ICHRP Salutes Workers and Supports the Fight Ahead

Statement
March 11, 2025

On March 5, the Nexperia Philippines Inc. Workers Union – NAFLU – KMU (NPIWU-NAFLU-KMU) held a vote of its 1,800 members at the Laguna semiconductor factory and 1,300 voted to strike. Six hundred workers occupied the factory and 600 formed a picketline at the gate of the Laguna Light Industry and Science Park 1. The management cut off water and electricity and blocked food supplies to those in the factory.

On the evening of March 7, the management launched an attack on the picket line, but the solidarity of the union members and their allies defeated the attempted dispersal. Next day, International Women’s Day, the management agreed to the two basic demands of the workers. Later that evening the occupying workers marched triumphantly out to the picketline, where there were tears among the heartfelt jubilation.

The strike had won!

The company had agreed to increase the daily wage by a modest P50 (US$0.87) and to reinstate two for the four union leaders it had dismissed illegally during Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations in December 2024. The union will take legal action to have the other two reinstated. All workers will receive a P20,000 (US$350) signing bonus.

The Nexperia workers victory comes after a long struggle in the face of intense repression. During 2023 and 2024, agents of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) demanded that the Nexperia Union and others in the Southern Tagalog region disaffiliate from NAFLU-KMU, and even visited the workers at their homes to threaten them and their families, accusing them of supporting terrorism. Such attacks exemplify the pattern of counterinsurgency tactics used against civilians in the Philippines. The  failure to distinguish between civilians and armed combatants marks a violation of international humanitarian law. 

The Marcos Jr government has been previously exposed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) High Level Tripartite Mission in January 2023 for gross violation of the Freedom of Association, based on 65 cases of union leaders being murdered over the previous six years. Despite undertaking to make major reforms and to cease defining trade union activity as terrorism, the Marcos Jr. regime continued the fierce repression. The attack on the Nexperia workers is a major part of this repression, which aims to eliminate genuine trade unions as a key component of the national democratic movement in the Philippines.

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) demands that the repression of the workers’ movement cease and that the Marcos Jr. regime fulfill its commitments to the ILO. Until this happens, ICHRP urges all democratic governments to suspend all military and police aid to the Philippines.

More background on the dispute

In 2023, management dismissed 37 workers citing poor productivity. In April 2024, another 54 workers were terminated. On June 30, 2024, following a union protest, a further 326 were targeted for dismissal. The company argued that it wanted a four-fold increase in the level of automation then in place.

NPIWU-NAFLU-KMU filed a Notice of Strike (NOS) on June 26, 2024, in the middle of the CBA negotiations, on the grounds of unfair labor practices.

In September 2024, the NOS was lifted when the company made a small but significant concession. Although the sought-after reinstatement of workers was not achieved, some provisions in the CBA were secured, and negotiations continued. As the CBA negotiations progressed, the union lowered its daily wage increase demand to P45 (US$0.79), but the company still did not improve its offer, maintaining it at P17 (US$0.30), which was far below the previous CBA’s daily wage increase of P38 (US$0.66).

The workers continued their actions inside and outside the plant to fight for their CBA. In response, the company illegally dismissed the four union leaders on Human Right Day December 10, 2024— President Mary Ann Castillo, Vice President Antonio Fajardo, Public Relations Officer Girlie Batad, and Council Member Marvel Marquez, because they held mass meetings inside the workplace to report on management’s refusal to negotiate a reasonable wage increase. The union filed an NOS for Unfair Labor Practice (ULP), with 1,195 voting in favor of the strike on December 19, 2024.

During 2023 and 2024, agents of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) demanded that the Nexperia Union and others in the Southern Tagalog region disaffiliate from NAFLU-KMU. When this failed, the NTF-ELCAC agents visited the workers at their homes to threaten them and their families, accusing them of supporting terrorism. But the union leaders and members refused to be intimidated.

On February 5, 2025, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma issued an Assumption of Jurisdiction (AJ) over the workers’ strike, forbidding any strike by declaring it a matter of “national interest”. Nexperia is a major exporter, contributing $2.8 billion each year. The factory produces 7 million semiconductors per day.

