WE'VE MOVED!

Hello!

We have moved our website to www.firenyc.org! Please update your browsers!

Best,
Webmaster

Senate Historic Vote on FilVets a Result of Filipino Unity for Full Equity and People's Struggle

News Release
April 28, 2008

Reference: Berna Ellorin, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org


Senate Historic Vote on FilVets a Result of Filipino Unity for Full Equity and People's Struggle
Fil-Ams Demand House of Representatives to Complete the Process of Righting a Historical Wrong


The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, commends the perseverance of the Filipino WWII Veterans, their families, and the many grassroots organizations who have fought decades for full recognition and equity for Filipino World War II Veterans. The recent passing of US Senate Bill 1315 (S.1315), the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007, is a major step towards righting this historical wrong. It is important to underscore that it was only through unrelenting advocacy and massive struggle of many individuals and organizations including our own member organization, that the Filipino WWII Veterans will get their full recognition. And as we await the vote of the House of Representatives, it is important to intensify our advocacy for justice and to demand that the bill will not be watered down.


"It was the blood, sweat, and tears of the Filipino World War II Veterans themselves, their families, and their supporters, marching on the streets for over six decades that made the US Senate turn its head our direction," states BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano. "Otherwise, the appalling institutional racism in the United States and historical unequal relationship between the US and Philippine governments would continue to enforce the painful 60 year-old status quo of mass deprivation of basic pension benefits for our aging veterans, many of whom have already passed away."

Last week, in a historic vote, the US Senate voted an overwhelming 96 to 1 in favor of passing S. 1315, a bill that would finally provide Filipino World War II Veterans their veterans affairs (VA) pension. Before that, the issue of full equity for Filipino World War II Veterans stood as the single most unifying concern for a broad Filipino-American population of nearly four million in the United States. Numerous Filipino groups took the concern annually to Capitol Hill as well as organized marches and rallies around the veterans' cause.

The Philippines was the first and only direct colony of the United States government acquired through a violent takeover at the turn of the 20th century. At the time of World War II, the Philippines, then a US Commonwealth, provided over 140,000 Filipino men under the US Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE) Program, to fight alongside US soldiers in defeating the Japanese Imperial Army. While considered US nationals at the time, the Filipino veterans were only foreign nationals recruited to the US Armed Forces that did not avail of the US government's promise of pension benefits once their service to the United States was completed.

Of the 140,000 Filipino men who fought during World War II, there are less than 18,000 surviving, and many continue to die weekly impoverished and uncompensated for their bravery.

In 1946, the same year the Philippines was granted nominal independence from the US government, Congress and President Truman passed the infamous Rescission Act, which voided Filipino veterans who served alongside US soldiers in the same cause to receive pension benefits. It stated -- "the service of Filipinos shall not be deemed to be or to have been service in the military or national forces of the United States or any component thereof or any law of the United States conferring rights, privileges or benefits."

"We must continue to expose this shameful episode in US history, and hold the US government accountable for its many unforgivable acts," Quijano added.

S. 1315 is a bill that would enhance life insurance benefits for disabled veterans, burial allowances and household grants, and provides for over $221 million in new pension benefits.

As the issue now moves into the House's hands, Filipino-Americans are stepping up their demand that the deal be sealed.

"We cannot back down now. We need to keep the momentum going and keep the pressure on Congress. We urge all freedom-loving citizens to contact their local state representatives and demand full equity for the Filipino veterans especially when the issue is up for a vote in the Lower House this year. We will not cease our collective efforts and actions until justice for our brave veterans is finally attained," Quijano ended. ###

New York Pinays Redefine the "Struggling Artist"

For Immediate Release

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768, fire.nyc@gmail.com

New York Pinays Redefine the "Struggling Artist"

New York, NY--On April 19, 2008, a women's organization, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), held a cultural night dedicated to the artistic talents of Filipino American women. Pinay artists from all over the US showcased their work, alongside New York Filipina artists.

Using art as a vehicle, Diwang Pinay urged Filipino American women in New York to connect their struggles in the US to the ones faced by their counterparts in the Philippines. The evening brought together over 100 people in Greenwich Village's historic Judson Memorial Church, and began with a Brooklyn-based artist, Fly Lady Di, setting up a blank canvas and gradually painted an abstract Philippine flag.


The audience was called to attention as members of Kinding Sindaw, a Moro dance troupe, began playing the kulintang as a backdrop to traditional ceremonial dances. Then, Pinay artists like singer/songwriter, Taospuso, and 1st Quarter Storm, a hip hop duo based inSeattle, Washington performed politically charged work which forced attention to the unresolved human rights situation in the Philippines. The night affirmed an intact community of Filipino women able to nurture artistic growth across their mediums in the New York City area, as well as across the nation.



The featured speaker of the night, GABRIELA secretary general Emmi De Jesus, was flown in from the Philippines and ended the New York leg of her US speaking tour at the first annual Diwang Pinay. After a few days of attending forums representing various local communities organized by FiRE, De Jesus brought a sobering testimony of Filipino women's resistance amidst the corruption and the atrocious human rights record of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.



"Although GMA is a woman president, she is a shame to Filipino women in the Philippines and all over the world," De Jesus stated, "GMA's blatant neglect of basic rights to life, education, employment and the repression of women's right to fight for social justice is an attack on Filipino women globally."



FiRE, as a part of the first overseas chapter of GABRIELA, committed to calling attention to the human rights violations enacted on women leaders and activists in thePhilippines. Diwang Pinay was intended to be an evolving space tackling issues faced by Filipinas in the United States and abroad. Ultimately, FiRE hopes to encourage women to continue developing the culture of resistance surrounding these turbulent times by bringing awareness to how these violations impact women's lives daily.

FiRE's first annual Diwang Pinay in New York precedes the Diwang Pinay being held in San Francisco on April 25 with a women and art theme, organized by babae-San Francisco and League of Filipino Students and San Francisco State University.

###

People Power Tour 1!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 18, 2007

Premier Filipino American emcees, Kiwi (formerly of Native Guns) and Geologic (aka Prometheus Brown of Seattle's Blue Scholars) launch social justice benefit, People Power Tour.

Media Contact:

Bernadette Ellorin – Secretary General of BAYAN USA – secgen@bayanusa.org
Brian Myers – People Power Tour – National Coordinator - brian.jl.myers@gmail.com

Two of the West Coast's premier Filipino American emcees, Geologic aka Prometheus Brown of Seattle's Blue Scholars and San Francisco's Kiwi, formerly of Native Guns, are teaming up again to rally youth and students to raise awareness with a nationwide People Power Tour. Geologic elaborated, "We are volunteering to do this concert because we have a responsibility, beyond music, to raise awareness and hopefully incite action that addresses the human rights crisis and government corruption in our homeland."

Over the next 3 weeks, this dynamic duo will criss-cross the West Coast and Midwest, collaborating with local groups and emcees for 13 shows in 11 cities. Proceeds from the tour will be donated to Bayan-USA, an alliance of progressive Filipino American organizations advocating for social justice and democracy in the Philippines.

