JoMa's Release on Youtube

Fil-Ams Welcome Release of Prof. Jose Maria Sison

News Release
September 13, 2007

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

Fil-Ams Welcome Release of Prof. Jose Maria Sison
"Fight is Far From Over"-- BAYAN USA

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of over 12 social justice Filipino-American organizations across the US, welcomed today's Dutch court decision to release Prof. Jose Maria Sison as "a victory of the Filipino people's movement and the world anti-imperialist movement."

"The Dutch found no sufficient evidence against Prof. Sison, linking him to the murders of Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar," states BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano. "This is a big slap in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's face. The counter-insurgency scheme of the Arroyo administration was behind the fabricated charges against Sison from the beginning."

The alliance also warned that the fight is far from over for Sison or for the Filipino people.

"Sison is still on the terrorist lists of the United States and the European Union, although he has never been convicted for any crime or terrorist actvity, other than fighting for freedom and upholding the national struggle of the Filipino people. The Filipino people are still under state terror under Arroyo's undeclared Martial Law, escalated now under the Human Securty Act," Quijano added.

"We must remain vigilant. The terror tactics of the US-Arroyo regime know no state boundaries. As governments act in collusion to stifle legitimate and just dissent anywhere, the Arroyo administration will go after Filipino progressives abroad. Our movement must not cease to take action in their defense," Quijano ended.

Over 20 mobiliations for Sison' release trailblazed across several continents when Sison was arrested last August 28, 2007. The homes of seven staff members of the National Democratic Front (NDF) peace negotiating panel were also raided and their computers confiscated. BAYAN USA launched mobilizations across the United States, as well as an online petition for his release at www.freejomapetition.org. Among Sison's US-based supporters was former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark.

Sison is the chairperson of the International League of People's Struggle, a global alliance of anti-interventionist groups in over 30 countries around the world. ###

"Arroyo gov't is # 1 perpetrator of violence against women"

NEWS RELEASE
14 September 2007

Reference: Emily Cahilog, International Relations Officer, 371-2302

"Arroyo gov't is # 1 perpetrator of violence against women"- GABRIELA

The militant women's group GABRIELA tagged the Philippine government as the "number one and cruelest perpetrator of violence against women" in a dialogue with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Experts Yakin Ertuk. The dialogue is part of the National Consultation with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women (UNSRVAW) held in Manila today.

"Under the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Filipino women of all ages are being beaten and tortured, abducted and summarily executed," said Emily Cahilog, international relations officer of GABRIELA.

According to Cahilog, since 2001, 96 women were victims of political killing 76 of them were victims of extrajudicial killing, 29 were victims of enforced disappearance and 22 are political prisoners.

GABRIELA highlighted the case of peace advocate Angie Ipong, 62, who was illegally arrested two years ago in Misamis Occidental. Ipong was only surfaced by the military after subjecting the elderly woman to continued interrogation, physical torture and sexual molestation for 13 days. Ipong continues to be detained in Pagadian City Jail.

On children and minors victims of human rights violations, Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns said that from 2001 to August 2007, 59 children and 5 unborn babies have been killed, 11 are disappeared and 82 were victims of illegal arrest/detention.

Under Article 2 of the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women,violence against women encompasses physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.

"The continued and intensifying violation of rights of Filipino women and children is not an issue of the government's inability to resolve these violations. President Arroyo and the Armed Forces of the Philippines can no longer deny the that it is a state policy to perpetrate and perpetuate violence against women and children as part of the state's overall scheme to quash the people's dissent." ###

JoMa's "Statement on My Release from Detention"

Statement on My Release from Detention
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
13 September 2007


Friends, Warmest greetings!
I am deeply pleased and thankful that the Rechtsbank has decided to release me from detention. You cannot imagine how happy I am. It is extremely painful and humiliating to be subjected to solitary confinement and tough interrogation under overheated lamps. The ordeal is acute because I am innocent of the false and politically-motivated charge leveled against me.

I have nothing to do with any murder. This is against my moral and political principles. I am a teacher by profession who loves the exchange of ideas towards common understanding and practical cooperation. I have long devoted myself to the advocacy of human rights and work for a just peace in the Philippines. I cannot go into the facts and arguments concerning my case. It is my lawyer Michiel Pestman who is competent to give you the information that you need.

Consequent to the release order of the Rechtsbank, I gain some confidence in the Dutch legal system. I have the opportunity to prove my innocence and continue to benefit from fair play. I feel somehow vindicated in choosing The Netherlands as my place of refuge from persecution in the Philippines. I also wish to thank the Dutch, Filipino and other peoples for their solidarity and support.

I will stay in the Netherlands with my wife and my two children who are already independent. I will conduct my legal defense and further clear my name. I will continue to exercise my freedom to speak and other democratic rights. I will continue to work for national freedom, human rights, social justice and an enduring, because just, peace in the Philippines.

I will continue to abide by the laws of the Dutch state and further develop solidarity with the Dutch people whose friendship and kindness I have enjoyed for more than 20 years.

Thank you.

Fil-Am Group Slam POEA's Support for Illegal Recruitment

News Release
September 13, 2007

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

Fil-Am Group Slam POEA's Support for Illegal Recruitment

The nationwide alliance of Filipino-American organizations known as the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns or NAFCON, denounced Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz as an "avid supporter of the illegal human trafficking of Filipino workers at any cost," after the POEA dismissed charges filed last year by the Sentosa 27, Filipino health workers who were illegally recruited to the United States by the Sentosa Recruitment Agency in Ortigas.