After the AJ, there were 21 CBA negotiating sessions and three more conciliation hearings. Faced with the stonewalling of the management, the union called on the vote strike on March 5. On March 7, DOLE ordered a return to work.

About Nexperia

Nexperia Phils. Inc. is part of a multinational semiconductor company that manufactures chips used in the automotive industry, electric vehicles, cellphones, and more. Its clients include Bosch, Continental, Denso, Huawei, Neltz, Tesla, Xiaomi, and Samsung.

The company is headquartered in the Netherlands and China. In addition to the Philippines, it has manufacturing and assembly sites in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia.

In 2017, WingTech acquired Nexperia. WingTech is partially state-owned by China and by Wing Zhang. Aside from Nexperia, the company has other subsidiaries across various industries.

In 2015, NXP Semiconductors launched a concerted union-busting strategy against its workforce, but the union members had been thoroughly organising at the factory, in the industrial park, in the community through the Metal Workers Alliance of the Philippines and internationally through IndustriAll. After an intense three-month struggle of rallies and strikes, the union defeated the company and won a significant CBA, but some of its leaders paid the price of their jobs to secure this victory.

Originally, the company was known as Philips Semiconductors, based in Las Piñas. In 2006, Philips sold 80.1% of its shares to U.S. investors, leading to the company being rebranded as NXP Semiconductors. Its products focused on communication technologies, such as chips for cellphones and base stations (cell sites).

In 2017, the company became Nexperia Semiconductors, shifting its production focus to the automotive industry. According to Nexperia’s website, the company proudly produces over 90 billion essential semiconductors annually.

PRESS RELEASE
March 11, 2025

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) welcomes the arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity. Duterte’s detention, following a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), marks an unprecedented step towards justice for the thousands of victims of his bloody war on the poor and war on dissent.

“This is a historic moment for the victims and their families who have long suffered under Duterte’s reign of terror,” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but today, it has bent towards justice. Duterte’s arrest is the beginning of accountability for the mass killings that defined his brutal rule.”

Duterte’s drug war resulted in approximately 30,000 deaths and hundreds more civilians were killed in his counterinsurgency campaign, as documented by human rights groups, with many victims being extrajudicially executed in what amounted to state-sanctioned murder. Despite the Philippine government’s withdrawal from the ICC in March 2019, the court continued its investigation of alleged murder and torture cases up to that time.

“Duterte once believed he was untouchable, but through the enduring demand for justice by the families of the victims, we are seeing that it will be soon served,” Murphy continued. “His arrest should serve as a stark warning to all war criminals, including those currently in power. There is always the possibility that the international community will finally act against leaders who trample on human rights and international humanitarian law. Impunity has limits,” said Murphy.

After years of investigation and extensive evidence gathered by the International Peoples’ Tribunals, Investigate PH, and the UN Human Rights Council, alongside the filing of cases by victims and human rights groups to the International Criminal Court, the ICC has now issued a warrant and it has been executed. ICHRP will join the Filipino people in being vigilant and ensuring that true justice is served.

“We also emphasize that there should be no special treatment for Duterte, as has been the norm for elite officials in the Philippines who have evaded justice through fabricated medical excuses and political maneuvering. The law must apply equally, and Duterte should face his day in court without preferential treatment,” said Murphy.

ICHRP further calls on the Philippine government to fully cooperate with the ICC’s legal process and ensure Duterte has a fair trial. “This is just the first step,” Murphy emphasized. “Justice for the victims demands not only Duterte’s conviction but also accountability for all those who enabled and who continue to execute his deadly policies and mechanisms of terror.”

The arrest of Duterte sends a resounding message that crimes against humanity will not go unpunished. ICHRP remains steadfast in its commitment to seeking justice for all victims of human rights violations in the Philippines.#

Further comment and interviews: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson, +61418312301, secretariat@ichrp.net

Statement
March 10, 2025

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) vehemently condemns the recent aerial attacks by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on March 4th near Cabanglasan town, Bukidnon. 

Although the AFP claims FA-50 fighter jets were providing air support to troops engaged in an encounter with the New People’s Army (NPA), community reports indicate the two FA-50 fighter jets fired indiscriminately, dropping at least eight powerful bombs in the area. Reports say local farming and Indigenous Lumad communities are suffering trauma in the aftermath of the bombardment, and have been forced to grapple with the destruction of the area land which is the source of their livelihood.

