BPO workers' group welcomes dismissal of 'NPA recruitment' case vs former officer
MANILA, Philippines — A labor group for BPO workers on Thursday welcomed the dismissal of a case filed against activist Lean Porquia over his alleged recruitment of a student into the youth organization League of Filipino Students. The student later allegedly joined the New People's Army, with authorities placing the blame on Porquia.
In a statement, BPO Industry Employees Network said it was "elated and ecstatic" at the junking of the case against Porquia, adding "justice is on our side, justice will prevail."
According to news reports, the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed trafficking and exploitation charges against Porquia, Karen Edaniel and Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison in 2021.
Police alleged that Porquia and Edaniel had recruited a certain Joy James Alcoser Saguino into LFS. Saguino later allegedly joined the New People's Army before leaving in 2018. The cases that CIDG filed were based on Saguino's testimony.
LFS is a student-led youth organization and has been existing legally since 1977.
Porquia, former national president of BIEN, confirmed the dismissal of the case but declined to give a copy of the resolution, citing advice from his lawyers.
BIEN has been in the news after the murder of paralegal officer and union organizer Alex Dolorosa in Bacolod City on April 24. The group has also recently been red-tagged—accused of having ties to the CPP, NPA and National Democratic Front—on national TV.
READ: US joins calls for justice for slain Filipino labor organizer
'Labor rights advocacy is not communism'
"They can keep attacking us, but we know how to fight back. We are not criminals. Lean is not a terrorist; he is not a criminal. We are unionists and we only want better working conditions for our fellow BPO workers. Attacking union members, and BPO workers does not show a good business climate in the Philippines," BIEN National President Mylene Cabalona said in a statement.
In a statement in 2020, BIEN said that "none of our official meetings or public activities [had anything] to do with the communist movement or related to armed communist insurgency" when Porquia was an officer.
"In fact, he was one of the pioneer members and rose to leadership because of his active participation in BPO workers rights advocacy," said then.
"BIEN reiterates that labor rights advocacy is not communism; activism is not terrorism," it also said.
'A ploy to harass activists'
In a separate statement, rights advocacy group Citizens Rights Watch Network also welcomed the dismissal of the case.
"These cases are nothing but a ploy to harass and vilify activists, to which Lean is no stranger," it said, saying Porquia and his family have been harassed in the past for their work in human rights.
Lean's father, Jory, was killed in Iloilo City in April 2020 while the city was under a pandemic lockdown. The long-time activist was shot 14 times in a rented cottage in the early morning of April 30.
In a letter to the Department of Justice, Porquia said local police "[had] made pronouncements over the radio that [Jory] is being placed under surveillance" shortly before he was killed.
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