We, the undersigned trade unions, civil society, and human rights organisations from across the ASEAN region and international community, issue this urgent and unequivocal call to our governments ahead of the upcoming ASEAN Summit: outrightly reject the Myanmar military junta’s planned sham election. Anything less would be a betrayal of the people of Myanmar and a stain on the conscience of our entire region.

The junta’s planned election on 28 December 2025 is an illegal, cynical ploy to manufacture a façade of legitimacy for its rule of terror. This is the same military that defied the people’s landslide verdict in 1990 and staged the fraudulent 2010 polls to disguise dictatorship as reform. To believe its promises now is to wilfully disregard history.

A genuine election cannot take place amid mass killings and repression. It is a charade held under the barrel of a gun. The junta has waged war on its own people, killing over 7,300 civilians, arbitrarily detaining more than 29,000, and displacing over 3.5 million. It has outlawed legitimate political parties, imprisoned and tortured democratic leaders, and enacted draconian electoral laws that impose the death penalty for dissent. As the UN Special Rapporteur stated, this is not an election, but a “fraud.” In fact, this process has nothing to do with the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus; it is a unilateral act of a murderous junta that will only exacerbate the conflict.

The international democratic community has taken a firm stand. The European Union has refused to send observers, calling the poll a “regime-sponsored” exercise with only one possible outcome. In Bangkok, parliamentarians from Ireland, the United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and New Zealand reaffirmed their unified rejection of the junta’s so-called election and called for global solidarity with Myanmar’s democracy movement. Respected electoral monitoring bodies, including International IDEA and ANFREL, have unequivocally rejected the junta’s planned election and called it falling short of democratic legitimacy. ASEAN cannot afford to isolate itself by becoming an enabler of this farce.

To grant any form of recognition to this process is to give the junta a green light for more atrocities. This is a regime that bombs villages on holy days and launches airstrikes in the aftermath of earthquakes. Endorsing its electoral charade will only prolong the suffering of millions and add legitimacy to the weapons and aviation fuel it uses to terrorise civilians.

ASEAN member states have a profound moral and international obligation to act. The historic ILO Resolution under Article 33, adopted in June 2025, explicitly calls on all governments to “review… the relations they may have with Myanmar military authorities” to ensure they do not “enable, facilitate or prolong” these gross violations. Likewise, UN Security Council Resolution 2669 and ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus demand an immediate end to violence. Failure to reject this election would render ASEAN complicit in the junta’s crimes against humanity.
The world is watching. ASEAN’s credibility—and its future as a community founded on peace, democracy, and human rights—is at stake. We therefore demand that our leaders issue a clear, firm, and unified statement rejecting the junta’s sham election and refusing to recognise its outcome. There must be no room for vague diplomatic language that the junta can manipulate for its propaganda.

We call specifically on Malaysia, as the 2025 ASEAN Chair, and on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, to demonstrate moral leadership. As a lifelong champion of free and fair elections who has personally endured political persecution, his voice must be the loudest and consistent in upholding democratic values, not just in Malaysia, but across our region.

This is a call for moral clarity, a call to stand on the right side of history.

