AMA Sugbo - KMU

25/05/2026

IN PHOTOS | AMA Sugbo-KMU, along with other sectoral groups, joins friends, and former colleagues of UP Cebu alumnus Vince Francis “Ding” Dingding in a parangal to commemorate him yesterday evening, May 24, at the UP Performing Arts Hall.

A holy mass was held to begin the program. The homily was about the importance of waging the national democratic struggle and how armed struggle exists in today's worsening socio-economic conditions and political turmoil. After the homily, dinner was held and a series of tributes commenced afterwards.

The tributes consisted of dedication messages from Ding's friends and former colleagues, and cultural performances. These illustrated who Ding was to people around him and how Ding, along with members of Cauayan 5, took up armed struggle not impulsively, but out of disillusionment with the current system and its legal forms of struggle.

Ding was known to be smart, silly, warm, and kind to everyone around him. Friends, former colleagues, and the people he has met loved him dearly, be it through their few interactions with him or the time they spent together in upholding mass campaigns in and outside campus grounds.

The state has taken away a brave and wonderful soul from his friends and the masses.

With this, AMA Sugbo-KMU strongly asserts that the government should address the socio-economic roots of armed conflict and resume peace talks. The country will never be at peace so long as prevailing issues of corruption, landlessness, and impunity exist.

24/05/2026

IN PHOTOS | AMA Sugbo-KMU, along with other sectoral groups, joins friends, former colleagues, and teachers of UP Cebu alumnus Vince Francis “Ding” Dingding in a vigil honoring his memory yesterday evening, May 23, at the UP Cebu Undergraduate Building lobby.

A holy mass and a tribute were held for Ding and the rest of Cauayan 5. We recollected memories of Ding who spent a meaningful life serving the students, workers, and farmers, among others.

Ding, alongside fellow revolutionaries Gilbert Tingson, Jobert Casipong, Alex Languita, and Rolando Dantes, was martyred in Cauayan, Negros Occidental on May 16 during an alleged encounter with the Philippine Army. AMA Sugbo-KMU reiterates our call to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident for possible violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in light of the notorious history of the AFP.

We also remain steadfast in calling on the government to address the socio-economic roots of armed conflict. This is the only effective way to resolve the decades-old armed struggle in the country.

22/05/2026

After graduating, Dingding volunteered with labor organizations and immersed himself in workers’ communities, where he witnessed firsthand the conditions faced by laborers and urban poor families.
Jaime Paglinawan, chairperson of Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo–Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU), said Dingding dedicated his life to serving marginalized sectors.
“Human siya ni-graduate, nag-volunteer siya sa AMA Sugbo. Didto niya nakita ang tinuod nga kahimtang sa mamumuo — ubos nga sweldo, contractualization, ug mga pamilya nga nagpuyo sa barong-barong,” Paglinawan said.
(“After he graduated, he volunteered at AMA Sugbo. There he saw the real situation of workers — low wages, contractualization, and families living in makeshift houses.”)
Paglinawan recalled how Dingding accompanied workers back to their rented homes after work, exposing himself to the realities of urban poverty.
According to him, those experiences deepened Dingding’s commitment to labor and peasant causes and eventually led him to work alongside farmers in Negros Occidental.
“Nagdesisyon siya nga moadto sa Negros aron mokuyog sa mga mag-uuma didto. Ang Negros nahimong massacre capital sa Pilipinas ug simbolo sa yutang kontrolado sa mga haciendero,” he said.
(“He decided to go to Negros to join the farmers there. Negros has become the massacre capital of the Philippines and a symbol of land controlled by hacienderos.”)

Tribute for slain alumnus of the University of the Philippines Cebu, Vince Dingding, revives calls for justice.

21/05/2026

LOOK: AMA Sugbo-KMU Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan explains who Vince Francis "Ding" Dingding was, how he came to help the workers, and what the Negros workers face.

Mabuhay ka, Ding!

21/05/2026

AFP, STOP INTERFERING IN THE HANDLING OF DING'S REMAINS!
STOP THE HARASSMENT! STOP THE INTIMIDATION!

