Contact: Rhonda Ramiro
Secretary-General, BAYAN USA
secgen@bayanusa.org

The worldwide outpouring of aid and support for the over 1.8 million victims of Typhoon Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) in the Philippines this week leaves Filipinos in the United States reeling with anger in response to the Arroyo government’s utter ineptitude in providing adequate disaster relief.

This anger towards the Arroyo administration is justifiable for a number of reasons, the most obvious of which are the Philippine government’s evident corruption of billions in national disaster funds in order to fatten up the Presidential international travel budget and subsequent insistence that donations coming from abroad be channeled through government agencies.

But in the case of Ondoy, the Arroyo government’s hands have extended past the budget purse-strings and into crafting disaster-prone policies as well.

Not Just a Natural Disaster

The vast, heavy floods that swept through Metro-Manila devastating over 319,811 families and killing at least 240 people slammed tons of pressure that left properties in ruins. But contrary to claims of Malacanang, these killer floods did not come solely from unpredictable heavy rainfall and winds, but from deadly landslides originating from the neighboring provinces.

For years, the Philippine government has denied links between mining and logging activity and landslides in order to protect the investments of multi-national corporations (MNC) in the Philippines. But other mining authorities, such as the British Columbia Geological Survey Branch, admit to a direct link between heavy mechanical activity launched by foreign corporations in resource-rich countries like the Philippines and the weakening of bedrock along slopes that can result to slope failure and eventually a fatal landslide.

In addition to ensuring nothing less than maximum devastation when disasters like Ondoy strike, irregular warming of the Earth’s surface caused by greenhouse gas concentrations resulting from dense MNC activity also contribute to the altering of regional climate patterns, such as the generation of typhoons.

Charter Change

While illegal mining and logging continue throughout the Philippines under the Arroyo administration, the Arroyo clique relentlessly campaigns for changes to the 1987 Philippine Constitution that would allow 100% foreign ownership of Philippine territory. Intensified foreign mining, logging, deforestation, land conversion and marine fishing throughout the Philippines coupled with poor infrastructure will only leave Filipinos vulnerable to more calamities such as Ondoy.

Support People’s Needs, Not Corruption

In this time of urgent need for the vast majority of Filipinos impacted by Ondoy, BAYAN USA appeals to supporters around the world to think twice before donating financial support to Philippine government-led initiatives such as those spearheaded by consular offices around the world.

The reason why overseas Filipinos are choosing NOT to remit through government channels is because of the Philippine government’s proven and historical track record of taking advantage of monetary donation drives in response to calamities as ample opportunities for graft. The 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo is one glaring example of this. In fact, to this day, more than Pph 7 billion (USD $280 million) in public funds allocated for post-eruption disaster relief remains unaccounted for.

The Philippine government makes billions in US dollars every year from the remittances of overseas Filipinos. Let’s not give them a chance to make more money off the victims of Ondoy. There are more reliable and credible people organizations both in the United States and in the Philippines, who not only organize communities for social reforms, but are now working tirelessly to divert donations from the government’s corrupt hands and bring direct relief to the most impacted areas without any discrimination or bias. Visit www.bayanusa.org or www.bayanihan4ondoy.wordpress.com to learn more about them. ###

Contact: Hanalei Ramos and Yves Nibungco
Regional Co-Coordinators, BAYAN-USA
ny@bayanusa.org

NEW YORK–The day after her meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington DC, Philippine Head of State Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was once again met with more protests in New York City last Friday in front of her hotel, the Waldorf Astoria. Arroyo traveled for a brief stay in New York City to meet with US businessmen this weekend.

Numerous Anti-Arroyo protesters from BAYAN USA, GABRIELA USA, Filipinas for Rights and Empowerent (FiRE), Anakbayan NY/NJ, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), and National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), stood and chanted in the pouring rain to register opposition against the Arroyo administration’s plans to convene a constituent assembly (Con-Ass) that would revise the 1987 Philippine Constitution according to her administration’s proposed changes, also known as Charter Change (Cha-Cha). Protesters also held up signs and banners demanding justice for Melissa Roxas, a member of BAYAN USA abducted and tortured by what is widely-believed to be the Philippine military last May.

“These meetings with businessmen are literally to sell-off our homeland piece-by-piece, as Cha-Cha will ensure the selling of Philippine national patrimony as well as mass media and public utilities,” stated Berna Ellorin, Chair of BAYAN USA. “We may be only 20 standing here in front of the Waldorf, but we represent the interest of millions of Filipinos for a truly sovereign nation to call their own.”