The alliance, which has gathered worldwide support for the victims, including the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA) and Gabriela Women's Partylist, pointed to "political interference" as the culprit behind Baldoz's decision.

"Ms. Baldoz seems to take orders from Americans, rather than Filipinos. We are concerned since the expose that US Senator Charles Schumer called Baldoz asking her to lift the previous license suspension on Sentosa after the 27 filed their complaints," stated NAFCON spokesperson Rico Foz. "It is no secret that Sentosa owner Bent Philipson is a major benefactor to Schumer's campaign. This is tantamount to the support and condonment of illegal recruitment."

NAFCON also slammed misleading claims from the US government that the case was dismissed.

"If Baldoz is basing on the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) so-called ruling in favor of Sentosa, she is completely incompetent. That misleading lie has since been retracted. The Sentosa 27 case is still alive under the DOJ's Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO), after it was stalled under the Office of Special Counsel (OSC)," Foz added.

On his part, Sentosa 27 lawyer Felix Vinluan, who clarified initial media reports that the Sentosa 27 case was still alive with the US DOJ, sounded unconvinced of Baldoz's competency.

"Please do not believe every word that comes from the mouth of some Philippine government officials, who are quick and eager enough to share the misinformation that the nurses complaints have been dismissed. These Philippine government officials are just showing their true colors. They do not really serve the Filipino people. Because of money and influence, they are willing to turn a blind eye to the discrimination being committed against their fellow Filipinos," Vinluan ended.

For more information on the Justice for Sentosa 27++ Campaign, visit www.justiceforsentosa27.blogspot.com. ##

GABRIELA SEEKS PROBE A POEA DISMISSES SENTOSA CASE

NEWS RELEASE
13 SEPTEMBER 2007

For Reference: Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan 0920-9213221
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 09178226635

GABRIELA SEEKS PROBE A POEA DISMISSES SENTOSA CASE

As migrant workers, nurses and health professionals in the United
States protest over the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency's
dismissal of the case filed by the Sentosa 27, the women's partylist
group GABRIELA called for a Congressional inquiry on the alleged
irregularities of the POEA's handling of the case.

GABRIELA Women's Party Representative Luzviminda Ilagan has filed
House Resolution 181 which seeks to look into the POEA's arbitrary
lifting of the suspension order against the recruitment agency,
Sentosa, despite the complaints raised by 27 health professionals in
the United States .

Rep. Ilagan said that when the inquiry begins, they will thresh out
not just the suspension order but they shall likewise look into
irregularities in the recent POEA decision. "For one, POEA decided
to dismiss the case a year after the complaint has been filed when
in fact POEA rules and regulations dictate that decisions on illegal
recruitment cases should be relieased within 90 days."

Last April 2006, 26 nurses and a physical therapist filed charges
against the Sentosa-affiliated healthcare facilities that
individually sponsored them, and with which the nurses signed
employment contracts in the United States. They also filed charges
against Bent Philipson and Francis Luyun. Philipson is the common
COO and Managing Partner of the Sentosa-affiliated facilities while
Luyun is the proprietor of the Philippine-based Sentosa Recruitment
Agency. Luyun also works as international recruiter of the New York-
based Prompt Nursing Employment Agency, doing business as Sentosa
Services.

The GABRIELA solon also questioned the alleged political
interference which occurred, referring to the call made by US
Senator Charles Schumer to the POEA to lift its license suspension
against Sentosa. "There are so many issues that needs clarifications
in the Sentosa case."

"We have an economy that is surviving because of the remittances
being sent by Overseas Filipinos, including the nurses victimized by
scheming agencies like Sentosa. That we are unable to protect them
from illegal recruiters is a shame and guarantee just compensation
for the work that they do is a shame. Indeed it is high time that we
take action."#

Fil-Am Groups Remember Martial Law Anniversary with Outdoor DC Concert

News Release
September 12, 2007

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

Fil-Am Groups Remember Martial Law Anniversary with Outdoor DC Concert

New York/Washington DC-- Filipino-American hip-hop artists Kiwi and Blue Scholars will join others in an outdoor concert outside of the Capitol building in Washington DC on Friday night, Sept. 28th, 8pm-11pm. The concert is organized under the Filipino-American umbrella organization BAYAN USA and falls one week after the 35th anniversary of Martial Law as declared in the Philippines under former US-backed dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1972.

The concert, titled NEVER AGAIN!, is part of a one-week encampment organized by the Troops Out Now Coalition, a national anti-war coalition of which BAYAN USA is a steering committee member. The encampment starts on Saturday, September 22th and ends with an anti-war march on Saturday, September 29th. The NEVER AGAIN! concert is slated to be on the west side of the Capitol building on 3rd Street between Constitution and Independence, right in front of the reflecting pool.

The month of September marks last minute Congressional committee meetings on US military spending for 2008. The Philippines, as a so-called Second Front to the US War on Terror, receives the largest amount in US military aid in the Asia-Pacific region, and ranks fourth in world recipients.

