; investigations are not impartial; mechanisms for civilians to hold police and military accountable are failing; court protections are inaccessible, slow and discriminatory; government forces are orchestrating political repression and militarizing governance; counterinsurgency activities are targeting lawyers and denying victims access to counsel; efforts to challenge unjust laws through legal channels are being dismissed; public institutions and bodies which should provide checks and balances or oversight have been eviscerated or lack clout. (4) In a 2023 report, Human Rights Watch reports there has been no letup in the War on drugs in the Philippines under the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. administration, which leading human rights organizations estimate took up to 30,000 lives under former President Rodrigo Duterte. (5) According to the Joint Report of Trade Unions to the International Labor Organization, from 2019 to the beginning of 2023, there have been 16 killing of trade unionists, two cases of forced disappearances, 68 cases of arrests and detention, 90 cases of forced disaffiliation, 58 cases of red-tagging, and 127 cases of intimidation of union leaders and members. Additionally, the Report notes that the Government of the Philippines has failed to act on any previous recommendations by the International Labor Organization to protect workers’ rights, and responded directly to recommendations that, it requires further clarification as to what constitutes effective measures to prevent violence against workers