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

US citizen abducted and tortured by suspected Philippine military agents returns to the Philippines to seek justice

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Melissa Roxas, a US citizen abducted and tortured in the Philippines from May 19-25, left the United States today and traveled to the Philippines, where she will pursue her case against the Philippine government. “I am not doing this for myself,” stated Ms. Roxas at San Francisco Airport shortly before boarding a plane bound for the Philippines. “The Philippine government must be held accountable for what they did to me and thousands of other victims of human rights violations.” Ms. Roxas, an American human rights advocate of Filipino descent, is the first known American citizen to have become a victim of abduction and torture during the administration of President Barack Obama while in the Philippines, a country which has drawn international condemnation for state-sponsored human rights atrocities.

“I am returning to the Philippines to testify at a hearing for my Petition for Writ of Amparo and Habeus Data regarding my abduction and torture by the Philippine military,” said Ms. Roxas. “Of course I am concerned about my safety. However, I decided to come back to the Philippines because of the promise of safety and security offered by the Chair of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines.” Ms. Roxas’ Petition for Writ of Amparo and Habeus Data seeks protection for Ms. Roxas and her family, as well as the production of informational documents pertinent to her case and to allow the inspection of Fort Magsaysay where Ms. Roxas believes she was held captive and tortured.

To ensure her safety while traveling, Ms. Roxas is accompanied by a delegation of the California Nevada Conference of the United Methodist Church, Philippines Pastoral and Solidarity Visit. The solidarity delegation has been traveling to the Philippines annually since 2007, to respond to the reported extra-judicial killings taking place in the Philippines, along with other human rights abuses targeted against religious activists, educators, labor leaders, and students. The delegation visits families of victims in various regions of the Philippines, and an Advance Special offering has been established to help support the needs of surviving family members. This year’s delegation includes United Methodist Church Bishop Warner H. Brown. Before they passed through the airport gate leading to their flight this afternoon, the delegates joined hands in a circle with Ms. Roxas and said a prayer for safety, guidance and strength in their journey.

Ms. Roxas’ return to the Philippines comes just 11 days before President Obama will meet with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Washington D.C. on July 30. To the dismay of many people in both the US and the Philippines, the agenda of the first state visit between the two countries currently omits the discussion of human rights violations, including the case of Ms. Roxas even though she is a US citizen. Representatives of churches, community organizations, labor unions, and other concerned groups are currently 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 and to specifically ensure that her government cooperates with the investigation into Ms. Roxas’ case.

In a sworn affidavit submitted to the Philippine Supreme Court, Ms. Roxas described being abducted at gunpoint by several heavily armed men, brought to what she believed is a military camp, held against her will, questioned without the presence of an attorney, beaten repeatedly, and asphyxiated using plastic bags before being released. Reports by the United Nations, Amnesty International, Philippine-based human rights organization Karapatan, and Human Rights Watch have overwhelmingly concluded that the Philippine military is responsible for systematically carrying out human rights violations such as abduction, torture and extra-judicial killings against innocent civilians. Human rights advocates and activists have been the vast majority of victims; Ms. Roxas, a member of Habi Arts Los Angeles and the first Regional Coordinator of BAYAN-USA, was in the Philippines conducting human rights and community health work as well as doing research for a writing project when she was abducted and tortured.

The experience of Ms. Roxas is considered typical for the over 200 cases of abduction and 1,036 cases of torture recorded since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president of the Philippines in 2001. The Philippine government’s quick denial of responsibility for Ms. Roxas’ abduction and torture is also considered a typical response; in his 2007 report on the Philippines, UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston cited such systematic denial by the government as one of the primary obstacles to stopping the rampant human rights violations plaguing the country. In his 2009 follow-up report, Alston indicated a general failure of the Arroyo government to stop the persistent human rights violations.

“We hail Melissa’s courage to testify in court about the horrendous trauma she experienced at the hands of the Philippine military,” stated Berna Ellorin, Chair of BAYAN-USA. “She will confront head-on the lies and denials of the Philippine government, and speak on behalf of the thousands of victims of human rights violations who are no longer able to speak for themselves.”

When she returns to the US, Ms. Roxas and the organizations working on the Justice for Melissa campaign will continue to pursue justice from this country, with actions which include national speaking appearances, media interviews about her ordeal, community mobilizations, and legal cases filed with the United Nations.

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.

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

U.N. Day in Support of Torture Victims Marked with Press Conference by Torture Survivor Melissa Roxas

What: Press Conference of Melissa Roxas, recent victim of abduction and torture
When: Saturday, June 27, 2009
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM (Pacific Time)
Where: Echo Park United Methodist Church, 1226 N. Alvarado St., Los Angeles, CA 90026

Live Web Stream: www.bayan.ph

Los Angeles, CA – In her first public appearance since being released from captivity, Melissa Roxas, a U.S. citizen abducted and tortured in the Philippines from May 19-25, will hold a press conference to describe the human rights abuses she endured while held for six days in an alleged military camp. Ms. Roxas, an American human rights advocate of Filipino descent, is the first known American citizen to have become a victim of abduction and torture in the Philippines, a country which has drawn international condemnation for state-sponsored human rights atrocities.

