Philippines – Duterte 2 Years on: Destructive, Divisive, and Despotic (tags)
When Rodrigo Duterte won the presidency in 2016, some even among the left toyed early on with the idea that a “maverick” president could just be what the country needed to stir things up, and jolt us from almost 30 years of elite-dominated rule.
A reign of terror: Extra-judicial killings in Duterte’s Philippines (tags)
Since Rodrigo Duterte began his term as the 16th president of the Philippines in 30 June 2016, Filipinos and the international community have watched in horror at accounts of dead bodies found nightly in the country’s streets, linked to extra-judicial killings (EJKs).
Statement on the Trump Visit to the Philippines (tags)
Filipino left coalition condemns Trump's visit, demands end of support for Duterte's human rights abuses
Philippines: Stop the killings, stop silencing dissent (tags)
This is the statement of a seven-member delegation of the Progressive Alliance (PA) and the Party of European Socialists (PES) that have visited Manila this week to assess the situation and to demonstrate solidarity in support for democracy in the Philippines. The delegation was hosted by Akbayan Party, a member of Progressive Alliance.
PHILIPPINES: 8,000 killings proof of policy to kill (tags)
Akbayan Partylist condemns President Rodrigo Duterte’s denial of his policy to kill under the War on Drugs.
Deep State Targets Duterte for Shaky Alliances, Not Drug Killings (tags)
The deep state is attempting to destabilize Duterte for his political instability, not his extrajudicial killings of civilians. The Philippines turning to Russia and China scares the intelligence community enough to use ISIS to stage a coup.
Philippines: Unity Statement by February 25 Coalition (tags)
WE FOUGHT TO BE FREE. WE SAY NEVER AGAIN TO DICTATORSHIP!
Duterte's Strike Against the US Empire (tags)
Commentary on western news media's demonizing of President Duterte and the rub-out of history of US imperialism.
Philippines: The Punisher's dirty war on drugs (tags)
He’s been called a demagogue with a foul mouth backed up by bare-knuckle populism. But Philippines president, Rodrigo Duterte, aka “the Punisher”, has also embarked on a brutal drug war that is drawing international condemnation. Foreign Editor David Pratt reports.
Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines supports state burial for Ferdinand Marcos (tags)
Philippine President-elect Rodrigo Duterte announced in the wake of his election in May that he intended to grant the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos a state burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery). Preparations are now being made for a state funeral on September 11, the 99th birth anniversary of the former president.
The Philippines’ New Strongman (tags)
Rodrigo Duterte’s authoritarian neoliberalism isn’t the answer to poverty and political abuse in the Philippines.
Duterte offers cabinet posts to Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (tags)
On Sunday (17 May 2016), Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines president-elect, announced that his administration, which is due to take office on June 30, would restore capital punishment and issue shoot-to-kill orders to the police and military.
Philippines election: Maverick Rodrigo Duterte wins presidency (tags)
Maverick anti-crime candidate Rodrigo "Digong" Duterte has won the Philippine presidential elections, following the withdrawal of his opponents.
Philippines: Duterte tells CHR, women's groups: Go to hell! (tags)
MANILA - Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday told the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and those who filed a complaint against him on account of his alleged offensive remarks on rape to go to hell.
Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte’s One-Man Revolution and the CPP (tags)
Rodrigo Duterte’s authoritarian vision is no way forward for the Philippines.
Philippines' Bernie Sanders: A Conversation with Walden Bello (tags)
Without a doubt, Sanders has captured the imagination of people, especially the millennials, around the world.
Walden Bello: Sanders as US President good for US, Philippines, and Asia (tags)
MANILA - “Bernie Sanders would be good not only for the United States but for the Philippines and Asia,” Walden Bello told the US media after he chatted briefly with the candidate for Democratic Party presidential nomination in Waterloo, Iowa on Sunday, 13 December 2015.
Philippines: Climate Focus - Time to act is now on energy transformation (tags)
What could possibly be so urgent and life-threatening to drive leaders of people from a small and barely reachable island off the coast of Mindoro to leave their homes and travel 285 kilometers by land and sea over the period of five days just to reach Metro Manila? On November 27, a day before the biggest climate justice march in the country, they have reach the Presidential Palace.
Philippines: Unions decry deceptive, vague ‘labor agenda’ of APEC (tags)
ORGANIZED workers sneered at the so-called labor agenda in the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Manila next month by describing it as deceptive and vague, which merely reaffirms APEC’s ideology based on the primacy of corporate power and profits over labor and trade union rights.
Philippines: Rebel Executions Violate International Law (tags)
(Manila) – The communist New People’s Army (NPA) in the Philippines executed the mayor of a small town and his son on October 19, 2015, in violation of international humanitarian law, Human Rights Watch said today. Throughout its four-decade insurgency, the rebel group has frequently executed people found “guilty” by its so-called people’s courts, which do not meet basic fair trial standards.
Walden Bello runs for senator of the Philippines, pushes reforms in governance (tags)
Rep. Walden Bello resigned from Congress on March 19, 2015, because he could no longer support a hypocritical good governance policy under which President Aquino went after his political enemies but protected his corrupt cronies. His resignation was also an act of protest at the president’s refusal to accept command responsibility for the Mamasapano tragedy. He felt that his voluntary stepping down was the ethical thing to do since his party Akbayan, of which he was the principal representative in the House of Representatives, maintained its support for Aquino.
Tribute to Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Commander Parago) (tags)
I join the Filipino people, the people’s revolutionary government, the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the revolutionary mass organizations and other revolutionary forces in mourning the death of Comrade Leoncio Pitao (Commander Parago) and in celebrating his achievements from the time he joined the NPA in 1978 until his martyrdom yesterday on June 28, 2015.
Statement of Solidarity With the People and Government of Greece (tags)
The following statement is issued by various progressive individuals and organizations from many parts of the world, but mostly in Asia-Pacific. A copy of the statement has already been sent to Syriza's international department.
Know The Brand Names of Water Thief Nestle's (tags)
27 years ago Nestle's permit to siphon off the people's water in California expired
NEW BOOKS BY FILIPINO SCHOLAR E. SAN JUAN Jr. (tags)
U.S. based scholar E San Juan, Jr. published two recent books of interest to Filipinos, Fil-Americans and readers/speakers of Filipino, the national language of the Philippines dealing with African-American involvement in the Philippine revolution, OFWs, women's liberation, cultural politics in the Philippines, etc.
Prof Lim's review of E. San Juan's radical interpretation of Rizal in SISA'S VENGEANCE (amazon.com) focuses on Rizal's view of women as actual/potential agencies in the national liberation struggle of the Philippines from Spanish colonialism and U.S. imperialism. Dec. 30 marks the anniversary of Rizal's execution by the Spanish colonial govt., making him the national hero of the Filipino people.
NEW INTERVENTION BY FILIPINO WRITER IN FILIPINO (tags)
A new avant-garde, innovative book of poems and neoconceptualist writing/artwork has been launched. AMBIL, by E. San Juan, Jr., gathers the most recent lliterary and art-work by the US-based Filipino writer, critic and public intellectual.
REMEMBERING CARLOS BULOSAN (tags)
A re-assessment of Carlos Bulosan's life and works in the context of his birth anniversary this November and Filipino-American Month.
RE-VISITING CARLOS BULOSAN (tags)
Reviewing Carlos Bulosan's life and work in commemoration of his birth anniversary November 1911.
Debt Payments Dwarf Reconstruction Aid on Philippine's Typhoon Haiyan Anniversary (tags)
Religious, Development and Environmental Groups Petition World Bank for Debt Relief
Philippine Labor Party demands turnover of US Marine suspect in transgender killing (tags)
Partido Manggagawa (PM) [Labor Party - Philippines] condemns the killing of transgender woman, Jeffrey Serdoncillo Laude a.k.a. Jennifer Laude, allegedly by a US Marine participating in the Balikatan exercise in Olongapo City 11p.m. of October 11.
Asian Socialism Conference in the Philippines (tags)
The Asian Socialism Conference will be held in Manila from November 28 to 29, 2014. The conference will be capped by the participation of guests and delegates to the November 30 rally in Manila to commemorate Bonifacio Day, a national hero who led the armed struggle in the revolution against Spain.
Despite growth in the Philippines, labor underscores systemic failure in rising inequality (tags)
Exclusive growth for exclusive group of wealthiest businessmen.
The ‘Asian Century’ and ASEAN integration: contradictions and challenges (tags)
Talk given by Sonny Melencio, Chairperson of Partido Lakas ng Masa-Philippines (PLM), during the Socialist Alliance Conference in Sydney, Australia on June 7, 2014
REMEMBERING JOSE RIZAL AND SISA, THE ANTI-POSTCOLONIAL DIFFEREND (tags)
June 19 this year marks the 53rd anniversary of the Philippines' national hero Jose Rizal's birthday. In Nov 1884, Rizal joined mass demonstrations in Madrid to protest the government's repressive policies. He wrote to his family:"Filipinos are dishonored, entrapped, debased, opposed and tyrannized," so he had to disguise himself three times. The following review centers on Rizal's ideas and Sisa, the character in Rizal's novel, who symbolizes the "wretched of the earth," discussed in E. San Juan's book, SISA'S VENGEANCE (available at amazon.com & createspace).
On World Economic Forum on East Asia 2014 (tags)
All Glitz, Nothing New to Solve Poverty and Inequality
No to US Militarism in the Philippines and Asia-Pacific! (tags)
“To achieve enduring peace in the region, Asia must be de-militarized; its maritime waters assigned mainly for commerce; and its disputed territories declared as regional commons and war-free zones.”
US President Obama Visit in Manila (tags)
The small window of opportunity to forge an independent foreign policy that the Philippines gained with the expulsion of the US bases in 1992 will disappear with the impending signing of the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation with the US.
A Budding Alliance: Vietnam And The Philippines Confront China (tags)
Last year, the Philippines brought a complaint against China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea to the United Nations Arbitral Tribunal. The Chinese “were really unprepared for that and were really embarrassed by it,” one of Vietnam’s top experts on Chinese diplomacy told me during my recent visit to Hanoi.
The need for United Front in the Filipino People’s Democratic Revolution (tags)
The Filipino people’s democratic revolution constantly needs the revolutionary united front because this is the effective way to arouse, organize and mobilize the broad masses of the Filipino people in their millions in order to advance and win total victory. The need for the united front is more urgent than ever as the socio-economic and political crisis is rapidly worsening and inflicting intolerable suffering on the Filipino people and they must intensify their struggle against those who exploit and oppress them.