Protesters were able to march to the entrance of the hotel while Arroyo was inside, causing other hotel clients to take notice. Chanting “Cha-Cha ni Gloria, Ibasura!” (Junk Gloria’s Cha-Cha!) and “Gloria, Gloria, You Can’t Hide, We Charge You with Homicide!”, protesters stopped, temporarily blocking the hotel’s entrance, to point out Arroyo’s scrutinized human rights record and the case of Melissa Roxas with hotel clients standing by the entrance waiting to hail a taxi.

They also pointed out the usage of US tax dollars through military aid to fund the Philippine military which has been proven by international human rights monitoring groups to be committing these human rights violations.

The Waldorf-Astoria protest follows a high-profile meeting between Arroyo and Obama at the White House last week.

Several members of protesters in New York City also participated in protests the day before in front of the White House, seeking to call Obama’s attention to Årroyo’s human rights track record and to raise it during the meeting. But a post-meeting press conference revealed that the issue was not discussed, in favor of discussion of economic partnership.

Instead, the Obama administration publicly affirmed ties to the Arroyo administration by appointing the Philippines as the coordinator of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a multi-lateral economic forum of nations from South East Asia that meets to discuss economic development and cultural progress.

“We are disappointed, but not surprised,” Ellorin stated. “The Obama and Arroyo governments are determined to maintain the status quo of a master-servant relationship through unequal ties, despite opposition from the American and Filipino people. This only proves that NO PRESIDENT can bring in ‘change we can believe in’. Real change can only be brought by people like us united in mass movement and solidarity.”

Contact: Rhonda Ramiro
Secretary-General, BAYAN-USA
secgen@bayanusa.org

Nationwide Actions Demand a Reversal of the Failed Bush-Arroyo Doctrine and Call for REAL Change in US Policy Toward the Philippines

During nationwide actions this week marking the annual “State of the Nation Address” in the Philippines, BAYAN-USA declared that it would demand accountability from the Philippine government for the illegal abduction and torture of American citizen Melissa Roxas and call on President Barack Obama to discuss the human rights crisis in the Philippines in his meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on July 30. Roxas, who is the first US citizen known to be tortured in the Philippines during the Obama administration, was abducted, held in captivity and tortured by alleged military agents in the Philippines from May 19-25, 2009.

The Arroyo-Obama meeting also coincides with a hearing of the Court of Appeals in the Philippines on Roxas’ case, at which Roxas will testify about the violent abduction and torture including repeated beatings and asphyxiation with plastic bags that she endured during her six days in captivity in what she believes was a military camp. The meeting of President Arroyo and President Obama also occurs as the US Senate and House deliberate over next year’s military aid package to the Philippines; the current year’s military aid package is $32 million. US military aid to the Philippine grew a staggering 1,500% during the Bush administration and is widely believed to have funded the Philippine military personnel that committed the human rights atrocities, which includes a body count of at least 1,013 people killed and 1,036 people tortured.

“Neglecting to question Arroyo about Melissa Roxas and the thousands of human rights violations being committed by the Philippine military makes the Obama administration complicit in the perpetration of these heinous crimes,” stated Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary General of BAYAN-USA. “Granting tens of millions of US tax dollars to the murderous Philippine military would make President Obama just as guilty as Bush in the continuing torture and murder of innocent people.”

BAYAN-USA and representatives of churches, community organizations, labor unions, and other concerned groups are appealing to President Obama to live up to his declarations of “change,” by asking President Arroyo what action she intends to take about the rampant human rights violations that continue to plague the Philippines. They are also calling on President Obama to specifically ask President Arroyo, as Commander in Chief, to ensure that the Philippine military cooperates with the investigation into Roxas’ case.

“On the UN International Day in Support of Torture Victims, President Obama declared, ‘Torture is contrary to the founding documents of our country and the fundamental values of our people. The US must stand against torture wherever it takes place.’ We are asking President Obama to live up to his words by taking a stand against the state-sanctioned torture used by the Philippine military against government critics,” said Ramiro.

