Several groups have denounced the suspected surveillance of the office of Kilusang Mayo Uno – Southern Mindanao Region (KMU-SMR) in Cagayan de Oro. KMU-SMR released an alert that two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle were captured by its CCTV around 11:30 a.m. on October 23, with the back rider taking pictures or footage of its office. This was the second time it documented incidents of alleged surveillance in just a month. The group believes that these incidents are part of a systematic state-sponsored campaign and pose threats against the freedom of association of workers, including their labor rights advocacies. The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) has urged the government to investigate the continuing intimidation against labor rights defenders in Southern Mindanao, citing cases of labor organizers being harassed by alleged state forces. The incidents have prompted KMU-SMR to file reports before the Commission on Human Rights Region 11, and CTUHR has observed that local chapters of KMU from other regions do not encounter the same experience as KMU-SMR, raising questions about the involvement of the Dutertes and the Marcoses in stifling workers’ right to freedom of association.