Interview with Jose Maria Sison (tags)
Interview with Jose Maria Sison, Founding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines by New Culture Magazine, Communist Reconstruction Union of Brazil
Philippines: 'Forward, Bayanihang Sosyalismo!' Popularising a socialism 'with local colour (tags)
The following is the English-language translation of a document on bayanihan socialism that was presented at the convention of the Philippines socialist party Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses, PLM) in December, 2013.
NDFP hosts celebration of Prof. Sison’s 55 years of service to the Filipino People (tags)
The international office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) is set to celebrate Prof. Jose Maria Sison’s 55 years of service to the Filipino people’s struggle for national and social liberation, and his 75th birthday, with a cultural event on Sunday, 09 February 2014, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Philippines: Communist guerrillas execute faction leader (tags)
Group justifies murder saying that the target committed ‘crimes and atrocities against the people’
Filipino solidarity activists call for genuine peace and democratization in Burma (tags)
Manila, Philippines – One hundred (100) solidarity activists belonging to the Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBCP) today held a symbolic action in front of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to press for Burmese people’s demands in the second day of Burmese President Thein Sein’s visit to the Philippines. An open letter addressed to President Thein Sein and President Benigno Aquino III was handed over to the representatives of the DFA, to urge the two ASEAN leaders to include in their ongoing bilateral agenda the urgent need to uphold and advance Burma’s (Myanmar) transition to real peace and democracy now.
Tribute for Nelson Mandela (tags)
Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013, Mabuhay!
Philippines’ Foreign Debt Payments Dwarf Relief Aid After Typhoon Haiyan (tags)
More than a month after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, the country has paid approximately $900 million in debt repayments—more than twice as much as it’s received in pledged aid from countries around the world to support the recovery effort.
Philippines: Justice for Ka Norvict! (tags)
Akbayan Partylist condemns the cold-blooded murder of its fisherfolk leader Honorio “ Norvict” Baculao in Bohol. Ka Norvict, as he is fondly called by comrades in the civil society community and social movements, had just attended a municipal assembly of civil society groups and basic sectors in Getafe, Bohol on Tuesday when he was shot in the head by a lone gunman. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends and comrades who are grieving his loss.
Philippine Debt Repayments from Marcos Regime Overshadow Typhoon Relief Funds (tags)
Two weeks after Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, the world has responded with astounding generosity, donating tens of millions of dollars to aid in the recovery effort--$37 million from the United States government alone. Unfortunately, since the typhoon struck on November 8th, the Philippines has spent more than $310 million paying off overseas debts, and it will spend a total of $6.7 billion this year alone. Some of those debts are from the corrupt and abusive regime of Ferdinand Marcos.
Philippines: They Destroy, We Suffer (tags)
Capitalism is destroying the planet. Now we suffer. The devastating horror unleashed by monster-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) upon the eastern and central Philippines regions is unspeakable. As of writing, estimates of the number of casualties and actual damages are tentative because many areas remain isolated and communications, power, road and port systems are down.
Super typhoon Haiyan is climate wake-up call (tags)
It seems these days that whenever Mother Nature wants to send an urgent message to humankind, it sends it via the Philippines. This year the messenger was Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda.
Message to the 10th General Assembly of Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns (tags)
The Special Office for the Protection of Children of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) extends warm congratulations to Salinlahi Alliance for Children's Concerns on the occasion of your 10th General Assembly on 14-16 October 2013.
WOMEN POLITICAL PRISONERS TORTURED IN PHILIPPINES (tags)
Women political prisoners in the Philippines experience torture under the neocolonial regime receiving US tax dollars in aid. We need to protest this barbarity and call on Congress to cut off aid to the Aquino regime and its brutal military and police agencies.
Filipinos in LA join global protest vs China (tags)
LOS ANGELES – On July 24, Filipinos in Los Angeles trooped to the Chinese Consulate offices in Shatto Place in Koreatown to protest the China’s aggression in the heated West Philippine Sea/South China Sea territorial dispute.
Filipino workers challenge to Aquino (tags)
Three years ago, President Aquino promised to substantially reduce poverty, create quality and secure jobs, and end the reign of impunity, among others. He promised “inclusive growth”. Workers have had enough of these broken promises.
Philippines - NDFP says UN report on use of child combatants by NPA (tags)
MANILA – The National Democratic Front of the Philippines’ Special Office for the Protection of Children slammed the report released by the United Nations Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict (SRCAC) which alleges that the its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA) has been using and recruiting children.
Five-point approach to manage Chinese and US presence in the West Philippine Sea (tags)
Akbayan Partylist today proposed to the Aquino government a "five-point approach" in handling the current territorial dispute with China and the increasing involvement of the United States in the conflict.
Why peace talks between the Philippine government and the NDF collapsed (tags)
MANILA, Philippines — The peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) reached a high point in December 2012, when Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison agreed to the so-called “special track” that would have facilitated the process.
Philippines: 25,000 Workers March to Mendiola on Labor Day (tags)
Chiding President Aquino’s pronouncement that Labor Day should be celebratory with both labor and capitalists greeting each other for “doing a good job” for the past year, workers renewed the call for government to create “not just jobs” but “more regular jobs with living wage.”
USA/Philippines: Feminism’s March from Nation to Home (tags)
Johanna Brenner interviews Filipina feminist activist and writer Ninotchka Rosca about organizing in a transnational world.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines denies NPA uses child soldiers (tags)
In a letter sent to ABS-CBN Europe News Bureau head Danny Buenafe, he reiterated that the claims in the news article ‘PH rebels use child soldiers,' a report based on an international conference in Helsinki, Finland last March 9, led by the newly appointed Secretary General of Child Soldiers International, Richard Clarke, are unsubstantiated.
Akbayan takes poll campaign to Filipino-Americans (tags)
LOS ANGELES—Akbayan’s Rep. Walden Bello began a campaign tour of Filipino American communities to raise support for his party and President Benigno Aquino III’s common reform agenda in the coming May elections.
Philippines: Where does the FOI campaign go from here? (tags)
Today, we close our people’s campaign for the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill in the 15th Congress. We have, to the extent that our capacities and limited resources permitted, exhausted all avenues that we thought were open to us to get positive, decisive action from the leaders of the House of Representatives and from President Aquino no less.
MILF to CPP: Judge not by your way (tags)
Mindanao, Philippines: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been mum on the criticisms hurled against it by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). We know it is not beneficial to both organizations if they are dragged into the verbal tussle. However, it is not good either if the MILF allows the one-way verbal assault continues. There must be a brake to it by way of this explanation.
Philippines: Coalition Clamor for the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill (tags)
Still enough time for FOI – if House leadership supports it. With only nine session days remaining before Congress adjourns for a long election break, members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition are reminding members of Congress that they still have enough time to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill even without the prodding of Malacanang.
Women’s rights: Turning point in India, triumph in Manila (tags)
Women’s rights have been in the forefront of international concern over the last few weeks.
Philippine Leftists launch election campaign to take on traditional politicians (tags)
At a one-day assembly of more than 500 delegates on November 28, the militant socialist Party of the Laboring Masses (PLM - Partido Lakas ng Masa) introduced its candidates for national elections scheduled for May 13 next year.
Justice served with stiff penalties against fraudulent teacher recruiter (tags)
We, members of the Filipino community and different Filipino-American groups here in the US, extend our congratulations to the hundreds of Filipino teachers for their victorious struggle against their deceitful recruitment agency Universal Placement Inc. (UPI) and its owner Lourdes Navarro. We are happy that after four years of brave and sustained efforts on different fronts and winning different battles along the way, the case has reached the federal court which found these defendants liable for engaging in fraudulent practices.
Philippines condemns North Korea rocket launch (tags)
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines "strongly condemns" the surprise rocket launch by North Korea on Wednesday, December 12, 2012 (12-12-12).
On Typhoon Bhopa and the Doha Conference (tags)
Typhoon Bhopa (Philippine name Pablo) have resulted to a total number of 647 casualties, with another 1,842 people injured, and 780 missing.
Is the Philippines child-friendly? (tags)
Manila, Philippines – The ultimate test of determining the child-friendliness of the country is to ask the children themselves, this according to Anna Lindenfors, Country Director of Save the Children in the Philippines.
On the Peace Framework Signing between the Philippine Government and the MILF (tags)
Official Statement of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa - Mindanao (RPM-M) on the Peace Framework Signing between the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
“IMF is dead, a walking dead” - FDC Philippines (tags)
MANILA, Philippines – As the first female chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) visited the country for the first time and met with Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III Friday morning, debt watchdog Freedom from Debt Coalition staged a protest near the Malacañan Palace, in solidarity with the peoples of the Eurozone.
Workers Denounce Destruction of Regular Jobs in Coca-Cola – Philippines (tags)
Manila, Philippines: “Every time you open a bottle of Coca-Cola, please remind the company to respect workers’ rights,” this is the plea made by Coca-Cola union leaders this morning during a press conference. They are asking the patrons of the soft drink giant to support their struggle against employment policies that destroys regular jobs.
Workers Denounce Destruction of Regular Jobs in Coca-Cola – Philippines (tags)
Manila, Philippines: “Every time you open a bottle of Coca-Cola, please remind the company to respect workers’ rights,” this is the plea made by Coca-Cola union leaders this morning during a press conference. They are asking the patrons of the soft drink giant to support their struggle against employment policies that destroys regular jobs.
PHILIPPINES: The ghosts of martial law (tags)
On September 21, forty years ago, President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law. For almost 13-and-a-half years afterwards, the country suffered terribly from a brutal and corrupt dictatorship. Among the victims of the grave violations of human rights under martial law were the following: 3,257 “salvaged” (summarily executed), 35,000 tortured, and 70,000 incarcerated, as documented by historian Alfred McCoy.
NDFP adopts program to protect children during armed conflict in the Philippines (tags)
Aside from coming out with its program of action for the protection of children, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines announced that it will establish a Special Office for the Protection of Children to strengthen its mechanisms on monitoring and defending the rights of Filipino children.
WikiLeaks cable: Gaddafi funded, trained CPP-NPA rebels (tags)
MANILA, Philippines - Libyan strongman Moammar Gaddafi was a key financier of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its military wing, the New People's Army (NPA), according to a US Secretary of State secret cable published by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
Lessons from Manila floods on climate change, responses (tags)
As the Philippine government dithered and made excuses for its grossly inadequate response to the catastrophic floods — which inundated 80% of the country's capital, Manila — Sonny Melencio was leading a grassroots relief effort that brought the first food supplies in days to some of the poorest and most badly affected communities.
PHILIPPINES: Appeal for Flood Victims (tags)
In scenes reminiscent of the large scale destruction wrought by Typhoon Ondoy (international name Ketsana) in late 2009 in which 400 died, torrential rains brought widespread flooding in the capital Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Almost a million people are affected and some 250,000 forced to evacuate, majority of whom are workers and poor, with 15 deaths already reported.