During her meeting with President Obama, President Arroyo is expected to make a pitch for support of her proposed changes to the Philippine Constitution, known in the Philippines as “Charter Change.” Despite widespread popular opposition, President Arroyo has relentlessly campaigned for Charter Change for over two years, including during today’s State of the Nation Address. Charter Change would wipe out constitutional protections that protect Philippine sovereignty by allowing 100% foreign ownership of Philippine land and key industries, as well as open the door to a power extension for President Arroyo beyond the end of her term in 2010.

Recent polls show extremely low approval ratings of President Arroyo. Since Arroyo became president in 2001, the Philippines has experienced the longest period of sustained high unemployment in its history, at 11.2% or 10.8 million people unemployed and underemployed; a cumulative national government deficit of P1.29 trillion, which is triple the deficits of the Aquino, Ramos and Estrada administrations combined; more human rights violations against innocent civilians than under any previous president including Ferdinand Marcos; and at least 16 documented government corruption scandals amounting to $430 million in kick-backs and pay-offs to government officials and relatives.

“If President Obama is serious about promoting peace and supporting lasting change in the Philippines, he should oppose Arroyo’s Charter Change,” stated Ramiro. “Charter Change would result in less security for Filipinos and Americans alike, because it would worsen poverty and pave the way for an Arroyo dictatorship.”

We want REAL CHANGE NOT Charter Change
We want HUMAN RIGHTS NOT Torture
We want DEMOCRACY NOT Dictatorship
We want SOVEREIGNTY NOT Foreign Rule
We want REAL SECURITY NOT State Terrorism
We want JUSTICE FOR MELISSA ROXAS AND ALL VICTIMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS NOT Denials and Cover-Ups
No US Military Aid for Torture, Abductions and Killings in the Philippines
Investigate the Abduction and Torture of Melissa Roxas

BAYAN-USA Actions being held in the U.S

New York
The Real State of the Nation: Community Forum, Play, and Action
Monday, July 27, 2009, 6:00 PM
Bayanihan Community Center
40-21 69th St.
New York, NY

San Francisco
Cha-Cha-Cha Change We Can Believe In: Action to Demand REAL Change and Justice for Melissa Roxas
Monday, July 27, 2009, 4:00 PM
Federal Building
Corner of Mission Street and 7th Street
San Francisco, CA

Los Angeles
Justice for Melissa Roxas and State of the Nation Action
Coincides with Melissa Roxas’ Writ of Amparo Hearing in the Philippines
Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 7:00 PM
In front of the Philippine Consulate
3600 Wilshire Blvd (between S Harvard Blvd and S Kingsley Dr)
Los Angeles, CA

Additional Actions being held in the US

San Francisco
Vigil for Human Rights in the Philippines
Thursday, July 30, 2009, 6:00 PM
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
756 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA
Sponsored by the USA-Philippines Ecumenical Advocacy Network

Washington DC
Justice for Melissa Roxas Action and Prayer Vigil
Coincides with Meeting of President Barack Obama and President Gloria Arroyo
Thursday, July 30, 2009, 11:00 AM
Sponsored by Katarungan: Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights in the Philippines
In front of the White House

Contact: Rhonda Ramiro
Secretary General, BAYAN-USA
secgen@bayanusa.org

Los Angeles, CA — On early Saturday morning, Filipino Americans launched a lightning rally to greet Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her mini-junket at the Sheraton Gateway near Los Angeles International Airport. The lightning rally was one of many demonstrations across the Philippines and around the world in recent days to protest the passage of the House Resolution 1109 to convene a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass), considered the latest move of the US-Arroyo regime to change the Philippine Charter (Cha Cha) and further undermine democracy in the Philippines.

BAYAN-USA & GABRIELA USA’s member organizations began the lightning rally, marching to a rendition of “Bayan Ko” carrying “No to Con-Ass” and “No to Cha-Cha” signs, AnakBayan LA, Habi Arts and Sisters of GABRIELA Awaken (SiGAw) members expressed their anger at the US-Arroyo regime’s desperate Con-Ass maneuver to hold on to power. Fil-Ams were also demanding justice for fellow Habi Arts member, Melissa Roxas, a US Citizen who was abducted and tortured by armed men last May while doing community health work in the Philippines. A street theater piece highlighting the on-going human rights violations was dedicated to Roxas, Jonas Burgos, Karen Empeno, Sherlyn Kadapan, James Balao, Juanito Carabeo, John Edward Jandoc and all other victims of the US-Arroyo regime. With a thunderous outcry denouncing Arroyo, the protestors drowned out the cheers of US-Arroyo supporters as Arroyo was escorted back to LAX. The morning rally was concluded with an “Arroyo, You’re A Jerk” hip hop dance circle led by AnakBayan Los Angeles.

