The National Democratic Front in Negros (NDF-Negros) said peace consultant and poet Ericson Acosta and peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez were stabbed and hacked, belying claims of the military that the two died during gun fight in Kabankalan City last Nov. 30.

The sisters saw the need for medical assistance in rural communities and this led them to start community-based health programs. With the help of RMP’s partner health organizations and professionals, such as the Council for Health and Development, local community health workers in rural areas were trained to manage their own health programs, prepare herbal medicine, and teach alternative treatment like acupuncture and massage.

NDF-Negros spokesperson Bayani Obrero said in a statement that Acosta and a companion were captured alive at around two o’clock in the morning of November 30 but were announced as casualties in a “fake encounter” a few hours later.

The minimum wage in the Philippines barely covers the needs of a family of five.

Among the issues confronting women workers are union-busting and redtagging.