GREAT FLOODS HITS METRO MANILA, SUBURBS (tags)
The whole of greater Manila region and its suburbs were hit by floods as high as one story building, caused by a 36 non – stop hours rain caused by southwest monsoon ( Hanging Habagat) from the south aggravated by three typhoons that brought torrential rains. Millions of people living in the National Capital Region (NCR) were affected. According to the EPCC NEWS, It has been raining non-stop in the Philippines for more than 11 days due to the arrival of three thypoons and the presence of the southwest monsoon. Millions of people were affected in 20 cities and 9 provinces in the main island of Luzon. Electricty and water were cut-off aggravating the situation. According to EPCC-LA Philippine sources, the floods were aggravated by 5 dams (like Angat, La Mesa, Ipo) around Metro Manila remained opened to avoid the dams from breaking. Add the high tide from Manila Bay, flood pronged areas like Malabon,Navotas, Quezon City and Manila became a lake and a part of the bay.
ALLIANCE PHILIPPINES CONDEMNS GMA RELEASE ON BAIL (tags)
“Above the Fray” Like Pontius Pilate, PH President Aquino III washed his hand as the court let former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo filed her bail and was set free from her detention at the Veterans Memorial Hospital. In this scenario, Alliance Philippines (AJLPP), West Coast Coordinator Arturo Garcia... vehemently condemned this latest charade and travesty of justice. Garcia said that:“ The Alliance, the Filipino American community and all freedom loving people of the United States, detest and must expose this newest political “moro-moro “ of the Aquino III.” Garcia elucidated “ Aquino III actions seems to show that he is above the fray but in reality he tolerates and in cahoots with the schemes against the people.
Philippine government a "show-off" (tags)
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government’s decision to extend a US$1-billion loan to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to supplement the Fund’s Financial Transaction Plan (FTP) of $456 billion to contain the economic crisis in Europe is an “arrogant pretension of a country very much in debt,” according to the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC).
Solidarity message from Sydney Stop The War Coalition (tags)
Sydney Stop the War Coalition in Australia extends its solidarity the Philippines Stop the War Coalition and the other groups demanding that your country's Senate not to ratify the Republic of the Philippines-Australia Status of the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Ratify and Implement ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers Now! (tags)
Today, as we commemorate the first anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention 189 (C189) on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, we call on ILO Member States to immediately ratify and implement C189 as a demonstration of their global commitment made at the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference on 16 June 2011.
Rio+20: Asian Movements’ Statement on the Green Economy (tags)
We are movements and organizations from Asia, waging struggles on various fronts and arenas to defend our rights, resist policies and projects that cause harm and destruction, and to fight for immediate priorities and demands, as well as profound transformation of our societies. Fight for Our Future! No Price on Nature!
Spratly Islands Dispute: Unity Statement (tags)
The contending states claiming territorial jurisdiction over sections of the ‘Southeast Asian Sea’ are only heightening regional tensions to a frightening degree. In particular, the contentious row between the Philippines and China is being amplified by certain quarters to a near-conflict level for seemingly nationalistic, but in fact chauvinistic reasons. And as the almost daily sounds of fury raise the stakes for the region’s masses of humanity, many more sober voices of concern must now come out to be heard and not be silenced by the saber-rattling of a deluded few.
REMEMBER THE “GREAT CALAMITY” IN ARMENIA , 1915 (tags)
Los Angeles--Today, the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) stands with Armenians across LA and the United States to commemorate the 97th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. We must speak out and acknowledge the 1.5 million who lost their lives in the genocide in 1915. It is very revolting that until today the Turkish authorities and their allies in the United States refused to recognize and still denies the genocide also known as the “Great Calamity” which became the model of a later Holocaust by Nazi Germany in World War II.
70th Bataan Day, A USAFFE Scout Remembers (tags)
he ALLIANCE NEWS reported today, on the 70th year of Bataan Day, that Sergeant Dominador Figuracion, 92, begged off from talking about the Fall of Bataan to the Japanese Imperial Army on April 9, 1942, and how he and some 70,000 Filipino and American soldiers had been forced to march to a concentration camp in Tarlac. Around 7,000 to 10,000 soldiers perished during the Death March. About 26,000 of the 50,000 Filipino prisoners of war at Camp O’Donnell in Tarlac died of dengue, malaria, dysentery or starvation when this was closed in January 1943, according to historical accounts.
Filipino Women March against US Military Expansion in the Philippines and the Pacific (tags)
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2012, we, Filipino women declare in strongest terms possible, our opposition not only to increased presence but to U.S. military presence per se on Philippine soil.
PLM Statement on increased US military presence in the Philippines (tags)
PLM Calls for an Independent Foreign Policy and a Non-Aligned ASEAN
ALLIANCE PHILIPPINES MARKS 113th Year Start of Filipino- American War (tags)
The Alliance Philippines marks 113 years ago, on February 4, 1899, the Philippine-American War (1899-1914) broke –out. Today we gather in protest and militant solidarity in almost 60 cities and several cities all over the world to condemn the US threat of war against Iran. The Filipino-American War begun by a United States sentry who shoots and kills a Filipino soldier making an attempt to cross the bridge in Sta. Mesa, Manila on February 4, 1899. This war deliberately provoked and started to legitimize America's colonial design to acquire Spanish colonies, the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at the turn of the century. This is the same way that the US is going to provoke a war in Iran. The same way it use the sinking of the Maine in 1898, the Luisitania in 1916, the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Tonkin Gulf Crisis in the 60's and the 9/11 incident to attack Afghanistan and Iraq.
Philippine Chief Justice Corona urged to resign (tags)
TWO days after a "court holiday" was declared in support of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, Bantay Gloria Network (BGN) responded with a "national day of action" to press for the removal of Corona from his post.
On the 70th Year of Pearl Harbor Day, Filipino Veterans Reclaim Their Dignity As American (tags)
Remember Pearl Harbor! On December 8th, Filipino WW II veterans and widows marched to the offices of Senators Boxer in San Diego and Los Angeles, and Feinstein in San Francisco in support of simultaneous talks in their DC offices. Lobbyists will ask both Senators to co-introduce a companion bill to HR 210 “The Filipino Veterans Fairness Act of 2011.” In Los Angeles, six delegates from JFAV led by its National Coordinator Arturo Garcia and S4PACE Vice presiden Jovy Alejandrino met with Rafi Nazarians, District head of Senator Boxer's office at 312 Spring St.Los Angeles, CA 90012 at around 9AM. In Washington DC, Atty. Arnedo Valera met with Ryan O'Reilly, military Legislative fellow of Senator Boxer at Hart Senate building while JFAV San Francisco leaders Ago Pedalizo and Violy Reyes,met with Senator Feinstein staff in her San Francisco office.
Pulongbayan with Amb. Cusia in LA: Cusia Brags About US-RP Military Support vs China (tags)
Saying he was received with warmth in Los Angeles by the Filipino American community from the cold spell in the East Coast, Ambassador Jose L. Cusia Jr. regaled the capacity crowd with facts and figures on Filipino-American relations. The EPCC NEWS reported today that the newly designated Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Cusia held a Pulongbayan at the Rizal Hall of the Philippine Consulate General at 3600 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles last Friday Night, December 2, 2010 He was on his way to the 10th NAFFAA Regional Conference in San Diego on December 3, 2011 as a guest speaker.
Philippines: End the rule of elites and capitalists! Power to the People! (tags)
On the occasion of Gat Andres Bonifacio’s 148th birthday, tens of thousands of workers belonging to the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) and its allied organizations marched in key cities around the country to protest against elite rule and their failed neoliberal policies.
Fil-Am groups call for boycott as PAL refuses to fly PALEA member and family (tags)
Representatives from Partido ng Manggagawa-USA (Labor Party) and Filipino-American groups BANTAY Pilipinas-Los Angeles, Alliance Philippines and Echo Park Community Coalition called on the public especially Filipino-Americans to boycott Philippine Airlines (PAL) as the groups condemned the harassment tactics of the company against members of the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA). Last November 6 (US time), PAL refused to board a PALEA member and her family despite holding tickets for the Los Angeles-Manila flight because she was supposedly on “blacklist of PALEA members.”
Halloween-inspired protest greets World Bank chief in Manila (tags)
Manila, Philippines – It was an early Halloween at the World Bank office here Thursday afternoon.
Philippines: PALEA holds motorcade on the 30th day of its protest vs. outsourcing (tags)
Also in commemoration of PALEA’s 30th day of protest against contractualization, solidarity actions were held in San Francisco and Los Angeles by US unions and the Filipino-American community. In San Francisco, the groups picketed the Philippine consulate and PAL ticketing office, and submitted a letter of concern to Deputy Consul General Alfonso Ver.
Philippines: Thousands Power Off (tags)
MANILA, Philippines ? Tens of thousands of Filipino households in 22 cities and provinces in Metro Manila and parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao switched off lights and staged noise barrages to demand lower skyrocketing electricity rates, according to the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) which led the protest action.
Julie and I wish to convey our most heartfelt condolences to the daughters and entire family of Comrade Gregorio Rosal, Ka Roger, and to all cadres and members of the Communist Party of the Philippines, all the Red commanders and fighters of the New People?s Army, all adherents of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the broad masses of the Filipino people.
Philippines: Communist Rebels Target Civilians (tags)
(New York,) ? The rebel New People?s Army (NPA) in the Philippines should immediately end unlawful killings and detention of civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has admitted to gunning down civilians and detaining others in recent months.
Philippines: Education underspending is not "straight path" (tags)
Statement of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines (SCAP) on the 2012 Proposed Budget
Double-talk on FOI: Philippine gov?t long on promises, short on political will (tags)
On President Aquino?s Open Governance Partnership (OGP) ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2011 in New York, President Benigno S. Aquino III will deliver the keynote address at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) forum dubbed ?The Power of Open: A Global Discussion?. The conference brings together governments and representatives of civil society, industry, academe, and media. The panels will discuss the role of openness in improving government responsiveness and accountability, fighting corruption, and creating efficiencies, innovation and growth.
Jose Maria Sison: On the Commemoration of Sept 21. (tags)
More than a year before, he had staged the dress rehearsal for the declaration of martial law by proclaiming the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus on August 21, 1971 when without evidence he blamed the Communist Party of the Philippines and Benigno S. Aquino for the Plaza Miranda bombing immediately after it happened.
Philippines Anti-Bases Movement: Time to Assert National Sovereignty Once Again (tags)
With pride as a people, we commemorate a historic national event this coming September 16, the rejection of the US military bases twenty years ago
Dangerous Unexploded Ordnance Left Behind at Former US Military Bases in the Philippines (tags)
Unexploded ordnance (UXO) recently found in Clark and Subic, Philippines, the sites of former US military installations in the Philippines. A local villager found a live mortar in his backyard. UXO and toxic wastes continue to peril children and families in the Philippines.