The attack on March 4 has come into focus due to the crash of one of the AFP’s FA-50 fighter jets and the death of two pilots. But these bombings are part of an increasing trend of indiscriminate aerial attacks that puts civilians in rural communities at great risk. The March 4 bombing spree follows a recent series of aerial strafings in Mindoro, as well as the recent crash and discovery of a US spy plane in Mindanao. The crashed FA-50 was one of the same jets used in the five-month government siege of Marawi City in 2017, which displaced 400,000 Maranaons from their homes. It also follows the recent disappearance of Lumad activists Michelle Campos and Genasque Enriquez, whose whereabouts are currently unknown after being arrested by state forces earlier this month.

The growing frequency of AFP counterinsurgency and aerial attacks constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which enshrines the distinction between civilians and combatants. Peasant communities and Indigenous groups are at particular risk from these attacks, suffering psychological distress, death of farm animals, extreme damage to crops and land, and death. These bombings and strafings, ostensibly carried out in the context of the armed conflict between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NPA, fail to distinguish between military targets and civilian populations. 

Human rights group Karapatan has reported that GRP bombing and strafing activities have been consistently indiscriminate in nature. They are characterized by disproportionate force and have repeatedly resulted in forced evacuations and civilian casualties. According to Tanggol Magsasaka, between January 2022 to March 2023, at least 1,254 individuals were affected by aerial bombing assaults, with 900 of them displaced in 2023 alone.

News outlets and human rights groups have documented white phosphorus bombings, strafings, airstrikes, and intense aerial bombardments by the GRP in the past decade, and these occurrences are increasing with alarming rapidity. Between July 2022 and June 2024, Karapatan has identified 44,065 victims of bombings in the Philippines, and the number reportedly rose from 2,345 in 2022 to 20,391 in 2023, representing a stunning 766% increase. Peasant and indigenous people, whose lands are rich in natural resources, continue to suffer the most from AFP operations in rural areas of the Philippines.

While the AFP has tried to explain its weapons acquisitions as part of a modernization program meant for territorial defense against China, the events of March 4th constitute yet more evidence that the attention of the AFP is fixed on counterinsurgency. Weapons sales to the Philippines from countries like the United States are directly supporting these anti-people operations that impact rural communities already struggling with dire poverty and landlessness. 

ICHRP calls on the GRP to uphold IHL and end its campaign of surveillance and indiscriminate bombings in civilian communities. We must develop the solidarity movement  for the struggle of Filipinos for land and life amid growing aerial attacks and bombings. 

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February 27, 2025
Urgent Alert

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the aerial strafing and widespread militarization conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the province of Oriental Mindoro, Southern Tagalog.

According to reports from human rights group Karapatan Southern Tagalog, the 76th Infantry Battalion of the 203rd Infantry Brigade conducted indiscriminate aerial strafing last February 19 in the Barangay Misong, Pola, Oriental Mindoro after an alleged encounter between the Philippine Army (PA) and the New People’s Army (NPA). The incident follows several reported clashes between the two armed groups in separate towns in the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Oriental Mindoro since January this year.

The military’s use of aerial artillery has caused severe distress and trauma to the residents of the affected areas. In the town of Pola, the artillery rounds have damaged their farms, affecting the livelihood of local farmers and preventing them from tending to their crops and livestock. 

Locals report that the military is employing martial law in nearby communities: from economic blockade and military lockdowns to the deployment of soldiers in civilian areas. On February 21, residents of Barangay Misong were reportedly forced to evacuate by the military as part of their pursuit operations against the NPA. All these constitute blatant violations of international humanitarian law (IHL).

The intensifying militarization in Mindoro is linked to big-ticket development projects by the Marcos Jr. government. These include a planned nuclear power plant in Occidental Mindoro, several airports in Oriental Mindoro, and the plan to turn the island into a power hub of Southern Luzon, supposedly to boost local manufacturing and inter-regional trade. This venture is part of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a China-led free-trade agreement ratified by the Philippine Senate in 2023.

