MANILA – Atty. Democrito T. Mendoza, the founder of the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), has passed away at 92.

Mendoza died at the Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City on Tuesday night, according to TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay.

He did not disclose the cause of death.

Mendoza was one of the lawyers who founded the Associated Labor Union (ALU) in 1954. The ALU has since become one of the largest labor federations in the country.

He also served as the Commissioner of the Social Security System and pioneered the creation of labor centers in Quezon City, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, and Davao City.

In 1978, Mendoza rose to the call of the times as President of the TUCP by asserting decent work as key to improving life balance not only in the trade union movement of the Philippines but also in the international arena.

In 1983, Mendoza helped advance the freedom of workers and social justice in Southeast Asia through the founding of the ASEAN Trade Union Council.

He had also called for technical support from the International Labor Union to encourage workers’ enterprises and cooperatives, and develop skills for promoting sustainable development.

Mendoza received three Presidential wards in his lifetime: “Labor Leader of the Year,” given by President Fidel V. Ramos in 1998, “Order of the Golden Heart,” given by President Gloria Arroyo in 2002, and the Presidential Merit Award in 2005.

He was also awarded the Golden Cross for his action against enemy forces in Cebu during the Philippine liberation campaign in 1945 by a division of the United States Army.

In 2014, House Resolution 1051 was filed. This resolution urged Congress to give Mendoza Congressional recognition “for his life-long and invaluable contribution in shaping and advancing the Philippine labor movement and for tirelessly working to defend and uphold the interest of the Filipino working class.”