Akbayan and the Struggle for a New Philippines (tags)
(Speech at the Gene Viernes and Silme Domingo Awards Event, Seattle University, Seattle, Washington State, July 2, 2011.)
LONG LIVE THE 32 YEAR VICTORY OF THE SANDINISTA REVOLUTION OF 1979! (tags)
Today, July 19, 2011, the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) commemorates as it congratulates the revolutionary people of Nicaragua and the ruling FSLN party for the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Nicaraguan Revolution on July 19, 1979. For the Alliance, the history Nicaragua is akin the history of the Philippines. A bloody history of foreign intervention. Both were under the Spanish colonialist and under the US occupation. The US marines occupied Nicaragua from 1912 to 1933,
Lintang Bidol Expose? A game of "smoke and mirrors." (tags)
The Bantay Pilipinas-LA view the revelations and the surfacing of COMELEC Maguindanao Chief Lintang Bidol on the presidential elections of 2004 and the Senatorial elections of 2007 as another game old game of smoke and mirrors. Bantay -USA leader Austin Baul said; ?there is nothing new and everybody knows what Lintang Bidol is saying. What is wrong with his revelations is very glaring. There are no evidences or proofs and as the COMELEC Chair said, it is focused on the 2007 elections.?
Filipinos should not depend on the US for its own defense of the Kalayaan Island Group- AJ (tags)
If there is the best way to illustrate the lop-sided Philippines-United Stares relations is about, it can be shown when latest US missile destroyers will join ageing Philippine warships for naval exercises this week in a timely show of unity as tensions with China escalate over a maritime dispute. While US has modern missile ships it has given WWII vintage ships like all the war materials hands me down to its puppet state. And the bad thing is that the Philippines has to buy it not at a bargain price but a cut throat cost. For 11 days of the RP-US exercises start on Tuesday off the southwest Philippine island of Palawan in the Sulu Sea, close to the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea where Manila has complained of increasing Chinese provocation. Officially the training is an annual event not linked to the territorial row, but it nevertheless offers the Philippines comfort shortly after appealing to its long-time ally and former colonial power for help in containing China.
No to Sabre-Rattling! A Negotiated Political Settlement to the Spratly Islands Dispute! (tags)
The Party of the Laboring Masses - Philippines condemns any actions that increase military tensions in the region and contribute to a regional military conflict, by countries that lay claim to the Spratly Islands. We are opposed to any sabre-rattling and stand for a negotiated, political settlement, of the disputed claims to the area. Therefore we deplore China?s strong-arm tactics and bullying, which undermines efforts towards a peaceful, political settlement, of the disputed claims.
Only 5% of Philippine coral reefs remain (tags)
Read this and weep: A marine scientist from the University of the Philippines has revealed that only 5 percent ?equivalent to just around 1,000 square kilometers?of the country?s total reef area remain in good condition in the face of the wanton destruction of our coral reefs by poachers.
Mindanao, Philippines: Community wants GPH-NDF to leave them in peace (tags)
LANTAD, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews/25 May) ? The people in what used to be a ?liberated? zone of the communist New People?s Army (NPA) has approved today the ?Lantad Manifesto? asking both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the umbrella organization of the armed communists, the National Democratic Front (NDF), to respect their right to self-determination and peace.
ALLIANCE PHILIPPINES PROTESTS POSSIBLE US BASES RETURN TO SUBIC (tags)
The Alliance Philippines or the AJLPP strongly condemned the high-level visits here by American officials who have raised the prospect of a return of the United States’ military presence in this former naval base in Subic on the wake of disasters that hit Japan, which have delayed the planned US military build-up in Guam. Subic Naval Base was the deepest sea port of the US naval forces in the Philippines. The US naval base closed after the Philippine Senate terminated the US-RP Military Bases Pact in 1991. Only to be reversed later with the passage of the Visiting Forces Agreement during the tenure of Joseph Estrada in 1998.
ON MILF-GPH PEACE TALKS: AJLPP SUPPORTS MILF DEMAND (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines or the AJLPP supports the demand of the largest Muslim revolutionary group in the Philippines that urged the Philippines government to end a decades-long armed struggle by the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front for Muslim self-rule in the southern Philippines, the homeland of minority Muslims in the mostly Roman Catholic country. The Alliance noted that in the speech of MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal pointed out that peace talks has been "too long a process." The exploratory talks was held yesterday April 26-27, 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Alliance noted that the Philippine government and the Muslim groups have been negotiating with the government since 1976. The peace talks had been off and one since then in a classic “ talk, talk, fight, fight “ mood. Iqbal urged the Philippine government to submit a draft of a comprehensive accord when both sides hold their next meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Upcoming talks are expected in June.
Marcos is not a hero! Protest the plan to make him one! (tags)
FERDINAND E. MARCOS is not a hero to the Filipino people. His martial law regime sent hundreds of thousands to jail, made people 'desaparecidos' because of their political beliefs. He is now being elevated to become a "hero" and plans are afoot by his families and allies to have him interred in Libingan ng mga Bayani (Cemetery of Heroes).
.S.: Decline Monies from Japan's "Sympathy Budget" and End Military Dependence Now (tags)
The International Women's Network Against Militarism (IWNAM) demands that the U.S. and Japanese governments stop spending U.S. and Japanese taxpayer monies for the upkeep of U.S. military facilities in Japan and other territories. During these times of natural disasters, funds should directly help the needs of victims of the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation poisoning from damaged nuclear power plants in Japan, and also create alternatives for employment world wide that do not rely on militarism, or further interpersonal and ecological violence. (updated version).
PHILIPPINES: Our Failed Labor-Export Policy (tags)
The impacts of disasters occurring in other parts of the world, from Libya to Japan, have perhaps been communicated more drastically to the Philippines than to other countries. Whether it is the tragic trilogy of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear fallout in Japan or the civil war in Libya, external crises are swiftly transformed into internal crises for our country, as thousands of families are pushed into poverty and economic hardship when their breadwinners are dislocated and repatriated back to the Philippines, where jobs offering decent wages are scarce.
Philippine Airlines workers vote to strike (tags)
The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) held a torch parade tonight as initial results in the strike poll reveal a tremendous vote for yes. Only the ballots of PALEA members in the Metro Manila offices of Philippines Airlines have been counted and show 96% votes of for a strike and a mere 3% voted against. In the last strike vote conducted last December, some 86% voted yes. In yesterday’s voting, 1996 PALEA members in Metro Manila participated out of some 2987 total members.
Our Solidarity with the People of Japan (tags)
PHILIPPINES: The Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Laboring Masses, PLM) expresses its deepest concern and sends its condolences to all the families and victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the North-Eastern coast of Japan last Friday. Our thoughts are also with all our Japanese friends and comrades and we pledge our solidarity and support to them in these dark hours.
SFQS -US Raises Concern On Nuclear Emergency in Japan: Revival of Bataan Nuke Plant Dang (tags)
The Samahang FQS in the United States based in San Francisco, California raised concern today following reports that the nuclear plant in Japan around 250 kilometers northeast of Tokyo had explosions and vented smoke to the environment. The SFQS-United States composed of Philippine activist groups is united with the Philippine group No to BNPP Revival! network as it reminded the Aquino administration of the dangers of reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) here in the Philippines.
World March of Women in the Philippines (tags)
Today, women in the Philippines and all over the world gather in different places and spaces to show our collective strength and make our collective voice heard as we speak out our sufferings, challenges, triumphs and aspirations. Our voices are joined together as we resist the abuses and marginalization wrought upon us by economic policies that discriminate against giving women productive employment, just wages and benefits at the workplace, and opportunities for livelihood and income; by societies that allow, or even promote, violence to be committed against women with impunity; by governments and public institutions that turn a blind eye to the human rights of women.
NDF-GPH CEASEFIRE ENDS, NDF COMMENDS NPA DISCIPLINE (tags)
The Pesante Buletin based in Los Angeles reported today that the NDFP in Mindanao salutes and congratulates all commands and units of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Mindanao and the rest of the country for its display of a high sense of political maturity, responsibility and military discipline during the mutually-declared seven-day ceasefire between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Philippines (GPH). Jorge Madlos, NDF-Mindanao spokesperson commended the NPA units in Southern Mindanao, in an act of goodwill and for humanitarian reasons, have released three prisoners-of-war (POWs) on separate occasions during the same period, further creating a more favourable atmosphere and bolster confidence for the peace negotiations and the entire peace process.
Philippines - Stop the Plunder! Revamp the AFP Now! (tags)
THE FUNDAMENTAL role and character of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been brought into question by the latest revelations of the colossal scale of corruption, nay, plunder of state and people’s resources by the general command of the AFP.
NDF-GRP Panels Held Preliminary Talks in Norway:Talks to Resume in February (tags)
The ALLIANCE NEWS, the news service of the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States reported today that the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Negotiating Panels held preliminary talks last 14-18 January 2011 in Oslo, Norway and agreed to resume formal peace talks. Formal talks could not be held for six years during the regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because of the latter’s conspiracy with the US to put the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the NDFP Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison on the US terrorist list and its refusal to resolve the socio-economic roots of the armed conflict.
"Talk, Talk, Fight, Fight" on Peace Talks 2011 (tags)
The PESANTE BULETIN based in Los Angeles learned today from media sources in the Philippines that on the 42nd founding anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), a regional guerrilla spokesperson Ka. Oris aka Jorge Madlos of Mindanao-NDF expressed optimism that the 2011 scheduled peace talks will produce results. Jorge Madlos aka Ka Oris is the spokesperson for NDF North Eastern Mindanao――said that something good could come out of the negotiations.
Secrets of the Communist Party of the Philippines (tags)
DR. MARIO Miclat’s “Secrets of the Eighteen Mansions: A Novel” (Manila: Anvil Publishing, 2010) reveals in rich detail many of the covert factors that contributed to the growth of one of our country’s biggest problems: the Communist Party of the Philippines.
On the 69th Pearl Harbor Day, Fight Racism in the United States (tags)
The Day that will live in infamy” Today, the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), AWARE and MHC marks the 69th year of the infamous Japanese fascist sneak attack on Pearl Harbor naval base in December 08, 1941 ( in the Philippines, Dec.7 Pacific Time). The public should know, that at that time the attack coincided with the bombing of the major cities of the Philippines and two days later, the Japanese invaded the country and the Philippines was involved in a colonial war not of its choosing. JFAV with People's CORE marked the day with a memorial meeting yesterday in FACLA with a private ceremonies and meeting. Scores of Filipino World War II veterans, widows and relatives as well as advocates attended the memorial.
