CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY- The Federation of Free Workers on Friday backed the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines call for the Senate to immediately convene as an impeachment court and proceed with the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
In a statement marking the 135th anniversary of Rerum Novarum, FFW President Sonny Matula reechoed the CBCP’s appeal for senators to “abide by what the Constitution directs” following the impeachment complaint transmitted by the House of Representatives.
The CBCP earlier urged the Senate to proceed with the trial by “summoning witnesses, hearing testimonies, and voting according to the evidence and, above all, the demands of righteousness and justice.”
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Matula said accountability should not be delayed or avoided through political maneuvering, warning that public trust and constitutional processes are at stake.
“The Senate must not become a shelter for political protection. It must be a forum for constitutional accountability,” he said.
The labor leader stressed that accountability also extends to workers’ concerns, including low wages, contractualization, job security, and unresolved killings of trade unionists.
FFW also challenged Catholic institutions to uphold workers’ rights within their own workplaces by ensuring fair wages, secure employment, humane working conditions, and freedom to organize.
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“The Church cannot credibly proclaim the dignity of labor while tolerating contractualization, union-busting, low wages, or insecure work in its own backyard,” Matula said.
Issued by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, Rerum Novarum laid down the Catholic Church’s teachings on labor rights, just wages, and the dignity of work.