Both Kiwi and Geo are active Filipino community organizers, drawing connections between the struggles of Filipinos in the US and their compatriots back home. They share the view that art is not only a reflection of the world, but a tool which can shape a more just future society. Kiwi shares, "For me personally, I found my identity and was eventually politicized through hip hop, and I feel like I owe it to this culture to make music and do shows that will hopefully have the same impact on this generation of youth and hip hop fans."

From the rapidly gentrifying street-corner to the Ivory Tower of academia, Kiwi and Geo bring forth a message of resistance and self-determination in the tradition of pro-people hip-hop music by such artists as Dead Prez, Public Enemy and KRS-One.

Kiwi adds, "The name of the tour was inspired by the "People Power" movement that drove out two corrupt Presidential regimes in the Philippines. Because part of the focus of this tour is the corruption of the current GMA regime, we felt like the name made a lot of sense." A rapidly growing movement comprising of all sectors of the Filipino community are mobilizing to oust the corrupt administration. In the two previous non-violent People Power movements, the Filipino people ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos (1986) and the corruption-ridden Joseph Estrada (2001).

While 2007 has seen a decline in politically-motivated killings (a decline, not a stop), in 2008 political and economic conditions in the Philippines have worsened. The GMA administration is wrought in corruption scandals, including the rice crisis, election fraud, corporate nepotism and kickbacks. Increased US military presence threatens Philippine civilians' lives and livelihood. The February, 4, 2008, Sulu Massacre and numerous military rape cases are just some of the most recent violence.

Proceeds from the tour will be donated to support Bayan-USA's local and international campaigns advocating for social justice and democracy in the Philippines. People Power Tour, Part 1 includes shows on International Workers Day - May 1st, and through Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Contact Brian Meyers (brian.jl.myers@gmail.com) to book People Power Tour, Part 2, during Filipino heritage month (October 2008).

LIST OF SHOWS:

MIDWEST:

SATURDAY - APRIL 19, 2008
UWM Fireside Lounge
2200 E Kenwood Blvd
Milwaukee, WI - FREE | 8PM

SUNDAY - APRIL 20, 2008
Adobo Express
5343 N Lincoln Ave.
Chicago, IL
w/ Bagwis
All-ages | 7PM | $10 donation | BYOB

WEST COAST

FRIDAY - APRIL 25, 2008
RAW Sushi
523 W 1st Ave.
Spokane, WA
8PM | $7 | 21+ event
w/ Dj Daps1

MONDAY - APRIL 28, 2008
Berbati's Pan
213 SW Ankeny St.
Portland, OR
w/ 1st Quarter Storm, Chev, and DJ Daps1
8pm / all ages


TUESDAY - APRIL 29, 2008 (Daytime Show)
Portland CC
Portland, OR
w/ 1st Quarter Storm

TUESDAY - APRIL 29, 2008 (Evening Show)
Chop Suey
Seattle, WA
w/ 1st Quarter Storm, Chev, Language Arts?
8pm/ all ages / $TBA


WEDNESDAY - April 30, 2008

The Callaloo Caribbean Kitchen
1212 N State Street
Bellingham, WA 98225
w/ Yogoman Burning Band
1st Quarter Storm, Chev, Language Arts and Dj Daps1
$10 / Doors 9:00PM Show at 10:00PM / 21+

THURSDAY - MAY 1, 2008
Geologic performing w/ Blue Scholars
at IMMGRANTS RIGHTS/WORKERS DAY MARCH
Seattle, WA 4PM
more information: www.elcomite.org

FRIDAY - MAY 2, 2008

Sacramento State University Sacramento, CA w/ Manifest One and Caprice
$12 adv / $15 at the door / all ages / 8pm

SATURDAY - MAY 3, 2008
Hip-hop in The Park -Berkeley, CA - 12PM | Free!

MONDAY - MAY 5, 2008
Cafe Du Nord
2170 Market St.
San Francisco, CA
$15 | 21+
w/ Kasamas & Nomi of Power Struggle

WEDNESDAY -MAY 7, 2008

La Pena
3105 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705 USA 510-849-2568 / lapena.org
$15 / all ages / 9pm

SUNDAY - MAY 11, 2008
Knitting Factory
Los Angeles, CA
Details TBD

Kiwi's website: www.myspace.com/kiwi
Geologic's website: www.myspace.com/probrown
Bayan-USA website: www.bayanusa.org

###

New York Filipinas Act Through Art

For Immediate Release

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768, fire.nyc@gmail.com



New York Filipinas Act Through Art

Women's Organization Calls Attention to Human Rights Violations in the Philippines



On April 19th, 2008, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) will celebrate the first year by honoring Filipino American and Filipino women's talents and art. The anniversary of women's organization's first year in service to the Filipino community in New York is reflected by the cultural night's women-centered and women-powered night.

FiRE's first annual cultural show Diwang Pinay (literally translated as"Spirit of the Filipina"), focuses on the rich and growing Pinay art community in New York city. The show will feature Filipino women singers, bands, poets, dancers and visual artists. Pinays from all over the United States are also coming to celebrate the night in hopes to build a national network of Filipino women interested in art and activism.

Through a night filled with art and performance Filipinas will call attention to the gross human rights violations situation in the Philippines. In the past year, this issue has garnered international attention and Diwang Pinay aims to contribute to raising awareness in our community through Filipino women's art.

"No human rights case in the Philippines has yet to be solved. The disappearances, killings and harassment of community leaders and members have consequences for Filipino women," states Valerie Francisco, secretary general of FiRE, "As women work hard to combat the ill effects of landlessness and lack of jobs their partners, children, cousins, loved ones and sometimes even themselves experience the wrath of state violence."

The one-of-a-kind Filipino women's event hosts a special guest speaker, Emmi De Jesus, the secretary general of GABRIELA, a national alliance of women's organization in the Philippines. De Jesus will highlight the impacts of the human rights violations on Filipino women there.

Diwang Pinay promises to fill the historic Judson Memorial Church in New York City with the cutting edge artistry of young Filipino American women who, even thousands of miles away from their motherland, insist on connecting their lives here in the US to the lives of women in the Philippines.

"The first step to solving a problem is being aware that it is there in the first place," stated Jackie Mariano, an active member of FiRE. "I hope that Diwang Pinay serves as a wake-up call to all art-lovers out there. Art imitates life. While our art will depict our struggle, it will also depict our international solidarity."

As a member of GABRIELA-USA, FiRE is mounting a momentous event in initiating action around the human rights violations in the Philippines through showcasing Filipino women's art. Diwang Pinay will serve as a testament to the struggles and triumphs of Filipino women all over the world.

There will be a community reception on Friday, April 18 at 7:30pm at the Bayanihan Community Center, 40-21 69th Street in Woodside, Queens with Emmi De Jesus and the Filipino community in New York.

Diwang Pinay will be on April 19, 2008 from 6pm to 9pm at Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South in Manhattan, New York. General admission is $10 and a discounted rate of $5 for young people.

###

FilAm Women March in Large International Contingent in New York

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2008

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Chairwoman, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), fire.nyc@gmail.com, www.firenyc.org

FilAm Women March in Large International Contingent in New York

New York, NY--Not even the heavy rainstorm could stop, Filipino American women from Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) from marching and chanting in the streets of downtown, Manhattan on March 8, 2008, International Women's Day. Alongside 300 people and various New York women's organizations, the soaked marchers kept their spirits up and their voices to the sky.

