A labor NGO said that the acquittal and release from prison of a long-time women and children’s rights defender should compel the Marcos Jr government to review cases and laws that target labor and civil society activists.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said that the acquittal of Sally Ujano, Women’s Crisis Center executive director from 2000 to 2007 and Philippines Against Child Trafficking national coordinator from 2008 to 2024, is yet another proof that many ongoing cases against activists and existing laws violate rights and are deeply flawed.

“We join Ujano’s family, friends and colleagues in celebrating her acquittal and release from prison. At the same time, we cannot help but see the numerous injustices inflicted on her, which should force the government to review cases against labor and civil society activists and existing laws,” said Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director.

CTUHR said Ujano, despite her advanced age and health problems, was jailed for more than four years, after being arrested by state personnel in plainclothes who failed to provide identification. She was arrested in November 2021 over a rebellion case that was filed in 2006 and stemmed from an ambush carried out by armed rebel group New People’s Army or NPA in Quezon province in 2005.

The labor NGO said that Ujano, a well-known champion of women and children’s rights who was instrumental for the passage of the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004, is 67 years old and has been suffering from steoarthritis, scoliosis, hypertension and heart arrhythmia.

“We still have 17 labor activists, political prisoners actually, who are in prison because of similar cases and despite facing health conditions. We have 696 political prisoners in the country. Their arrest and imprisonment are an injustice. The government should review their cases and review laws that legitimize these,” Deligente stated.

CTUHR said the country’s anti-terrorism laws and counter-insurgency operation plans provide the legal basis for filing trumped-up charges against labor and civil society activists. It said that the government has been trying to depict the NPA, the Communist Party of the Philippines, and other underground groups as terrorist organizations to justify a militaristic approach that also targets legal labor and civil society organizations.

“We have repeatedly said that the human rights-friendly approach to the armed conflict is engaging in peace talks with the rebels, who stand on legitimate grievances against the government – landlessness, joblessness, corruption, among others. Instead, the government takes on a militaristic approach against the rebels and even expands this approach to include legitimate labor and civil society organizations. That is deplorable,” Deligente stated.