Whatever happened to the case of Karnation 20 whose members until now are still fighting for justice? I had a little idea about this case until I came across the website of the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights, a labor NGO based in Quezon City. The organization has been seeking support for the workers to be acquitted.
As a backgrounder, the case is about a group of workers a.k.a. Karnation 20 that was arrested and jailed after allegedly padlocking and barricading the company premises of Karnation Industries and Export Inc. a company that manufactures home decors and accessories. The strike allegedly prohibited other employees from going outside the company and this prompted the company to file a charge of serious illegal detention against the striking workers. It happened in 2007 and until now the case is still unresolved. Sadly, two (2) of the workers have already died in prison due to tuberculosis and other health complications.
To secure their temporary liberty, some of the accused posted bail for the amount of 60,000. Complainant, however, moved to increase the bail from 60,000 to 80,000 to which the court (RTC Branch 80, Morong, Rizal) granted. Accused had no choice but to post an additional 20,000 although they moved to set aside the order for the bail increase. On 25 July 2011, however, the judge denied with finality the motion and gave the accused until 31 December 2011 to post the additional 20,000 bail.
The latest update is that twelve (12) of the accused were able to post the additional P20,000 bail before the date set by the court while two (2) of them have yet to post the additional 20,000 bail. Trial is still ongoing and it seems that, for the members of Karnation 20, seeking justice is still far from over.
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