Reactionary PH Congress leaders urges talks w/o conditions to sabotage peace talks-AJLPP (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States scored the apparent moves to sabotage the peace talks by Congress leaders in the Philippines. Saying that to avoid hitches in the resumption of peace talks, the government and the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) should not impose difficult preconditions, a former AFP chief of staff said Sunday.
NDFP-GRP RESUMES PEACE TALKS AFTER 24 YEARS (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States expressed elation over the supposed resumption of peace negotiations between the NDFP and the GRP. The Alliance-Philippines is happy that after 24 years and four different sets of government from Aquino to Arroyo negotiating panels, the 3-month-old Aquino administration Thursday signaled its readiness to talk peace with communist rebels, hoping that a political settlement of the 41-year-old insurgency will finally be forged under its watch.
When I was recently named chairman of the Committee on Overseas Workers’ Affairs of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, I was approached by members of the press for my views on migrant labor. I remembered a speech I delivered last year at the Global Forum for Migration and Development in Athens, Greece. The thrust of the speech was that migrants’ rights have to be addressed on two fronts: ending the neoliberal policies that are responsible for creating poverty in their home countries, thus forcing them to emigrate, and demanding that they are given full rights in their host countries.
EPCC NEWS October 18, 2010 RP NURSES JOBS ON THE DECLINE IN THE US Los Angeles- The EPCC (tags)
The EPCC NEWS Reported today that number of Filipino nurses aspiring to practice their profession in the United States continued to drop year-on-year in the third quarter, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said over the weekend. In a news release, TUCP secretary-general and former senator Ernesto Herrera said only 2,227 Filipino nurses took the US NCLEX for the first time from July to September, down 38 percent or 1,355 fewer compared to the 3,582 in the same three-month period in 2009.
Prof. Jose Maria Sison: On the Commemoration of September 21 (tags)
PHILIPPINES: Ferdinand Marcos himself designated September 21, 1972 as the date for Presidential Proclamation 1081, declaring martial law. In previous days, he had set in motion the imposition of fascist dictatorship on the people, including the mobilization of his armed minions, the murder of a whistle blower in his own intelligence agency, the fake ambush on his defense secretary and the mass arrest of his opponents and critics.
BANTAY PILIPINAS FORMED IN CALIFORNIA (tags)
The Manila based BANTAY PILIPINAS, a cybernet group that advocated for free, clean and honest elections in the Philippines last May 10 presidential elections - formed the Steering Committee of its LA project last August 29, 2010. In a collective decision to continue the tasks of BANTAY PILIPINAS not only as an election watch dog but also as the premier advocate of good governance and anti graft and corruption campaign in the Philippines - individuals and groups banded together and formed a steering committee in Los Angeles
BANTAY PILIPINAS FORMED IN CALIFORNIA (tags)
The Manila based BANTAY PILIPINAS, a cybernet group that advocated for free, clean and honest elections in the Philippines last May 10 presidential elections - formed the Steering Committee of its LA project last August 15, 2010. In a collective decision to continue the tasks of BANTAY PILIPINAS not only as an election watch dog but also as the premier advocate of good governance and anti graft and corruption campaign in the Philippines - individuals and groups banded together and formed a steering committee in Los Angeles.
AFP Launches the biggest military offensive in the Philippines (tags)
"When they (the reactionaries) speak of peace, they wage war." The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States expressed its utmost concern about the intention of the newly installed US-Aquino Regime as the AFP launched its biggest general offensive in Mindanao. The AJLPP learned that Jorge Madlos of the NDF-Mindanao said; " All the four divisions under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) based in Mindanao are currently conducting massive and widespread military operations against the revolutionary forces in all the five NPA regions in the whole island, particularly more intense in the Southern Mindanao Region."
NDF/MILF READY FOR THE TALKS WITH GRP IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The EPCC NEWS based in Los Angeles learned today from media source in Manila Philippines that the main Philippines rebel groups said on Tuesday they were willing to resume peace talks after an offer from President Benigno Aquino III, but ending insurgencies that have hobbled development remains far from certain.
La Naval as a Religious Festivity in the Philippines (tags)
After discussing the history of the La Naval De Manila of 1646, we now discuss the La Naval as a religious festivity in the Philippines. According to historians, in 1593, on the death of his father, the Spanish Governor General of the Philipppines, Luis Perez Dasmarinas commissioned Captain Hernando de los Rios Coronel to have a Marian statue sculpted. He wished to give a religious imprint to his regime in the Philippines. Governor Dasmarinas whose name bore one of the plush high class subdivision among the richest in Makati and also was the builder of the famed walls of Intramuros asked a non-Catholic Chinese sculptor to make the statue.
Benigno S. "Noynoy" Aquino III: The new face of counterrevolution (tags)
The PESANTE BULETIN learned today through the ANG BAYAN, the official newsletter of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines published in the internet that last July 7, 2010 said that " Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III is the new face of counterrevolution. Formally installed on June 30 as the new head of the puppet reactionary government. He is now the main advocate of US imperialist rule and that of the local big comprador bourgeoisie, bureaucrat capitalists and landlords. On his shoulders rests the main responsibility of continuing the administration of the bankrupt semicolonial and semifeudal system, consolidating and running its state and suppressing any challenge to puppet reactionary power." The revolutionary newspaper also said that :' Just as US imperialism and the local ruling classes expected of him, Aquino focused his first few days on consolidating the puppet army. Aquino is well aware that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is the main pillar of reactionary rule in the Philippines.
Philippine Situation After the 2010 Elections (tags)
We are here today because Benigno Aquino III was elected president of the Philippines. He has promised to bring CHANGE to the Philippine government, eliminate corruption, fix the education system, improve health care, improve the economy and provide housing for all Filipinos. He has said that he is the president because the people believed in HOPE. Does this sound familiar? The Reality of the history in the Islands: Economic Crisis The Reality of the Philippines is that the islands are still ruled by US imperialism, and run by its Filipino puppets. Aquino has assembled an economic team from the same breed of pro-imperialist pro neoliberlization economists who have dominated economic policy-making in the Philippines for the past three decades. Some of whom have even served the US arroyo regime.
Philippines: The meaning of the `Noynoy’ Aquino presidency (tags)
On June 9 Senator Benigno Aquino III (“Noynoy” Aquino) of the Liberal Party, the son of former President Cory Aqunio, was proclaimed president by the Philippines Congress. Noynoy was a former senator “with little legislative record to speak of”, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer newspaper, which nevertheless campaigned hard for Noynoy Aquino’s presidency, soon after Cory Aquino’s death in August 2009.
THE TALES OF TWO FAMILIES; PAKISTAN AND THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
It is interesting to study the tale of two political families in Asia. One in Pakistan. The other is the Philippines. The present president of Pakistan is the husband of martyr president Benazir Bhutto- Asif Ali Zardani while in the Philippines, the upcoming president is the son of the former president, Benigno Simeon Aquino III.
Commemorate the 112th Independence Day, Continue on the People's Struggle for Systemic Ch (tags)
-As we commemorate the 112th anniversary of the proclamation of the Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 , we will witness a new era. That is the assumption to power of a new president coming from an old political dynasty and the exit of a despised leader who still cast a giant shadow on the new dispensation. We celebrate this short lived independence with bittersweet pride and with the unwavering aspirations of the Filipino people for real change and genuine independence. The Phillippines was the first bourgeois republic in Asia and the first Asian country to free itself from the stranglehold of colonialism.We were also the first colony of US Imperialism in this part of the world.
Commemorate the 112th Independence Day, Continue on the People's Struggle for Systemic Cha (tags)
Commemorate the 112th Independence Day, Continue on the People's Struggle for Systemic Change
On the Coming Benigno S. Aquino III Presidency of the Philippines (tags)
On the Coming Benigno S. Aquino III Presidency of the Philippines. Senator Benigno S. Aquino III was proclaimed as the 15th president of the Republic of the Philippines yesterday, June 9, 2010 by the Philippine Congress. There has been a lot of optimism about the assumption to power by Noynoy Aquino. But still dangers looms on the horizon for President Arroyo is still around in Congress. Within the first 100 days, if Noynoy would fail to fulfill any important promise and the crisis in the country would continue to worsen, the broad masses of the Filipino people would hate the Aquino III regime and Noynoy himself for being a traitor and deceiver of the people.
US SENATE REPLENISHES LUMP SUM FUNDS FOR FILVETS (tags)
The US Senate has voted to use part of the savings from federal construction projects to replenish the nearly-depleted Filipino Veterans Equity Fund. The Senate voted 60-35 to use $67 million out of an estimated $103 million in savings allocated to the Department of Veterans Affairs to help the aging Filipino veterans. President Obama signed last year a Congress bill that set aside $198 million from the economic stimulus fund for the Filipino veterans. That amount was computed on the assumption that only 18,000 Filipino World War II veterans were left in the US and the Philippines. The fund would pay $15,000 for Filipino veterans living in the US, and $9,000 for those living in the Philippines.
Solidarity with the Freedom Flotilla to Gaza (tags)
STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY from the STOP the War Coalition Philippines
THE EPCC SUPPORTS THE FIGHT FOR SAN ROQUE, CONDEMNS THE NORTH TRIANGLE PARK PROJECT IN MET (tags)
The Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) based in the United States condemns the P3 billion Quezon City Central Business District (QCCBD) project of the than World Bank itself. From its early inception WB has sold the idea of QCCBD as the mecca of new and forward looking economic development within Metro Manila area and outlying regions. Generally dubbed as a mixed-use commercial/residential/recreational district - the 250 hectare Triangle Park project will displace 16,000 poor families. Ironically the 37 hectare property where San Roque is nestled belongs to the National Housing Authority of the Philippines and is leased to Robinsons Land Corporation - one of the biggest mall and residential developer in the Philippines.
Fearless Forecast: A Shaky Aquino Presidency Seen in the Philippines (tags)
Despite the election of Benigno Aquino III as the presumptive president of the Philippines, the political scene in the Philippines for the next six years is far from being an orderly and a stable nation. While Aquino got the executive post, the legislative and the judicial positions including the Supreme Court are his problems as well as the control of regional, provincial and mayoral positions that are in the control of his perceived enemies. In Congress, at the house of representatives, LP bet for Speaker , Quezon City Mayor Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte is confident of becoming Speaker. He said that he would get the support of not only some 30 Lakas “originals” but also of party-list, Nacionalista Party (NP) and Nationalist People’s Coalition contingents in the House. The LP has only 37 elected members.Belmonte said he had even talked to the NP president, Sen. Manuel Villar,
Animal farm within the national democratic revolution in the Philippines (tags)
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) says that all comrades are equal, and cadres fulfill division of tasks within the organization. All are subject to Party policies under the principle of the individual is subordinate to the organization, the lower organ is subordinate to the higher organ, and the whole Party is under the Central Committee.
