Groups renew call to find missing labor organizer

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By Juliane Judilla

DAVAO CITY — Cause-oriented and progressive groups staged a picket protest Thursday at Freedom Park along Roxas Avenue and Recto Street here, renewing calls for accountability and justice while raising broader concerns over the state of human rights in Southern Mindanao and across the Philippines.

The protest was led by the Surface William Lariosa Network, Kilusang Mayo Uno–Southern Mindanao and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan–Southern Mindanao.

The action marked the second year since the enforced disappearance of William Lariosa, a labor organizer affiliated with KMU.

The groups said Lariosa’s case reflects what they described as a wider pattern of human rights violations against workers’ advocates, and they condemned what they called continuing attacks on labor organizers and union leaders.

For Marklen Lariosa, the missing organizer’s son, the anniversary remains a painful reminder of unresolved injustice.

“My father’s disappearance is not just a number—it is a brutal reality,” he said, describing the personal toll of the past two years.

He added that their family continues to endure uncertainty and grief while holding on to hope that William Lariosa will be found.

William Lariosa, a longtime labor organizer, was reported missing on April 10, 2024, in Barangay Butong, Quezon, Bukidnon.

Human rights and labor groups have alleged that elements of the Philippine Army were involved in the incident, although no definitive resolution has been reached and Lariosa remains missing.

The Commission on Human Rights earlier expressed alarm over Lariosa’s disappearance and sought help in locating him.

The protesters reiterated their call for a thorough and transparent investigation into the case.

They also urged authorities to address what they described as systemic issues affecting activists, particularly in areas with strong labor and peasant movements.