"Women all over the world are celebrating resistance on International Women's Day," stated Valerie Francisco, chair of FiRE, "Filipino women, especially, have much to be proud of." In New York, FiRE celebrated by participating in the women's festival at CUNY Hunter College and as a part of the International Women's Day Coalition in New York.

As member organization of GABRIELA-USA, the Filipino contingent in New York carried placards calling for the Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to step down from office. Accounts of corruption coming from Malacanang have been unfolding the past few weeks, pointing to the president's acquiescence in deals that put millions and millions of dollars in the pockets of politicians.

In the meantime, Filipino women across the globe are facing critical issues. The Filipino woman in Japan raped by US marines in Okinawa is still awaiting justice. Neither GMA nor the US government has issued apologies. The trial for this Filipino woman has been prolonged as the Philippine government awaits for the US' lead on this case.

Although, no governmental bodies have sought justice for her, streets in Okinawa, Manila and New York were filled with outraged Filipino activists demanding justice. The women rallying side by side with the Filipino woman in Okinawa and Nicole and the countless others victimized by US militarization are the ones calling for change.

"A woman president is only as good as what her puppeteer will allow her to be," Francisco continued, "The real women's power, the real international women's power is in the everyday woman. We will organize and mobilize until our demands are met and our collective voices are heard!"

GABRIELA is spearheading a global women's movement, FiRE in New York along with Pinay Sa Seattle and babae in San Francisco are harnessing power from US-based Filipino women to strengthen an international struggle.

With their umbrellas painted with "OUST GMA" and their rain boots in tow, FiRE is leaving a trail blazed with solidarity. Even a little rain couldn't stop them.

###

Fil-Am women in NY echoes the worldwide call for OUST GLO!

Press Release
29 February 2008

Reference: Valerie Francisco, Secretary General, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE)
Contact Info: fire.nyc@gmail.com, 925-726-5768, www.firenyc.org

Fil-Am women in NY echoes the worldwide call for OUST GLO!

New York, NY--The sounds of feet marching on concrete and voices chanting echoed from the streets of Manila to the Filipino hub of Woodside, Queens on a freezing Thursday night. The demands of the Filipino people, migrant or in the Philippines resonated in unison, "GLORIA RESIGN!"

Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), a Filipino women's organization in New York City, stood side by side with other BAYAN-USA organizations, Anakbayan New York/New Jersey and New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines to join in the worldwide call to oust the defacto Philippine president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

In the recent unfolding of scandal after scandal in the Arroyo regime has signaled massive public outrage in the Philippines. Millions of dollars have gone into the pockets of Arroyo and her cronies in the economic scandal between the Philippines and 2 telecommunications networks (National Broadband Network-Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation ). The bottom line is, these underhanded deals will profit the GMA administrations and the debts accrued through this scandal will fall on the shoulder of the Filipino people.

Different communities, church people, students, business and professionals, women, etc., in the Philippines have denounced the GMA administration for its graft and corruption. Migrant Filipinos, overseas foreign workers, youth and women alike, are also taking a stand.

"We understand that the NBN-ZTE deal is the small piece of an enormous, corrupt and crooked web that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has orechestrated in her unscrupulous and rotten term as puppet president of the Philippines," says Valerie Francisco, Chairperson of FiRE,"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Gloria must go!"

Marching in the streets in Queens, NY might seem like a reach from the intensifying political climate in the Philippines. But in reality, our growing migrant community is a stones throw away from the Philippines as our voices echo with the same demands:

OUST GLORIA!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
TAMA NA, SOBRA NA, PATALSIKIN SI GLORIA!
STOP THE KILLINGS!
US TROOPS OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES!

###

Fil-Ams Condemn Batasan Explosion; Suspect Pro-Impeachment Solon Targeted

News Release
November 13, 2007

Reference: Berna Ellorin, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

Fil-Ams Condemn Batasan Explosion; Suspect Pro-Impeachment Solon Targeted

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, condemned the most recent car explosion at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City a few hours ago that killed at least one Congressperson, one driver, and injured several. The explosion was set off at approximately 8:00 pm Monday at the South Wing driveway of the House of Representatives complex in Quezon City. Police investigations are ongoing.

"Like the Glorietta bombing, this is a deliberate offensive to justify the intensification of anti-terrorism measures such as the Human Security Act, and further crackdown on civil liberties and minimize democratic space. But the government clearly cannot provide real security for their duly-elected officials in Congress," stated BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano.

The blast immediately killed Marcial Tuadlo, a driver for Gabriela Women's Party Representative Luz Ilagan. Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar also died at Far Eastern University Hospital while undergoing treatment. Ilagan, one the House members who endorsed the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo that is now pending before the chamber's justice committee, is being treated for injuries at the Malvar General Hospital.

"The recent filing of the impeachment complaint in the lower House is now putting Malacanang in a power struggle. Although there is still an ongoing investigation, the fact that it is of primary interest for the highest seat to stop the impeachment complaint on its tracks makes us very suspicious. We hope this investigation is thorough and doesn't suffer the same ill fate as the so-called police investigations into the extrajudicial killings and abductions in our country. It must come to a definite end-- capture and prosecution of the bombers," Quijano ended.

Aside from the impeachment complaint against Arroyo, Representative Ilagan also participating in filing the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB), and has been active in issues of overseas Filipino workers, especially with the Sentosa 27++ campaign and the case of slain NYC domestic worker Fely Garcia.

Quijano also pointed out that Ilagan remains an outstandingly solid voice for the rights and dignity of overseas Filipinos in a mainly anti-migrant welfare administration. ###

SAVE MARILOU RANARIO!

She could be your mother, sister, tita, neice, or friend.....

Mga Kababayan sa New York at New Jersey,

This week, the Kuwaiti High Court of Cassation will begin hearing oral arguments for the case of Marilou Ranario, a 33 year old Filipina domestic worker from Surigao del Sur in jail and on death row. Marilou was convicted in 2005 for the murder of her employer, a man who was viciously abusing and raping her. The victim's family have since withdrawn their lawsuits against Marilou, yet she remains on death row (please see attached fact sheet.) and languishing in jail awaiting her sentence. She is currently supporting 2 children back in the Philippines while her husband can't find stable work as a jeepney driver.

Abuse, rape, and maltreatment are common experiences for our hardworking overseas Filipino workers, who are forced to choose a life abroad in order to escape poverty and provide for their families. Marilou represents all of us; yet despite this reality, the Philippine government is doing nothing to save her from execution by hanging. As was the case of Flor Contemplacion, a Filipina domestic worker who was executed by the Singapore judicial system in 1995, it is up to the worldwide community of Filipinos and migrant workers to stand up for justice when governments fail to protect their people, and show their might on the streets. Please visit and sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com / marilou/petition.html and join us for...