“Con-Ass and Charter Change are lame attempts for Arroyo and her cronies to stay in power. They all hoped that the Filipino people would not care enough to notice, but the public outcry of our people in the Philippines, the US and all over the world prove that the people are wise and keen on her trickery,” declared Daya Mortel, BAYAN-USA Southern California Regional Coordinator and Habi Arts member. “She has tried every trick in the book short of declaring Martial Law. Wherever she may go, there will be people who will protest and criticize her abuse of power.”

“Con-Ass is the biggest threat to democracy and the Filipino people today,” stated Kuusela Hilo, Vice Chairperson of BAYAN-USA and member of AnakBayan LA. “The Filipino people have suffered under the US-Arroyo regime, and for Arroyo to position herself as Prime Minister or declare martial law would only mean more suffering and repression for our people.”

The rapes of “Nicole” and “Vanessa” and the devastation wrought on civilians by the annual Balikatan military exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement have drawn increasing criticism from all sectors of Philippine society. “GMA has turned her back on Filipina women and all other Filipinos by railroading our Constitution and the democratic process. If Con-Ass and Cha-Cha are pushed through, foreigners will be able to own the natural resources of the country and Filipinas will continue to be violated by US troops in the Philippines,” said Terrie Cervas, Vice Chairperson of GABRIELA USA and founding member of SiGAw. Cervas concluded, “By rewriting the Philippine Constitution, the Philippines will be victim to 100% foreign ownership of industries and re-installation of permanent military US presence, beyond supposed ‘temporary’ posts already in place under the Visiting Forces Agreement.” For the last ten years, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) has paved the way for US military advisers, troops and equipment to train and equip the Philippine military which has been implicated in 1,017 extra-judicial killings and 1,010 cases of torture.

“The fact that Arroyo tried to visit LA unnoticed is very telling,” said Mortel. “She knew she could not come to LA, the hometown of Melissa Roxas, without facing unanswered questions of why her government has not done a thorough probe into the abduction and torture of Roxas and her companions. Or why hundreds of others have been disappeared and why thousands of other victims have yet to receive justice.”

BAYAN-USA will continue to campaign against Con-Ass and Cha-Cha. BAYAN-USA will also be working with national alliances and human rights organizations in the United States to demand justice for Melissa Roxas and all other victims of human rights violations. “We do not want any of our hard-earned US tax dollars funding Philippine death squads,” said Hilo. “Senator Barbara Boxer sponsored a hearing on the human rights crisis in the Philippines just two years ago in Washington DC, and we will be asking Senator Boxer and other elected officials to take Melissa Roxas’ case seriously, to take a stand to defend a US citizen that has survived abduction and torture, and to require that not one cent of US taxes be used to fund human rights violations in the Philippines.”

BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the US representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As an international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the US. BAYAN-USA’s online petition against the VFA can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow. The online petition to demand justice for Roxas and her companions Juanito Carabeo, and John Edward Jandoc can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html.

Contact: Rhonda Ramiro
Secretary-General, BAYAN USA
secgen@bayanusa.org

Filipino-Americans under the banner of BAYAN USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino organizations in the United States, are expressing outrage over last night’s vote by the Philippine House of Representatives to approve House Resolution 1109, which would allow for the convening of a Constiuent Assembly (Con-Ass) made of members of the Lower House and Senate in order to amend the 1987 Philippine Constitution, or enact Charter-Change (Cha-Cha).

“Con-Ass is a major step towards transforming an undeclared martial rule into the official dictatorship of the Arroyo government,” states BAYAN USA Chair Berna Ellorin. “It is one of the biggest threats to democracy in the Philippines since the days of the Marcos dictatorship, and it must be stopped.”

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has repeatedly sung of the praises of her proposed amendments to the 1987 Philippine Consitution, including total economic liberalization in favor of foreign corporate interests as well as lifting existing provisions prohibiting the establishment of permanent military bases by foreign troops. But it is the proposed amendment by the Arroyo administration to shift the Philippine government into a parliamentary system, combined with the lifting of provisions that limit martial law powers, that has drawn the most opposition from Filipinos in the Philippines and worldwide.