Friends and former colleagues of Vince Francis “Ding” Dingding, one of the five slain revolutionaries known as the Cauayan 5, who offered flowers and prayers for Ding at the funeral home were harassed and subjected to intimidation by AFP soldiers carrying long fi****ms, as well as surveillance by non-uniformed AFP assets.

Karapatan Central Visayas has reported the continued presence of non-uniformed individuals identifying themselves as AFP Visayas Command personnel around Ding’s family residence since May 18. In this context, the family issued a letter authorizing Barangay Captain Hon. Kelly Quijada to coordinate with Cauayan Mayor John Rey Tabujara for the burial arrangements, as they would no longer claim Ding’s remains. Despite this clear authorization, AFP personnel have continued to intervene in the handling of the remains, ordering the funeral home to place it in a crate without the family’s knowledge, with no clear information provided regarding its purpose or destination. While surveillance of the family residence intensified, the family eventually agreed for the military to facilitate the burial arrangements.

AMA Sugbo-KMU condemns these clear acts of surveillance, harassment, and intimidation of the AFP on the bereaved family. The continued presence of non-uniformed AFP personnel around the Dingding residence is creating an atmosphere of terror and pressure that may curtail the family’s freedom to decide regarding the remains. Let us not forget the AFP’s grave mishandling of the remains of the Toboso 19, as documented in an autopsy by renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun. This included the misidentification of one victim, Errol Wendel, whose family was given the wrong body.

We urge the AFP to stop interfering in the handling of Ding’s remains and to immediately withdraw its personnel from the family’s residence, which is a private civilian space.

The AFP and the NTF-ELCAC should stop taking advantage of the situation to advance their self-interest in demonizing activists and revolutionaries who, driven by frustration with the defective justice system in the country, have resorted to taking up arms as what they see as the only remaining way to effectively address the long-standing issues of inequality, poverty, and injustice.

The AFP and the NTF-ELCAC are also attempting to frame the discussion around Ding’s death using the narrative of “brainwashed youth” in order to divert attention away from the social conditions that continue to push farmers, workers, the urban poor, professionals, and students toward armed struggle. These include landlessness, low wages, job insecurity, rampant corruption of public funds, and lack of accountability among government officials, among others.

The NTF-ELCAC is not helping in genuinely addressing these issues but instead contributes to their persistence. Thus, we also call for the abolition of the NTF-ELCAC and for its budget to be redirected toward sustainable government programs that address these root causes.

As long as these dire conditions continue to victimize the Filipino people, no amount of black propaganda and twisted narratives can end the armed conflict in our country. Now is the time to confront these issues directly and address the socio-economic roots of armed conflict to pave the way for a just and lasting peace.

19/05/2026

Cebu Labor Group Pays Tribute to Fallen Cebuano Revolutionary Martyr in Negros, Calls for Investigation into Possible IHL Violations

Press Release
May 19, 2026

Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo-Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) paid its highest tribute to Vince Francis “Ding” Dingding who was martyred along with four others as revolutionary fighters of the New People’s Army (NPA) last May 16, 2026 in Cauayan, Negros Occidental. The labor group also joined calls to investigate the incident for possible human rights violations.

Dingding graduated from UP Cebu with a BS in Computer Science. After graduating, he joined the workforce as a BPO programmer providing cheap outsourced IT services for foreign corporations. He experienced firsthand the labor exploitation he had previously only heard of during immersions as a student leader in college. He later joined a BPO workers’ association, helping organize employees to fight labor violations, particularly salary disputes.

“Bitbiton na ni Ding sauna iyang mga kaubang estudyante aron makighamamat namo ug makahibaw unsaon sila makasuporta sa among mga pakigbisog. Maong katong siya na mismo ang nahimong mamumuo ug nakasinati napud sa ubos nga suholan, dili na lisod para niya sabton nganung kinahanglan mag-organisa ug makigbisog,” said AMA Sugbo-KMU Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan.