"We are calling for a withdrawal of US tax dollars to fund Philippine death squads," states Christina Hilo of the Filipino youth group Anakbayan. "Martial law is still a reality for the Filipino people. It is just an undeclared martial law, but just as deadly."

The concert will also call for the release of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino political refugee in the Netherlands arrested and detained on false charges since August 28, 2007.

Earlier in 2007, a US Senate Hearing, headed by US Senator Barbara Boxer, investigated the state of extrajudicial killings and abductions in the Philippines. Human rights watchdogs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Human Rights Council have all come out with reports criticizing the Philippine human rights crisis under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

For more information, email ny @ bayanusa.org and visit www.bayanusa.org. ###

9/28: NEVER AGAIN! BAYAN-USA in D.C.

NEVER AGAIN!
An Outdoor Concert for Human Rights in the Philippines

Join Filipino-American artists' call for withdrawal of US military aid for Philippine death squads and an end to the undeclared martial law under the Arroyo government. This concert is dedicated to all victims of Philippine martial law past and present.

Friday Sept. 28, 2007
concert starts at 8pm-11pm
Washington D.C.
West side of Capitol Building
3rd St. between Constitution and Independence
right in front of reflecting pool


Performers:
Kiwi (formerly of Native Guns)
Blue Scholars
Koba
Kinding Sindaw
Anakbayan Youth
Kadena
and more...

organized by the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, BAYAN USA and Troops Out Now Coalition

Stop the Killings in the Philippines!
Never Again to Martial Law!
Free Jose Maria Sison!

For more information, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

SISON: Sights & Sounds of a Hero

SISON: Sights & Sounds of a Hero
A MINI-FILM & SOLIDARITY SERIES FOR THE RELEASE OF JOSE MARIA SISON

Join us for two nights of sights and sounds (films and poetry) in NYC celebrating Joma's life's work and to amplify the international campaign to release him from detention in the Netherlands.

The following films document Jose Maria Sison's life as a political asylee in the Netherlands since 1987 as well as his listing as a foreign terrorist by the US State Department and European Unions under the auspices of the US War on Terror.

DEFEND! (2004)
Monday, Sept. 10th, 7pm
Solidarity Center
55 West 17th Street, 5th floor
between 5th and 6th Aves.

The Terror of Arbitrariness (2002)
Thursday, Sept. 13, 7pm
Center for Constitutional Rights
666 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10012

organized by BAYAN USA & NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

endorsers include: Al-Awda New York (the Palestine Right to Return Coalition),
New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine

Dr. Rainer Werning for JoMa Sison

Joma Sison is a victim of US and Dutch interests - Dutch lawyer
Written by Dr. Rainer Werning
Wednesday, 05 September 2007

"The Dutch government is sanctioning Jose Maria Sison because first, it is obeying the order of the US and second, it is protecting its investors in the Philippines by acting against the only burden in the relationship between the two countries, " Jan Fermon, counsel for Jose Maria Sison, concluded after quoting from texts from the website of the Dutch Foreign Ministry.

This is the second in a series of interviews conducted by Dr. Rainer Werning, a lecturer at the Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung (InWEnt) in Bad Honnef, Germany. Dr. Werning interviewed Jan Fermon, counsel for Jose Maraia Sison - founding chair of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and consultant of the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in its peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines.

Dr.Werning recently held a series of lectures about the European legacy in the Philippines at the Ateneo de Manila University, German Club, Notre Dame University (Cotabato) and University of San Carlos (Cebu) upon the invitation of Goethe-Institut, Manila. He interviewed Fermon on March 23 this year at The Hague, The Netherlands on the side of the Permanent People's Tribunal (PPT) second session on the Philippines.

This interview was done before the arrest by Dutch police of Jose Maria Sison on Aug. 28, 2007 on charges that he ordered the killings of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara, former leaders of the CPP.

But this interview provides the background and context to Sison's subsequent arrest. The following are excerpts from the said interview.

Rainer Werning (RW): Can you tell us about the so-called Joma story- how it started and what is the status of the case.

Jan Fermon (JF): Summing it up is a difficult task but I'll try to do that. The first thing maybe is to say two words about who Joma Sison is. Jose Maria Sison is a Filipino national, and founder of the new Communist Party of the Philippines. He was arrested under the Marcos regime and placed in solitary confinement for a very long period. When the Marcos regime fell, Jose Maria Sison was released and went abroad on a lecture tour. During a lecture tour in Europe, the Philippine military, which has never been purged of Marcos supporters, launched a new campaigning against him. A price was put on his head and his passport was cancelled. So he was forced to settle in Europe.

Jose Maria Sison stayed active as a writer, as an analyst on Filipino politics and on developments in Philippine society. But because he is abroad he could not play a direct role in the politics of the Philippines. When peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP, which is representing the broad Filipino masses fighting for national sovereignty and for their social, political and economic rights, began during the early 90s, Jose Maria Sison became the chief political consultant of the negotiating team of the NDFP. In this way, Joma thought he could contribute to the advancement of the rights of the Filipino people. And he has been playing that role since.