“Arroyo intends to take over as the new Prime Minister with an indefinite term status if Cha-Cha is passed,” Ellorin continued. “This provides an official policy framework in the Constitution for fascist dicatorship and martial law.”

Cronyism

BAYAN USA also criticized the validity of last night’s Lower House vote for HR 1109, as the vote only came from the one legislative body in the bicameral Philippine Congress.

“They cannot vote without the Senate,” Ellorin continued. “This so-called ‘House Majority’ that voted in support of Con-Ass are not Arroyo allies, but those who have been bribed by the Arroyo administration through pork barrel money in exchange for loyalty to Arroyo. Even the opposition was prevented from airing their views. This is cronyism no different from the Marcos era of massive graft and corruption.”

BAYAN USA also raised that with rampant cronyism at play in the Philippine Congress, it is certain that the Constituent Assembly to convene will not have the best interests of the Filipino people in mind when altering the Philippine Constitution.

Clamor Needed Overseas

Record highs in the number of overseas absentee voter (OAV) registration from Filipinos abroad, including the United States, provides strong indication of overseas clamor to vote Arroyo out of office by 2010.

“Filipinos, especially those of us overseas, cannot trust their own government these days. Filipinos abroad are compelled to be part of the change they would like to see in Philippine politics,” Ellorin ended. “But aside from our ballots, we must engage in community actions and public pressure to make our opposition to Cha-Cha visible to Manila. After all, we keep the Philippine economy afloat with our billions in dollar remittances every year. We must be part of saving what is left of democracy in the Philippine Constitution and in our homeland.”

Street demonstrations protesting HR 1109 have already been confronted with violent dispersals by police near the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-USA extends its utmost solidarity to the 25th annual celebration of Cordillera Day.  Our alliance of 14 progressive Filipino organizations in the US representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth unites with your call to “Strengthen people’s solidarity. Intensify the struggle for land, life, and rights!”

International solidarity is more important now than ever.  The world is facing the most widespread and violent crisis of imperialism in history, and the people of the third world, national minorities, and women suffer most acutely.  Contradictions are sharpening between the oppressed majority of the Filipino people–including Filipinos in the US and around the world–and the ruling elite in the Philippines represented by the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regime.  We are under no illusion that the new administration of President Obama in the US will enact any fundamental change for the world’s people, solve the economic crisis in the US, or change the oppressive US foreign policy toward the Philippines.  We pledge to unite with you to create the change that we envision, by working to isolate the oppressive US-Arroyo clique, and towards building the anti-imperialist front in the United States and beyond.

Over the years, many members of BAYAN-USA organizations have participated in and been inspired by Cordillera Day celebrations and exposure programs hosted by Cordillera People’s Alliance, where we have come to embrace the struggle of national minorities for self-determination as our own.  As overseas Filipinos living in the US, we share the common experience of national minorities in the Philippines as well as other people of oppressed nationalities within the US.  Alongside our brothers and sisters in other communities of color, we are constantly fighting national oppression, racism, chauvinism, and xenophobia.  Together, we contend with the razing of our “Manilatown” neighborhoods by greedy corporate developers, the massive displacement of poor and working class families from New Orleans and Chinatowns, and the eviction of Filipino and Latino farmworkers from the land that generations have cultivated for the profit of capitalist agribusiness.

We have built our solidarity with you by engaging in struggle together.  We have marched with you on International Workers’ Day to condemn the exploitation of working people and demand wage increases and humane working conditions.  We have joined demonstrations and camped out on picket lines with you, to oppose wide-scale displacement of indigenous communities from their ancestral land.  We have stood with you to resist police and military harassment at the sites of past Cordillera Day celebrations.  You are sure to face intensified intimidation by military forces again this year, who are intent on derailing your efforts to defend your ancestral domain, assert your right to self-determination, and pursue what Macling Dulag and hundreds of Cordillera martyrs fought for.

In solidarity with your struggle, BAYAN-USA will amplify our condemnation of the plunder of your ancestral land resources by huge corporate and transnational mining companies, many of which are based in the US; the worsening human rights violations due to militarization, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearance, and political repression funded by US military aid; impending charter change pushed by the US-backed Arroyo regime; and the global economic crisis caused by the inherent flaws of US imperialism.

DOWN WITH THE US-ARROYO REGIME!
DOWN WITH US IMPERIALISM!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!