(Ding would bring his fellow students to meet with us and find out how they can support our struggles. So when he himself became a worker and experienced low wages, it was not difficult for him to understand why we need to organize and struggle.)

Dingding devoted himself full-time to labor organizing not long after. Through AMA Sugbo-KMU, he helped unions fight for meaningful Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) and supported the historic struggle of contractual workers at Coca-Cola and Liwayway Holdings Company Limited in Cebu for regularization—the first major campaigns of their kind led by contractual workers on the island.

“Si Ding to ang mo suwat ug layout sa among mga flyers, press releases, ug uban pa. Dako gyud to og tampo sa pagpalanog sa among mga isyu ug demanda ngadto sa media ug publiko, sa paglapad sa suportang nakuha namo, ug sa mga kadaugang among nakab-ot. Mapasalamaton kaayo mi nga gipili niyang igahin iyang kaalam ug talento diri kanamong mga mamumuo,” Paglinawan recalled.

(Ding would write and layout our flyers, press releases, and more which really contributed to making our issues and demands heard to the media and the public. This also contributed to expanding the support we received and the victories we achieved. We are very grateful that he chose to share his wisdom and talent with us workers.)

He said that they understand Dingding’s decision to join the revolutionary ranks of the NPA, noting that current worsening economic and political crises make armed resistance not only inevitable but necessary. He added that the labor movement itself has produced revolutionary fighters throughout history.

“Para namong mga mamumuo, dili lisod sabton ang desisyon ni Ding nga mag NPA. Bisan sa kasaysayan, ang founder sa NPA kanhing mamumuo sa umahan. Tungod ni kay adlaw-adlaw nga kasinatian sa usa ka mamumuo ang kalisdanan, pagpahimulos, ug pagpanglupig--gikan pa lang sa kaubos sa sweldo ug walay kaseguradohan sa trabaho, hulgang ma demolish ang among panimalay sa urban poor communities, pagpa-eskwela sa among mga anak atol sa nagkataas nga tuition, bisan man lang gani sa simpleng pagpakaon sa among pamilya lisod na kaayo,” Paglinawan lamented.

(For us workers, it's not hard to understand Ding's decision to join the NPA. Even in history, the founder of the NPA is a former farm worker. This is because hardship, exploitation, and oppression are daily experiences of workers--from job insecurity and low wages at work, constant threat of being displaced from our homes in urban poor communities, barely sending our children to school amid rising tuition fees, to even simply feeding our family is becoming increasingly difficult.)

He further explained that such daily lived experiences of ordinary Filipinos—not any school or affiliation—are what drive many to take up arms in pursuit of meaningful societal change. He added that the injustices in the country have become even more evident today, pointing to officials who continue to evade accountability, while ordinary people who choose to stand against these injustices are easily threatened, abducted, or killed.

“Anaa si Zaldy Co ug uban niyang ka kuntsabo nga wa pa gyud napriso atol sa flood control project scandal, si Sen. Bato dela Rosa nga dakponon sa iyang ICC arrest warrant pero gidepensahan sa iyang mga kaubang senador, si VP Sara Duterte nga gidapigan sa mga senador ug congressman taliwala sa iyang korapsyon sa confidential funds, ug ang mismong presidente natong si Bongbong Marcos nga padayong nagpaka-itoy sa Estados Unidos nga nagbutang nato sa risgo atol sa mga gyera niini batok sa lain-laing nasud,” he expounded.

(There is Zaldy Co and his other accomplices who have not yet been imprisoned in the flood control project scandal, Sen. Bato dela Rosa who is subject to an ICC arrest warrant but is being defended by his fellow senators, VP Sara Duterte who is being backed by senators and congressmen amid corruption allegations of over confidential funds, and our own president Bongbong Marcos who continues to be a puppet of the United States, putting us at risk amid its wars against various nations.)

