KMU Southern Mindanao

18/08/2026

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Southern Mindanao lambasts NBI "rescue operation" on Davao steel workers, urges immediate release of wages and economic assistance

More than 300 workers of Davao Mighty Steel (DMS) Corporation were left jobless after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) conducted a raid on the company’s facility in Ilang, Davao City on August 13, 2026 over allegations involving the possession of radioactive materials, fumes exposure, and labor violations. Due to the raid, the company's premises were shut down, resulting in the immediate displacement of hundreds of workers.

To sugarcoat the said operation, the authorities portrayed the operation as a “rescue mission” meant to rescue the workers from the risk of radioactive materials exposure. However, testimonies from affected workers paint a starkly different picture.

According to workers present during the raid, heavily armed government operatives entered the facility at night, pointed fi****ms at employees, and ordered them to line up while the operation was underway. Some workers reported that operatives confiscated personal belongings such as phones and cash.

Rather than feeling rescued, workers described experiencing fear, intimidation, and uncertainty. More troubling is what happened after the raid: the same government agencies that claimed to have acted in the workers' interest provided no immediate assistance, livelihood support, or clear plan for the hundreds of employees who suddenly lost their jobs and source of income.

If this was truly a rescue operation, where is the rescue for workers who now face unemployment, uncertainty, and the prospect of feeding their families without a steady income?

KMU-Southern Mindanao strongly condemns the government's attempt to frame this operation as a humanitarian intervention while ignoring its devastating impact on workers. This egregious act of the law enforcement agencies is another testament to the Marcos Jr. government’s being anti-worker and anti-people. While authorities readily deploy armed personnel and conduct high-profile operations, they remain absent when workers need economic assistance, employment protection, and social support.

KMU-Southern Mindanao calls on workers and the Filipino people to look beyond the government's rhetoric and examine the real consequences of its actions. We urge the immediate release of the pending two-weeks worth of wages owed to the workers before the shutdown. We stand in solidarity with the displaced Davao Mighty Steel workers and demand immediate assistance, protection of their rights, and accountability from the agencies responsible for the operation and its aftermath.

14/08/2026

An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.

Ginakundena sa Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Southern Mindanao ang pagpagula sa korte og warrant of arrest kang KMU National Chairperson Jerome Adonis ug Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK) spokesperson Jacq Ruiz base sa tinumo-tumo nga kasong paglapas sa Revised Penal Code Article 153 (artikulo mahitungod sa tumults and other disturbances of public order) atol sa Labor Day protest ning tuiga didto sa kaulohan. Gikasubo sa mga kauban ug kabanay nila Ka Jerome ug Jacq nga adunay warrant maski wala niagi sa tarong nga proseso ug preliminary investigation. Gibasura na sab sa piskalya ang usa pa ka kapareho nga kaso tungod sa kakulangon sa ebidensya ug basehanan.

Ang tinumo-tumo nga kaso batok kina Ka Jerome ug Jacq kay timailhan sa padayong pagpamig-ot sa katawhan nga buot muprotesta batok sa pagka inutil sa rehimeng Marcos Jr. nga tubagon ang mga nag-unang mulo sa mga mamumuo ug katawhang Pilipino susama sa ubos nga suholan; nagkataas nga tantos sa disempleyo o kawalay trabaho; pagsulod sa mga dagkong langyawng interes dinhi sa Pilipinas pinaagi sa Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, Balikatan execises ug Pax Silica; ug pagpanglutos sa mga unyon ug organisador pinaagi sa surveillance, harassment, arbitraryong pagpangdakop ug detensyon, enforced disappearance, ug extrajudicial killings. Sa Southern Mindanao, nigrabe ang militarisasyon ug nikaylap ang red-tagging nga maoy hinungdan sa pagpanghulga sa mga lider-mamumuo ug unyonista sa mga probinsya sa rehiyon ug pugos nga pagwala sa organisador nga si William Lariosa sa mga elemento sa Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sa Quezon, Bukidnon.

Kusganong ginabarugan sa KMU nga usa ka batakang katungod ang pagprotesta, paghugpong, ug pagpadayag sa mga lehitimong panawagan alang sa makabuhing suholan, maayong kahimtang sa pagpanarbaho, ug uban pang mga makatarunganong demanda. Ginadasig namo ang tanan nga magpakabana ug molihok kita para sa atong mga demokratikong katungod ug pakyason ang pasistang atake ug maniobra sa rehimeng Marcos Jr. batok sa kalihukang mamumuo ug halapad nga katawhang nakigbisog.

Hands off Jerome Adonis! Hands off Filipino workers!

Mga kalabot nga post:
(1) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EAAqU3gdX/
(2) https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Bx3Re1bmL/

13/08/2026

HANDS OFF JEROME ADONIS!
HANDS OFF FILIPINO WORKERS!