SAVE MARILOU RANARIO!
COMMUNITY PRAYER VIGIL TO SAVE THE LIFE OF MARILOU RANARIO, FILIPINA DOMESTIC WORKER ON DEATH ROW IN KUWAIT

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH, 7PM
MEET IN FRONT OF KRYSTAL'S
6902 ROOSEVELT AVE, CORNER 69TH

Sponsored by Kabalikat-Philippine Forum (Filipina Domestic Workers Support Network), the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) and the Save Marilou Ranario Movement (SMRM)

---

SAVE MARILOU RANARIO!
NO TO ANOTHER FLOR CONTEMPLACION!
statement of concerned overseas Filipinos in New York City

We, NYC-based Filipina household workers, nannies, caregivers, along with other concerned overseas Filipinos and advocates of basic human rights, demand that our sister, Marilou Ranario, be released immediately from the Kuwaiti jail she continues to languish in since being convicted for the death of her employer in 2005.

Marilou, a 33-year old domestic worker who was viciously maltreated and abused by her employer, represents all of us overseas Filipinos who must leave our families back home in order to ensure they can eat. In order to escape poverty back in our homeland, we are left with little choice to but brave uncertain shores where we know abuse, exploitation, and maltreatment are common for Filipinos and other migrant workers. We also know a hard and lonely life overseas without the company of our families is better than a guaranteed life where our children will starve and have no opportunities. This was Marilou's story as well.

Marilou was a teacher from Surigao Del Sur that opted to leave to become a domestic worker abroad because she earned a more stable living doing so. She supported 2 small children back in the Philippines while her husband was unable to find stable work as a jeepney driver.

Back in 1995, the entire Filipino nation and overseas Filipino community struggled against the Philippine government's systemic neglect of the plight of overseas Filipino workers with the case Flor Contemplacion, a Filipino nanny who was hung after being wrongfully convicted for the death of her employer's child. As was the case with the high profile movement to set Flor free, the Philippine government made no political effort to save Flor's life. We fear the same will happen to Marilou.

Earlier this year, the mysterious and still-unresolved death of New York-based domestic worker Fely Garcia further proved the Philippine government's absence of concern and sympathy for OFW's abused and even killed.

Like Marilou, Flor and Fely, we are all victims of a Philippine government system known as the Labor Export Policy. This was originally established as a temporary measure to solve the country's crisis of joblessness and landlessness, forcing families to turn abroad for stable income, but the Philippine governments after Marcos turned it into a permanent fixture and means to keep the pathetic Philippine government afloat. Today, over 3000 Filipinos, mostly women, leave their children behind to work abroad. The total remittances that prop up the Philippine economy coming from overseas labor totals to more than $11 billion. These come from the suffering and toils of mainly Filipino women workers overseas.

The crime of the Labor Export Policy is that there is no program for protection for women like Flor and Marilou, who become victims of abuse, maltreatment, exploitation, rape, and indentured servitude. In many cases, Filipino workers are treated like animals, much less second-class citizens with no rights. Filipino women fall vulnerable to sexual abuse commonly.

But they are still Philippine citizens. Philippine embassies and consulate offices abroad are absolutely useless and fail to assert protections for our valued overseas workers, aggressively sending more workers overseas to face similar fates. The Arroyo administration has remained painfully silent while boasting of an economy sustained by migrant laborers like Marilou.

We say shame on the Philippine government for taking Marilou's remittances and doing nothing to legally protect her in a foreign land where she clearly has no rights as a human being. In this sense, the Arroyo government is no different than the foreign employers that treat Filipino workers like dogs in their host countries, and women workers as slaves.

We call on the Kuwaiti Court of Cassation, that will hear oral arguments this Tuesday, November 13th, on Marilou's case to strongly consider the united voice of Filipinos worldwide who today are taking the streets in defense of their Filipina sister, and decide not to execute her!

SAVE MARILOU RANARIO!
NO TO ANOTHER FLOR CONTEMPLACION!
JUSTICE FOR ALL OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS!
PROTECT THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF OUR OFW'S!

Signed,
KABALIKAT-PHILIPPINE FORUM (DOMESTIC WORKERS SUPPORT GROUP)
NY COMMITTEE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PHILIPPINES
NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR FILIPINO CONCERNS (NAFCON)

---

News Release
November 13, 2007

Reference: Lorena Sanchez, Philippine Forum-KABALIKAT (Domestic Workers Support), email: pf_kabalikat@yahoo.com

NY Filipinos Come Together to Say: Save Marilou Ranario!

New York-- The Filipina domestic workers support group known as KABALIKAT, a program of the community service organization Philippine Forum, spearheaded a solemn prayer vigil on the busy intersection of Roosevelt and 69th Street in Woodside, Queens last night as part of an international day of action to save the life of 33 year old Filipina domestic worker Marilou Ranario.

The group recited one full decade of the rosary for the Ranario, convicted of murdering her employer back in 2005 and currently on death row in Kuwait, despite large noise coming above from the 7 train. Marilou was also a victim of consistent abuse, maltreatment, and forced into indentured servitude by her employer.

"She represents all of us," states KABALIKAT Co-coordinator Shirley Cayugan-O'Brien. "We believe she is the real victim, not the criminal. We are all victims of a criminally-negligent Labor Export Policy."

Cayugan-O'Brien further explained it was the lack of protection offered by the Philippine government, particularly the overseas Philippine consular officers, that continue to victimize women workers like Marilou, who many fear will suffer the same fate as Singapore-based domestic worker Flor Contemplacion who was hung for a wrongful conviction of murder back in 1995.

November 13th was called as an international day of action by Migrante International, an alliance of overseas Filipino organizations of which KABALIKAT is a member. November 13th also marks the hearing of oral arguments of Marilou's case by the Kuwaiti Court of Cassation. The employer's family have since withdrawn their previous lawsuits against Ranario, a mother of two children from Surigao Del Sur.

KABALIKAT, Migrante International and the broader Save Marilou Ranario Movement (SMRM) claims the Kuwaiti Court will take into high consideration the public aspect of Marilou's case, in which strong public outpouring of support can also make a difference.

Actions were also held in Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, the Netherlands, and throughout the Philippines.

Philippine Forum-KABALIKAT was joined by fellow concerned Filipinos from the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines and Anakbayan. ###

Ermita, Malacanang Spinning Lies About UN Officials' Take on Human Rights Situation-- NYCHRP

News Release
November 1, 2007

Reference: Jamie Mapa, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, email: nychrp@yahoo.com

Ermita, Malacanang Spinning Lies About UN Officials' Take on Human Rights Situation-- NYCHRP

New York-- It seems Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita's claims of praise from United Nations officials Philip Alston and Louise Arbor are different from what is actually reflected on paper. After a recent trip to New York with members of the Presidential Commission for Human Rights, Purificacion Quisumbing and Coco Quisumbing, Ermita claimed the Philippine delegation was able to "convince" both UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Philip Alston and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that "the Philippines' human rights record is not that bad as earlier claimed", as reported in a recent Philippine Daily Inquirer last October 26th.

Ermita was deployed by Malacanang to New York last week to answer to a prelimary report drafted by Alston indicating the Philippine military's role in perpetrating the nearly 900 killings and 200 enforced disappearances of broad civilian opposition forces since 2001.

Alston is scheduled to release a final report in the coming weeks.

