Alarmed by police surveillance, a militant labor group on Wednesday had its Quezon City headquarters inspected by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).
The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) requested CHR to inspect its office to disprove claims it is allegedly housing members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
The group allowed the CHR team to see the rooms and other spaces as well as the contents of the cabinets and boxes. Joining them were village personnel.
No firearms, ammunition or explosives were found during the inspection.
KMU secretary-general Jerome Adonis said they initiated the inspection for transparency, showing the public that they were not hiding illegal contraband.
“We are not NPA. We are not armed. We are only exercising our constitutional and labor rights to organize,” he said.
Adonis lamented that the group is being politically persecuted for criticizing the Duterte administration.
The KMU is among progressive groups accused by the State of fronting the CPP-NPA.
The group’s headquarters was inspected by the CHR as two other progressive organizations — Anakpawis and Pamalakaya — alleged that police also conducted surveillance in their office.
Anakpawis is a peasant group while Pamalakaya is a fisherfolk organization, both of which share the same headquarters in Quezon City.
According to them, four police operatives onboard motorcycles, one of which bore plate number 240 NQ1, were allegedly makings rounds within the vicinity of their office on Tuesday morning.
They claimed that the policemen were from Station 9 of the Quezon City Police District.