year-old multiple murder case in another province should set off alarm bells,” said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This smacks of harassment, pure and simple.”

Saladero’s lawyer told Human Rights Watch that he was allowed to meet with Saladero in jail only after Saladero had been interrogated for six hours, even though he was entitled to legal counsel from the start of the interrogation. He is currently being held in the Calapan City provincial jail.

Human Rights Watch is concerned that Saladero was arrested because of the groups and individuals he has represented. His clients include hundreds of workers who have brought wrongful dismissal cases and suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines. Saladero is the board chairperson of the Pro-Labor Legal Assistance Center (PLACE) and chief legal counsel for Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), an alliance of trade unions.

Human Rights Watch urged the United States and the European Union to monitor Saladero’s case closely and to call for his immediate release.

In recent years, the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has come under intense international and domestic criticism over hundreds of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of leftist activists, journalists, lawyers and clergy by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

In response to the criticism, the number of such killings dropped sharply, but convictions of perpetrators for serious crimes of this type remain negligible. Local activists have also expressed concern that the continuing harassment and arrests of activists on trumped-up charges shows that the government is only changing its tactics.

Several other cases bear similarities to Saladero’s arrest, and courts have subsequently declared the arrests illegal. In August 2008, a judge in Tagaytay City found the arrest and detention of the so-called “Tagaytay Five,” who had been advocates for farmers’ concerns, unlawful, and ordered their release. Security forces had arrested and detained the five – Riel Custodio, Axel Pinpin, Aristides Sarmiento, Enrico Ybanez and Michael Masayes – in a joint military-police operation in April 2006 and forced them to admit they were members of the New People’s Army.

In May 2007 armed men abducted a church pastor, Berlin Guerrero, in Laguna province. Several days later, he resurfaced in police custody and he was charged with being an NPA leader. In September 2008, the Court of Appeals in Manila dismissed charges of sedition and murder against him, and ordered his immediate release.

The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders sets out a series of principles and rights, based on human rights standards enshrined in international instruments. The declaration states that everyone has the right to promote the protection and realization of human rights.

“Saladero’s arrest shows the Philippine government is not sincere in its pledges to stop harassing lawyers and activists,” Pearson said. “It’s not just Saladero’s rights that are undermined, but the rights of all Filipinos ever in need of a lawyer.”

Migrante International supports the call to free Atty. Remigio Saladero and other mass leaders and organizers of progressive organizations in Southern Tagalog

November 13, 2008

Migrante International, together with our one hundred member-organizations in 22 countries, declares its unstinting support for the call to free Atty. Remigio Saladero and other mass leaders and organizers of progressive organizations in Southern Tagalog (ST).

Aside from being a renowned legal defender of union workers, Atty. Saladero is also a diligent lawyer of OFWs who need free legal assistance. Migrante International has frequently referred to Atty. Saladero cases of OFWs who are victims of illegal recruitment, contract violations among other labour related cases.

We also add our voice to the growing condemnation by freedom loving citizens against the renewed wave of repressive tactics employed by the US- Macapagal-Arroyo regime and its cohorts in the military against the militant mass movement. The unlawful arrest and detention of Atty.Saladero and other activists and the hasty issuances of warrants of arrest for 72 other members without any preliminary investigation manifest that this regime will do anything to stifle those who dare stand up against its illegitimate, corrupt and bankrupt rule as part of its comprehensive counter-insurgency program.

We also would like to particularly highlight two of the cases; that of Bayani Cambronero, founding member of Migrante International and Frances Tolentino, Coordinator for the Migrante Sectoral Partylist in 2004. They were named as respondents in the complaint filed by a certain Marlo Timbreza on behalf of Globe Telecom,Inc. for the bombing and burning of a Globe cell cite in Lemery, Batangas last August 2. Charges include arson and the conspiracy to commit rebellion.

We are aghast at these completely false charges and the brazen legal shortcuts the prosecutor took. We especially want to express our disgust at Globe’s participation in such a blatant act of human rights violation against stalwart leaders and organizers of our movement. Our members worldwide, many of whom are Globe consumers, are monitoring this case closely and are, even now, preparing an information campaign regarding the distortion of facts in the complaint, the questionable legal procedures and over-all scheme of the regime’s, including Globe, merciless and baseless harassment of genuine activists.

We stand in solidarity with our colleagues in the mass movement and commit to work tirelessly to defend and protect our human rights and to expose and fight the state’s design to decimate the legitimate and militant struggle for genuine change.