“The Philippines has sank into a quagmire of brutality and the Duterte government bears heavy responsibility for this. The extra-judicial killings cannot continue with impunity and those responsible must be brought to justice. The government must ensure that the lives and security of workers and those who defend fundamental rights and freedoms are guaranteed,” said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow.

This is the 43^rd case on record of assassinated labour rights defenders under the Duterte administration. The ITUC was informed that Sequeña was most recently working on several petitions for union certification elections in three companies inside the Cavite Export Processing Zone in Rosario. The ITUC has written to Secretary of Labor and Employment Silvestre Bello calling on him to fulfil his responsibilities and demanding an emergency meeting of the Monitoring Body of the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council (NTIPC) to examine this case.

Read the letter to the Labor Minister

https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/ituc_letter_to_dole_on_leonides_dennis_sequena.pdf

For more information, please contact the ITUC Press Department at +32 2 224 02 53 or press ituc-csi.org.