"The Ermita visit was mainly a desperate attempt to get Alston to revise what a really damaging preliminary report for the Philippine government," states Gary Labao of the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines or NYCHRP. "Arroyo wants the final report to be sanitized and clean, for her administration's sake. The first report opened up the floodgates for an outpour of worldwide condemnation to the human rights situation in the Philippines."

Labao also pointed out that during Alston's statement to the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly back in October 25th, nowhere in his documented statement was an indication of him being convinced that the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines is improving through Malacanang's measures.

"The bottom line is that only the elimination of such killings and the ending of the impunity enjoyed to date, by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in particular, will signal that the situation has turned the corner. Yet I continue to receive deeply disturbing reports," Alston stated.

"It's really pathetic that Malacanang is pressuring Philippine media to paint a promising picture about their UN visit, when the reality is Alston remains unconvinced. This should only deepen the public's distrust of Malacanang's spin on the human rights situation," Labao ended. ###

AVALON 11-SENTOSA 27 STAY UNITED & STRONG DESPITE STALL TACTICS OF LONG ISLAND COURT

News Release
October 31, 2007

Reference: Rico Foz, Executive Vice President, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, email: nafconusa @ yahoo.com

AVALON 11-SENTOSA 27 STAY UNITED & STRONG DESPITE STALL TACTICS OF LONG ISLAND COURT
New York-- The 10 former nurses with Avalon Gardens Nursing Home in Long Island who resigned from their positions as contract nurses with the SentosaCare LLC and their lawyer Felix Vinluan maintained a firmness of morale and spirit as they faced the Judge Robert Doyle together in the Suffolk Criminal Courthouse Monday morning, despite new tactics to stall the date of their criminal hearing to December 17th.

The hearing followed a Sunday townhall meeting in Queens in support of the nurses and lawyer organized by the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns or NAFCON.

Also known as the Avalon 11, the nurses and attorney face criminal charges of patient endangerment filed by SentosaCare LLC and its owner and CEO Bent Philipson. The 10 nurses have written documentation proving they did not walkout on their patients mid-shift, but completed their shifts before submitting their resignation letters to the Sentosa-owned Avalon Gardens in Long Island.

The Avalon 11 are also members of the Sentosa 27++, a group of Filipino nurses who are waging a justice campaign against Sentosa and Philipson for workplace abuse, withheld wages, and large-scale breach of contracts that constitute massive illegal recruitment.

The Avalon 11 were joined by their families, friends, and members of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), Philippine Nurses Association, and staff members Mount St. Vincent's Hospital. Vinluan was represented by his attorney, Oscar Michelen, while the former Avalon Gardens nurses were represented by their attorney, James Druker.

After a more than one-hour conference with Michelen and Druker, Judge Doyle moved to postpone the hearing till Monday, December 17.

"These stall tactics are often used to demoralize," stated Michelen and Druker as the explained the judge's decision to the nurses in a caucus outside the courtroom.

The Avalon 11 have been able to withstand for the past year various stall tactics by the court system to postpone dates and divide-and-conquer attempts of the Sentosa camp, but agreed to not let this latest postponement diminish their morale and unity.

"We will just come back with more supporters," stated Felix Vinluan, who was joined by his children. "We are not disheartened by this. We draw great strength from our many supporters and allies."

An online petition accessible at www.petitiononline.com/j4s27 has already garnered thousands of signatures calling for the State of New York to drop all criminal and civil charges on the Sentosa 27 and investigate the operations of the SentosaCare LLC and Philipson.

Vinluan and the nurses have filed a pending special request with Governor Spitzer requesting for a special prosecutor, unconvinced they will receive a fair and objective trial with the Suffolk County District Attorney, given Philipson's big political connections and interest to divert public attention from his own company's criminal operations.

Upon leaving the courtroom, the Avalon 11 were welcomed by an energetic picket led by NAFCON. Chanters shouted "Prosecute Sentosa, not the nurses!" Picketers were marked by bright yellow t-shirts that read: THESE NURSES ARE NOT CRIMINALS! THEY SAVE LIVES! The picket ended with the group singing of "Solidarity Forever" led by NYSNA.

"We will never let up. We believe that justice will be served, no matter how long or winding the road is. The Avalon 11 have the truth on their side. Sentosa does not," stated NAFCON representative Rico Foz. ###

Migrants group, OFW families slam Sentosa Agency

News Release
October 25, 2007
For reference: Maita Santiago, Secretary-General (0916-513-4366)

During picket-dialogue at POEA:
Migrants group, OFW families slam Sentosa Agency

An alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipinos and their families today slammed anew the Sentosa Recruitment Agency (SRA) with a picket-dialogue at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The dialogue delegation was led by Gabriela Women’s Partylist Rep. Liza Maza and along with Migrante, the relatives of the victims of the SRA and the Alliance of Health Workers participated in the protest.

“"The Sentosa Recruitment Agency is clearly guilty of large-scale illegal recruitment. Its operations should be suspended immediately and its license revoked permanently. We demand no less from POEA Admin. Rosalinda Baldoz,"” says Maita Santiago, Migrante International Secretary-General.



The Migrant Workers Act (section 6) deems that illegal recruitment is committed in large scale if it is committed against three or more persons. Large scale illegal recruitment is considered an offense involving economic sabotage. The Act (section 7) further states that the penalty for economic sabotage is life imprisonment and a fine of not less than P500,000 and not more than P1 million.



“"We also call on Admin. Baldoz to divulge the full extent of the political interventions at play which resulted in the grossly biased actions by the POEA against victims,”" she added, citing the letters by US Senator Schumer to POEA Admin. Baldoz, then-Labor Sec. Patricia Sto. Tomas, NY Consul General Ceclia Rebong and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in behalf of the SRA – and the subsequent phone call reportedly made by then. Sec. Admin. Baldoz just prior to the POEA’s lifting of the preventive suspension order against the SRA on June 8 last year.



“"We wouldn’t be surprised kung may suholan sa Malacanang, mayroon din sa DOLE o sa POEA. Since the political interference by the powers that be into this case has already been admitted, the full extent of it must be exposed, investigated and the relevant charges filed against those guilty of this shameless abuse of power,”" remarked Santiago, citing the recent bribery expose at the Palace.



At least 32 nurses and a physical therapist have filed complaints at the POEA against the SRA. Currently, a Motion to Appeal the POEA’'s order to dismiss the first batch of complaints (Order dismissal released 4 September 2007) and an illegal recruitment case filed by a second batch (24 November 2006) are still pending.


During the dialogue, the families of the nurses submitted their Unity Statement and demands to POEA Admin. Baldoz.


"“Apart from this dialogue, we commit to intensifying global actions for this campaign through our member organizations and networks. In the US , the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns continues to gather widespread support for the nurses with the very influential NY State Nurses Association being the latest to affirm their support,"” said Santiago .

This October 29th, the NAFCON will lead a picket in front of the NY courthouse where ten of the nurses and their lawyer will face their first hearing on the criminal charges baselessly filed against them by Sentosa. For its part, Migrante International will also lead various actions to highlight the continuing oppression of our kababayans at the hands of Sentosa. #

* a detailed fact sheet is available upon request.



*************************************************



UNITY STATEMENT

By the families of the victims of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency to

the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration

October 25, 2007



We, the families of the victims of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency (SRA), unite to express our alarm and opposition to recent POEA decisions which heighten the injustices committed against our loved ones by the SRA.



