Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa - Sentro

02/06/2026

In a separate statement on Tuesday, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), one of the signatories, said that the country’s removal from the top ten list should not be mistaken for genuine reform.

“The Philippines may no longer be in the top ten worst countries for workers, but workers continue to live under the same machinery of fear and impunity,” said Abdulani Lakibul, chairperson of SENTRO.

He added that the government “cannot claim progress while trade union killings remain unresolved, red-tagging persists, and institutions designed to suppress dissent continue to operate.”

THE Philippines remains one of the world’s most restrictive environments for workers, according to the 2026 International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Global Rights Index, which placed the country on a “watchlist” due to an increase in recorded rights violations.

02/06/2026

This is what local governments can do for our beleaguered farmers—amidst a crisis and even without one.

At a time when many farmers are struggling with low incomes, rising costs, and uncertain markets, initiatives like this demonstrate that meaningful support is possible when there is political will and genuine concern for those who feed our nation.

Our deepest thanks to Kelly Denn Tomas, Project UBBO, COSFARM, and CATW-AP for making it possible for our members to benefit from this worthwhile initiative. May this serve as an example of the kind of solidarity and action that our farmers deserve every day!

02/06/2026

This is what local governments can do for our beleaguered farmers—amidst a crisis and even without one.

At a time when many farmers are struggling with low incomes, rising costs, and uncertain markets, initiatives like this demonstrate that meaningful support is possible when there is political will and genuine concern for those who feed our nation.

Our deepest thanks to Atok, Benguet Councilor Kelly Denn Tomas, Project UBBO, COSFARM, and CATW-AP for making it possible for our members to benefit from this worthwhile initiative. May this serve as an example of the kind of solidarity and action that our farmers deserve every day!

(Photo from today's Inquirer)

02/06/2026

SENTRO SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO THE 54TH CONGRESS OF THE CGT

The SENTRO ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) extends its militant solidarity to the Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) on the occasion of its 54th Congress.

Your Congress comes at a decisive moment for workers and democracy across the world. As economic crisis deepens, inequality worsens, and wars and militarism threaten global peace and workers’ welfare, the far right seeks to exploit fear and division to weaken labor movements and democratic institutions.

In France and across the globe, the struggle for workers’ rights is inseparable from the fight against fascism, racism, authoritarianism, and oligarchic greed.

At a time when workers are made to pay for crises they did not create, trade unions must stand firm as forces for democracy, solidarity, peace, and social justice.

SENTRO salutes the CGT’s historic role in defending workers and resisting neoliberalism and the far right. Your struggle inspires workers everywhere, including in the Philippines.

More than ever, workers of the world must unite — against war, against exploitation, and against the politics of hate.

Long live international labor solidarity!

Long live the CGT!

SENTRO ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO)

01/06/2026

“Your Excellency, the protection of freedom of association and the rule of law is not only a legal obligation—it is a cornerstone of sustainable economic growth, social stability, and international credibility,” the statement read. “We respectfully seek your leadership in ensuring that these commitments translate into real, measurable, and lasting change.”

It was signed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Federation of Free Workers and Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa.

INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ MANILA, Philippines – Business groups and labor unions have issued a joint appeal to President Marcos for stronger protection for workers’ rights, amid what they

01/06/2026

WATCHLISTED DEMOCRACY: Workers’ Rights in the Philippines Remain Under Siege

Statement of SENTRO on the 2026 ITUC Global Rights Index

The latest 2026 ITUC Global Rights Index paints a grim picture of the global state of workers’ and trade union rights. Across continents, governments and corporations are intensifying attacks on workers’ freedoms — arresting unionists, suppressing strikes, criminalizing dissent, and shrinking democratic space.

The report confirms what workers around the world already know: the assault on labor rights is part of a broader erosion of democracy itself.

While the Philippines was removed from the list of the Top Ten Worst Countries for Workers after occupying that shameful position for nine consecutive years, this should not be mistaken for genuine progress. The country remains under ITUC Watchlist status — a stark warning that the conditions enabling repression remain firmly in place.

The Watchlist does not mean workers’ rights conditions have become acceptable. It means conditions remain extremely bad. For countries like the Philippines that previously belonged to the list of the world’s worst countries for workers, placement in the Watchlist reflects the reality that repression, intimidation, and impunity continue — even if other countries have deteriorated more rapidly. Far from being a badge of reform, the Watchlist is a warning that unless decisive action is taken, the situation may worsen once again.

The reality on the ground remains brutal.

The institutions, policies, and practices established during the administration of Rodrigo Duterte continue to cast a long shadow over the labor movement. The NTF-ELCAC remains intact. Red-tagging continues unabated. Trade unionists and labor organizers are still vilified, harassed, intimidated, and treated as enemies of the state simply for organizing workers and asserting democratic rights.

Most damning of all, none of the 72 cases of murdered trade union leaders and organizers from 2016 to 2023 have been resolved. Impunity continues to reign. Justice remains denied not only to the victims and their families, but to the entire working class.

The Marcos administration has yet to demonstrate real seriousness in addressing these longstanding concerns. Its commitments before the international community will continue to ring hollow unless the structures of repression built during the Duterte years are dismantled decisively and permanently.

