On November 25, protest actions of 183 unions erupted in Metro Manila, demanding the release of BMP leader Filemon "Popoy" Lagman, illegally arrested by intelligence agents of the armed forces on November 12. The actions included mass walkouts, work stoppages, demonstrations, pickets and hanging banners at factory gates.
Lagman was eventually released on November 28, three days after the APEC summit. The order came from the Quezon City court, which cited the lack of due process in the abduction and imprisonment. Lagman's lawyers turned the tables by filing a charge of grave abuse of authority against the state prosecutor who ordered his arrest.