He has been living in the Netherlands...with some difficulties since the Dutch government refused to grant him residence because they said that it was against the national interest of Holland to have him in Dutch soil. But Dutch courts recognize him as a refugee thereby preventing the Dutch government from deporting him

In August 2002, Jose Maria Sison found out that his name was included, by Dutch authorities, in the list of persons suspected of supporting terrorist activities. He was not informed officially about it. He only found out when he bought food from a grocery store, using a special credit card issued for that store only, and was told that his bills are not being paid. He went to the bank and was told that his social allowance of 201 Euro a month was cancelled by the Dutch government. His health insurance was also cancelled. After some time, he was told to leave the house he rented from local authorities. The authorities said that his wife and son could continue to live in The Netherlands but he has to go.

It is a very harsh situation because it puts Prof. Sison in a position where, basically, he is excluded from participating in any social and economic life. He can't have a bank account; he can't earn an income; he can't have insurance, and he can't have a car. Even renting him an apartment becomes a criminal offence. We found out very quickly that the Dutch government included Professor Sison in the list of people whose assets were frozen. He was placed in this harsh situation by Dutch authorities only a day after the US State Department put him in its terror list...so it was obviously a coordinated action. And later, in a statement posted on the website of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, it said, that, indeed, the Dutch government did this at the request of the US.

When we announced that we would challenge this in court, because there was not even a slight piece of evidence produced, Dutch authorities, I think, became afraid that a court of law in Holland would not accept such a proceeding without any form of contradiction, without due process and without any form of evidence being produced. Well, they basically played the trick. They asked the European Union to include him in its list of "terrorists." So we had to take the case to the Court of the First Instance of the European Union where today, five years hence, the case is still pending. We have insisted that the Council of the European Union furnish us a copy of Joma's case file or any file which became the basis of their decision. We are, up until today, confronted with the argument that the file is confidential and can not be produced.

So we have a situation where a man is subjected to a sanction which has been abolished by the French Revolution: civil death or exclusion from all economic and social life. Jose Maria Sison is being subjected to an unjust and inhumane form of punishment which was abolished by the French Revolution. Added to this, the procedure by which Sison was subjected to this inhumane sanction reminds us of the Spanish Inquisition: where people were branded as heretics and the burden of proof in proving that one is innocent was on the accused.

RW: Well, that sounds really Kafkaesque, isn't it?

JF: I think probably Kafka in his worst imagination could not imagine such a situation, I think this is really beyond any understanding?

RW: Sequence-wise, when did it start...when was he first put in the list?

JF: Sison was first included in the "terror listing" of the US on August 12, 2002. The very next day, August 13, he was placed in the "terror list" of the Dutch government. On October 2002, he was placed in the list of terrorist of the European Union.

RW: What is the status of the case in Luxembourg?

JF: The case is still pending. The case was pleaded in court but there has been no decision yet. During our presentation in Luxembourg we raised several matters, the core of which is the total lack of due process. Somebody is branded a terrorist, which is a very serious accusation, without any reason stated, without any evidence presented. When the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs then, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer who is now the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was asked in Parliament whether there was evidence or whether there was a criminal investigation on Prof. Sison's alleged involvement in terrorist activity, his reply was that there was not enough evidence to open an investigation against him. Nevertheless, Sison was branded as a terrorist and put on a list and sanctioned.

RW: What is the political rationale behind it? And how is it related to current Philippine context?

JF: I would like to start with a short story. There is a very interesting text in the website of the Dutch Foreign Ministry which starts by stating that 150 Dutch companies invested in the Philippines and that Holland is one of the major investors now in the country. Further on, it stated that the only burden in the relationship between Holland and the Philippines is the presence of what they called the Communist leadership in Utrecht, obviously referring to Jose Maria Sison and the information bureau of the NDFP. The text concluded that there are, however, some positive developments in the sense that the Philippine government welcomes the decision of Holland to put Sison in its list of terrorists, at the request of the US. It is probably a bit naïve to put it this way, but it was stated very clearly. One can therefore conclude that the Dutch government is sanctioning Sison because first, it is obeying the order of the US and second, it is protecting its investors in the Philippines by acting against the only burden in the relationship between the two countries.

I think, probably the situation is more dramatic as far as the Philippines is concerned. It has now become very clear that the US is pushing forward a policy of branding its opponents as terrorists; and those branded as terrorists, lose their rights. They can be detained without any form of due process; they can be held in secret prisons; they can be flown from one country to another without anybody knowing it; they can be tortured by what the US calls as slight physical pressure; and so on and on.

We can see exactly the same type of process in the Philippines. All kinds of activists in the broad social movement are branded as CPP or NPA supporters or members. They are labelled as CPP and NPA terrorists instead of being called as insurgents or political opponents. Consequently, if the CPP and NPA are branded as terrorist organizations, those accused of supporting it immediately become accomplices of terrorism. From then on anything is possible: they can be killed or detained without due process because the US is saying that it is okay and that they are doing it themselves.

So I think it is not only about Jose Maria Sison being in an extremely difficult situation, being targeted now, and being subjected to public hatred or at least to incitement of public hatred against him. I think this labelling of Jose Maria Sison, the CPP and the NPA as terrorists is also a licence to kill for the Armed Forces in the Philippines.

And so the fight against the labelling of these organizations and Jose Maria Sison as terrorists is part of the struggle to protect the peoples' movement in the Philippines. And it is particularly worrying, I would say even worse, that instead of denouncing this terrorist branding and labelling as incitements to the crimes being committed by the Philippine government and its security forces, the European Union is doing exactly the same thing. It practically makes the European Union an accomplice to the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. This is an extremely serious situation and the European Union should be held liable for that.

