Even before Romina Raiselle Astudillo or also known as "Shami'' became an activist, she was also once a typical student who was full of hopes and dreams for herself and her family. From being "I hate activist", she later on learned and entered her path towards activism. In her college days, she devoted her time by being a part of a publication in Trinity University of Asia.

In a span of two years, from 2006 to 2008, Shami's zealousness in her work enabled help landed her to become a News Editor Trinity Observer. Aside from that, from 2008 to 2009, she achieved the position of Associate Editor and in the following year, she became the Editor-in-chief of said publication. By the year 2010, Shami graduated in her course, AB Mass Communications Major in Broadcast Journalism with a Cum Laude honor.

In that same year, she also became a legislative staff of Kabataan Partylist, where she continues to give her best to serve the masses. From the year 2011 until 2013, Shami became the Chairperson ng College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) Metro Manila. During her tenure as a chairperson, Shami did her best to contribute more to the movement by effectively using her excellence in writing, as well as organizing, enlightening and moving the people.

She become Regional Coordinator ng Kabataan Party-list noong 2014 at Kalaunan and Chairperson of Kabataan Partylist Metro Manila in 2015, In 2016 she ran for Kabataan Partylist as the body of the youth in congress and Shami was second nominated in the election because of his ability and ability to lead and efficiency in law. From 2017 to 2019, Shami’s focus is not only limited to young people and youth, as he decides to organize even the workers.

She defended their rights and fought for their skills. Due to that, she became a member of Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila. There are many labor unions that she helped to organize and move, two of it are the Samahan ng mga Manggagawa ng SLORD (Unipack Sardines) and Unyon ng mga Manggagawa ng Harbour Centre where Shami wholeheartedly loved the workers through her selfless actions. Recently, from March until November of this year, she became the Lead Convenor of Kilusang Bayanihan - Metro Manila.

As the pandemic aggravated last March, hunger and severe poverty also became prevalent due to massive unemployment of Filipino people, in lieu of that, Shami was among those people who delivered relief goods in the midst of lockdown. Additionally, she was also elected as Deputy Secretary of Kilusang Mayo Uno in their 4th Congress this year, a position which she dearly and wholeheartedly held as she led and spearheaded the fight for the worker's rights.

Last December 10, Shami was one of those seven people that was arrested because of Illegal Possession of Firearms and Explosives using guns and grenades that were planted by the authorities. Which they used as evidence against them as they filed fabricated cases in the court that led to the arrests of Shami and 6 other people. Shami, together with 2 other union organizers, are indeed victims of the government's old dirty tactic of planting evidence to suppress and silence those labor leaders that continue to forward and fight the worker's cause and their demand.

Mark Ryan Cruz is currently Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) Regional Council Member and organizer in the city of Manila and nearby cities. He joined the struggle of the workers of the Harbor Center, S Lord. He also organized a union for workers in the community to oppose contractualization and call for regular employment for workers.

Mark was born on December 30, 1980 and grew up in Tondo, Manila. He was raised God-fearing and became active in the local chapel of Iglesia ni Kristo in Magsaysay, Tondo.

He also studied hard and maintained his first section since his first day in Nolasco High School. He is also known as a good Math subject, and has a talent for playing the guitar. He also has many close friends. Even being surrounded by bad influences in the community he grew up in, he was never involved in bad habits. He has high respect for women's rights, proof of this he has several female friends.

In 1997, Mark was a freshman in college at TIP Manila. In 1998-1999, he participated in the campus issue and became a member of the League of Filipino Students. It acted actively and was later appointed as one of its leaders. He was part of bringing public issues inside their campus to make young students aware of the plight of the Filipino people. As the head of the LFS TIP branch, in addition to bringing the campus issue against its administration's repression and the increase in tuition fees, it has also been active in organizing among the workers as a Labor Officer. Almost all the strikes that erupted from this year to the next he was there and lived among the workers.

In 1999-2000, in its fourth year in its ECE course, it decided to become a full-time organizer. He fully embraced service and living with workers from communities in Manila. While continuing to support the issues of workers in Manila, it has also actively organized youth in communities at risk of demolition. They have built many Anakbayan chapters in Sampaloc, Sta. Mesa, Quiapo and Tondo. Later, Mark Ryan Cruz was elected Chairperson of Anakbayan Manila.