Paglinawan said it is therefore not surprising that people like Dingding eventually become disillusioned with legal forms of struggle, which are made futile by a rotten system dominated by landlords, big compradors, and bureaucrat capitalists. He reiterated the call for an investigation into the incident for possible violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), citing the long history of human rights violations by the Philippine military, including the killing of two other Cebuano revolutionaries, Hannah Cesista and Nikka dela Cruz, in 2022 and 2024 who were reportedly hors de combat.




FOR REFERENCE:

Jaime Paglinawan Sr.
Chairperson, AMA Sugbo-KMU

15/05/2026

𝗪𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗗: 𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗔 𝗗𝗨𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗘 𝗨𝗚 𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗔 𝗥𝗢𝗦𝗔 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗢𝗕𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗢𝗙 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘!

Tataw sa katawhan nga ang mga bag-ong panghitabo sa Senado nagpadagway nga ang atong panggobyerno nagpanalipod lamang sa ilang tagsa-tagsa nga interes, labi na sa pagprotekta sa pamilyang Duterte.

Imbes tagaan og taas nga atensyon ang pag-impeach ni Sara Duterte ug arestohon si Bato dela Rosa sa iyang kasong Crimes Against Humanity, gipaningkamotan na hinuon sa mga senador nga mapakyas kini ug mapalangay ang angay nga hustisya sa ilang mga krimen sa katawhang Pilipino.

Paspas pud silang migamit sa “due process” para makalikay sa pag-atubang sa hustisya, usa ka katungod nga wa natagamtam sa liboan ka mga biktima sa extrajudicial killings, gama-gama nga kaso ug uban pang pagpanglapas.

Angay lang nga manubag na si Sara Duterte, Bato dela Rosa, ug mga kroni ni Rodrigo Duterte sa ilang mga krimen sa korapsyon ug pagpamasista. Samtang ingani ang sistema, wala na tay pagdahum nga ipaagi sa pipila lamang ka tawo, nga mismong nagbitbit pud sa ilang interes, ang mohatag sa tinuoray nga hustisya nga gihikaw kanato. Maong mas panahon na magkahiusa ug makigbisog ang katawhang Pilipino nga masakmit kini pinaagi sa iyang mismong mga kamot!

𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙨𝙮𝙤𝙣 𝙪𝙣𝙮𝙖 𝙨𝙖 𝙁𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙤𝙢 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠!

𝗣𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗔 𝗨𝗚 𝗢𝗥𝗔𝗦: May 15, 5:00 PM
𝗟𝗨𝗚𝗔𝗥: Freedom Park, Carbon

SARA PANAGUTIN!
BATO ARESTOHIN!

08/05/2026

Cebu Labor Alliance Condemns Arrest of Four Environmental Activists During Peaceful Protest at ASEAN Summit in Cebu

We at AMA Sugbo-KMU condemn the arrest of four environmental activists from Greenpeace Southeast Asia earlier today, May 8, 2026, while they were peacefully staging a protest calling on ASEAN leaders to address the worsening plastic and waste crisis that has led to landfill collapses, toxic fires, polluted air, and rampant plastic pollution across the region.

We previously worked with Greenpeace during the Binaliw landfill tragedy, which claimed the lives of 39 waste workers. Together, we campaigned to investigate the incident and hold Prime Waste Solutions Cebu and concerned government agencies accountable for the labor violations and environmental neglect uncovered during our joint fact-finding missions with other environmental groups. Through our shared commitment to justice, we helped workers and residents establish the Justice for Prime Waste 39 Network. This alone is a testament to the noble and necessary work of environmental activists in the struggle against climate injustice and social oppression.

This attack is no different from previous acts of harassment and repression carried out by the fascist state against activists and advocates. Last September 2025, AMA Sugbo-KMU Chairperson Jaime Paglinawan and Secretary General Howell Villacrucis faced trumped-up charges for protesting against the flood control corruption scandal. Prior to this, Paglinawan was accused in 2023 under fabricated terrorism financing allegations — a growing tactic increasingly weaponized by the state against activists — while Villacrucis was arrested the same year during a protest opposing the demolition of a workers’ community.