RW: What are the most perfidious chapters of the recently passed anti-terror bill, being euphemistically called Human Security Act of 2007?

JF: I think, I would be very careful in that because I didn't study it in detail. But the problem is always the same when this kind of law is adopted. The very simple and logical questions that would test if this kind of law is justified are: Is there a gap in the legal system that would allow people to commit mass killings of innocent civilians such as flying an airplane into a building or blowing up a metro in a European city? Is there a gap in our legal system that would allow people who are directly or indirectly responsible for this kind of act to escape from justice? Always the answer is no, of course. There is no justice system in the world that allows somebody who is criminally liable for such an act by participating, assisting, or helping in its perpetration to evade justice. There is no system in the world that would allow these people to escape unpunished. So we basically do not need anti-terrorist laws. We don't need it to get to these people; we don't need it to punish those who are indiscriminately killing civilians by their terrorist acts. What is its purpose then? The purpose is, of course, to get to all kinds of people who are not really terrorists. But because they are branded as terrorists, they can be subjected to public hatred, and to special proceedings that are instituted as a result of these anti-terrorist laws. And I think from what I know, the new Anti-terrorist law in the Philippines plays exactly that role. It justifies and legalizes the process of unjustly branding not only people who are engaged in rebellion but also those in the broad movement who may not be engaged in rebellion but might have some sympathy for it. All of them are branded as being terrorists. Contributed to Bulatlat

US DOJ's So-Called Case Dismissal Untrue, Lawyer Says

News Release
September 6, 2007


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



SENTOSA 27 CASE STILL ALIVE-- NAFCON
US DOJ's So-Called Case Dismissal Untrue, Lawyer Says

New York-- The 27 Filipino healthcare professionals, victimized by illegal recruitment from the Philippines to the United States, known as the Sentosa 27 ++ clarified that their discrimination case filed with the US Department of Justice against the Sentosa Recruitment Agency were not only false, but "maneuvered by Sentosa's legal spin team to obstruct justice and build-up public opinion against them."

According to Sentosa 27 lawyer Felix Vinluan, "The reports are misleading and untrue. Far from being dismissed, the discrimination cases are now with the Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO)."

On April 6, 2006, twenty six nurses and one physical therapist filed discrimination charges against the Sentosa-affiliated healthcare facilities that individually sponsored them, and with which the nurses signed employment contracts, as well as against Bent Philipson and Francis Luyun. Philipson is the common COO and Managing Partner of the Sentosa-affiliated facilities. Luyun is the proprietor of the Philippine-based Sentosa Recruitment Agency. Luyun also works as international recruiter of the New York-based Prompt Nursing Employment Agency, doing business as Sentosa Services.

The discrimination charges were filed before the US DOJ's Office of Special Counsel, (OSC), because the nurses were not directly hired by their respective petitioning employers on account of their immigrant or citizenship status. Instead, they claim they were made agency nurses of Prompt Nursing Employment Agency.

When it became apparent after several months of proposing extensions periods, that that OSC was simply stalling on addressing the case, the 27, without waiting for the OSC, directly filed the discrimination charges before the OCAHO.

"The OCAHO, under Administrative Law Judge Ellen K. Thomas, has taken jurisdiction over the discrimination complaints. The discrimination cases are no longer with the OSC," Vinluan added. "The headline of the news report misleads the public into believing that the cases filed against the Philippine-based Sentosa Recruitment Agency had been dismissed."

"We are disappointed that the US DOJ OSC did not take the victims' case very seriously enought to handle it expediently. But we are glad that the nurses took action and filed with the OCAHO, when it became apparent that nothing was moving forward under the OSC. We believe justice will be served as long as the world community stands behind the Sentosa 27. Theirs is a brave and legitimate fight," stated Rico Foz of the National Alliance of Filipino Concerns or NAFCON.

Foz also referred to the previous political interference of US Senator Charles Schumer who called the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) to lift its license suspension against Sentosa after the nurses filed a complaint with POEA administrator Rosalinda Baldoz.

"We cannot rule out that political interference, and Philipson himself, are behind these stall tactics," Foz added.

NAFCON, a nationwide Filipino-American alliance working with the Sentosa 27, initiated a campaign that garnered supporters worldwide in favor of the Sentosa 27's case against Philipson. The campaign also gathered thousands of support signatures at www.petitiononline.com/j4s27. A Justice for the Sentosa 27 website can be accessed at www.justiceforsentosa27.blogspot.com .

"The Sentosa 27 have a strong case. They have the truth on their side. These political maneuvers are a testament to how desperate Sentosa and Philipson are to keep their heads above water against the massive public opinion and bad press snowballing against their operations," Foz ended. "


The Sentosa 27++ nurses, are likewise awaiting developments on the Senate resolution filed by Senator Panfilo M. Lacson calling for the investigation of Sentosa Recruitment Agency, and which resolution was referred to the Committee on Labor chaired by Senator Jinggoy Estrada. ###

Free JoMa Sison!

"Please view the following video of Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General, speaking about the arrest of Joma Sison and calling for his immediate release. Clark also comments on the Human Security Act of 2007, and the need to withdraw US military aid to the Philippines. The video was created by G. Labao of NYCHRP."



