Labor organizer Jude Fernandez, who was killed six months ago in Binangonan, Rizal, continues to seek justice as the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemns the Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP – CIDG) for his death.
Fernandez was shot by CIDG agents on September 29, 2023, who claimed he resisted arrest while being served with a search warrant. CTUHR disputed the claim, stating that Fernandez was a veteran labor organizer who was always unarmed in his activism.
Malacañang vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing, with Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin reaffirming President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s commitment to upholding the people’s fundamental rights.
Human rights group Karapatan called for the release of police body camera footage following the incident, while worker’s organizations demanded the identification and arrest of those responsible for Fernandez’s death.
CTUHR denounced PNP-CIDG’s claims as lies meant to justify the killing, highlighting a policy framework equating unionism with armed rebellion and terrorism in the Philippines.
Fernandez, a member of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), has long been red-tagged by state officials and associated with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
The United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, Irene Khan, urged the Philippine government to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) for its role in red-tagging civilians.
Red-tagging has been criticized for enabling human rights abuses against activists and critics of the administration.