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

On this 110th anniversary of the Philippine-American War, the first US war of aggression for conquest overseas, Filipinos under the banner of BAYAN USA remain vigilant and defiant over US government maneuvers, in conjunction with the US puppet administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to dominate and control Philippine economic and political affairs. In fact, moves for US government intervention in the Philippines are intensifying more than ever under the Arroyo administration. Two of the most recent forms of intervention are related to the US-Arroyo clique’s drive for Charter Change, or Cha-Cha– this week’s passing of House Resolution 737 by Philippine House Speaker Prospero Nograles and the Obama administration’s renewed commitment to the Balikatan exercises, this time in Bicol, for 2009.

Cha-Cha = Economic Liberalization

The recent passage of HR 737 as railroaded by Arroyo mouthpiece Prospero Nograles this week significantly indicates the first inclusion of the Arroyo clique’s ardent campaign to alter the 1987 Philippine Constitution. This not only indicates that the Cha-Cha campaign is alive and kicking, but is poised for the offensive.

Nograles, who was put in position after the Arroyo-maneuvered ouster of former House Speaker Jose De Venecia, filed House Resolution 737 this week. HR 737 specifically calls for the amendment of Sections 2 and 3 of Article 12 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution “to allow the acquisition by foreign corporations and associations and the transfer or conveyance thereto, of alienable public and private lands.” The resolution was approved by the House by a vote of 11-4. It’s next stop will be the Philippine Senate.

In these times of devastating economic crisis, further economic liberalization of the Philippine economy is the last thing the Filipino people need. The economic provisions proposed in Nograles’ resolution will ensure more landlessness for Filipino farmers, deepening poverty, and expand joblessness in the Philippines. Despite claims from the Arroyo clique that economic liberalization will bring in foreign investments and employment opportunities, the reality indicates quite the contrary. Studies have already shown that existent policies of economic liberalization, under the auspices of neoliberal globalization, are at the root cause of global economic crisis that is burdening the already-suffering Filipino people. More liberalization will only compound the Filipino people’s burdens even more.

Cha-Cha = More US Military Intervention

It is a given that US economic interests overseas are always protected by intensified US military presence and aggression. The Obama administration’s continued commitment to the invasive Balikatan exercises, this time in Bicol, is disappointing, because it will expand US military presence in the country. It is equally disappointing that the status quo of a regular US military aid package to the Philippines remains in tact, despite unanimous documentary evidence from international monitoring bodies that these US tax dollars are being funneled towards the Philippine military’s perpetration of extra-judicial killings and abductions of Filipino civilians, under the tutelage of US military advisers deployed to the Philippines. Since the Phil-Am War of 1899, US military presence has never left the Philippines. US military presence will surely expand and increase if Arroyo’s Cha-Cha passes in the Philippine Congress.

Section 25 Article XVIII in the Philippine Constitution clearly prohibits the presence of foreign military troops and facilities on Philippine soil, yet the US government has managed to keep a military stronghold in the Philippines and mock Philippine national sovereignty, even after the closing of Subic Naval and Clark Air Force Base in 1991. It has done so through a series of US-Philippine military agreements such as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). These agreements have managed to ensure the continuing human rights violations committed by US troops ranging from sexual terrorism against Filipino women and children to direct combat of Philippine soil. Engagement in direct combat by foreign troops on Philippine soil is officially outlawed by the Philippine Constitution, and is one of the provisions the Arroyo administration is intent on changing as part of the Cha-Cha.

A Call for Patriotism

BAYAN USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino organizations across the United States, representing patriotic Filipinos forced to leave due to unsurvivable poverty in the Philippines, believes the struggle of the Philippine-American War of 1899 is not over, as current US government maneuvers in the Philippines are still in contrast to the collective interests of the Filipino people for genuine national sovereignty. It vehemently condemns the malicious and anti-patriotic character of the Arroyo administration for betraying the national interests of the Filipino people. Not only will Cha-Cha strip Filipinos of the right to determine the fate of their country and its natural resources, it will pave the way for the official resurrection of Martial Rule and return of fascist dictatorship to the Philippines. Cha-Cha continues the mission of the US government during the Phil-Am War in securing US government control over the Philippines. It is for this reason that our resistance as Filipinos must also step up.