In 2001-2003, Amidst of the ERAP Resign Campaign, he led the youth in Manila to participate in the oust movement. There is a wide range of mobilized and organized young students and youth in the communities of Manila. As Chairperson of Anakbayan Manila, he has further enhanced his leadership skills and discipline as a good organizer and leader. He was also a good example to those he organized and led. He has also been active and involved in forming the cultural alliance group Katig Manila in several colleges and universities in Manila.

He showed that the talent, talent and creativity of the youth should serve the national goal of freedom and democracy.

The ERAP Resign movement campaign once again highlighted the great role of the youth in participating in political and public affairs. The influx of young people into the streets to play a role in ousting a corrupt and counter-poor President has played a big role.

In the year 2003-2006, from being the youth leader and Chairperson of Anakbayan Manila, his experience in participating in sectoral issues, city issues, national and political issues expanded. Mark Ryan Cruz became Secretary General of BAYAN Manila in 2003. He actively participated in reaching various unions and factories in Manila. He played a major role in the formation of the ACTION WORKERS which formed an alliance of various unions and individual workers' representatives in factories and companies.

In 2004, Mark Ryan Cruz led the electoral campaign while highlighting the workers' call. He led some Covenant Signing friendly politicians to completely ban contractualization in Manila. This call was highlighted, something that capitalists and a religion that actively campaigned against not voting for political friends because of this call.

After the 2004 election, Mark Ryan Cruz spearheaded various campaigns in the city of Manila such as Market Privatization.

In 2006-2012, due to Mark Ryan Cruz's good leadership in Anakbayan Manila, he was appointed Campaign officer of Anakbayan Metro Manila and campaign director of Youth Revolt. The Youth Revolt is a broad alliance of young students leading the Truth and Accountability Campaign. Opposed OPH and Oil Deregulation Law. He also actively supported Demolition in Corazon de Jesus, San Juan and Silverio, Paranaque.

After that, Mark led the formation of the Labor Committee of Anakbayan Metro Manila. The call was made to strengthen the relationship between the youth and the workers. It actively responded to workers' battles in Triumph, Advan and Kowloon.

During these times, Mark Ryan Cruz decided to devote his full time to organizing the workers and being a part of their struggles and struggles.

In 2012-2019, he became the main organizer of workers in Manila and neighboring cities. Great guide to the battle of Harbor Center workers, S. Lord. Under his leadership, they also formed an association of community workers to reach out to contractual workers and regular unions in the factories. He devoted his entire time to studying the situation and issues facing workers. Carrying his experience at KMU Manila. He enthusiastically shared it with other groups and organizations that want to uphold the rights of workers. As the main organizer of KMU Manila, he worked well in forming an alliance of workers in Manila and Makati that led him to meet Defend Jobs Philippines.

In 2013 during the electoral campaign, KMU Manila led by Mark Ryan Cruz participated in the campaign against fraud. This campaign garnered widespread support through the call MY VOTE IS NOT FOR SALE in Sampaloc, Manila

From 2019 to this year, Mark is actively working as the organizer and leader of Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila.

Early in the morning, December 10, 2020, on World Human Rights Day, Mark Ryan Cruz was arrested and illegally arrested along with 5 other organizers and 1 writer. They were planted with bullets, guns, grenades and released by the Philippine National Police (PNP) belonging to the "Criminal Gang". Quezon City Executive Judge Cecilyn Villavert also conspired to issue anomalous search warrants for the 7 who were arrested on December 10 to allow them to plant guns and grenades.

Joel Demate was first organized when he was a sales clerk in the shoe world in the 1980s. he was organized with Young Christian Workers (YCW) who worked hard to reach other workshops and unions.Here he met his wife who was also a worker in a workshop. While he was performing organizational work he became aware of the real struggle of the workers. As a result, the fire of his struggle intensified, so he decided to spend full-time on organizing work. Acted as a labor organizer under the YCW for several years, where he was also a delegate to an international conference, before moving on to organize the Pasig labor movement. He was one of the founders of Solidarity for Labor and Rights Welfare (SOLAR), an organization of labor unions in Muntinlupa, Taguig, Parañaque, Pasay, and others in 2004.