It is clear that the state would rather intimidate, silence, and persecute activists than hold accountable the politicians and officials involved in corruption and in enabling corporations responsible for the worsening climate and plastic crisis. In the Philippines, policies such as the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998 continue to protect and accommodate corporations engaged in the destruction of our natural resources. Meanwhile, many government officials and political dynasties themselves such as the Villars, DND Secretary Teodoro, Senator Gatchallian, among others have links to mining-related corporations, reclamations, and other large business interests that profit off environmentally destructive projects.

This repression parallels the government’s neglect of the people, seen in the attempts to cover up impoverished communities along the route of the summit and the imposition of “no work, no pay” holidays across the tri-cities to mitigate traffic for the summit. These actions reveal the government’s priority of impressing ASEAN leaders to convince them to align themselves with the interests and agenda of the United States in its political and economic maneuvers in the region.

AMA Sugbo-KMU calls for the immediate release of the environmental activists and an end to all attacks against activists and advocates. Instead of criminalizing those who defend the people and the environment, the government should focus its resources on addressing the urgent demands of the masses amid a worsening global crisis.

02/05/2026

PRESS RELEASE
May 2, 2026

AMA SUGBO-KMU CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL LABOR DAY ALONG WITH OTHER GROUPS, CALLING FOR AN IMPLEMENTATION OF A NATIONAL FAMILY LIVING WAGE OF ₱1,200, END TO MARCOS JR. SUBSERVIENCE TO THE US, AND STRENGTHENING OF UNIONISM AND WORKERS MOVEMENT.

Alyansa sa mga Mamumuo sa Sugbo – Kilusang Mayo Uno (AMA Sugbo-KMU) held a protest rally yesterday along with other labor groups and allied organizations under Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Central Visayas. They gathered first at P. Del Rosario for the joint labor program, then proceeded to their own program at Metro Colon.

Central Visayas holds the second highest cost of living in the country with a Family Living Wage amounting to ₱1,392 per day as of April 2026. The poorest Filipino families, which include workers, urban poor and peasants, could lose 16.2% of their annual income, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. The working class bears the brunt of the rising cost of goods due to the skyrocketing price caused by the US-instigated conflict in the Middle East.

“Atubangan sa krisis gumikan sa gubat sa Middle East, nagdeklara si Marcos Jr. og ‘No wage increase’ para sa mga mamumuo. Dugay nang gisinggit sa mga mamumuo nga dili paigo ang ₱540 nga minimum nga suhulan sa Central Visayas, ug karon dakong insulto ang tubag ni Marcos Jr. ug tataw kaayo nga wala siya nakasabot ug nakatungkad sa reyalidad sa kinabuhi sa ordinaryong Pilipino. Hoy, presidente, paminawa ang yangongo sa mamumuong Pilipino. Ipatuman na ang ₱1,200 Family Living Wage nationwide,” AMA Sugbo-KMU Secretary General Howell Villacrucis said.

(In the face of the crisis caused by the war in the Middle East, Marcos Jr. declared “No wage increase” for the workers. Workers have long voiced out that ₱540 minimum wage in Central Visayas is not enough, and now Marcos Jr.’s answer is a huge insult and it is clear that he does not understand and fathom the reality of the lives of the ordinary Filipino. Hey, president, listen to the grievances of Filipino workers. Implement the P1,200 Family Living Wage nationwide.)

The recent conflict in the Middle East brings to question the establishment of US military bases in 9 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the Philippines, which is a clear and gross violation of national sovereignty. As the 2026 Balikatan Exercises commenced in April, the Philippines remains part of the First Island Chain plan of US against China. This puts Filipino lives and livelihoods at risk, as these exercises provoke instability and conflict in the region. Opening the Philippines to become a theatre of war by imperial powers only shows that Marcos is nothing more than a puppet of the US.