We urge all governments, institutions, and organisations of conscience to:
• UNEQUIVOCALLY REJECT the Myanmar junta’s sham election.
• REFUSE to send observers or provide any form of technical or political support.
• STAND FIRMLY in solidarity with the people of Myanmar and their legitimate democratic representatives.
— Endorsed by: —
Regional/ International Organisation:
1. BuildingandWoodworkersInternational(BWI)–AsiaPacific
2. EducationInternational(EI)–AsiaPacific
3. IndustriALL–SoutheastAsia
4. InternationalDomesticWorkersFederation(IDWF)–AsiaPacific
5. InternationalFederationofJournalists(IFJ)–AsiaPacific
6. InternationalTradeUnionConfederation(ITUC)–AsiaPacific
7. InternationalTransportWorkers’Federation(ITF)-AsiaPacific
8. InternationalUnionofFood,Agricultural,Hotel,Restaurant,Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) – Asia Pacific
9. PublicServicesInternational(PSI)–AsiaPacific
10. UNI Global Union – Asia Pacific
11. Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA
12. ASEAN Services Employers Trade Union Council (ASETUC)
13.ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR)
14.Asia Democracy Network (ADN)
15. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) 16.Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
17.Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL)
18. Asia Citizen Future Association (ACFA)
19. Movement for Alternatives and Solidarity in Southeast Asia 20. Milk Tea Alliance Friends of Myanmar
21.Campaign for a New Myanmar
22.Burma Campaign UK
23.International Campaign for the Rohingya 24.MilkTeaAlliance Calendar Team
25.Info Birmanie
26. Italia-Birmania.Insieme
ASEAN Member States:
Malaysia (2025 ASEAN Chair):
27. Sabah Timber Industry Employees’ Union (STIEU)
28. Union of Forestry Employees’ Union (UFES)
29. Malay Forestry Officers’ Union (MFOU)
30.Kesatuan Pekerja-Pekerja Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor 31. National Union of Transport Equipment & Allied Industries Workers
Malaysia (NUTEAIW)
32.Sabah Plantation Industries Employees Union (SPIEU)
33.National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE)
34. Sarawak Bank Employees’ Union
35.Malayan Nurses Union
36.Electronic Industry Employees’ Union Western Region Peninsula Malaysia 37.National Union of Journalists – Peninsula Malaysia (NUJM)
38. BERSIH – The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections
39.Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
40.Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM)
41.IKRAM Malaysia
42.Greater Equitable Measures (GEM)
43.Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo
44.Pride In Research
45. Tenaganita
46.North South Initiative (NSI)
47. HAYAT
48. MANDIRI
49. Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (INITIATE.MY) 50.PLUHO, People Like Us Hang Out!
51.Beyond Borders Malaysia
52. Aliran
53. The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall – Civil Rights Committee (KLSCAH-CRC)
54. The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall – Youth Committee (KLSCAH Youth)
55.G25 Malaysia
56.Persatuan Martabat Untuk Semua Petaling Jaya (Martabat PJ) 57. Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek SAMA) 58.Society for the Promotion of Human Rights
59.PUSAT KOMAS
60.To Earth with Love
61.Kachin State Civilian Movement
62. All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
63.Kachin Refugee Learning Centre
64. Muslim Aid Malaysia
65.Rohingya Society in Malaysia (RSM)
66. University of Malaya Association for New Youth (UMANY) 67.Suara Mahasiswa University Malaysia Sabah (UMS)
68. Gerakan Anak Muda Pantai Timur (GEMPUR)
69.Federasi Pemuda Kebangsaan
70. Ikatan Anak Muda Tawau (IKAT)
71.Liga Mahasiswa Malaysia