We believe that the SRA is clearly guilty of the illegal recruitment charges filed by the 26 nurses and 1 physical therapist against it last year 2006. The filing of similar charges by additional victims of the SRA strengthens this fact.



As such, we demand that the POEA issue an immediate preventive suspension order against the SRA at the minimum and at the maximum, their license should be revoked and their operations shut down. Otherwise, we fear that even more health professionals and their families will be victimized and forced to endure the grief, anguish and hardship that we now live daily.



As with countless other Filipino families, we were filled with great pride when our loved ones finally graduated as nurses and as a physical therapist. Given the worsening economic conditions in our country, we were also hopeful when they were given the opportunity to migrate to the United States as health professionals.



But instead of a better life abroad, our relatives were forced to endure a range of contract violations, discriminatory and unfair labor practices at the hands of the SentosaCare Agency in New York . Unable to suffer in silence and work under breached contracts any longer, they united and resigned from their positions.



It is deplorable that in Sentosa's bid to intimidate and criminalize our relatives, they retaliated by filing trumped-up criminal charges against 10 of the nurses and their lawyer. It is indeed a bitter reality that while the SRA continues to operate in the Philippines and its owner Francis Luyun remains scot-free – our relatives are being criminalized in New York .



We salute the courage of our loved-ones to stand up and speak the truth. We affirm our commitment to forward the campaign for justice for the Sentosa 27++ and all Filipino migrant workers.



Together with the growing number of people's organizations, other community-based groups and supporters of these health professionals from around the world – including the more than 2,000 who have signed an online internet petition for the victims of the SRA, we demand the following from POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz:



1. Immediate preventive suspension of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency;
2. Genuine investigation into the full extent of the SRA's illegal recruitment activities;
3. Permanent revocation of the license of the SRA and shut down of its operations; and
4. Investigation into Malacanang's intervention in the illegal recruitment case through a phone call by then-Sec. Michael Defensor to POEA Admin. Baldoz – which led to the swift lifting of the suspension order against the SRA and the long-delayed release of decisions in the complaints filed by the initial 27 health professionals and a subsequent batch of complainants.



Justice for the Sentosa 27++!

Justice for all Filipino migrant workers!



Signed:



Francis Tulang

Step-father of nurse Noralyn Ortega



Elmer Gamiao

Father of nurse Claudine Gamiao



Maritess Delos Angeles

Sister of nurse Jennifer Lampa



Rhia Maulion

Sister of nurse Rizza Maulion



Mariano Morales

Father of nurse Juliet Anilao



Wilfreda Avila

Mother of nurse Harriet Avila


Mr. Garcia
Father of nurse Carlo Garcia

Arroyo's Pardon for Erap's Crimes Prove She Should Be Next in Ousting-- BAYAN USA

News Release
October 26, 2007

Reference: Berna Ellorin, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

Arroyo's Pardon for Erap's Crimes Prove She Should Be Next in Ousting-- BAYAN USA

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, a national Filipino-American alliance with over 12 member organizatons, indicated that Arroyo's recent pardon of former Philippine President Joseph "Erap" Estrada is the height of her administration's condonement and practice of corruption, bribery, and disastrous economic policies, qualities that eventually kicked Erap's administration out of Malacanang.

"For an educated economist, she is making stupid decisions that go against the grain of what the Filipino people have worked hard for," states BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano. "Perhaps she is already forgetting that she stood among the thousands flocking out of the Malacanang gates back in 2001 to oust her former boss after his crimes were exposed to the nation. How can she grant him pardon, when the Filipino people have not?"

While the Arroyo herself and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo have been the recent targets of corruption accusations for their direct roles in the ZTE-NBN Broadband scandals, at least 196 public officials such as Pampanga Governor 'Among Ed' Panlilio are coming forward with the Arroyo government's attempt to bribe them out of supporting her impeachment case. She is also proving to be a "mini-Erap" in scope with her own plunder of Malacanang's charity funds for critical social services as reported by the Commission on Audit (COA).

"She may be attempting to gain more allies onto her corner, but she won't succeed in doing so," Quijano added.

The alliance expressed its disgust over Arroyo's attempt to set a new standard of "public acceptance of plunder and corruption", which are the qualities Erap exuthed before his demise.

The alliance also indicated Arroyo's pardon of an former ousted president proves she must face the same fate.

"It's presidents like Erap and Arroyo that substantiate the world branding of the Philippines as one of the most corrupt governments in the world. From afar, Filipino-Americans are disgusted and shamed," Quijano ended.

DESPERATE MOVES FOR DESPERATE PRESIDENT

NEWS RELEASE
26 October 2007

Reference: Emmi de Jesus, Secretary General, 371-2302 / 0917 - 3221203

DESPERATE MOVES FOR DESPERATE PRESIDENT

"Joey de Venecia's recent testimony on President Arroyo and her
husband's hand in the NBN Broadband scam further strengthens the
widespread clamor for her resignation." This was the statement today
of Emmi de Jesus, GABRIELA secretary general.

"With all these shameless crimes and scandals rocking Gloria's
presidency and the renewed growing calls for her resignation, she and
her cohorts consistently use drastic and desperate tactics to save her
face. The most recent is the unconditional pardon to ousted president
Joseph Estrada. " added de Jesus.

" The act is tainted with Gloria's interest for Erap to capitulate at
the expense of the Filipinos hard won struggle against plunder. But
the people should not be disheartened for we learn our lessons from
every struggle -- Marcos was ousted but not tried; Estrada was ousted,
tried and convicted but pardoned by a treacherous president. This
time, Gloria will be ousted, tried, convicted and will serve her due
sentence for all her crimes against the people," de Jesus concluded.

The women's group held a snake march and noise barrage in Barangay
Tatalon, Quezon City in protest of Arroyo administration's crimes and
corruption. On Sunday, GABRIELA will be holding a protest action in
Malacanang in commemoration of the National Women's Day of Protest. ###

“Pardon for Erap Unpardonable!” - HEAD

Dear Friends,

Kindly forward this to our medical practitioners here in the US.

Thanks,
Rico Foz

---

Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD)
2/F Doña Anita Bldg, 284 E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City
Telefax: (02) 725 4760
Email: headphil@gmail.com


Media Release
26 October 2007
“Pardon for Erap Unpardonable!” - HEAD

The executive clemency granted by Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to former President Joseph Estrada is the height of hypocrisy and an insult to the Filipino people. The crime of plunder for which Estrada was found guilty cannot be absolved by someone who is guilty of even bigger plunder and worse corruption.

Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), the 3,000-strong national organization of health professionals, workers, and students believes that the issue of presidential pardon is being used for political expediency and has absolutely no basis in terms of dispensing justice.

“On the contrary, Mrs. Arroyo has undermined the entire judicial process and exposed how her administration condones, rather than condemns, plunder.” According to Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos, HEAD secretary-general.

“Can Mrs. Arroyo actually say that the grant of pardon was for the national interest? Who, aside from Erap and Gloria, stands to benefit from this?”

