The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemns the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Cebu for filing an illegal assembly case against labor and social movement activists in the province who held a protest against corruption in front of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) office in Cebu City on September 5.

The case is an infringement on the right to freedom of expression and assembly and has the effect of harassing the labor and social activists who are accused. The police and the Ferdinand Marcos Jr government should understand that many workers and Filipinos are angry at the corruption cases that have been exposed in recent months. The case should be junked immediately.

Last Friday, October 3, the labor and social activists in Cebu received a copy of the complaint filed by PNP Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Station 3 Police Captain Jade A. Basingao pertaining to violations of the Public Assembly Act of 1985 (Batas Pambansa 880) and a subpoena dated September 29, 2025 and signed by Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Lei Maurah E. Babatuan.

Named in the complaint were Jaime Paglinawan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or Bayan Central Visayas and Ama-Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno or KMU), John Ruiz (Bayan Muna Partylist), Belinda Allere (Panaghupong-Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or Kadamay), Howell Villacrucis (Ama-Sugbo-KMU), Victor Sumampong (Partido Lakas ng Masa or PLM) and John and Jane Does.

The presence of Jane and John Does in the complaint may create fear among other participants in the September 5 protest and other labor and social activists in Cebu. It shows the PNP CCPO’s desperation in shielding the DPWH office, a widely-recognized symbol of corruption, from protests.

This case is proof of a legalistic mindset in the PNP-CCPO and its lack of understanding of the current mood of many workers and Filipinos in relation to the corruption scandals in the government’s flood control projects. It is proof of the PNP-CCPO’s lack of appreciation for the right to freedom of expression and assembly and what constitutes a threat to public order and safety.

The Public Assembly Act of 1985 is not only a legacy of the Ferdinand Marcos Sr dictatorship, but a weapon designed to repress workers’ and Filipinos’ righteous anger at the assassination of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. It was created at a time when the workers and people were right while the government, the dictatorship, was clearly wrong.

We call on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr: stop the repression and legal harassment of anti-corruption protestors, whether in Cebu or in Mendiola. Their protests were triggered by the corruption that you sought to expose and failed to prevent in your government. Democracy means transparency in government spending and lack of corporate control over so-called representatives of the people. It also means the right to protest, and to protest militantly when times call for it.