MILITARY TORTURE AND STATE TERRORISM IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Despite the election of Benigno Aquino III to succeed the corrupt brutal Arroyo, 43 healthworkers continue to suffer military torture. Five are confined to the military camp alleged as self-confessed New People's Army guerillas, while 38 were transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, notorious for the massacre of Moro suspects. The five persons on which the fascist generals are concentrating their torture are: VALENTINO PAULINO, CHERRYLYN TAWAGON, ELLEN CARANDANG, JENNYLYN PIZZARO, & JOHN MARK BARRIENTOS. Carandang's children were taken from their home by the military," according to KARAPATAN, human rights monitor. Their relatives are threatened or offered bribes coercively to side with the military and incriminate themselves or their kin. We appeal to the international community to denounce this barbaric treatment and demand the immediate release of the Morong 43.
US Envoy Meets Aquino , Vows To Cooperate with new RP leader (tags)
The United States has virtually acknowledged Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino as the country’s new President after its top envoy to Manila met with the presidential frontrunner yesterday. During the meeting, US Ambassador Harry Thomas conveyed to Aquino Washington’s satisfaction over the generally smooth conduct of the Philippines’ first-ever automated polls last May 10 where the Liberal Party candidate emerged as the apparent winner in the presidential race.
TALES OF CHEATING: A COMELEC/PPCRV CONSPIRACY? (tags)
Now it is coming out,Is this a dejavu of the 1992 presidential elections where there was computer cheating? In 1992, the computer geeks at the COMELEC and NAMFREL made Ramos win by switching the votes of Mitra and Cojuanco to Santiago. This is the reason why Filipinos resisted automated elections because it was easier to cheat. BANTAY PILIPINAS today reported that the prime newspaper in the Philippines- the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) said that while “ winners celebrate, tales of electoral fraud seem to get wilder.
The facts against psywar intrigues in the Philippines (tags)
As chief political consultant of the Negotiating Panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), I am well informed about the revolutionary position of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People's Army and the NDFP as well as the position of other major political forces in relation to the 2010 elections of the reactionary government.
ELECTION UPDATES: PRAYERS, MITING DE AVANCES AND ARMED CLASHES (tags)
Filipinos and Filipino Americans are excited about the elctions in the Philippines two days from now. Prayer meetings, masses, miting de avances and arms distribution became the order of the day in the Philippines. In the United States. Masses and prayer meetings of different candidates for a peaceful elections were held everywhere.
THE SCENARIO OF FAILURE (tags)
The election campaign is heating up in the Philippines and all indications show that as we go down to the wires the anxiety about the possibility of failure will heighten. Political camps from all the variations of Laban, Lakas and Masa to the traditional Nacionalista, Liberal Party atb. are seemingly resigned to the idea that winning the ballots will not necessarily translate into bagging Malacanang. There are attempts at least within the circle of leading candidates to throw around the idea that they will revert to parliament of the streets in the worst case scenario: a Marcos era redux!
Philippine Human Rights Commission slams communist rebels’ permit-to-campaign fees (tags)
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) slammed the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army for defending their collection of Permit-to-Campaign (PTC) fees in various parts of the country.
RP Elections Update, May 2010 (tags)
With eleven days to the election day in the Philippines, the campaign heats up to the finish in the United States. - In Los Angeles, the BANTAY PILIPINAS, an election watch dog for the Philippines, held a forum debate last April 21 in Kapistahan Grill in Historic Filipinotown attended by spokespersons of the candidates. The debate was very civil but was heated. More than a hundred people attended the forum. The Villar camp was represented by Bobby Reyes, Teodoro by muralist Eliseo Art Silva, Eddie Villanueva by union leader Jay Valencia and Linda Cross, Aquino by Atty. Terry Herrera and Binay by Errol Santos. The moderators for the event was Austin Baul and Cheryl Zarate ably assisted by Cory Esguerra, Cilla Esguerra, Emily Chan and Wendy Natividad.
Imelda Marcos bids for seat as Philippine race begins (tags)
Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos has launched her campaign for a seat in parliament, as the country's congressional race formally began.
10 Surefire Ways to Get Away with Crimes in the Philippines (tags)
JFAV-Island Pacific SuperMarket Held Bataan Day/Book Signing , April 11 (tags)
The Island Pacific Supermarket and the Justice For Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) held a Bataan Day Remembrance and a Book-signing last April 11, 2010 from 11:30 to 1;00 PM at Suite No. 3 Island Pacific SuperMarket in the valley. Scores of aging Filipino veterans and widows for the valley some of them in walkers, came for the event. One veteran. Lorenzo Sayson from the island of Negros complained that he and some veterans have not received their lump sum claims. The DVA has reported that 14,000 Filipino veterans from the Philippines have received their claims.
CBCP Statement on the Continued Detention of the Morong 43 (tags)
The illegal arrest and continued detention of the “Morong 43” in a military facility represent serious threat to the civil liberties of the Filipino people. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) follows with grave concern the shifting accusations of the military against the health workers, the conflicting positions of government authorities on the legitimacy of the arrest and detention, and the seeming lack of regard of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for human rights and the rule of law. We are deeply worried about the wellbeing of the health workers in Camp Capinpin. We share the sentiments of other human rights groups that the presence of the detainees in a military camp makes them vulnerable to further abuses, psychological tortures, threats, and intimidation. Sustained exposure to psychosomatic strains may eventually break the fortitude and resistance of the Morong 43 into admitting under duress the accusations made against them.
The biggest political circus in the Philippines hits the road today with the local campaign in full swing. The main show is the presidential elections with eight big clowns on the road show. This includes a former president an actor trying to stage a comeback. a scion of a landlord family, a realtor,the annointed one, an evangelist, a frustrated boy mayor, a councilor, and an environmentalist
Political Killings still major problem in RP, says US (tags)
"At long last, the US State Department have stated the obvious" The Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) News today through various news sources that the US State Department has reported that extrajudicial killings remained a major problem in the Philippines last year and that security forces and insurgent groups were both responsible. The “2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” released to the US Congress on March 11, noted that concerns about impunity in the Philippines persisted.
U.S.-BACKED STATE TERRORISM AND MILITARY BRUTALITY IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Millions of US taxpayers' money are supporting de facto President Arroyo's despotic rule in the Philippines. The continuing torture of 43 health workers may be an alibi to cover up the horrendous Ampatuan massacre and numerous corruption scandals, a preparation for martial rule by May 20. Fascist violence will surely be met by the enraged mobilization of the masses. The US public needs to protest the use of their taxdollars to fund Arroyo's extrajudicial killings, torture, and forced disappearances of thousands of Filipino civilians.
Filipino Americans Nationwide Stand Up Against War and Occupation-- March 20, 2010 (tags)
As the invasion of Iraq enters its eighth year, the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) expresses their solidarity with the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines and every place there are occupying US forces. “Ordinary people are rallying across the country and around the world demanding an end to wars of aggression and longstanding imperialism”, says New York-based Ugnayan Interim Spokesperson Chevy Evangelista. Queens-based organizations Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the Children of the Motherland) and Damayan Migrant Workers Association as well California-based organizations, Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB, Pro People Youth) Los Angeles and San Diego, are urging Filipino and other immigrant communities to join coordinated DC/West Coast anti-war rallies on Saturday, March 20, 2010.
NDF-EV demands immediate release of Michelle Adelantar from GRP custody (tags)
The PESANTE NEWS learned today that the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today demanded the immediate release from the Arroyo government's custody of Michelle Adelantar, a daughter of a cadre of the Communist Party of the Philippines and New People's Army. "In violation of international humanitarian law, Michelle, 17, was abducted and detained last Feb. 3 in San Jose de Buan, Western Samar by operating troops from the 34th Infantry Battalion merely because she was the child of a CPP-NPA cadre," said Fr. Santiago Salas, NDF-EV spokesperson.
International Women's Day in the Philippines (tags)
In the Philippines poor children die at three times the rate of the children of the rich, according to latest UN data.
Worse than a crime – The electoral politics of the NDF and the CPP in the Philippines (tags)
The year 2010 has begun and we already know what’s going to be the most unlikely election coalition of the year. The legal National-Democratic (ND) movement of the Philippines, politically aligned with the underground Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines, has made an alliance with multimillionaire Manuel ‘Manny’ Bamba Villar Jr. and indirectly with Marcos’ admiring son, Ferdinand ’Bongbong’ Marcos jr.
On the US Puppet High Court Ruling that the VFA is legal (tags)
"Philippine Supreme Court- a US Imperialist Puppet Court.” As the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) expected, the Philippine Supreme Court has reiterated the legality of the 1999 RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago once described as “void for vagueness” and “a failure.” The AJLPP scored the two-page resolution dated Jan. 12 but released only Tuesday. The full Supreme Court upheld its Feb. 11, 2009, ruling on the constitutionality of the agreement which re-allowed the large-scale presence of American troops in the country for joint military exercises after the 1991 pullout of the US military bases, and which governs the conduct of the servicemen participating in the military exercises.
AFP Award Medals to Torturers of Morong 43 (tags)
AJLPP NEWS sources learned today that Philippine Senators Pia Cayetano and Jamby Madrigal and other groups Tuesday cried foul over the awarding of Bronze Cross Medals to military officers involved in the controversial arrest and detention of 43 health workers attending a seminar in Morong, Rizal, early this month. “There’s something seriously wrong when a government institution commends its personnel for committing an illegal act,” said Cayetano in a statement.
OLD RP EMBASSY CHANCERY IN WASHINGTON DC CONSTRUCTED, LA CONSULATE LEASE EXTENDED (tags)
The Philippine Embassy Chancery on Bataan St. in Washington is an expression of the state of the Philippines Today. Old, decrepit and ailing like the Philippine economy propped up by the remittances of Filipino workers abroad. The ECPP NEWS elarned this from the Filipino writer Rodney Jaleco who said; “ blast from the past, the historic Philippine chancery finally reopens its doors in a few weeks. The old chancery stands opposite the present Philippine Embassy building along Massachusetts Ave. NW. It was purchased in the 1930s by Resident Commissioner (the Philippine representative to the US Congress) Joaquin Elizalde. It served as the seat of the Philippine government-in-exile during World War II.
FASCIST MILITARY VIOLENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The arrest and torture of 43 medical and health professionals in the Philippines by the Arroyo military and police seeks to obscure the ongoing Ampatuwan-Arroyo trial and rehearse emergency martial-law schemes to prolong the Arroyo regime's corrupt and brutal domination. US citizens: will you allow millions of your tax-dollars to support Arroyo's military-police in fascist abuses?
