Philippine Labor Leader Assassinated in Cold Blood : Cleveland IMC (((i)))

KMU-Southern Tagalog chairman shot dead

by Pamantik

The chairman of the militant Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Solidarity of Workers in Southern Tagalog), the regional chapter of Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement) in Southern Tagalog was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Barangay Paciano, Calamba City.

Diosdado “Ka Fort” Fortuna, 51, was riding his motorcycle on his way home from the Nestlé picketline at around 6:15 pm when suspects shot him at close range in front of Sagara Factory in Canlubang. Fortuna was felled by 2 bullet shots on the chest. He was rushed to the nearby Calamba Doctors Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

Fortuna is also the union president in Nestlé, which has been on strike for more than 3 years. He assumed union presidency right after then president Meliton Roxas was assassinated in front of the Nestlé gates in 1988.

Luz Baculo, secretary-general of PAMANTIK said, “The workers in Southern Tagalog are outraged by the brutal killing of Chairman Fort Fortuna. He is a well-respected labor leader. No one will do such a horrendous act against him except those who continue to trample on workers’ and human rights.”

Aside from being chairman of PAMANTIK-KMU and Nestlé union president of Union of Filipro Employees (UFE), Fortuna holds various commitments. He is a member of the National Council of the KMU. He is the chairman of Alyansa ng Manggagawa sa Probinsya ng Laguna (Alliance of Workers in the Province of Laguna), regional chairman of Anakpawis Party-list and co-chairperson of the National Coalition for the Protection of Workers’ Rights.

After Eddie Gumanoy and Eden Marcellana were murdered in April 2003, Fortuna was third among the regional leaders in Southern Tagalog who was murdered under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

“Aside from the blood debts of the Swiss-owned Nestlé, the killing of Fortuna is politically motivated. We are holding responsible the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and their commander-in-chief Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” said Baculo.

© 2000-2004 QC Independent Media Centre.

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From: "Kilusang Mayo Uno" <kmuid@tri-isys.com>

NEWS RELEASE
22 Sept 2005

Killing spree starts again a day after Martial Law anniversary
KMU National Council Member, Nestle Cabuyao Union
President Diosdado "Ka Fort" Fortuna shot dead

Diosdado "Ka Fort" Fortuna, President of United
Filipro Workers Union, the workers union of
Nestle Cabuyao, also the Chairperson of
Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa ng Timog Katagalugan
(PAMANTIK-KMU) was shot dead at around 6 pm
tonight in front of Sagara Factory in Canlubang, Laguna.

Reports said Fortuna left the Nestle picketline
in Cabuyao, Laguna at around 5 pm. He was
supposed to visit his ailing grandson. He was on
board a motorcycle and on his way home to
Barangay Paciano when he was attacked by still
unidentified assailants. He sustained two fatal
caliber .45 gunshot wounds in the chest. He was
rushed by bystanders to the Calamba Doctors
Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) condemns in
strongest possible terms the brutal killing of
Fortuna. Fortuna, 51 years old, is an active
member of KMU National Council and has served the
militant labor movement for 28 years since 1977
as a labor leader of the multinational company
Nestle workers' union. He also holds several
positions, including Anakpawis Party
List-Southern Tagalog Chairman and Co-Chairperson
of the National Coalition for the Protection of
Workers Rights-Southern Tagalog (NCPWR-ST).

"While we are still looking into the details of
Ka Fort's gruesome murder, we are certain that
the killing is politically motivated. Given the
notorious record of human rights violations and
summary executions of leaders, members and
activists of progressive peoples' organizations
in Southern Luzon, we are holding the military,
police and the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government
highly accountable in the killing," said KMU National Chairperson Elmer
Labog.

"As a principled labor leader, Ka Fort manned the
Nestle picket lines since their strike started in
January 2002. He consistently advocated workers'
rights and welfare by actively serving the union
and progressive people's movement in Southern
Tagalog, despite dangerous conditions and threats
on his life. He braved and fought the
government's militarization campaign and
atrocities on the people's rights and livelihood.
We will seek justice for his death and will send
the evil perpetrators of this murder to hell where they belong."

Fortuna is the third regional mass leader killed
after KASAMA-TK chairperson Eddie Gumanoy and
Eden Garcellana of KARAPATAN Southern Tagalog were killed in April 2003.
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KMU International Department

22 Sept 2005
URGENT ACTION ALERT!!!

Nestle Union President and KMU Leader Shot Dead!