On this day of memory of the Phil-Am War, let us pledge to heighten our patriotism and love of country by denouncing Cha-Cha and calling on the Philippine Senate to reject HR 737 and stop the Cha-Cha train dead on its tracks. Let us continue our demand to have all US troops withdrawn from the Philippines as well as all forms of US economic aid to the Philippines. Let us also continue to call for the impeachment, resignation, and/or ouster of the number one traitor of the Filipino people– Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

JUNK HR 737! NO TO CHA-CHA!
NO TO FOREIGN PLUNDER OF PHILIPPINE NATURAL RESOURCES!
US TROOPS OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES!
NO US TAX DOLLARS TO PHILIPPINE DEATH SQUADS!
GLORIA RESIGN!

Contact: Kuusela Hilo
Deputy Secretary General, BAYAN-USA
kuusela@anakbayanla.org

Los Angeles–BAYAN-USA and International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) declared Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s no-show at her own Consulate-organized reception a victory for the growing movement to OUST Gloria. BAYAN-USA, ILPS, Anakbayan Los Angeles, Anakbayan San Diego, Habi Arts, the International Action Center, Al-Awda, Confederation of Iranians, Puerto Rican Alliance, FMLN and other community-based organizations shared their message of disgust with the U.S.-GMA regime with thousands of commuters going to and from Los Angeles International Airport. Protesters displayed pictures of human rights violation victims, projected a digital visual “OUST GMA” montage, a GMA effigy and placards as part of their protest. The protesters’ vowed to continue organizing and mobilizing to oust the much detested-Arroyo regime that is the worst Philippine administration since the U.S.-Marcos regime.

“This presidential pretender Arroyo, has the gall of junketing whenever and wherever she wants while the Filipino people are in dire straits,” says Kuusela Hilo, BAYAN-USA deputy secretary general. “However, just like  mass protests and swelling disapproval ratings blocked President George Bush from attending the Republican National Convention last September, planned demonstrations and opposition to Charter Change, not a stomach flu, pressured GMA and her Cabinet into re-thinking and canceling her eagerly awaited visit to Los Angeles.”

“We rolled out the red unwelcome carpet for GMA, red because of the ruthless blood-spilling for which her Bush-backed regime is responsible,” said Hilo.  Since 2001, 933 civilians have been killed and 199 disappeared.  Alex Montances, member of Anakbayan Los Angeles, stated “We dedicate this protest action to Rachelle Mae Palang and our sisters and brothers, young and old, who have lost their lives while valiantly fighting for the people.”

“As we celebrate Anakbayan’s 10 year anniversary of serving the people across the Philippines and in the U.S., we say it’s high time for change!”proclaimed Montances. “We the youth and students vow to continue the struggle to free our people and fight for justice,” ended Montances.

Today, the Philippines is experiencing the worst of times since World War II. There is an unbridled corruption instigated by Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband.

Complementing to this rampant corruption are the economic mismanagement and subservience to the policies imposed by the foreign big multinational corporations.  These further sink the Philippines into its situation right now where there is widespread poverty and unemployment. “For us here in the U.S., we need money for health care, education and good jobs, not Philippine death squads,” said Eric Tandoc, member of Habi Arts. “She is using our tax dollars to murder and abduct community organizers like Cris Hugo and Karen Empeno. But Gloria will never be able to stop the Filipino peoples’ struggle for genuine democracy,” stated Tandoc. “The American people stopped the Bush regime this year, and we’ll be able to stop the GMA regime in the Philippines before 2010,” asserted Tandoc.

“BAYAN-USA and ILPS, and their allied organizations, are calling all concerned U.S. taxpayers to demand the US government–especially to the president-elect Barack Obama–to stop our tax dollars from funding the Arroyo government for it only supports the death squads in the Philippines.  It is also high time to bring the U.S. troops home from the Philippines,” concluded Hilo.

Photos by Jay Davis/Habi Arts

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

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of 12 Filipino organizations in the United States, condemned the US-backed Arroyo regime’s initiatives to engage and derail a so-called “peace process” with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), an armed group representing the self-determination interests of the Bangsamoro people, concentrated in the southern region of Mindanao.

The alliance called on the US government to back off from intervening in the domestic political and economic affairs of the Philippines, once a direct US colony and still heavily dependent on US government influence and dictates. A US institution called US Institute of Peace (USIP), has been facilitating so-called “peace talks” via “ancestral domain conflicts” in Mindanao while US military presence continues to increase in the region.

