On December 10, 2020, Filipino police officers simultaneously raided the houses of Dennise Velasco, member of Defend Jobs Philippines, Romina Astudillo, Deputy Secretary-General of the trade union Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)-Metro Manila, Mark Ryan Cruz, member of the Regional Executive Committee of KMU-Metro Manila, Jaymie Gregorio Jr., member of KMU-Metro Manila, Joel Demate, member of Solidarity of Labour Rights and Welfare (SOLAR), Rodrigo Esparago, member of the trade union Sandigang Manggagawa sa Quezon City (SMQC), and journalist Lady Ann Salem, editor of Manila Today and Communications Officer of the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT). They all belong to groups that were previously red-tagged, i.e. labelled as “communists” or “terrorists”. The seven human rights defenders were subsequently arrested on charges of “illegal possession of firearms and explosives”, which police claimed were seized during the raids. According to local reports, the criminalisation rests on fabricated charges that are a common modus operandi of Filipino police. Joel Demate is a veteran activist and trade union organizer. He is one of the founders of the Solidarity of Labor for Rights and Welfare (SOLAR) which spearheaded the labor disputes in Pepsi and has been active in the campaigns against massive termination of workers of Advan, Triumph and others.