Villacrucis also said that, “Imbes nga tubagon ang mga simpleng demanda ug hatagan og solusyon ang suliran sa mga mamumuo ug katawhang Pilipino, gi-una ni Marcos Jr. ang paghalok sa sampot sa iyang amo nga Imperyalistang US ug si Donald Trump. Nagpahigayon karon og Balikatan Exercises nga gisalmotan og 17,000 ka langyaw nga tropang militar, nga klarong pagpanghagit sa US sa iyang pinakadakong karibal nga China. Nakita nato human pa-traydor nga gibombahan sa US ug Israel ang Iran, ang balos-atake sa Iran gidirekta sa mga nasud kung asa nagbarog ang mga US Military bases. Mao usab na ang tuyo sa US sa pagtukod niya og siyam (9) ka US Military Bases kon EDCA Sites dire sa atong nasud. Guyuron ta sa US sa gubat tali sa China ug himoon kitang nataran sa gubat. Maong lakip sa atong gipanawagan karon sa Labor Day: Ihunong ang mga Gyerang Agresyon sa US!”

(Instead of responding to the simple demands and providing solutions to the problems of the workers and the Filipino people, Marcos Jr.’s first priority is kissing-ass to his master, US imperialists and Donald Trump. Currently, the Balikatan Exercises are being held and are attended by 17,000 foreign troops, which is a clear provocation by the US against its biggest rival, China. After the US and Israel's treacherous bombing of Iran, we saw that the counter-offensive of Iran was directed against the countries hosting US Military bases. This is also the same objective of the US in its establishment of nine US Military bases or EDCA sites here in our country. The US will drag us into a war with China and we will become the theatre of war. That is why this Labor Day we also call: Stop the US Wars of Aggression!)

Tax revenues from excise tax and VAT on petroleum products amount to more than ₱400 billion annually, yet social services remain under-funded and corruption rampant. At the same time, our economy relies on the import of products and capital from foreign countries. This means price increase becomes automatic when global crisis erupts. AMA Sugbo-KMU stands that only through national industrialization can we avoid or dampen the effects of global crisis.

When asked for a solution on the rising prices, Villacrucis presented that, “Isip hinanaling solusyon, dapat langkaton karon dayon ni Marcos ang excise tax ug Value-Added Tax (VAT) sa produktong petrolyo ug nangunang palaliton. Maghatag kini og gamay’ng pag-alwas sa grabeng kalisod sa hut-ong mamumuo ug sa katawhang Pilipino. Ug para sa mas malungtarong solusyon, dapat magtukod ang gobyerno og mga industriya nga gikan sa Pilipinas ang hilaw nga materyales, dinhi sa Pilipinas ang produksyon, ug dinhi sad sa Pilipinas ang nangunang merkado. Mao na ang atong gitawag nga nasudnong industriyalisasyon. Kini ang mahimong sulbad sa krisis.”

(As an urgent solution, Marcos should immediately remove excise tax and Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products and primary goods. This will give a little relief to the suffering of the working class and the Filipino people. And for a more long-term solution, the government should establish industries wherein raw materials come from the Philippines, the production is done in the Philippines, and the primary market for these is Philippines. That is what we call national industrialization. This shall be the solution to the crisis.)

Concluding Mayo Uno, Villacrucis said, "Itukod ang mga organisasyon, asosasyon, mga unyon sa mga mamumuo ug itukod ang gobyerno sa katawhan."

(Build organizations, associations, unions for the workers and build a government for the people.)

The fight for wage increase and regularization does not end here. It will continue to persist as long as the people are still suffering from low wages, neoliberal labor policies, and unsafe working conditions. Workers must get organized, build unions, and mobilize more to uphold demands until the US-Marcos regime gives in. Workers must also raise their struggles to the broader masses and link arms with various sectors to strengthen and expand the workers’ movement. # # #

(Photo by Cris Fernan Bayaga from Bulatlat)

REFERENCE:
Howell D. Villacrucis
Secretary General, AMA Sugbo-KMU

01/05/2026

HAPPENING NOW: AMA Sugbo-KMU Howell Villacrucis is speaking at Metro Colon, starting the line-up of speakers of various sectors with the workers' rights to livable wages and regulation, and how imperialism affects the workers.

SALMOT NA SA MAYO UNO MOB SA METRO COLON!