72.SIS Forum (Malaysia)
Myanmar:
73.⁠Confederation of Trade Unions Myanmar (CTUM)
74. Building and Wood Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (BWFM) 75.Agriculture and Farmer Federation of Myanmar (AFFM)
76. Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM)
77. Food Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (FWFM)
78.Energy Unions Federation of Myanmar (EUFM)
79.Myanmar Railway Workers Union Federation (MRWUF) 80.Myanmar Employer Organization (MEO)
81. Myanmar Labour Alliance (MLA)
82.Progressive Voice (PV)
83.5/ of Zaya State Strike Committee
84. A New Burma (ANB)
85.Action Committee for Democracy Development
86.Ah Nah Podcast – Conversations with Myanmar
87.Anti-coup Forces Coordination Committee (ACFCC -Mandalay) 88. Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon-AJAY
89.Anyar Pyit Taing Htaung Lay Myar
90.Arakan Youth Peace Network (AYPN)
91. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) 92.ASR-ASSOCIATION of SPRING RAINBOW
93. Athan – Freedom of Expression Activist Organisation 94.Aung San Suu Kyi Park Norway
95.AWDO ငဖဲ။
96.AWDOဧရာဝတြီမစ်အေနာကဖ်က်ဖံွ56ဖိ8းတးိ:တကေ်ရးအငအ်ားစ:
97.A-Yar-Taw People Strike Steering Committee 98.Blood Money Campaign (BMC)
99.Budalin Strike Force
100. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
101. Campaign for New Myanmar
102. Chaung Oo Township Youth Strike Committee
103. Chin Community in Norway
104. Civil Information Network (CIN)
105. CRPH & NUG Supporters Ireland
106. CRPH Funding Ireland
107. CRPH Support Group, Norway
108. Dagon University Student’s Union (DUSU)
109. Defend Myanmar Democracy
110. Doh Atu – Ensemble pour le Myanmar
111. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee (Mandalay)
112. Equality Myanmar (EQMM)
113. Federal Myanmar Tourism Committee
114. Federal Myanmar Tourism Union
115. Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC)
116. General Strike Collaboration Committee (GSCC)
117. General Strike Committee of Basic and Higher Education
(GSCBHE)
118. General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB)
119. Generation Wave
120. Generations’ Solidarity Coalition of Nationalities (GSCN)
121. GGWDO ဂနေ် ့ ဂါဖံွ5 6ဖိ8းတးိ: တကေ် ရးအဖဲွ5။
122. Hpakant Hmawlae Strike Force
123. HTY Scout Channel
124. Information & Scout News (Hlaing)
125. Insein Scout Channel
126. Inter Religious Institute for Peace (IRIP)
127. Justice and Equality Focus (JEF)
128. Justice For Myanmar
129. Kachin Association Norway
130. Kalay Township People’s Strike Steering Committee – KPSSC
131. Kanbalu Strike Force
132. Kani Strike Force
133. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
134. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
135. Karen State Civil Society Organization Network (KSCN)
136. K’cho Ethnic Association (Europe)
137. Kyae Lak Myay
138. Kyauktada Strike Committee (KSC)
139. Kyimyindaing Scout Channel
140. Latpadaung Anti-coup Strike Force
141. Latpadaung Region Strike Committee
142. Let’s Help Each Other (LHEO)
143. LGBT Alliance Myanmar
144. Los Angeles Myanmar Movement
145. Magway People’s Revolution Committee
146. Mandalay Medical Family (MFM)
147. Mandalay Strike Force (MSF)
148. MATA စစက် ငိ: း်တငိ: း်
149. MayMyo Strike Force
150. Monywa People’s Strike Steering Committee
151. Monywa-Amyint Road Strike Leading Committee
152. Myanmar Catholic Community In Norway
153. Myanmar Community in Norway
154. Myanmar Hindu Union
155. Myaung People Strike Steering Committee
156. Myaung Youth Network
157. MyaYar Knowledge Tree
158. Myingyan Civilian Movement Committee
159. Network for Human Rights Documentation Burma (ND-Burma)
160. New Step Women Empowerment Group
161. NOK Information & Scout Echo
162. North Dagon & East Dagon News