Great at tactics against workers. From the founding of SOLAR he has helped in the struggles of the workers of FTI, Laws Garments and Triumph international. He rested for several years due to his emphysema. Act slowly again by helping with some workers' campaigns. Re-organized organizing work around 2011, such as organizing ComFoods workers in Mandaluyong and some labor strikes in Pasig.

In 2016, with the re-establishment of SOLAR, he helped a lot in the fight between the workers of Advan Shoes and South Supermarket. Even in the Collective Bargain Agreement (CBA) between Pepsi's labor camp and company management. With Joel's help, workers 'benefits were greater than in 2013.

He actively participated in the workers' struggle in many factories and played a major role in the success of trade unions and workers. He works diligently to distribute the role of social workers and the strength of their collective forces. He has the love and dedication to serve the oppressed workers. Joel Demate was one of seven illegally arrested on December 10, 2020, when World Human Rights Day was held. He was planted of counterfeit edifices such as guns and bombs, and fabricated by fiction.

Joel is an organizer and unionist, not a terrorist. It is just that he should be released along with other political prisoners who are victims of the repression of state.

Rodrigo “Erwin'' Esparago aka Ka Erwin is a union organizer who happens to be one of the forming members of Sandigang Manggagawa in Quezon City (SMQC). He is one of the organizers who contributed in uniting the University Hotel Workers in the University of the Philippines Diliman. In the midst of the pandemic, he managed to be a helping hand for those in need, especially for stranded workers.

In 2014, 17 unionists had successfully held a unified and collective action with the initiation of Ka Erwin in forming the SMQC. He paved the way for strengthening and empowering the University Hotel Workers Union in UP Diliman and in the other areas around Quezon City where workers are organized through his leadership.

In 2019, he played a significant part in the campaign of union formation where workers in Quezon City were encouraged to sign in QC Development Council to which the current CDC labor sector representative was from SMQC. Ka Erwin has made it all possible to formally lead the formation of CBA of University Hotel, CNA of All UP Workers Union, and of the Alliance of Call Center Workers Metro Manila.

In midst of these trying times during the COVID-19 pandemic, from May to September, Ka Erwin took the initiative to provide assistance and physiological support to stranded workers, to those who lost their jobs, and to those who are in need from the University Hotel. They are mostly construction workers, a community of workers in Novaliches and Banlat area. He also served in the call for 100% absorption of contractual janitors in UP.

Early in the morning on December 10, 2020, right at the International Human Rights Day, Ka Erwin, together with the other 5 organizers and a journalist, were raided and illegally arrested. The PNP, tirelessly, and once again, had planted grenades, bullets, and guns as evidence. Quezon City Executive Judge Cecilyn Villavert took place in issuing unsubstantial search warrants for the said 6 union organizers and a journalist on December 10 to seize their chance in their planted evidence.

Jaymie Gregorio Jr. – an activist and a student leader of Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology (EARIST), and also a member of Student Christian Movement of the Philippines – PUP since 2008. On the same year, she also became a member of Anakbayan PUP. He’s a diligent activist and is known for actively organizing youth and students in her community.

Jaymie was a fine arts student and is skilled with art that’s why she joined the UgatLAHI EARIST chapter in the year 2009-2010. This group is known for creating effigy, art exhibits and different cultural activities. Because of her enthusiasm to join these groups and his eagerness to participate in the activities, she progressed to be the founding member of an organization known as KAMAO – Katipunan ng Mag-aaral at Organisasyon. KAMAO is a political party that aims to uplift the student’s interest in the university. Fortunately, their party won in the Student Council Election with Jaymie as their lead, together with her co-activists in EARIST. They fought for the development fee of the university and for the student’s right to a quality and free education.

