A labor rights NGO today condemned the military and the Ferdinand Marcos Jr government for the arrest of a farm workers’ organizer in Negros Occidental just days after a military operation that killed 19 individuals, saying the arrest highlights brutality in the region.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) criticized the arrest of Julie Ann Balora, a union organizer of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW) and national council member of the Unyon ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), on April 22 in Matab-ang Village in Talisay City.

“Marcos Jr and the military seem to have resumed martial law in Negros, which was carried out by both dictators Ferdinand Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte. Balora’s arrest really shows that they do not distinguish between armed rebels on the one hand and unarmed unionists and activists on the other in their campaign of repression,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

UMA reports that Balora was travelling from Victorias City with four companions when their van was cut by an unmarked vehicle, which was followed by other vehicles. Balora and her companions were ordered to step out of their van and kneel on the road and were then brought to the Philippine National Police (PNP) station in Talisay City.

In the PNP station, the operatives who arrested Balora and companions claimed that firearms and grenades were found in their possession. Balora and companions claim seeing two bags being placed inside their van while they were kneeling on the road.

“No human rights, no workers’ right to freedom of association, no arrest warrants, no due process, just planted evidence and trumped-up charges. Negros now seems to be a lawless land, where the military, with Marcos Jr’s protection, rules with brute force,” Deligente added.

CTUHR said Balora’s arrest brings the number of political detainees from the labor movement to 20, following the arrest of community health workers Dr. Ana Marie Rilloroza and Marc Arriane Mendiola in Tarlac City on March 11.

“We reiterate our call to President Marcos Jr to order an impartial investigation into the killing of 19 individuals in Negros on April 19. Unless he orders such an investigation and ensures an impartial probe and the accountability of military personnel involved, we have every reason to believe that he is protecting those accused of human rights violations in Negros,” Deligente stated.

The labor NGO said Balora’s arrest confirms the findings of the International Labour Organization’s High-Level Tripartite Mission (ILO-HLTM) to the Philippines in January 2023 and of United Nations Special Rapporteurs that in the government’s counter-insurgency operations have been used to suppress workers’ right to freedom of association.