“At the heart of the matter is oil and land,” states BAYAN USA Chair Chito Quijano. “Mindanao land houses some of the largest oil and natural gas deposits in the Asia-Pacific region. Multi-national corporate interest to acquire and control these reserves has been real reason for armed conflict in the Mindanao area with increased US and Philippine militarization, foreign mining, and landgrabbing for decades, not religious conflict or ‘terrorism’ as projected by Malacanang or the US government.”

“The US government is also notorious in its history of annihilation and genocide of the indigenous people’s of North America and repression against racial minorities. It cannot be sincere in building peace with or conceding to the aspirations of Bangsamoro people, just look at it’s track record,” Quijano stated.

Quijano also stated that the historical fight of the oppressed Bangsamoro people for autonomy from the Philippine republic is being exploited by the Arroyo and US governments to push for charter change and federalism in the Philippines.

“By issuing a bogus ‘memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain’, the Arroyo clique is shamelessly and covertly pushing to change the Philippine constitution. There is no intention to cultivate peace with the people of Mindanao on Arroyo’s part. As an abuse of her executive powers, Arroyo’s provisions, with the blessing of the US government, will include an extension of her unpopular, dictatorial term,” Quijano added.

Despite peace rhetoric espoused by the US government and Arroyo regime, recent Philippine military offensives in Mindanao have displaced over 150,000 people, both Moro and non-Moro in the region. Armed conflict is also on the rise in the region.

BAYAN USA has been active since its 2005 founding in demanding an end to US intervention in the Philippines, and was even part of a broader campaign to restrict US military aid to the Arroyo government last year. The alliance also vowed to take the issue of US intervention in the Philippines to the new US presidency once elected.

Reference:
Sarah Katrina Maramag, Vice-Chairperson, 09193486790

Despite excessive police troop deployments and exaggerated security threats, an overwhelming 30,000 youth and students participated in today’s big anti-charter change protests in Liwasang Bonifacio and Luneta.

Students from UP, PUP, Ateneo, Miram, UST, UE, St. Scholastica, St. Paul’s, Letran, PNU, PCU, Adamson, Lyceum, FEU, La Salle, PSBA, NCBA and some public high schools converged in various points along Taft Avenue, Espana and Katipunan to register students’ unity against charter change and the Arroyo administration.

The young protesters wore “Santa Claus hats’ and “Xmas socks” imprinted with anti-cha cha slogans. The march from Liwasang Bonifacio to Luneta was made festive by torotots (noise makers) and small colorful lanterns bearing the youth’s “wish” for a “chacha-free Christmas.”

“Ms. Gloria Arroyo and her allies may have backed out of charter change for now but we are not letting our guards down. We call on our fellow youth to remain vigilant and continue to unite against any moves to railroad cha-cha this Christmas season,” said Eleanor de Guzman, Anakbayan chairperson.

For his part, Juan Paolo Alfonso, UP Diliman University Student Council Chairperson and Anakbayan Secretary-General, said, “We mark this day as students” universal Christmas party. We may hail from different schools and universities but we all came here in unity against the Arroyo administration. This is the real spirit of Christmas, one that Ms. Arroyo does not have the right to invoke.”

Pull-out troops now

Meanwhile, youths from urban poor communities, especially those from “militarized” parts of Metro Manila, also marched from Liwasang Bonifacio towards the Quirino Grandstand.

Platoons of military men in full battle gear have been sighted in some parts of Pandacan, Payatas and Caloocan this month. The military have reportedly set up camp in the said communities, conducting profiling and imposing curfews on the residents.

Residents also reported that the troops have been questioning them on the whereabouts and existence of militant and progressive groups in their communities.

On December 10, Human Rights Day, 20 Anakbayan community youth activists were illegally arrested and detained by military men in Payatas, Quezon City while conducting a “mobile campaign action” against charter change.

“We are calling on the Commission on Human Rights and other concerned sectors to launch an investigation on the unexplained deployment of heavily-armed military troops in our communities. The military has no business whatsoever to be setting camp in these areas. It is becoming more obvious that their sole purpose is to harass and scare the people into joining progressive organizations,” said de Guzman.

De Guzman added that it is possible that these communities are being set up as “test grounds” for plans to put up “counter-insurgency zones” similar to those set up in militarized Central Luzon. “We demand the military troops to pull out of our communities immediately.” The youth group announced that they are set to file a complaint at the CHR next week.