BACOLOD City – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to undertake a full investigation into the killing of BPO Industry Employee Network (BIEN) union organizer Alex Dolorosa here.
In a statement, the DOJ assures prompt action to bring those guilty of the crime to justice, saying coordination efforts are being undertaken with Bacolod’s Mayor Alfredo Benitez for relevant information.
Dolorosa, 38, was found dead on April 25 with multiple stab wounds, three days after he was reported missing.
He had been a full-time labor organizer and paralegal for BIEN, a call center labor organization which he joined in 2016 as a volunteer.
“The Department assures an extensive and full blown investigation on the murder. To this end, instructions have been cascaded to the National Bureau of Investigation and the National Prosecution Service to begin their investigation and case build-up so that appropriate criminal cases may be filed in court,” the DOJ said in a statement.
It added: “The Secretary has also initiated coordination efforts with the local government of Bacolod City through Mayor Alfredo B. Benitez for any relevant information they may possess.”
“The wheels of justice shall continue turning until the perpetrators of this shameless act are caught, prosecuted and imprisoned,” according to the DOJ.
CONDEMNATION
The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) condemned the killing Dolorosa.
“We express our sympathies to Dolorosa’s family and friends. We are one with you in calling for justice for Alex,” CTUHR said in a statement.
According to BIEN, Dolorosa who decided to work full-time since 2021 to help business process outsourcing (BPO) workers, had been the target of surveillance and harassment since the same year. He has been providing assistance to fellow BPO workers in their legal complaints against unfair labor practice and recently won some cases.
“Dolorosa’s killing comes a week before the first Labor Day under the Marcos Jr. regime. This sends workers and trade unionists a clear message of the continuation of impunity under his administration,” CTUHR said.
It can be recalled that the International Labor Organization (ILO) recently conducted a High-Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM) to the Philippines to investigate reported attacks against workers’ freedom of association.
Sixty-eight killings were reported under the Duterte administration.
CTUHR once again called the attention of the ILO, as this first recorded killing of a unionist alarms workers and unionists that their lives are at risk just for exercising their freedom of association.
“We call on the Department of Labor and Employment, Commission on Human Rights and all concerned authorities to investigate this brutal murder. We also call on the international community to condemn this killing and join us in calling for justice for Alex and all victims of extrajudicial killings,” CTUHR stressed. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