Ngayong araw, tinangka ng kapulisan na arestuhin si KMU Chairperson Jerome Adonis dahil sa Warrant of Arrest. Nagmula ang mga gawa-gawang kaso sa matagumpay na pagkilos noong Mayo Uno - Pandaigdigang Araw ng Uring Manggagawa. Kasama ding kinasuhan sina Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan Spokesperson Jacq Ruiz at iba pang lider.

Ito ang ikalawang kasong kinakaharap ni Chairperson Jerome Adonis kaugnay ng protesta noong Mayo Uno. Kinasuhan din siya at ang iba pang lider ng paglabag sa Batas Pambansa 880.

Nahaharap ngayon ang mga manggagawa sa matinding laban upang ipagtanggol ang kanilang kabuhayan. Lumalakas ang panawagan para sa nakabubuhay na sahod, regular at disenteng trabaho, at pagkilala sa kanilang mga karapatang unyon. Naghahanda ang mga manggagawang palakasin ang kanilang mga protesta sa harap ng tumitinding interbensyon ng US sa ekonomya, pulitika, at militar ng Pilipinas. Nagbibigkis sila para sa pagtatatag ng tunay na industriyang mag-aambag sa pag-unlad ng bayan, sa harap ng pagtutulak ng gubyerno ng Pax Silica. Sa lahat ng ito, paniniil ang tugon ng gubyerno.

Ang atake kay Jerome Adonis ay atake laban sa buong kilusang manggagawa. Isa itong atake sa batayang karapatan ng mamamayan na magpahayag at magprotesta laban sa pagsasamantala at pang-aapi.

Wala tayong ibang maaasahan kundi ang ating pagkakaisa. Magtulungan tayo upang tiyakin ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kapwa manggagawa; upang ipanawagan na ibasura ang mga gawa-gawang kaso laban sa kanila at sa iba pang lider at manggagawa; at upang labanan ang nagpapatuloy na atake ng gubyerno sa ating mga demokratikong karapatan.

Pagtulungan nating bunuin ang halaga para sa bail at legal defense fund sa mga sumusunod:
GCASH
Maria Elena P
09519251037

Bank Name: EASTWEST BANK
Account Name: Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)
Account Number: 200056974139
SWIFT CODE: EWBCPHMM###

13/08/2026

13/08/2026

Warrant of arrest v.s. Labor leaders part of government crackdown on dissent

Militant labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno strongly condemned the issuance of a Warrant of Arrest against KMU Chairperson Jerome Adonis and Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan Spokesperson Jacq Ruiz for trumped-up charges of violating Article 153 of the Revised Penal Code during the Labor Day protest this year.

The group slammed the decision of Judge Bernadette A. Eugenio-Tumacder, citing that no preliminary investigation was done to verify the truth behind the Manila Police District’s allegations. KMU pointed out that the same charges were already dismissed by the Office of the Prosecutor for lack of evidence.

“Pambihira nga naman, talagang itinaon ng gubyerno ang paglalabas ng warrant kung kailan lumalakas ang pagkilos ng mga manggagawa para sa makabuluhang dagdag-sahod.” said KMU Chairperson Jerome Adonis.

KMU asserted that this is part of the government’s continuing crackdown on peoples’ right to protest - citing violent dispersals and mass arrests on September 21, Labor Day, and during Bongbong Marcos’s 5th State of the Nation Address.

"Bongbong umaalingasaw ang pagkabulok mo. Isinasadlak mo sa hirap ang mamamayan habang nagpapakabundat ka, ang mga kapwa mo kurakot, at ang amo mong si Donald Trump. 'Yan ang dahilan ng aming protesta sa Mayo Uno - Araw ng Uring Manggagawa, at ng patuloy naming paglaban." the labor leader said.

The group called on Filipino people to continue protesting for their rights and welfare amid the government’s clear attack on peoples’ democratic rights.

“Hindi mabubusalan ng gubyerno ang boses ng taumbayan. Walang ibang sagot sa pananakot ng gubyerno kundi tibayan ang ating loob, at ipagpatuloy ang ating protesta." Adonis said.

"Makatwiran ang ating mga panawagan: para sa nakabubuhay na sahod, regular na trabaho, at karapatan sa harap ng pagkakaladkad ng gubyerno sa mga manggagawa sa gera at krisis. Makatwiran ang lumaban!” Adonis ended.

12/08/2026

Analysis and commentary by BAYAN President Renato Reyes Jr. (August 12, 2026):

Marcos 2027 budget — Preserving the status quo amid resilient corruption

Tuwing bumabagyo at bumabaha, tanong ng taumbayan, saan ba napupunta ang buwis na binabayaran natin? Bakit lagi na lang kalunos-lunos ang kalagayan ng mamamayan? Suriin natin ang proposed 2027 budget ni Marcos Jr.

