Democrito "Kito" T. Mendoza (July 31, 1923 – January 12, 2016) was a Filipino Visayan lawyer and trade union leader from Cebu, Philippines.
During the outbreak of World War II, he joined the resistance movement against the Japanese and became a guerilla fighter,[1] which earned him distinction as a bemedalled Filipino veteran.
[2] As a labor leader, he led the push for restructuring the Philippine economy to create new job opportunities and protect workers from the rise of contractualization.
[5] He was the founder of the Associated Labor Union (ALU) in 1954, becoming its president for a long time,[1] by leading workers in Cebu ports.
[5] Together with other Filipino labor leaders, he called for the industrialized and oil-rich nations to a "rational approach" amidst the escalating oil price hikes.
[14] In 2002, then Senator John Osmeña initiated a legislative inquiry into the alleged diversion of company's funds into Mendoza's family-owned businesses.
[13] The company sought the suspension of the investigation and filed a suit at the Supreme Court stating that the Senate had exceeded its jurisdiction and was committing grave abuse of authority.
[2] Then Senate President Franklin Drilon said that Mendoza would be remembered as a "principled and relentless champion of the Filipino working class.
"[3] The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) general secretary Steve Cotton also commented, "Democrito was a courageous man who dedicated his life to serving the working people of the Philippines.