Despite what some have reported, JoMa has NOT been released by the Dutch governmenet. He is currently in solitary confinement. Please stand by for the latest developments in JoMa's case. In the meantime, please download the factsheet and visit www.freejomapetition.org and sign!

March on Washington DC! STOP THE WAR NOW! 9/29/2007

The Troops Out Now Coalition is planning a march in which FiRE and most of BAYAN-USA will be participating. If you can help spread the world, and can rally as many of your folks to D.C. that weekend, it would be an incredible show of solidarity.



FYI: the women in FiRE plan to hop on the Chinatown bus from NYC to DC RIGHT AFTER our Open House (which is the night BEFORE the march) to be a part of this event. We hope to see you there! :)

RAMSEY CLARK SAYS FREE JOSE MARIA SISON!

MORE UPDATES HERE: http://www.inquirer.net/specialreports/jomasison/view.php?db=1&article=20070901-86051

News Release
August 31, 2007

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

RAMSEY CLARK SAYS FREE JOSE MARIA SISON!
Former US Attorney General Offers to Help Arrested Philippine Leader

New York--- Former US Attorney General and world-renown international human rights lawyer Ramsey Clark expressed disapproval and deep concern over the recent arrest of Philippine leader Jose Maria Sison, a political refugee currently detained in the Hague, Netherlands. He also called on the Dutch government to immediately release Sison, whom he describes as "a gentle person... and inspiring leader."

"Everyone who is concerned about peace and freedom has to be greatly distressed over the arrest of Joma Sison," Clark explained in a meeting with the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) in his Manhattan home.

Clark visited Joma in the Netherlands back in 2005 and has been a ardent supporter of the campaign to have Sison de-listed from the US and European Union terrorist lists. He also claims to be great admirer of Sison, a fellow critic of US foreign policy.

"Sison is a great spirit that the world needs to know about, a great voice that the world needs to hear. The demonization [of him] will destroy us if we permit it to continue," Clark continued.

As an international human rights lawyer, Clark also pledged to assist Joma by offering to join his international defense team of lawyers headed by Jan Fermon.

Clark is also uncertain of the Dutch judicial system's ability to handle Sison's case with validity and competency, given his two murder charges originate in the Philippines, charges that the Philippine Supreme Court has since dismissed.

"The Dutch can't determine the facts," Clark explained. "The Dutch can't investigate in the Philippines. They can only rely on what the [Arroyo] government tells them, and what the [Arroyo] government wants is persecution for Jose Maria Sison."

"If we want peace on earth, we got to do better. I hope that Netherlands can start right now by releasing this great man, Joma Sison."


No to HSA

Clark also expressed his disapproval of the recently passed Human Security Act (HSA) by the Philippine government last February. The HSA has since been put into full effect since last month.

Already the controversial law is drawing sharp criticism as a measure to stifle and eliminate broad opposition to the Arroyo government in the Philippines and abroad, and dangerously defines terrorism in vague terms.

"The new HSA is a copy of the US Patriot Act, which is probably the most unpatriotic act I've seen past by US Congress, in my many years practicing law," Clark stated. "Sadly the Philippines has been subjected to too much copying of some of the worst aspects of the US, and the HSA ought to be repealed."


No to US Aid

Clark also expressed the need to withdraw US military aid to the Philippines, the 4th largest recipient of US military aid in the world.

The recent US Senate hearing on the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, headed by Senator Barbara Boxer, could play an influential role as the September marks a crunch period for the Senate and House appropriations committees do decide on military spending for 2008. Major human rights watchdogs and churches testified that US military aid to the Philippine military translates into death squads killing civilians who criticize the Arroyo government.

To avoid US aid reduction, the Arroyo government is highlighting the need to invest in war in Mindanao to fight terrorism.

"Every penny given in US aid, will be re-paid in Philippine blood. US aid is buying power through surrogate governments abroad," Clark continued.

"I urge [the US Congress] to withdraw US aid to the Philippines, and urge you to insist that the Philippines be free of all US military presence, especially the building of new bases in Mindanao." Clark ended.

Clark serves on the advisory board of NYCHRP, a member of the Filipino-American alliance BAYAN USA. ###

EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT! Release Jose Maria "Joma" Sison!

EMERGENCY ACTION ALERT!
Release Jose Maria "Joma" Sison! Arrested Last Night!

Condemnation Picket in Front of the Dutch Consulate in New York
Wednesday, August 29th, 4pm
11 Rockefeller Center in Manhattan
Trains: B/D/F/V/N/R to Rockefeller Plaza

please bring your statements and placards

DEFEND JOSE MARIA SISON and ALL FILIPINO PROGRESSIVES!

organized by Committee Defend in New York, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, and BAYAN USA



=====================

News Release
August 28, 2007

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

RELEASE JOMA SISON!!! --- BAYAN USA
Fil-Am Alliance Condemns Dubious Arrest of NDF Political Consultant

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of over 12 Filipino organizations in the US, vehemently condemned the arrest of the National Democratic Front Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison last night by the Dutch Police on false charges of multiple murders.

The alliance further condemned the raiding of homes by the Dutch police of the NDF personnel.

Sison was arrested last night for multiple murders of Romulo Kintanar and Arturo Tabara. Police say Sison ordered the murders from the Netherlands back in 2003. Sison will be put on trial in the Netherlands, not the Philippines.