Filipino teachers form organization to pursue justice vs recruiter (tags)
February 12, 2010 Baton Rouge, Louisiana–Filipino migrant teachers who are in a struggle against their recruitment agency on allegations of overcharges and exploitation have banded together to form an advocacy and campaigns organization to consolidate their growing movement.
LACSON MUST FACE THE MUSIC--ATTY.VALERA (tags)
The US-based lawyer of Dacer-Corbito murder case star witness Cezar Mancao today lauded the arrest order against Senator Panfilo Lacson but urged the government to focus on the bigger conspiracy and expand indictments on all suspects identified in Mancao’s testimony. “This is good for our justice system and to the families of Bubby Dacer and Emmanuel Corbito,” lawyer Arnedo Valera said in a statement. He urged Lacson to surface and submit himself to the Philippine justice process.
People's CORE Successfully Ends Relief and Fund Drive (tags)
People’s Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment with co-organizer Alliance Philippines, Los Angeles, ended its relief and fund drive to help the victims of the back to back floods that deluged the Philippines in October-November, 2009. Final Report The campaign which was launched on September 21, 2009 ended on December 31, 2009. The Relief and Fund Drive in Southern California and the Bay Area received a total donation of $6,469.43. The financial aid and 174 “Balikbayan” boxes of used and brand new clothing, shoes, canned goods and medicines were sent to the Philippine-based non-profit organization, AKAP (Ang Kalusugan para sa Pinoy) for assistance to the flood victims.
AJLPP Condemns the Mercenary US Philippine Force Under the UN (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) express disgust in the mercenary tradition of the AFP and the supposed Filipino pride in the appointment of a Filipino general in the United Nations forces serving under the direction of US Imperialism. General Ecarma of the Philipine Marines was formally appointed on Monday by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as force commander and head of mission for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in what was once the battleground of the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and Syria.
AJLPP Wraps Up STP Relief Drive, 2009, Gains $12, 649.43 (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) wrapped up its successful relief and fund drive to help the victims of the successive floods in the Philippines. The relief drive commenced on September 27, 2009 and ended in December 31, 2009. According to the AJLPP national secretariat based in Los Angeles the fund drive netted a total amount of $ 12, 649. 43 from voluntary contributions and 234 Balikbayan boxes send to two non-profit agencies in the Philippines. .
BAD OMEN FOR THE ELECTIONS, Pimentel: Garci boys intact, promoted (tags)
PESANTE NEWS learned today through media sources in Manila that the “Garci” boys were never kicked out. They even got promoted. Garci Boys are the officials of the COMELEC involved in widespread cheating during elections in the Philippines. Elections Chair Jose Melo should fulfill his promise to “ground” officials implicated in rigging the 2004 and 2007 polls, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said Wednesday.
FIL-AM CAMPAIGN HEATS UP IN THE US AS ELECTION SEASON BEGINS (tags)
As the official election campaign begins for the Philippine presidential campaign for May 2010 elections last January 10, the Filipino-American campaign intramurals heats up in the United States. The NoyMar ( For Senators Benigno Aquino Jr. and Mar Roxas Liberal party). The current front runners in the Philippines, announced its activities for the campaign
FIL-AM CAMPAIGN FOR 2010 PRESIDENTAIL ELECTIONS HEATS UP IN THE US (tags)
With barely two weeks to the official Philippine presidential campaign for May 2010 elections in mid-January 2010, the Filipino-American campaign intramurals heats up in the United States. The latest group to form up was the NoyMar ( For Aquino-Roxas Liberal party). It was composed of former NAFFAA stalwarts Loida Nicolas Lewis of New York and the Macabenta-Rodis tandem in San Francisco. The US-based group promised to raised $ 2 million for the campaign kitty of two Philippine landlord-millionaires-Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas of the Araneta clan.
POLITICAL WITCH-HUNT IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The case of Prof. Sarah Raymundo's firing at the University of the Philippines betokens the sharpening political contradictions and hegemonic crisis occurring in what William Blum calls the oldest longest-held colony of the US, currently ruled by the corrupt and brutal Arroyo regime praised by Barack Obama.
Filipino journalists remember 'Maguindanao massacre' (tags)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Dozens of journalists held a prayer rally Wednesday in Zamboanga City to remember and seek justice for the brutal slayings of 57 people, among them at least 30 journalists massacred last month in Maguindanao province in the southern Philippines.
WHOSE COUNTRY IS IT ANYWAY? (tags)
After 11 years of peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the two sides were close to a deal known as the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. This was essentially an agreement that would have granted points of autonomy to the Moro people in Mindanao and the Southern Philippines. Just before the signing, the government stopped the negotiations on Sept. 3 and plunged into attack mode. They launched joint police-military offensives against the MILF and civilians. Since then, more than 500,000 people, mostly women and children, have been forced to abandon homes and thrown into refugee camps. Now, one-third of the Philippines is on the verge of erupting into open warfare. I'm not talking about your garden variety guerilla skirmishes here and there. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and their allies have proven capable of launching conventional maneuvers into the theater in the past. Add to that milieu the very vibrant Communist led New People's Army Southern Command and of course the reactionary group Abu Sayyaf - then you have a situation that could explode into a conflict that could rival the Balkans in the 90's.
Nationwide Protests Demanding Justice for Maguindanao Massacre Victims (tags)
On the International Human Rights Day, and the whole week before that the Filipino American community was on the protest mode. The Alliance Philippines strongly expressed its militant support to the people’s movement in the Philippines oppose to the declaration of martial law and demanded justice for Maguindanao massacre victims by holding protests in key cities all over the United States from December 5 to 10, 2009. - Last December 5, Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan New York/New Jersey Chapter held their 5th anniversary celebrations by honoring the victims of the Maguindanao Massacre. The event was held at the Renaissance Charter Schoo at Jackson Height , new York City from 10:00 Am to 5:00 PM. - On December 8, a Community Forum led by the AJLPP, ANSWER-LA and AFFIRM was held at the FACLA Social Hall, 1740 W. Temple St. Los Angeles, Ca 90026. A panel of speakers from different organizations condemning the massacre featured the event. A candle-light ceremony capped the tribute and honor to the 64 victims of untold cruelties. - On December 10, International Human Rights Day, scores of activists held a candle light vigil and a picket/rally at the Philippine Consulate at Wilshire Blvd. from 6:30 to 8:00 in the evening.
Martial Law declaration in Maguindanao - most dangerous political power play for Arroyo (tags)
When will peace reign in Mindanao? Martial Law declaration in Maguindanao - most dangerous political power play for Arroyo With “looming rebellion” as the questionable legal basis for the declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao, President Arroyo is setting the stage for the most dangerous political power play in her collapsing regime. Obviously, it is a pilot test that-depending on the public reaction-may as well be declared all over the Philippines. With regard to Maguindanao massacre, the Department of Justice filed rebellion charges against the Ampatuans-a device meant to justify the Martial Law declaration (existence of rebellion and related reasons) even if it is clear that the massacre was not a political case but pure and simple mass murder, a genocide. The rebellion charges may be intended to appease the Ampatuans instead of treating them as mass murderers.
NLG: Massacre part of the ‘killing pattern’ (tags)
-THE MASSACRE in Maguindanao on Nov. 23 that has left more than 50 dead, many of them women, follows the pattern of extrajudicial killings that has been plaguing the Philippines. Death squads have been murdering progressive activists with impunity. The death count has reached more than 1,000 since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency began. Twenty-two lawyers and 15 judges had been killed before this massacre, and among the dead in Maguindanao are two women lawyers from the National Union of People’s Lawyers—Concepcion “Connie” Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo.
THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
A commentary on the Nov 23 slaughter of 57 civilians in Maguindanao, Philipppines, sketching the historical parameters of the event and the converging political and social forces involved, with a focus on the U.S. role in establishing the groundwork for the evils of the prevailing Arroyo state terrorism.
Statement on Obama’s Surge in Afghanistan (tags)
When US imperialism invaded the Philippines in 1898 they said they will end the war in 16 days, The Filipino-American War lasted for 16 years. When Obama and his generals say they will withdraw the troops by 2011 and train the Afghan army in 18 months, they know that this is impossible and they will invent more reasons to cover up their failure. Like Nixon, Obama was elected on his promise to end the war. But again, like Nixon, he did not end the war but escalated it. Nixon has his “Vietnamization” and Obama has his “Afghanization.”
INT’L JOURNALISTS TO MONITOR MASSACRE CASE PROGRESS (tags)
AJLPP News learned today that Human rights and journalists organizations worldwide lashed out at the Arroyo administration yesterday for creating “a culture of impunity” that led to the massacre of at least 57 persons in Maguindanao province that included 30 journalists. An international delegation of journalists led by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) will monitor the progress of the prosecution of those responsible for the carnage which the IFJ called as the biggest single atrocity against journalists in recent history. Amnesty International (AI) said the government must urgently ensure that witnesses are protected and safeguard vital forensic evidence to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr, a member of the powerful Ampatuan family that has dominated local politics in Maguindanao province in the country’s restive Mindanao region, is now under arrest and faces multiple murder charges. He has denied involvement in the massacre.
AJLPP CONDEMNS THE US-ARROYO’S KID GLOVES HANDLING OF AMPATUANS (tags)
The Alliance –Philippines or the AJLPP condemns in the strongest posssible terms barbaric massacre perpetrated by the Ampatuan warlord dynasty in Maguindanao last November 22, 2009. The massacre victimized 62 ( at the present count) that includes 27 members of the Philippine press, 22 women who were all raped and mutilated and 15 bystanders who happened to be passing the scene. Arturo P. Garcia. West Coast coordinator of the Alliance said that "the AJLPP is one with the National Press Club (NPC) and other democratic forces in the Philippines in condemning “this senseless act of political violence. " “The massacre proved again the naked truth. That warlords and their dynasties led by the Arroyo dynasty in Pampanga is very much alive in the Philippines. Arroyo also heads the biggest private army composed of the AFP and the PNP in the Philippines” Garcia said The Alliance squarely blamed the US-Arroyo regime for the massacre and believes that this massacre is very common of the human rights violations under the US-Arroyo regime.
AF3IRM/GABNET STATEMENT ON THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE: (tags)
AF3IRM/GabNet condemns the murder of some 50 persons in Maguindanao, Philippines, including some 14 women, who appear to have been raped as well, and scores of media people. It is ironic that at the start of 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women, the Philippines should once again make news around the world for an act so vile it boggles the mind.
AJLPP CONDEMNS MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE (tags)
The Alliance –Philippines or the AJLPP vehenemently condemned the barbaric massacre in Magunidanao last November 22, 2009 that victimized some members of the Philippine press. Arturo P. Garcia. West Coast coordinator of the Alliance said that "the AJLPP is one with the National Press Club (NPC) and other democratic forces in the Philippines in condemning this senseless act of political violence. " The National Press Club (NPC) and the Alyansa ng Filipinong Mamamahayag (AFIMA) denounced the abduction and massacre of at least 36 persons, including media men, in Barangay Masalay, Datu Abdullah Sangki town in Maguindanao.