163. Norway Matu Community
164. Norway Rvwang Community
165. Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica
166. Olive Organization
167. Owl Community
168. Pale Township People’s Strike Steering Committee
169. PDO ပငွ ြ့် ဖ? ဖံွ5 6ဖိ8းတးိ: တကေ် ရးအဖဲွ5
170. People Defense Supporting Force
171. People Strikes Force
172. Progressive Muslim Youth Association (PMYA)
173. Queers of Burma Alternative
174. Rohingya Community in Norway
175. Rohingya Maìyafuìnor Collaborative Network (RMCN)
176. Shwe Bo Strike Force
177. Sisters2Sisters
178. Sitt Nyein Pann Foundation
179. South Dagon Scouting Infos (SDG)
180. Southern Initiatives
181. ⁠Southern Youth Development Organization
182. Ta’ang Students and Youth Union (TSYU)
183. Ta’ang Women’s Organization (TWO)
184. Tamwe Nway Oo Channel
185. Thaketa & Dawbon Scout Channel
186. The Ladies Organization⁠
187. Thint Myat Lo Thu Myar Organization
188. Union of Karenni State Youth (UKSY)
189. University of Medicine Mandalay Student Union Revolutionary
Front (UMMSURF)
190. University Students’ Unions Alumni Force
191. Volunteers in Myanmar
192. Wetlet Revolution Leading Committee
193. White Coat Society Yangon (WCSY)
194. Women Advocacy Coalition – Myanmar (WAC-M)
195. Women Alliance Burma (WAB)
196. Women’s League of Burma (WLB)
197. Yadanabon University Students’ Union (YDNBUSU)
198. Yain Nwehh Par – ယမိ ်းA5ပဲွ ါး (Rainbow Win The Storm – RIS)
199. Yangon Deaf Group
200. Yangon Public Relations
201. Yinmarpin and Salingyi All Villages Strike Committee
202. Youth for Democratization of Myanmar (UDM)
203. Youth Scout For Democracy (YSD)
204. Zomi Christian Fellowship of Norway
205. Zomi Community Norway
206. မငး်ဘးCေတာငသ်မCျားအစအ:ဖဲွ5။
207. မငး်လGေတာငသ်မCျားအစအ:ဖဲွ5။
208. အညာလငွ ြ် ပငရ် ပ်ဝနး်
209. National Youth Congress (NYC)
210. Burma Human Rights Network
211. Karen Swedish Community (KSC)
Philippines:
212. Associated Labor Union (ALU)
213. Burma Solidarity Philippines
214. Federation of Free Workers (FFW)
215. Independent RightPak Employees Union
216. Mitsubishi Motors Workers Union–Philippines
217. National Federation of Labor (NFL)
218. National Public Workers Congress (PUBLIK)
219. National Union of Bank Employees–Insurance and Finance
Organization (NUBE-IFO)
220. National Union of Building and Construction Workers (NUBCW)
221. Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA)
222. PKI Employees Welfare Union
223. PKI Supervisory Union
224. Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK)
225. TF Logistics Philippines Supervisory Union
226. Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP)
227. Union Network International–Philippine Liaison Council (UNI-PLC)
228. Unified Filipino Service Workers (UFSW)
229. Workers Union of Pozzolanic Philippines Inc.
230. Manila Water Employees Union (MWEU)
231. Alliance of Government Workers in the Water Sector (AGWWAS)
232. Philippine Government Employees Association (PGEA)
233. Maynilad Water Supervisors Association (MWSA)
234. Alliance of Filipino Workers (AFW)
235. Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa
(SENTRO)
236. Partido Manggagawa (PM)
237. National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)
238. NAGKAISA Labor Coalition from Philippines
239. Partido Sosyalista
Indonesia:
240. AJI Indonesia
241. Badan Eksekutif Mahasiswa (BEM) STHI Jentera
242. Federasi Kebangkitan Buruh Indonesia (FKUI)
243. Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI)
244. Federasi Serikat Buruh Kerakyatan Indonesia (SERBUK Indonesia)
245. Federasi Serikat Pekerja Bandara Indonesia (FSPBI)
246. Federasi Serikah Buruh Persatuan Indonesia (FSBPI)
247. Federasi Serikat Pekerja Mandiri (FSPM)
248. Federasi Serikat Pekerja Pulp dan Kertas Indonesia (FSP2KI)