While the New People's Army has already come forward with admittance to the killings, Sison maintains he is not in the leadership of the NPA nor the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

BAYAN USA maintains the real reasons for Sison's arrest are political not criminal. Emergency actions will also be set at Dutch consulates across the country calling for Sison's immediate release.

"Behind the actions of the Dutch police is the Arroyo government, which since its ascendency has been in pursuit of Joma Sison and worked tirelessly to subdue his meaning to the people," states BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano.

The alliance, a member of the International League of Peoples Struggle, an international organization of which Sison serves as Chair, has been calling for a de-listing of Sison from the US and EU terrorist lists.

"It is in every interest of the US and Arroyo governments to confine Professor Sison for his politics. As the Chief Political Consultant to the organization that comprises one half of the stalled NDF-GRP peace negotiations, the Arroyo government is declaring to the world it is not interested in resuming peace talks," Quijano added.

BAYAN USA has also supported the resumption of peace talks between the NDF and GRP. The Arroyo administration just recently called to intensify the all-out war in Mindanao under the auspices of the US War on Terror as a measure to raise its annual pork barrel of military aid from the US government.

BAYAN USA also asserted it's been a year of hot water for the Arroyo administration, with isolation from human rights watchdogs such as the UNHRC, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and even a US Senate hearing that may influence US military aid to the Philippines. Sison, a political refugee in the Netherlands for nearly 20 years, has been one of the most famous and vocal critics of the Arroyo regime.

Earlier this year, a European court nullified Sison's terrorist listing. Since his listing of 2001, Sison had his assets frozen and right to work stripped. Sison remains on the US State Department's terrorist list.

For more information, contact BAYAN USA at info @ bayanusa.org. ###

FiRE Open House Announcement!

FiRE NYC's Open House: Pinay HERstories
Fri, Sept. 28,2007 @ 7p
Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen At. F or V to 2nd Avenue
(between Stanton and Rivington Streets)
www.bluestockings.com
Suggested donation of $5-$10 Sliding Scale

Readings and performances by:
Calamity
Hanalei Ramos
Kimmie David
Lisa Ascalon
Marie Avetria
Rachelle A. Cruz
Rowena Cruz
and many more!

There are a number of instances when our stories, as women, as Filipinas, are lost and relegated to the outskirts of history. Pinay HERstories hopes to reclaim the Filipina/Filipina-American narrative by collecting fragments of the shared Pinay experience. Join us for a night with local Pinay artists who will be reading and performing works meant to inspire, empower, and most importantly, relate to Pinays like us! You can also meet the women of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) who have been organizing several local and global campaigns for the past six months. Learn more about our current programs, our allied organizations, and how Pinays are building a community, here, in the New York City area.

This event is open to everyone, and of course, light refreshments will be served.

Professor Sison's arrest, ransacking of NDF International Information Office and houses of Filipino Refugees spell death for the peace negotiations

National Democratic Front of the Philippines Monitoring Committee

Press Statement
29 August 2007

Professor Sison's arrest, ransacking of NDF International Information Office and houses of Filipino Refugees spell death for the peace negotiations

By Fidel V. Agcaoili
Chairman

On behalf the NDFP-Monitoring Committee, we condemn in the strongest
terms the arrest of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, Chief Political Consultant
of the NDFP Negotiating Panel, and the raids and ransacking of the NDF
International Information Office and the houses of Filipino refugees
by the Dutch police on the basis of trumped-up charges by the
Philippine government.

The actions of the Dutch authorities gravely violate the rights of
Prof. Sison and other Filipino refugees and do not in any way
contribute to the furtherance of the peace negotiations between the
Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

With the arrest of Prof. Sison based on false charges, Mrs. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo has succeeded in extending her long fascist arms
abroad courtesy of the Dutch authorities.

It should be Mrs. Arroyo and her minions in the Cabinet Oversight
Committee on Internal Security who should instead be arrested for war
crimes under the principle of command responsibility for the
extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances of more than 900
unarmed civilians in the implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya I and II.

Contrary to the claims of Mrs. Arroyo, the arrest of Prof. Sison and
the raids conducted are bound to terminate the ongoing peace
negotiations between the NDFP and the Arroyo government.

The NDFP Negotiating Panel will await instructions from the leadership
of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines on the fate of the
peace negotiations in light of the recent arrest of Prof. Sison.

The arrest of Prof. Sison will not stop the Filipino people from
advancing the struggle for national liberation and democracy and the
attainment of a just and lasting peace in the Philippines. They will
continue to intensify their resistance against the illegitimate,
unjust, corrupt and barbaric Arroyo regime.#

REFERENCE:
Ruth de Leon
Executive Director
NDFP International Information Office
Tel.: +31 30 2310431
Fax.: +31 84 7589930
Email: ndf@casema.nl

Website: http://www.ndfp.net; http://home.casema.nl/ndf
Email address: ndf@casema.nl
Telephone: 31-30-2310431
Fax: 31-84-7589930
Mailing address: Amsterdamsestraatweg 50, NL-3513 AG Utrecht, Netherlands

Statement on the arrest of NDF Chief Political Consultant Jose Ma. Sison

For Immediate Release
August 28, 2007

Reference: RENATO M. REYES, JR.
0919-6081024

Statement on the arrest of NDF Chief Political Consultant Jose Ma. Sison
By the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of National Democratic Front Chief Political Consultant Jose Ma. Sison and the raid on the houses and offices of NDF personnel by the Dutch authorities. This development has dire and far reaching repercussions on the peace process in the Philippines.