HEAD believes that the pardon is merely a “carrot-and-stick” approach of the administration not just for Erap but to woo his followers, neutralize the Opposition, and stem the rising tide of popular dissent against Mrs. Arroyo. After several influential Catholic bishops demanded her resignation “for lack of moral ascendancy”, pressure continued to rise due to a series of scandals of bribery and anomalous deals that point directly to her.

“Mrs. Arroyo has shown that she will literally beg, steal, or borrow in order to stay in power,” added Dr. Nisperos. “She barters the interests of the Filipino people to save her own skin, and she must be held accountable for such treachery. Our people demand nothing less than justice.”

“What Mrs. Arroyo has done is unpardonable!”

HEAD is joining calls for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation. “The current dispensation has lost all semblance of moral and political ascendancy. What is obvious is Mrs. Arroyo’s blind ambition to remain in power at all cost. Given the brazen arrogance and unscrupulous behavior of Mrs. Arroyo and her men, the litany of corruption scandals will only continue.”

The suffering of the Filipino people will also continue. Based on what happened over the last few years, Mrs. Arroyo will only wait for her regime to regain a semblance of stability before she unleashes the hounds of war and viciously persecute those who oppose her.

“The lies being peddled must stop now!” Dr. Nisperos ended. “We call on all members of the health sector and the Filipino people to unite and stand up against a corrupt, immoral, authoritarian, and demented president.”###

References:
Dr. Gene Alzona Nisperos
Secretary-General, 0916 214 5724
Dr. Geneve E. Rivera
Deputy Secretary-General, 0920 460 3712

TOWNHALL GATHERS DAY BEFORE CRIMINAL HEARING FOR AVALON 10/ SENTOSA 27

News Release
October 24, 2007

Reference: Rico Foz, Executive Vice President, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), email: nafconusa@yahoo.com

TOWNHALL GATHERS DAY BEFORE CRIMINAL HEARING FOR AVALON 10/ SENTOSA 27

New York-- A community townhall meeting in Elmhurst is set for this Sunday, October 28 at 2pm one day before the criminal hearing of 10 out of the 27 nurses now known as the Sentosa 27 will take place in Suffolk County on Monday. The public meeting is being convened by the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns or NAFCON, an alliance of Filipino-American organizations spanning over 23 cities in the United States.

The meeting will stress the nurses situation, deliver campaign updates and call for the need to gather more community support for the nurses, even making transportation arrangements for those who want to travel to the Suffolk County Court the following day to support those criminally-charged.

The Avalon 10, who resigned from the Sentosa-owned Avalon Gardens last year, face retaliatory charges of patient endangerment filed by SentosaCare LLC CEO Bent Philipson. Philipson also pressed charges against the nurses' lawyer, Felix Vinluan, who was approached by the nurses for advise since they had realized Sentosa had not made good on any of its work contracts with them, duping them into coming to the US to work as contract rather than staff nurses for various facilities.

The nurses also endured extreme lengths of time without pay, abuses in the workplace, and a steep patient-nurse ratio reached at high as 60:1.

"This facility charges them with patient endangerment, but it is really the inhumane patient to nurse ratios that endanger the patients," states NAFCON spokesperson Rico Foz.

The Avalon 10 maintain they fully finished their shifts before resigning, and made sure their were other nurses to take over their patients.

A motion to dismiss the criminal charges on insufficient evidence was earlier denied by the Suffolk County Court and the criminal hearing will proceed. Meanwhile NAFCON and the nurses have met with City Councilpeople such as John Liu and will continue to request for a special prosecutor, having little faith they will receive a fair and objective trial with strong anti-immigrant sentiment in Long Island.

Philipson, who is also a political contributor to Charles Schumer, is believed to have used his political connections with big politicians to reverse the previous suspension put on his company's recruitment license in the Philippines by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency and stall civil charges for discrimination filed by the Sentosa 27 with the US Department of Justice in Washington DC.

NAFCON's campaign for the Sentosa 27 can be accessed online at www.justiceforsentosa27.blogspot.com and an online petition can be viewed at www.petitiononline.com/j4s27

The Sunday townhall will be held at the Philippine Forum office in Elmhurst, 54-05 Seabury Street. Take V/G/R trains to Grand Ave Newtown, exit on the front end of the platform, when you exit on the street turn left on 54th Street until you hit Seabury Street. The office is located on the back street end of the First Presbyterian Church. The townhall is open to the public. For more information call the Philippine Forum at 718-565-8862. ###

ERMITA'S SPIN IS NO TRUE INDICATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION-- NYCHRP

News Release
October 23, 2007

Reference: Jamie Mapa, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, email: nychrp@yahoo.com

ERMITA'S SPIN IS NO TRUE INDICATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION-- NYCHRP

The NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, a committee of human rights advocates, has absolutely no faith in the well-spun tale Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita will be telling the United Nations this week as to what is the human rights situation in the Philippines. Ermita is in New York as the head spin doctor in a so-called Philippine Human Rights delegation to answer the UNHRC's queries after a disturbing report published on the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the Philippines by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston last February.

The Philippines is a country that is fundamentally hot-wired for human rights violations across all sectors of society because it has a government that is desperately trying to suppress all forms of dissent that is growing larger everyday due to failed domestic policies, deepening poverty, and growing militarism.

It taking lesson and re-applying the tactics of the darkest days of suppression in the Philippine history, namely with the resurrection of Martial Law under the Human Security Act of 2007.

From the nearly 900 killings of students, church workers, trade unionists and journalists that caught the world's eye, to the high-profile abductions of Jonas Burgos, Sherlyn Cadapan, and Karen Empeno, instances of extrajudicial killings and abductions prove to be targetted towards only those who have joined or lead the ranks of the broad opposition in and out of parliament. As long as the Arroyo-led military decides to handle dissent by curtailing democratic rights and killing off opponents, then the human rights crisis will continue to intensify.

The Arroyo government is in a position where it must defend itself from intense scrutiny worldwide, not just for human rights violations, but now for bribery, failed economic trade agreements, and others. As unrest grows throughout the country, the Arroyo government staged a means to distract and divert media attention to itself with the Glorietta bombing in Makati one week ago, blaming so-called communist insurgents for the social unrest instead, mirroring Marcos's diversion tactic with the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971.

Unless Ermita speaks of the Arroyo government's inefficiency to handle the country by employing truly democratic policies and respecting national sovereignty, it cannot speak about finding a real solution to the human rights crisis.

We call upon the United Nations and the general public to dismiss Ermita's claims and seek the real data care of the results of countless fact-finding missions launched by peoples organizations since 2001 and the findings of the Permanent People's Tribunal back in March 2007.