249. Federation of Pharmaceutical and Health Workers Union
250. Gabungan Solidaritas Perjuangan Buruh (GSPB)
251. Serikat Buruh Federasi Kehutanan, Industri Umum, Perkayuan dan
Pertanian Konfederasi Serikat Buruh Sejahtera Indonesia (FHUKATAN-
KSBSI)
252. Independent Educator Union Indonesia (INERU Indonesia)
253. Jaringan Nasional Advokasi Pekerja Rumah Tangga (Jala PRT)
254. Keluarga Seni Pinggiran Anti-Kapitalisasi Serikat Pengamen
Indonesia (Kepal SPI)
255. Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia Untuk Keadilan dan Demokrasi (KPI)
256. Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan
(Kontras)
257. Komite IWD Tulungagung
258. Konfederasi Persatuan Buruh Indonesia (KPBI)
259. Koreksi.org
260. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH Jakarta)
261. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum (LBH Makassar)
262. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Surabaya Pos Malang (LBH Pos
Malang)
263. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Bali (LBH Bali)
264. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Surabaya (LBH Surabaya)
265. Local Initiative for Occupational Safety and Health Network
Indonesia (LION)
266. Marsinahid.ID
267. Partai Pembebasan Rakyat (PPR)
268. Sentral Gerakan Buruh Nasional (SGBN)
269. Serikat Buruh Konstruksi Indonesia SBKI)
270. Serikat Pekerja Angkutan Indonesia (SPAI)
271. Serikat Pekerja Kertas Pindo Deli Karawang (SPKPD)
272. Serikat Pekerja Media dan Industri Kreatif untuk Demokrasi
(SINDIKASI)
273. Serikat Pekerja Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum Jakarta (SPPDAM
Jakarta)
274. Serikat Pekerja PT PLN Persero (SP PLN)
275. SP Angkasa Pura Indonesia (SPAP)
276. SPNP (Serikat Pekerja PLN Nusantara Power)
277. Yayasan Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Indonesia – YLBHI (Indonesian
Legal Aid Foundation)
Thailand:
278. Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma Foundation
279. Cross Cultural Foundation (CrCF)
280. Humanitarian Self Help Group
281. Milk Tea Alliance Thailand
282. Friends Against Dictatorship (FAD)
283. ETOs Watch Coalition
284. The Mekong Butterfly
285. Rangsit Area Labour Union Group (RLUG)
286. Workers’ Union Thailand
287. Progressive Movement Foundation, Thailand
Timor-Leste:
288. Timor Leste Press Union (TLPU)
289. Working Women’s Centre Timor-Leste
290. Syndicate Domestic Workers
291. Timor Leste Trade Union Confederation/ Konfederasaun Sindikatu
Tumor Leste (TLTUC/ KSTL)
292. Electricity, Carpenter and Construction Workers Union of Timor
Leste – SITRECC
293. Albano dos Santos
Cambodia:
294. The Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia (BWTUC)
295. Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL)
296. Community Legal Education Center (CLEC)
297. CamboJA
298. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human
Rights (LICADHO)
299. Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Associations (IDEA)
300. Cambodian Institute of Democracy (CID)
301. Free Independent Trade Union Federation (FUFI)
302. Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)
303. Empowering Youth For An Equitable Society (EYES)
304. Equitable Cambodia (EC)
305. Cambodian Tourism Workers Union Federation (CTWUF)
306. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)
307. Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation (CFSWF)
308. Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions (CATU)
309. Labor Rights Supported Union of Khmer Employees of Nagaworld
Singapore:
310. From Singapore to Myanmar (FS2M)
Non-ASEAN states:
Taiwan:
311. Taiwan Association for Human Rights
312. Taiwan Alliance to End the Death Penalty (TAEDP)
313. Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ)