In a sworn affidavit submitted to the Philippine Supreme Court, Ms. Roxas described being abducted at gunpoint by several heavily armed men, brought to what she believed is a military camp, held against her will, questioned without the presence of an attorney, beaten repeatedly, and asphyxiated using plastic bags before being released. During the press conference, Ms. Roxas is expected to demand accountability from the Philippine government and military, who she holds responsible for her ordeal, as well as the U.S. government for providing funding and training to the Philippine military. Reports by the United Nations, Amnesty International, Philippine-based human rights organization Karapatan, and Human Rights Watch have overwhelmingly concluded that the Philippine military is responsible for systematically carrying out human rights violations such as abduction, torture and extra-judicial killings against innocent civilians. Nearly $1 billion worth of U.S. military aid and materiel has been granted to the Philippines since 1999, the year the U.S.- Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement was enacted.

The experience of Ms. Roxas is considered typical for the 200 cases of abduction and 1,010 cases of torture recorded since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became president of the Philippines in 2001. The Philippine government’s quick denial of responsibility for Ms. Roxas’ abduction and torture is also considered a typical response; in his 2007 report on the Philippines, U.N. Special Rapporteur Philip Alston cited such systematic denial by the government as one of the primary obstacles to stopping the rampant human rights violations plaguing the country. In his 2009 follow-up report, Alston indicated a general failure of the Arroyo government to stop the persistent human rights violations. In April 2009, the UN Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) also released a report detailing the use of torture by the Philippine military.

At the press conference, Ms. Roxas’ legal counsel, Attorney Arnedo Valera, will explain the potential legal remedies that are being explored, including the filing of a tort action in U.S. Federal Court for punitive and compensatory damages against her identified assailants or the Arroyo government in the absence of named assailants; the lodging of a private complaint before the U.S. Department of State, Human Rights Desk against the Philippine government for the violation of the fundamental rights of a U.S. citizen; and the filing of a complaints before the appropriate U.N. agencies for violations of the International Covenant Against Torture, the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights.

The press conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA and broadcast live on the website www.bayan.ph. Media in the Philippines will be hosted simultaneously by Bayan Philippines and will be able to ask questions in real time. The U.S.-based press conference is sponsored by the Justice for Melissa Roxas Campaign, whose membership includes Ms. Roxas’ legal counsel, BAYAN-USA, GABRIELA USA, Katarungan Center for Peace, Justice and Human Rights, and the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the human rights group Karapatan believe that there is sufficient evidence to point out the military’s involvement in the abduction of Filipino-American activist and Bayan USA member Melissa Roxas and her two Filipino companions Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc. Roxas and company were abducted by bonnet-wearing armed men last May 19. She was surfaced on May 25 after news broke out that she had been abducted.

The Court of Appeals’ Special Division 16 under Judge Noel Tijam set a hearing today on Roxas petition for a writ of amparo and writ of habeas data. Roxas is represented in the amparo petition by human rights lawyer Rex Fernandez.

“Roxas has a detailed accounting of what happened during her detention in what we believe to be was a military camp. She also retained the handcuffs and blindfold that were used on her,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

“A plain denial of the incident by the Arroyo government is not acceptable. To this day we have not heard anything from the Arroyo administration, from the Department of Defense or from the Armed Forces of the Philippines regarding their so-called investigations into the abduction. The Ermita-led Presidential Commission on Human Rights had gone on to say that the abduction was a fabrication designed to embarrass the government,” Reyes added.

Marie Enriquez, secretary general of Karapatan said that Roxas is in the United States and recovering from the trauma caused by her abduction and torture. She will be joining US-based groups in campaigning for justice on her case.

“In time, we hope Melissa can personally speak on the matter. The amparo case remains important since Melissa hopes to one day return to the Philippines. It is also important that those who abducted her are identified and eventually made accountable,” Enriquez said.

Roxas and Bayan USA, the US-based Katarungan and the National Alliance on Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) are consulting with US lawyers on the possibility of filing a case in a US court or in treaty bodies of the United Nations.

“All means of making the perpetrators accountable are being explored right now. This is going to be a long fight. So long as Mrs. Arroyo remains in power, her government will do everything to cover up the incident and avoid any criminal liability,” Reyes said.

A protest action is set on June 26 to mark the United Nations Day Against Torture to highlight the case of Roxas and other torture victims in the Philippines. A counterpart protest in the US is also being readied.