A funeral becomes a protest when a labor leader is mercilessly killed by the police in his own home. That is what became of Jude Fernandez, 67, a veteran activist, then commemorated upon his death as a martyr. 

After being served an incorrect arrest warrant for a certain Oscar Dizon, Fernandez was swiftly shot by members of the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (PNP-CIDG) inside his rented home in Binangonan, Rizal on September 29. 

The PNP-CIDG claimed that Fernandez resisted arrest, but fact-finding missions headed by labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) reported that nearby residents only heard two gunshots and no other signs of commotion inside the house. 

“This proves that the CIDG operation was a clear case of extrajudicial killing (EJK),” said KMU in a statement, prompting multiple protests where the group and other labor advocates demanded a formal investigation into Fernandez’s death. Until his wake, activists carried calls seeking justice for the slain unionist.

A Veteran Activist

Fernandez, known to his colleagues now as Ka Jude, was born on October 27, 1957 in Pangasinan. He first became an activist during Martial Law, when he was still called Tadi among his peers in UP Los Baños. 

While a student, he helped form and manage the Buklod Lakas ng Mag-aaral, that led the campaign to return democratically independent student councils, which were prohibited under Martial Law, and recognized student representation in the Board of Regents among other advocacies.

Into his adulthood, Fernandez went on to fight for labor rights, eventually helping organize the first workers union in Laguna for Franklin Baker in San Pablo, and for Sunripe in Santa Maria. He would then venture into neighboring provinces along with other unionists to further empower other workers, persevering despite limited funds and the dangers brought about by the Marcos dictatorship. 

His work as a unionist in these areas laid the foundation upon which Alyansa ng Manggagawa sa Probinsya ng Laguna (ALMAPILA) and KMU Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Timog Katagalugan (Pamantik-KMU) were built, said ALMAPILA in its recount of Fernandez’s achievements.

Fernandez later joined trade union KMU in 1989 and remained a part of it until his untimely death. Through the group, he was able to join the labor movement in Central Luzon amid the growing problem of contractualization at the time.

At his wake, he was bestowed the Gawad Lingkod Obrero, KMU’s highest recognition, to honor his contributions as a unionist and dedication to the labor movement despite challenges presented by the regimes he was under.

A Martyr

Fernandez was finally laid to rest on Sunday after a three-day wake at the Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman. He is survived by his children and his wife, Evelyn Muñoz, who is currently a political prisoner detained in Central Luzon.

Throughout the wake and various protests, leaders of different groups spoke on Fernandez's achievements as a unionist who lived and fought through the Marcos dictatorship until the current Marcos Jr. regime, lauding the late activist as a martyr while intensifying calls to stop state attacks on workers and unionists.  

“Tumindi sa panahon ng diktadurya ni Marcos Sr. hanggang sa kasalukuyan ang trumped up charges, ang pandarakip, at red-tagging,” said KMU Secretary General Jerome Adonis in a protest action, citing Fernandez’s death as indicative of the state’s continued violence toward labor activists since Martial Law. 

Fernandez is the 72nd victim of EJK among workers and unionists since 2016 and the fourth case since the International Labor Organization’s High Level Tripartite Mission (ILO HLTM) in January, according to KMU. 

The ILO HLTM investigated the killings of unionists and labor activists, which violate ILO Convention No. 87 on the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, in response to complaints from unions and labor groups. 

Among its recommendations was “to comprehensively identify and address all outstanding cases of alleged labor-related EJKs and abductions,” in which it ascertained the severity of labor rights violations in the country. KMU echoed this among other demands for the administration to heed, regarding Fernandez’s death.

Similarly, the Makabayan Bloc filed House Resolution 1360 on October 9 to order an official probe into the killing of Fernandez among other trade unionists under the current Marcos Jr. regime.

“Ngayong brutal [na] pinaslang [si Ka Jude] sa ilalim ng pasistang rehimeng Marcos Jr., iniisip marahil ng mga kaaway sa uri na nagtagumpay sila. Pero … lalo tayong nabigyan ng dahilan upang makibaka para sa hustisya at karapatan ng mga manggagawa,” said KMU in a statement. ●