Statement of Unions for Trade Justice on the 4th Round of Negotiations for the PH–EU Free Trade Agreement

Unions for Trade Justice express grave concern over the government’s rush to sign an expansive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union — a deal that could cost us far more than it claims to deliver.

This FTA is far broader than any agreement we’ve ever entered into, intruding into vital areas such as government procurement, competition, investment policy, digital trade, and even minerals. These provisions would allow EU investors to compete with our local industries unhampered by government regulation.

But are Filipino industries ready for that kind of competition? Without a clear industrial policy, the Philippines is negotiating blindly.

Government justifies the rush by saying we must “lock in” the benefits of the EU’s GSP+ before it expires in 2027. But this is a false choice. The GSP+ can be renewed or extended, without surrendering our future policy space.

We must not trade temporary tariff perks for permanent constraints on our right to regulate, develop local industries, and protect our workers.

Even the government’s aim of technology transfer is hollow. EU FTAs ban performance requirements—such as obligations for investors to transfer technology and use local inputs. So how can this deal genuinely help us build our renewable energy sector or advance our industrialization?

We are also alarmed by the digital trade provisions—crafted to protect Big Tech, not our people. Data is the raw material of the digital economy, yet this FTA could hand control of it to foreign corporations and prevent us from regulating them. Even the U.S.A. has realized in its own trade talks in Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Meanwhile, the so-called Trade and Sustainable Development chapter sounds good on paper—but our experience with GSP+ shows that promises on labor and human rights rarely translate into real accountability.

The truth is clear: rushing this FTA is not about development—it’s about giving away our economic sovereignty. If the deal threatens our ability to chart our own economic path, to protect workers, and to build industries that serve our people—then we must stop and rethink.

We ask: Is this FTA what the Philippines truly needs right now? And who really stands to benefit from it? Why the rush?

POWER-SENTRO welcomes the National Electrification Administration’s move to suspend Memorandum No. 2023-52 — a policy that sought to impose unnecessary and burdensome layers on the collective bargaining process in electric cooperatives.

While this suspension is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. NEA must fully rescind this anti-worker policy that violates workers’ fundamental right to freely negotiate their Collective Bargaining Agreements — a right protected under ILO Convention 98.
The NEA should also desist from interfering in labor relations — matters that rightfully fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). No other policy should ever be issued that undermines workers’ fundamental right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.

This victory reminds us all: when workers fight, we win!

The Inquirer’s editorial, “Another promise for farmers, fisherfolk” (Oct. 20, 2025), rightly points out how government pledges to uplift the lives of those who feed the nation often remain unfulfilled. What is often forgotten is that there already exist many laws designed to protect agricultural and fish workers — they are simply not enforced.

A case in point is Department Order No. 156-16, the Rules and Regulations Governing the Working and Living Conditions of Fishers on Board Fishing Vessels Engaged in Commercial Fishing Operations, issued by then Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz in 2016. This landmark regulation was supposed to ensure that fish workers receive the minimum wages, social protection, and occupational safety they are entitled to under the Labor Code.

Yet, its enforcement was suspended in 2016 by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III at the behest of commercial fishing and canning interests. It was finally enforced only in 2018. Nearly seven years later, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) claims to have inspected only 220 vessels, covering about 11,760 fish workers — a minuscule share of the 5,557 registered commercial fishing vessels as of 2020, roughly half of which operate in Mindanao.

While DOLE boasts of higher compliance rates in 2025 — 76% for General Labor Standards and 68% for Occupational Safety — there is no evidence that fish workers are actually receiving minimum wages or statutory benefits. Instead, most remain trapped in an archaic share system where they get a small and opaque cut of the catch’s proceeds. An internal survey by Fishworkers Solidarity in General Santos found that many crew members end up with no salary at all after deductions for “advances” made by their families — a situation amounting to forced labor under ILO standards.

Even worse, this year DOLE Region XII, reportedly in coordination with commercial fishing operators, has begun drafting amendments to DO 156 that would remove all references to minimum wage and benefits — effectively gutting the very protection the order was meant to provide.

DO 156 was born out of tragedy: after SENTRO and the International Union of Foodworkers (IUF) helped repatriate 42 crew members of the Love Merben II in 2015, who had been jailed in Ternate Island for almost a year without government help. Weakening this order now would be a betrayal of that struggle and of every fish worker who risks life and limb at sea.
Promises mean nothing if existing laws remain paper tigers. It’s time the government stops yielding to industry pressure and finally enforces DO 156 in full.

—-
Inquirer, “Another promise for farmers, fisherfolk” –
https://opinion.inquirer.net/186846/another-promise-for-farmers-fisherfolk