FIL-AM COMMUNITY GROUPS TO MEET WITH ABC's EXEC IN NY TO DEMAND MORE CONCRETE MEASURES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISCUSS NATURE OF APOLOGY

Press Release
Washington D.C.
New York,New York
October 4, 2007
Reference:
Arnedo S. Valera, Esquire
Executive Director - MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION (MHC)
Migrantheritage@aol.com
www.migrantheritage.org

Rico Foz
Executive Vice-President - NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR FILIPINO CONCERNS (NAFCON)
nafconusa@yahoo.com


FIL-AM COMMUNITY GROUPS TO MEET WITH ABC's EXEC IN NY TO DEMAND MORE CONCRETE MEASURES OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND DISCUSS NATURE OF APOLOGY

ABC Television Network facing an impending picket and protest in front of Manhattan's ABC Studios on 77 West 66th Street, NY, NY, October 5 at 6 pm, and October 6 (noontime) at ABC Office, 1100 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 (Metro Washington D.C.), agreed to meet with the Filipino-American Delegation led by NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR FILIPINO CONCERNS (NAFCON), PHILIPPINE FORUM AND the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION (MHC). As mounting protests and international condemnation for the racial slur made by Actress Teri Hatcher in a scene with a doctor in Sunday's episode of "Desperate Housewives" where she remarked: "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas?Because I would like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines."

Robert Mendez, Esquire, Senior-Vice President for Diversity and Talent Development of ABC NETWORK had a very cordial and pleasant telephone conversation with Arnedo S. Valera, Esquire, Executive Director of the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) and legal counsel of NAFCON this evening and both agreed to meet in Trump Plaza Hotel in New York at 5 P.M. tomorrow, October 5th, four blocks away from the organized community picket led by NAFCON and PHILIPPINE FORUM. As a good faith gesture to the Filipino Community, ABC’s Mr. Mendez assured Mr. Valera that the controversial episode will be edited and the scene permanently cut and never again be shown even in re runs, DVD set or any format for sale or rent. Likewise in exchange of goodwill with Mr. Valera, Mr. Mendez agreed to listen to the demands for more concrete measures of accountability to be presented by the Filipino-American Community panel group led by NAFCON, PHILIPPINE FORUM AND THE MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION (MHC). He further promised to seriously address all the demands and concerns of the picketing groups.


The picket in front of Manhattan's ABC Studios at 77 West 66th is supported by the following organizations : The New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, NAFFAA, Anak Bayan, Movement for Free Philippines, FILIPINAS FOR RIGHTS AND EMPOWERMENT (FIRE), KABALIKAT and the SENTOSA ++ NURSES.

The picket in Metropolitan Washington D.C. on Saturday, 6 October is to be led by the Philippine Medical Association of Metro Washington D.C. (PMAMW) and MD to be supported by various Fil-Am organizations, among them are the Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) DC and MD and the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION (MHC).

Rico Foz of NAFCON, BERNADETTE ELLORIN of PHILIPPINE FORUM, a representative of the medical community and Arnedo S. Valera, Esquire of the MIGRANT HERITAGE COMMISSION will lead the panel that will present the demands of the organized picketing groups to ABC Senior Vice President, Mr. Robert Mendez.

Among the demands to be presented are: ABC Network Broadcast Public Apology and not simply a one paragraph statement; Conduct a complete and thorough investigation of those responsible for writing the reprehensible and racial slur script line; ABC to conduct racial and cultural sensitivity programs for all employees ; ABC should make a categorical and unequivocal statement that it recognizes the significant contribution of Philippine Health Care professionals especially our doctors, nurses and other health care givers to the entire U.S Health Care System because of their competence and high quality of skills; A sincere and proper apology to the Filipino People and the nation and the Fil-Am community groups for disparaging and maligning the Philippine Educational System and the expressed racial prejudice to Filipino doctors and physicians; ABC will commit to make episodes and shows that will depict Filipinos and other minority groups as prominent positive role models of the community and that ABC agrees to support Filipino-American Community projects that will strengthen racial diversity and harmony in local communities and at the national level.

NAFCON promised to organize more peaceful ,continuous and sustained pickets and protests together with various Filipino-American groups and minority groups in the country until the demands are substantially met.

GMA, BARRIER TO WOMEN POWER SHOULD STOP USING SUU KYI, BURMA TO COVER

NEWS RELEASE
30 September 2007

For Reference: REP. LIZA LARGOZA MAZA 0920-9134540
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 0915-6463009

GMA, BARRIER TO WOMEN POWER SHOULD STOP USING SUU KYI, BURMA TO COVER
HER BLOODY RECORD

GABRIELA Women's Partylist Representative Liza Largoza Maza said it is
hypocritical and ironic that Mrs. Arroyo called on women power to
demand the release of Burmese pro democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi at
the United Nations last Friday.

"Mrs. Arroyo's statements are attempts to cover up her regime's
murderous record on extra judicial killings and disappearances, amid
much international criticism over the human rights crisis in the
country. This duplicitous show of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and the
pro-democracy movement in Burma is mortifying," said Gabriela Women's
Party Representative Liza Largoza Maza.

The Gabriela solon further said, "Mrs. Arroyo even had the gall to
summon women power for the Burmese leader when in her own country, her
repressive policies are the very hindrance to women power." Maza
pointed out that human rights documentation in the country since Mrs.
Arroyo assumed office in 2001 indicate that 96 women have fallen
victims to extrajudicial killings and 31 have disappeared.

Under Mrs. Arroyo, the Philippines have had 22 women political
prisoners, many of them in conditions no different from Suu Kyi.

"No different from the military junta in Burma, Mrs. Arroyo has led
the violent dispersal of protests with her Calibrated Pre-emptive
Response. She has led attempts to silence critics with her
Proclamation 1017 and deny Filipinos the truth behind the rampage of
corruption in her administration with EO 464. Certainly, her two-faced
statements cannot hide her bloody record from the international
community."#

Filipino American History Month with a "HER" twist

News Release
September 30, 2007
Reference: Valerie Francisco, secretary general, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, 925-726-5768

Filipino American History Month with a "HER" twist

New York, NY--The women of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment brought in October, Filipino American History month, with a bit of a twist. The organization's public introduction was an Open House, aptly called "Pinay HERstories."

Due to the trends in Filipino American immigration, much of the early communities set up in the US were largely bachelor communities. The history of our earlier American generations are reflected in the often male-dominated accounts of Filipino American lives.

Filipina-American poets and perfomance artists Lisa Ascalon, Marie Avetria, Kimmie David and Tamara Llosa-Sandor shared their stories of womanhood and being Filipino in the US. Their artwork re-writing the history of Filipino Americans in the US. Organizations doing work with the Filipino community in New York also came to speak in solidarity. Filipino American Health Services, Inc, CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, and Domestic Workers United expounded on their resilient and imperative work with Filipino women.

On the same night, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was at the Waldorf-Astoria attending the 3rd meeting of the Women Leaders Working Group. The theme of the night was "Progress on Women's Empowerment."

Ironically, the woman president of the Philippines addressed the crowd with statistics of billion dollar remittances and solicitations for more business investments in the Philippines without the even batting a lash at exploitative conditions that Filipino migrants, especially women, experience outside of the country.

"GMA is a poor example of Filipino women's empowerment and progress. She has made sure that Filipino women are the largest export out of the Philippines and maintains no accountability to their suffering when Filipino women are out of the country," stated Valerie Francisco, secretary general of FiRE.

September 2007 promises the 14 billion dollars in remittances from migrant workers. Simultaneously, the human rights crisis in the Philippines is still at a staggering slow.

"As a woman, she must be held responsible for the depraved Martial Law-like conditions of Filipino women in the Philippines," Francisco added.

###