Philippines Unionism After 117 years, Philippine unionism remains a vehicle for worker voice and representation in industrial relations, guaranteed by the Constitution and labor laws. The first Philippine union was established in 1902. Interviews and analysis of available documents and statements of Philippine trade union leaders, labor political party groups, and worker associations indicate various degrees of engagement in social and political unionism beyond economic unionism through collective bargaining (Amante, n.d.). The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) or Katipunan ng Mang-gagawang Pilipino (KMP) was established on December 14, 1975 by the renowned trade unionist and labor leader Atty. Decmocrito “Kito" T. Mendoza along with other leaders of its member-organizations. TUCP is the most representative labor center in the Philippines, with 27 labor federations and organizations under its umbrella. Its members are from all sectors and industries (agriculture, manufacturing, and services), including government employees, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS), and informal sector workers (Amante, n.d.). In January 2020, TUCP, pushes for an "early escape plan" for 1.2M OFWS in the Middle East (amid rising tension of wars and conflicts). The organization urged President Rodrigo Duterte to devise a government evacuation plan for the estimated 1.2 million overseas Filipino workers affected by conflicts that may arise in the region. This comes after top Iran commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US strike on January 3, upon orders of US President Donald Trump. Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded to the attack by vowing "severe revenge" for Soleimani's death (Macaraeg, 2020). "With these inauspicious fast turning of events, the fate of our OFWS in the Middle East now hangs uncertain. With the growing instability in that region, there is an urgent need for a Philippine government escape plan that takes every OFWS from harm's way either by land, sea, or air," said TUCP president and TUCP Representative Raymond Mendoza.