A labor NGO criticized beverage and packaging company Asia Brewery Incorporated for laying off 139 workers of its glass plant in Cabuyao, Laguna on March 27, saying removing workers suddenly and without due process is a violation of workers’ rights.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) cited statements from the workers union, the Pag-asa at Ilaw ng mga Manggagawa ng Asia (PIMA) – Independent, that Asia Brewery did not provide a valid cause for the retrenchment and did not follow the two-notice rule mandated by law.

“Workers are not mere basahan or rags that employers can simply throw away at whim. Workers have rights and we are calling on the Labor Department to investigate what appears to be a labor rights violation and unlawful action made by Asia Brewery and hold those responsible accountable,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

Asia Brewery Incorporated is owned by billionaire Lucio Tan, and manufactures, according to its website, well-known drinks such as Cobra energy drink, Absolute and Summit mineral water, Sunkist, Asahi beer, and Tanduay Ice alcomix.

The layoffs follow a November 2025 Court of Appeals decision affirming a February 2025 Labor Secretary ruling that grants Asia Brewery workers a wage hike of P25 per day, or around P652 more per month. The decision followed the notice of strike filed by PIMA–Independent after a deadlock in negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement.

In announcing the decision, an article in the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) website stated that “DOLE found that Asia Brewery was financially able to grant a pay increase, as company records showed steady profits in 2022 and 2023, improved cash flow, lower debts, and growing assets, while wage costs increased only slightly over the years.”
https://dole.gov.ph/ca-backs-dole-wage-hike-order-for-brewery-workers/

“Asia Brewery’s layoff of 139 workers appears as a retaliatory action against the workers who fought for, and won, a wage increase. It also also appears to be an attempt to circumvent the court and DOLE decisions providing workers a wage hike,” Deligente added.

CTUHR noted that the layoffs occurred just days after Packageworld, Inc., a maker of packaging materials for beverages and other products located in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and an affiliate of Asia Brewery, called on the security forces of the Laguna Technopark Special Economic Zone to violently disperse a protest of its workers who were led by the Packageworld Inc. Workers Independent Union (PWIWIU).

“Losing one’s job, even facing the threat of losing one’s job, amidst the soaring cost of living is hard. The Ferdinand Marcos Jr government should make a statement that billionaires like Lucio Tan should tame their greed and share the burden of the crisis and not pass it on entirely on the backs of workers who, in working hard, helped them earn their profits and income,” added Deligente.