The move to arrest Joma and the subsequent raids and interrogation of NDF personnel are most probably done with the knowledge and prodding of the Philippine government. We condemn both the Dutch and Philippine government for these latest attacks on civil liberties.

As of this writing, the legal basis for the arrests and raids remain unclear and are highly questionable. No formal charges have been filed by the Dutch authorities.


The rights of the NDF personnel are being clearly violated by the Dutch government. Meanwhile the Arroyo government is beside itself with glee over the latest developments.

It should be recalled that it was the Arroyo government, through then Secretary of Foreign Affairs Blas Ople, who actively lobbied for the inclusion of Sison in the European Union's terrorist list.

The Arroyo government has long sought the incarceration of Sison along with the termination of the peace process. The attacks on the NDF personnel who are part of the peace process clearly show that the Arroyo government has no intention to pursue meaningful peace negotiations.

It is very likely that the Arroyo government has driven the last nail on the coffin of the peace talks with the NDF. The Philippine government is doing all it can to sabotage any remaining hope for the resumption of the talks. The Arroyo regime is preparing to escalate its all out war against the Filipino people.

Filipino Artists Gather for DC Concert to Promote Human Rights in the Philippines

News Release
August 27, 2007

Reference: Raul Menchavez, Northeast Coordinator, BAYAN USA, email: ny @ bayanusa.org

Filipino Artists Gather for DC Concert to Promote Human Rights in the Philippines
Don't Use Mindanao War to Increase US Military Aid-- BAYAN USA

Washington, DC-- Responding to the Philippine Congress's implementation of the Human Security Act (HSA) last July, Filipino groups along the east coast will be converging for a concert in Washington DC on Friday, September 28, one week after the 35th anniversary of Martial Law as declared by former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos in 1972.

The concert, organized by the Filipino-American alliance BAYAN USA and featuring Filipino-American hip-hop sensations Blue Scholars and Kiwi Illefonte, aims to bring awareness to the repurcussions of the newly-passed and controversial bill, and connect with the overall issue of increased US military spending to places where US troops are present, such as the Philippines.

The concert will also be featured as part of a one-week encampment organized by the Troops Out Now Anti-War coalition, that will culminate in a march to Capitol Hill on Saturday, September 29th. A similar encampment will also be held in Los Angeles on the same dates.

"The HSA is a disaster for domestic security in the Philippines. It will cause the endangerment and the termination of innocent lives," states Valerie Francisco of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment, or FIRE, a community organizer who recently returned from the Philippines to protest the HSA.

FIRE, along the Anakbayan, the Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, under the banner of BAYAN USA, and local DC groups such as Katarungan will be sponsoring the mini-concert set outdoors and following next-day anti-war march near Capitol Hill. The Fil-Am groups have also warned that US-based advocates and supporters of the broad Arroyo opposition under the HSA are also subject to the measures of the state with such a vague definition of terrorism. This comes in light of reports on extrajudicial killings, increase in forced disappearances throughout the country, and a watchlist of names provided by the Bureau of Immigration and Department of Justice jeopardizing travellers from abroad that speak out against Arroyo's domestic policies.

"These days, to oppose the Arroyo regime is the most genuine act of security. To highlight this issue during the Martial Law anniversary is fitting and appropriate, because the Philippines is still under undeclared Martial Law," states Jonna Baldres of Anakbayan.

The groups have also been calling for restrictions on US military aid to the Philippines, in line with its human rights work. September also marks continued Congressional deliberations on US military spending for 2008. Nearly 50 US solons have signed a petition letter calling for Arroyo to handle the human rights crisis in the Philippines.

In response to a recent US Senate hearing and Congressional deliberations on the fate of US military aid to the Philippine government this pasy year, the Arroyo regime has resorted to deflecting possible aid reduction by pushing for an all-out war in Mindanao, the southern-most island, claiming Al-Qaeda cells exist, much to wide public disagreement.

Following the public reports of UN Rapporteur Philip Alston, and Amnesty International, the Philippine military has been identified as the key perpetrating group of extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances. In 2001, President George Bush declared the Philippines the Second Front to the War on Terror.

Since then, the Philippines has remained the fourth largest recipient of US military aid in the world and the largest in the Asia-Pacific region.

For more information or to join the Filipino contingent during the anti-war march, contact BAYAN USA at ny @ bayanusa.org . ###

August Pinay Brunch!

Hello, Pinays!

Please join us for the August installment of our Pinay Brunch! We would love to round out our summer with you and talk story about life and your respective summmmertime adventures! Our pick this month is care of Joseline, it's a kitschy little restaurant with some nice, hearty food. Please RSVP fire.nyc@gmail.com if you plan to attend! :)


Saturday, August 25, 10 am
@ Old Devil Moon
http://www.olddevilmoon.com/
511 E. 12th St. NY, NY 10000
(by 12th St. and Ave. A)

and for more info: http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/7098614/new_york_ny/old_devil_moon.html

Excited to see you all, and welcome you back to this side of the coast! We hope you can find the time to share a meal with us...

Love,
Hanalei