In 2011, he decided to become a youth organizer in Anakbayan Metro Manila and helped other progressive groups in University Belt to amplify their voices in their protest against the budget cut of the universities. Furthermore, in 2015, Jaymie was elected as a Secretary-General of Anakbayan Metro Manila. With her remarkable leadership, different branches of Anakbayan were built in Metro Manila such as Anakbayan Caloocan, Anakbayan Manila and Anakbayan Quezon City. This also paved the way for chapters in universities to arise such as Anakbayan Adamson, Anakbayan Far Eastern University and Anakbayan TUP Manila.

Last 2016, he was the coordinator on the electoral campaign for the Kabataan Party-list. She showed full-out support for the legitimate and only party-list for the youth in the Congress by visiting different schools and communities to campaign for the said party-list.

On 2017, he decided to lead and organize the Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila. She focused and centered her attention to the laborers in Pier and its residing communities. With this, he urge for the workers to protest for their rights to wages, safe labor, and for the termination of the contractualization which formed labor unions. In addition, Jaymie was also well-known in Smokey Mountain for living with the workers there and for leading them to conduct a protest to resist against the TRAIN Law last 2018.

Currently, he is a part of the Regional Council Member of Kilusang Mayo Uno Metro Manila and still on the side of the laborers and the oppressed up until now. Together with Mark Ryan Cruz and Romina Raiselle Astudillo, Jaymie is also one of the activists who were illegally arrested and charged with fabricated cases last December 10, 2020 during the commemoration of Human Rights. The allegations thrown against Jaymie and the Human Rights Day 7, and the planting of weapons and explosives are all baseless and insubstantial. The injustices and mass arrest on critiques and activists by the Duterte regime shows how cowardly and frightened they are to the revolting citizens. Let us use our voices and platforms to drumbeat our call for the release of Human Rights Day 7 together with all the political prisoners.

Activist and unionist, not a terrorist!

Lady Ann Salem, more popularly known as Icy, is an editor and a journalist from media organizations Manila Today and Tudla Productions. She is also the current Communications Officer of International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT). As a member of National Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP), she also fights alongside with her fellow journalists to defend their rights. Icy graduated and earned high honors, but she did not limit herself to only excel within the four corners of a classroom. She was a member of UP Women’s Junior Fighting Maroons Basketball team when she was a 7th grader.

On her 9th grade, she was elected as a member of the student council. She discovered her love for writing when she became the Managing Editor of the school paper "Ang Aninag". Icy became a campus journalist and an active student-leader of students from the College of Mass Communication in UP Diliman. Even then, she already had the passion and dedication of journaling the truth. She became a part of Tudla Productions in 2008 and eventually became the Executive Director of the said organization.

Icy also takes part and joins resistance against demolitions happening from different locations like Corazon De Jesus at San Juan and fearlessly struggles with the police and demolition teams that harass the citizens. Icy also led the "Pandayang Lino Brocka" which was named after the film icon Lino Brocka whom she greatly admired. The film festival's objective is to exhibit films that open the viewers' eyes as well as arouse their interests to take action. Pandayang Lino Brocka was brought to the indigent cities, factories and universities to make sure that the audience of the films is the mass.

Icy is an excellent writer and is capable of being employed by the leading broadcasting companies in the Philippines but she chose to rather join alternative media organizations and help establish Altermedia. She chose to use her talent and voice to serve the oppressed. Inside the IAWRT, she is known as a diligent worker and often leads organizing international events.

5 days before she was apprehended, she became part of the core team that organized IAWRT Virtual Biennial 2020. Lady Ann Salem is one of the 7 activists that was arrested last December 10, 2020 which the very World Human Rights day is celebrated, She exposed in her short interview from the Intermidya, that they were coerced to look backwards by the arrestors while the evidences were being planted for an hour. It is not new for almost everyone how dire the situation is for progressive journalists because of this oppressive state. Under the Duterte Regime, exposing the heinous repression to the advancing citizens is considered a crime.

The arrest of Icy and the 6 activists are clear manifestations of Duterte's fear towards unimpeded media that is why he tramples on it.

Dennise Velasco is an activist, labor organizer, and human rights defender. He was arrested on International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2020, based on false testimony and fabricated evidence.

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