Another union leader was shot dead in Southern
Tagalog today, Sept 22, 2005, a day after the
33rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines.

Diosdado Fortuna was shot by unidentified
motorcycle-riding gunmen believed to be agents of
the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (ISAFP) and the Philippine
National Police (PNP). Fortuna was riding his
motorbike on his way home when he was shot near
Sagara factory in Brgy Paciano, Calamba. He
sustained two fatal gunshot wounds in the chest
and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Calamba Provincial Hospital.

The labor leader had just attended an All-Leaders
meeting and went directly to the Nestle
picketline for a discussion with student
exposurists from the University of Sto. Tomas
(UST). He went home after the discussion to visit his sick grandson.

Fortuna, fondly called "Ka Fort" by friends and
comrades, is the president of the Union of
Filipro Employees - Drug, Food & Allied
Industries (UFE-DFA-KMU) in Cabuyao, Laguna. He
is also the chairman of the Pagkakaisa ng mga
Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (PAMANTIK-KMU) or
the Unity of Workers in Southern Tagalog, the
regional chapter of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in
Southern Tagalog. He is also a member of the National Council of KMU.

Fortuna holds many positions in the region, among
them being the chairman of the Anakpawis (Toiling
Masses) Partylist in Southern Tagalog and
co-chairman of the National Coalition for the
Protection of Workers Rights - Southern Tagalog.

In yesterday's rally in front of the Nestle
Cabuyao plant to commemorate the declaration of
martial law, Fortuna briefly mentioned the brutal
murder of former Nestle Cabuyao president Mel
Roxas who was shot dead in front of the
picketline by unidentified assasins in
1987. Protesters remembered Fortuna saying that
the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government and greedy
capitalists such as Nestle can never silence the
voice of the workers and people. He enjoined the
people to be vigilant and fight against the
creeping martial law under the present regime.

KMU believes that the killing is politically
motivated. Fortuna has allegedly been on the hit
list of the military due to his active political
involvement. He was under constant surveillance
and harassment by military and paid goons of
Nestle since the Cabuyao plant went on strike on
January 14, 2002 over deadlock in the collective
bargaining agreement (CBA). The Nestle
management refuses to include the retirement
benefits of the workers in the CBA, despite an
earlier ruling of the Supreme Court in favor of the workers.

KMU condemns in the strongest possible terms the
brutal murder of Fortuna. Fortuna is the 119th
victim of military atrocities in the Southern
Tagalog alone since Pres. Arroyo came into power in 2001.
We ask you to send solidarity message to the
Nestle union as well as condemnation letters to
the Nestle management, to Malacanang, Armed
Forces of the Philippines, Department of Labor
and Employment and other concerned
agencies. Other forms of actions such as picket
protest in front of Nestle companies or in front
of Philippine Consulates in your respective countries is very much welcome.

Solidarity messages can be sent to:

PAMANTIK-KMU
e-mail address: <mailto:granahe@yahoo.com>granahe@yahoo.com
cc: <mailto:kmuid@tri-isys.com>kmuid@tri-isys.com

Protest letters can be sent to:

Nandu Nandkishore
CEO & President
Nestle Center
31 Plaza Drive
Rockwell Center, Makati City, Phils.

Fax No. (632) 8906681
Email:

Peter Brabeck
Chief Executive Officer
Nestle Vevey
Switzerland

Email:
<mailto:Peter.Brabeck_Letmathe@nestle.com>Peter.Brabeck_Letmathe@nestle.com

Hon. Patricia Sto. Tomas
Labor Secretary
Department of Labor and Employment
7th Floor, DOLE Building
Muralla Street, Intramuros, Manila, PHILIPPINES
email: sto-tomapat@pacific.net.ph
fax: 0063-2-527 3494

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacanang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail:
<mailto:corres@op.gov.ph>corres@op.gov.ph /
<mailto:opnet@ops.gov.ph>opnet@ops.gov.ph

The Secretariat, GRP-Human Rights Monitoring Committee
Email: <mailto:grp_mc@myway.com>grp_mc@myway.com
or
The Secretariat, NDFP-Human Rights Monitoring Committee
E-mail: <mailto:ndfp_Jsection@yahoo.com>ndfp_Jsection@yahoo.com
6/F Immaculate Conception Multi-Purpose Building
71 Lantana St., Cubao, Quezon City

Please inform us of your actions. Thank you very
much for your continued support to the Filipino people and workers.

Cleveland Indy Media Center