Statement on Killing of 19 People by the Philippines Armed Forces

The following statement is from the CWA Civil Rights & Equity Committee:

CWA condemns the killing of 19 people by the Armed Forces of the Philippines on April 19 in Toboso, Negros Occidental. Those killed included community journalist RJ Nichole Ledesma; Filipino-American advocates Kai Dana-Rene Sorem and Lyle Prijoles; and student activist Maureen Keil Santuyo, who organized alongside BIEN, CWA's longtime partner supporting call center workers' rights.

The killings follow a pattern of state-backed repression of union organizers and human rights defenders. Despite this record of human rights abuses, the U.S. government continues to provide billions of dollars in military aid to the Philippines. CWA supports the Philippine Human Rights Act to cut off military funding until the government ends its violent and repressive practices against its own people.

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About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

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