In his budget message upon the submission of the National Expenditure Program, President Bongbong Marcos Jr said that his proposed budget “reflects our unwavering commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and prosperous nation”. He calls the proposed 2027 budget as a “strategic investment in the Filipino people and in our country’s future.” This is again the biggest proposed budget in history, now at P7.2 trillion compared to this year’s P6.79 trillion and last year’s P6.32 trillion.

This year’s budget message carries the theme “people-centered growth for an inclusive and resilient future.” But looking at the submitted NEP, we see a budget that seeks to preserve the rotten status quo that has deprived millions of Filipinos a decent future.

The national budget is not just a document containing the line items and funding for programs, activities and projects. The budget is a policy statement on the priorities of the national government. Here we see what the real priorities of Marcos Jr. The regime has no program for national industrialization and genuine land reform and economic self-reliance. It merely upholds the backward, pre-industrial economic set up and the old foreign-investment-led, export-oriented, import-dependent and debt-driven economy. Marcos hails the World Bank’s classification of the Philippines as an upper-middle income economy even if by his own admission, economic growth has been sluggish in 2026 and that the peso has significantly weakened.

Debt servicing on interest payments alone for 2027 is at P1.114 trillion, bigger than the proposed budget of the Department of Education for 2027 which is at P976 billion. The proposed DepEd budget is already lower than this year’s budget of P1.015 trillion. Total debt servicing for 2027 may reach a staggering P2.704 trillion, up from last year’s P2.045 trillion. Total debt servicing eats up 37.5% of the proposed P7.2 trillion budget.

The proposed budget for health under the NEP is at P353.8 billion, lower than last year’s P448.125 million. The combined propsed housing budget for 2027 is at P5.5 billion, a far cry from the requested P60 billion requested by the DHSUD. The proposed budget for agriculture is at P261 billion which is lower than last year’s enacted budget of P297.1 billion.

The biggest budget gainers are the DPWH with P664 billion (up from last year’s P530 billion) and DoTr with P302 billion (up from last year’s P141 billion). The proposed 2027 budget will see the return of the dreaded “flood control projects” now at around P107.4 billion. Absent meaningful structural or systemic changes, since the system of bureaucrat capitalism is still entrenched, the proposed flood control projects will likely end up in corruption as well. The surge in the DoTr budget is said to be due to proposed railway projects.

The economic managers may be thinking that infrastructure projects are needed to pump-prime the economy amid the slowdown caused by the global crisis. But without the necessary development of the domestic economy which includes agriculture and industry, the pump-priming from these infrastructure projects will be largely window dressing of the economy.

The BCDA, which is at the center of the Pax Silica initiative, has a proposed budget of P1.983 billion for 2027, or P836 million more than it’s 2026 approved budget, or a whopping 73% increase. The surge in appropriations coincides with the aggressive push for Pax Silica in Central Luzon.

Of the total amount of P10.77 billion for confidential and intelligence funds for 2027, 42% or P4.55 billion are lodged under the Office of the President. Marcos Jr still has the biggest CIF of all the other agencies. Why are we against the existence of confidential and intelligence funds? Because no matter how "stringent" the existing guidelines, the proponents of the CIF are able to circumvent the guidelines and abuse the funds. The opaque nature of these lump-sum funds is the problem. The proponents are given wide discretion on how to use billions of taxpayers' money notwithstanding the existing guidelines. There are no line items or breakdown for these special funds. Any funding that is lump-sum and discretionary is simply pork barrel and gives rise to corruption.

How will Marcos fund the P7.2 trillion national budget when 2027 revenue collection is projected to be only at Php 5.206 trillion? Through more loans of course. Marcos is already on his way to beating Duterte's 6-year borrowing binge by this year.

The people must expose the anti-people, anti-national and anti-development budget. The people must fight the budget cuts in social services. The people must expose the unchanged corrupt system of bureaucrat capitalism which threatens again to make the budget the personal ATM’s of corrupt officials.

The only “resilience” we are seeing in this budget is that of unmitigated corruption. The only “people” this budget is centering on are the ruling-elite who continue to benefit from the prevailing system. The only path we are left with is collective resistance and opposition.

(Photo from IBC-13)

08/08/2026

07/08/2026

06/08/2026

KA-MANGGAGAWA, NABALITAAN MO NA BA?
4.9% NA ANG UNEMPLOYMENT RATE SA PILIPINAS!

Sa kabila ng pinagmamayabang job fairs ng gubyernong Marcos, patuloy na dumadausdos ang bilang ng may trabaho sa ating bayan.

Hindi malulutas ang krisis sa kabuhayan ng anumang papoging programa ng gubyerno na hindi nakatuon sa pagpapaunlad ng lokal na industriya, tulad na lamang ng mga pangko ng foreign investments at ng Pax Silica.

Mga ka-manggagawa sama-sama nating isulong ang tunay na reporma sa lupa at pambansang industriyalisasyon bilang tunay at pangmatagalang solusyon sa kawalan ng trabaho sa ating bansa!