November 21, 2006

Rep. Renato Magtubo

Chairperson, Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party)

Member, House of Representatives (Member of Parliament)

A cowardly act by enemies of labor

Four unidentified gunmen shot and killed last Tuesday morning a leader of the Partido ng Manggagawa (Labor Party), Andrew Iñoza, also union president at the Alaska Milk Factory, in San Pedro, Laguna, (a province just south of the capital Metro Manila).

The ambush slaying of Inosa is a dastardly and cowardly act by personalities or groups whose principles and interests are anti-worker. We can think of no motive behind his killing than to silence a defender of labor and terrorize the workers.

As a local union president and Labor Party leader, Inosa was in the forefront of struggles, campaigns and initiatives for the welfare and interests not just of workers of the Alaska but also of labor in general.

While it would be unwise to rule out other angles, we believe his assassination cannot be unconnected with the escalating wave of political killings all over the country and the heavy hand of state repression against the labor movement.

The iron fist of repression is bearing down heavy on the working class movement. In September military men held an anti-communist teach-in for the union leaders of Manila Bay Spinning Mills in Marikina (part of Metro Manila). Before that, they held the same seminar for the union of Armscor also in Marikina. The vicious agenda of this harassment is clear—to strike fear in the hearts of workers and terrorize them against political involvement. With a terrorized and docile labor, it will be easier to cheapen the price of labor power.

We hold the administration of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ultimately accountable for Inosa’s death for even granting that it is not the mastermind behind the death squads running amok, its inaction on the political killings is goading the enemies of labor to act with impunity.