To attract more foreign investors, foreign direct investment, and to facilitate the smooth entry of multinational companies, the military is tasked to ensure that the island is Conflict Manageable and Ready for Development (CMRFD) – a term used by the Philippine government to describe an area that is “stable” and considered safe and suitable for economic development. This is not a surprise, since Mindoro is abundant in natural resources, such as fossil fuels, liquefied natural gas, armor rocks, gold, nickel, copper, among others. 

The AFP is historically a violator of human rights and IHL in the island of Mindoro. They have displaced the Mangyan Indigenous People from their ancestral lands to make way for huge multinational mining companies. They have terrorized, harassed, and routinely red-tagged farmers. It must be remembered that it was the 4th IB of the Philippine Army who killed 21 year-old Jay-El Maligday—whom they accused of being an NPA soldier—in the town of Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro last April 7, 2024. 

ICHRP condemns the disproportionate and indiscriminate use of military force by the AFP, the forced evacuation of civilians, and other human rights and IHL violations committed in their military operations. It calls for immediate psychosocial support and relief for the traumatized residents in affected areas. It fully supports the call for donations by local human rights groups for victims of militarization in Mindoro.

ICHRP is collecting donations to send to local human rights groups in Mindoro, who are providing support to victims of militarization. Please donate to our campaign at: ichrp.net/SupportMindoro

Coalition calls for genuine effort to re-engage for a just peace

Press Statement
February 14

“The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) condemns the Marcos Jr. administration for crudely negating the 2023 initiative for the resumption of peace talks between his government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP),” said ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy today.

“The apparent opening announced in the Oslo Joint Statement on November 23, 2023, is being wrecked by Marcos Jr. Back-channel talks through 2024 have failed to get the formal talks re-started because of the government’s actions. The international community should hold Marcos Jr. to account for this, press him to change course from bad faith to good faith, to go back to the negotiations to conclude the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms (CASER), and to proceed with the agenda agreed in the Hague Joint Declaration way back in 1992,” Murphy said.

“As a practical step and a confidence-building measure, the Marcos Jr. government should immediately lift its designation of the NDFP as a terrorist organization,” said Murphy. “This June 2021 designation by the Anti-Terrorism Council has no judicial support, blocks the peace talks, and enables sweeping anti-terrorism finance charges against many community-based non-profit organizations,” said Murphy.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano, and Assistant Director General of the National Security Council Jonathan Malaya, have opposed the peace talks and continue to justify the violent attacks by government security forces on unarmed NDFP peace consultants and negotiators, and more broadly to commit war crimes against the population.

During 2024 government forces killed NDFP peace consultants Ariel Arbitrario and Concha Araneta-Bocala, and arrested consultant for the Cordilleras Simeon Naogsan, consultant for Southern Mindanao Porferio Tuna, consultant for Southern Tagalog Wigberto Villarico and consultant for Panay Island Tomas Dominado. In August 2022, under Marcos Jr., NDFP peace panel member Benito Tiamzon and consultant Wilma Austria were brutally murdered. After the formal talks were cancelled by Duterte in November 2017, peace consultants Randy Malayao (2019), Julius Giron (2020), Randall Echanis (2020), Eugenia Magpantay and her husband Agaton Topacio (2020), Antonio Cabanatan and Florenda Yap (2021), Jorge Madlos (2021), Rustico Tan (2021), Reynaldo Bocala (2021), Menandro Villanueva (2022), Ericson Acosta and Pedro Codaste (2022), and Rogelio Posadas (2023) were killed.

None of the peace consultants illegally arrested under Duterte have been released – Vicente Ladlad, Adelberto Silva, Loida Magpatoc, Renante Gamara and Frank Fernandez.

All of these people should have been protected by the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantee (JASIG) and under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), which are formal commitments of the Philippine government.

“The Marcos Jr administration committed to pursue peace in November 2023, but in reality imprisons or kills the people working to achieve a just and lasting peace,” said Murphy.

“With the open conflict between President Marcos Jr. and his Vice President, Sara Duterte, now leading to an impeachment trial, the international community should acknowledge the lawless reality behind the facade of democracy in the Philippines, withhold all military aid, and insist on the upholding of the human rights of the people. The peace talks with the NDFP are an alternative pathway, and should be retrieved from the Marcos freezer,” Murphy concluded.