The roadmap on freedom of association — crafted to implement the recommendations of the ILO High-Level Tripartite Mission — has likewise stalled. Since the replacement of Executive Secretary Bersamin, momentum toward meaningful reforms has slowed dramatically. Critical measures needed to guarantee workers’ civil liberties, protect organizers, end red-tagging, and ensure accountability remain pending.

“The Philippines may no longer be in the Top Ten Worst Countries for Workers, but workers continue to live under the same machinery of fear and impunity,” said Abdulani Lakibul, Chairperson of SENTRO. “You cannot claim progress while trade union killings remain unresolved, red-tagging persists, and institutions designed to suppress dissent continue to operate. Democracy cannot exist where workers are silenced at gunpoint.”

SENTRO calls on the new Secretary of Labor and Employment to confront this crisis with urgency and political courage.

The challenge before the new labor leadership is clear: dismantle the anti-worker architecture inherited from the Duterte years, fully implement the ILO recommendations, revive genuine tripartite dialogue, and ensure that organizing a union is no longer treated as a death-defying act in the Philippines.

Workers do not need cosmetic reforms or public relations exercises. They need justice. They need freedom. They need a government that finally recognizes that labor rights are human rights.

Access the ITUC’s Global Rights Index 2026 here: https://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/global_right_index_2026_en.pdf?44482/2a253f6982496ca92ff582332aa09673a12f95f8470ca341401cd2ca094ffa82

30/05/2026

30/05/2026

Gipunting ni Josua Mata, sa grupong SENTRO ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), nga bisan og abante ang mga balaod sa nasod bahin sa pamuo kon itandi sa ubang mga nasod sa ASEAN, atrasado pa gihapon ang pagpatuman niini. Hinuon, gihatagan og gibug-aton ni Mata nga ang epektibong pa...

29/05/2026

Panalo tayong mga manggagawa!

Bumoto ka man para sa unyon o hindi, ang malinaw: lahat tayo ay may panalo ngayon. Ibig sabihin nito, may boses na tayo, may lakas na tayong sama-samang ipaglaban ang mas maayos na trabaho, mas disenteng sahod, at mas magandang kinabukasan para sa ating mga pamilya.

Ang tunay na lakas ng unyon ay nasa pagkakaisa ng mga manggagawa.

Mabuhay ang mga manggagawa sa ating warehouse!

Ating unyon! Ating lakas!

29/05/2026

STATEMENT OF SENTRO ON THE ELECTRICITY CRISIS AND THE FAILURE OF EPIRA

POWER TO THE PEOPLE: RECLAIMING ELECTRICITY FROM OLIGARCHY AND PROFIT

SENTRO welcomes the call of Akbayan Party-list for a legislative inquiry into the continuing rise in electricity prices and the deepening burden borne by Filipino workers and consumers.

For more than two decades, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) was sold to the Filipino people as the solution that would lower electricity costs, ensure reliable power supply, and promote competition in the energy sector. Today, the reality is undeniable: EPIRA has failed.

Filipino consumers continue to suffer from some of the highest electricity prices in Southeast Asia. Instead of dismantling monopolies, EPIRA entrenched oligarchic control over the power industry. Instead of genuine competition, it produced market concentration, cross-ownership, and regulatory capture. Instead of energy security, it delivered persistent vulnerability to supply instability and price volatility.

Privatization did not democratize energy. It became a highly efficient mechanism for wealth transfer — from workers, consumers, and ordinary Filipinos to a handful of power oligarchs.

While SENTRO recognizes the necessity of lifeline rates to protect the poorest consumers, we must also confront an unjust reality: under the current setup, the poor are effectively subsidizing the poorest, while large corporate players in the energy sector continue to extract enormous profits from an essential public service that should be governed by social responsibility.

Electricity is not a luxury commodity. It is a basic necessity of modern life and a foundational condition for human dignity, development, and survival. Electricity is a right that should be guaranteed for all — not a privilege reserved for those who can afford oligarchic profit rates.

The crisis demands more than incremental fixes. It requires a fundamental restructuring of the country’s energy framework. EPIRA must be replaced with a new energy policy anchored on a public pathway approach — one that treats electricity not as a commodity for accumulation, but as a public good essential to national development, industrialization, and social justice.

At the very least, any serious amendment of EPIRA must address three urgent reforms:

First, democratization of the power sector — including mandatory public ownership stakes in utilities and the democratization of electric cooperatives to ensure genuine participation of workers and consumers in governance.

Second, the strict prohibition of cross-ownership across generation, distribution, and supply chains to dismantle entrenched oligopolies and restore real competition.

Third, comprehensive reform of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), transforming it into a genuinely independent regulator that defends the public interest rather than validating excessive pricing and corporate dominance.

In the long run, the Philippines must decisively shift away from fossil fuel dependence and transition toward a just and sustainable renewable energy system — one that is publicly accountable, environmentally sound, and capable of delivering affordable power to present and future generations.

Electricity must be reclaimed as a public good, governed in the interest of the many and not the profit of the few.

The time for cosmetic reform is over. The time for structural change is now.