PHILIPPINES; A CAPITALIST CALAMITY (tags)
Filipinos now see more clearly the calamitous state of the system.In the morning of Sept. 26, tropical storm Ondoy (international codename: Ketsana) pounded Metro Manila and the surrounding regions, dumping a month’s worth of rain in just six hours and causing the most massive flooding seen in the last 40 years. A week later, super typhoon Pepeng (Parma) hit Northern Luzon, inundating farmland and causing mudslides in the mountainous mining region of Benguet, including Baguio City, a U.S.-designed community.
JFAV SCORES DVA DELAYS AND SLOW-PROCESSING; REITERATES CLAIMS DELAYED, JUSTICE DENIED! (tags)
“ Claims Delayed, Justice Denied! The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), an alliance of veterans, widows, students and youth and community advocates in the United States based in Los Angeles again raised it voice against the insidious and unfair propaganda of the DVA against the Filipino World War II Veterans. It is the fault of the DVA that they only projected 18,000 veterans to be filing pension claims under the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund, and now nearly double that number -- or 32,795 applied? The JFAV scores the malicious insinuations of the DVA that “ This could indicate, according to analysts, that there may be spurious or incomplete claims being filed, or that some veterans may be submitting duplicate claims. “ JFAV bewail the fact they use this reason to say “these could be slowing down the application process. As early as 2002, JFAV has stood with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) that were at least 70,000 still living Filipino veterans in the Philippines. But the DVA bulldozed their claims that there are only 18,000 veterans both in the US and the Philippines. Who now is telling the truth? Why are they surprised with the number of claims?
8.5-M US food aid to RP, Real Aid or Future Business Edge? (tags)
The United States on Monday announced it was giving $8.5 million (about P399 million) in food aid to the Philippines to help it recover from back-to-back storms that killed more than 900 people. But for the Pesante-USA, we ask is this real aid or just a Trojan horse for more benefits for the US in the future? Pesante said this comes at the heels of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana) last month triggered the worst flooding in Metro Manila in more than 40 years, and Tropical Storm “Pepeng” (Parma) early this month caused deadly landslides. The two storms killed 929 and flooded the homes of more than seven million people. The damage in agriculture alone has reached more than P21 billion. More than 25% of agriculture of the island of Luzon was destroyed in 27 provinces affected more than 20 million people. The twin disasters exposed the utter neglect and inutility of the US-Arroyo regime in handling the disasters and helping the people.
STP Typhoon Relief Operation Gains Support in Key US Cities, Relief Drive Extended (tags)
he Sagip Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP) campaign gained massive support among different communities in the US . As of October 16, organizers have collected and sorted out an equivalent of 170 boxes of clothing, canned goods, shoes, bottled water and other materials. This is on top of around 250 boxes that People’s CORE facilitated to send to the Philippines through another organization in LA. The GABNET Los Angeles has sent 52 Boxes to the GWP group in the Philippines. Pledges, cash and check donations totaled around $ 10,000—meant mainly to purchase medicines and supplies in the Philippines for medical missions. STP collection centers like DAMAYAN Migrant Workers in New York and People’s CORE in Los Angeles have been flooded with material donations and phone calls throughout the day from ordinary people who were willing to help in any way.
STP Typhoon Relief Operation Gains Support in Key US Cities, Relief Drive Extended (tags)
The Sagip Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP) campaign gained massive support among different communities in the US . As of October 16, organizers have collected and sorted out an equivalent of 170 boxes of clothing, canned goods, shoes, bottled water and other materials. This is on top of around 250 boxes that People’s CORE facilitated to send to the Philippines through another organization in LA. The GABNET Los Angeles has sent 52 Boxes to the GWP group in the Philippines. Pledges, cash and check donations totaled around $ 10,000—meant mainly to purchase medicines and supplies in the Philippines for medical missions. STP collection centers like DAMAYAN Migrant Workers in New York and People’s CORE in Los Angeles have been flooded with material donations and phone calls throughout the day from ordinary people who were willing to help in any way.
The War in Afghanistan and its Implications in the Philippines (tags)
For the Alliance-Philippines, the escalating US-War in Afghanistan has a very special implication to the revolutionary movement in the Philippines. It is not only because there are 5 million Muslims in the Philippines, but also because there is an existing civil war in the Philippines centered in the 2nd largest island of Mindanao. It also indirectly affects the Filipino community abroad as in North America specially here in the United States. The existing civil war between the MILF with the Philippine government and the NPA has dragged on for more than 37 years. It just intensifies in varying degrees in between negotiations; ceasefires and changes in the US supported regimes. The civil war that started when President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in 1972 has claimed more than 30,000 lives, and at present affected more than 2 million people and 650,000 refugees in Mindanao.
PEOPLE’S CORE DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS PROVE SUCCESSFUL (tags)
Congratulations to volunteers and community members who did an amazing job supporting the relief efforts for the campaigns Sagip-Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP) and Operation Metro Manila. Over 100 volunteers gathered to package relief items to be sent to the areas hardest hit by the floods in the Philippines. Students, activist, families, and community members organized by People’s CORE, Alliance Philippines, GABRIELA Network Los Angeles, KmB Pro-People Youth, Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), UCLA Samahang Pilipino, UCLA Kappa Psi Epsilon, CSULB Pilipino American Coalition, and Search to Involve Pilipino American (SIPA), collected and packed more than 400 bags of material donations for the Typhoon Ondoy victims at SIPA Hall in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles, on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009. Please visit our gallery videos to see a brief news coverage of Saturday's STP Donation Drive entitled "Sagip Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP), People's CORE, Alliance Philippines, Gab-Net and SIPA" or click this link to go there directly: www.peoplescore.net/video_gallery.php
U.S. IMPERIALISM IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
After more than a century of brutal colonization of the Philippines, U.S. troops continue to battle Moro insurgents and the New People's Army guerillas to protects its investments, support the bloody oligarchs headed by the Arroyo clique, and preserve its neocolonial stranglehold. The U.S. public should wake up to demand that Obama stop its support of the Arroyo regime and withdraw U.S. troops. E. San Juan's two books might help inform the US public of what's going on in the Philippines today.
A Disaster Waiting to Happen (tags)
The tremendous outpouring of love, brotherhood and assistance by our compatriots in the United States to all our “kababayans” whose lives have been devastated by Typhoon Ondoy captures the essence of our Bayanihan spirit. True to our Filipino core values, organizations, institutions and individuals of various political persuasions bonded together and in their own unique and creative ways extended immediate assistance to our brothers and sisters and continue their plans for long term relief . Most recently, President Obama expressed his “deep condolences for the loss of life and devastation caused by recent storms in the Philippines”. “As part of this effort, the U.S Agency for International Development, has so far allocated $1.8 million to respond to the disaster.”
US OUT OF AFGHANISTAN! US OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! (tags)
Today, October 2001, the Bush regime’s armed forces launched “Operation Enduring Freedom” by carpet bombing Afghanistan and then invading and occupied the whole country after a minimal resistance from the existing Taliban regime. Like when Bush proclaimed “mission accomplished “ in Iraq, Afghanistan was an easy victory to their delight in 2001 but later it became their worst nightmare several years later.
ALLIANCE PHILIPPINES: THE US-ARROYO REGIME IS A THE REAL CALAMITY TO THE PEOPLE (tags)
The latest twin disasters that hit the Philippines laid bare the true state of the country and the governance of US-Arroyo Regime: inept, corrupt and inutile. It lacked foresight for the good of the people because it is ruled by rapacity and greed. It favors big imperialist corporations and the heartless ruling class and only exploits and oppresses the people. Just look at its delayed reaction to the storms and its effect on the pole. Instead of conducting a comprehensive rescue, relief and rehabilitation drive in a systemic way what it did was to blame the people, blame the squatters and register all flood victims.
Philippines: statements and solidarity calls after tropical storm Ondoy devastation (tags)
We are posting below statements and solidarity calls from Philippine left forces after typhoon Ondoy devastation. We shall add more as soon as we receive them.
PEOPLE’S CORE CO-SPONSORS DISASTER RELIEF FOR THE PHILIPPINES FLOOD VICTIMS (tags)
Typhoon Ondoy smashed ashore in the Philippines on Friday, September 25th, killing over 400 people in Manila's worst flooding in generations. More than 80 percent of Manila was under water Sunday. The Philippine authorities are still struggling to help the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the devastating floods of Typhoon Ondoy. Over 240 people have died and the death toll is rising. Thirty-eight people are still missing. Almost 2 million people have been affected by the flooding. More than 380, 000 have reportedly abandoned their homes. Over 450, 000 people have taken refuge in emergency evacuation centers. However, finding shelter has not alleviated the suffering. Food, sanitation, and medical supplies are low. Major relief efforts are underway, yet are not sufficient to support the people’s needs for long. More support is needed. It is our time to help. People’s CORE is a federally recognized non-profit organization locally based in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles (Federal Tax Id Number: 93-1216789). Working in partnership with four other non-profit and community-based organizations, AKAP (Ang Kalusugan para sa Pinoy, Inc.), AJLPP (Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines), KmB Pro-People Youth, and JFAV (Justice for Filipino American Veterans), People’s CORE launched Sagip Tulong sa Pilipinas (STP) Relief Drive on September 27th, 2009. The STP Relief Drive is collecting monetary and material donations such as clothes, shoes, medicines or non-perishable foods such as canned goods, to support the disaster relief efforts in the Philippines. This relief project will support food, sanitation, medical services and supplies for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in the Philippines.
GMA’s Handling of Typhoon Ondoy is the Real Disaster (tags)
In response to the devastation of Typhoon Ondoy, members of the national Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) and the Filipino youth-based Daluyong Coordinating Committee are organizing Sagip-Tulong Sa Pilipinas (STP) Emergency Relief Fund Campaign. This campaign will raise material and monetary support for the typhoon victims and aims to raise $5,000 by Monday, October 5, and another $5,000 by Friday, October 16.
STP RELIEF DRIVE FOR THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
As many of you know already, and the media has circulated, Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) has submerge major parts of the Philippines. At this point, estimates from varying sources are 360 people have been killed, several thousand are still missing and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. News reports state that this is the worst rainfall the country has seen in 40 years. It was reported that Ondoy's total rainfall was 410mm, while Hurricane Katrina's was 380mm in New Orleans. Lack of an early warning system, and the low-levels of governmental support and action, are all issues that Americans can relate too. Alliance-Philippines, Kabataang maka-Bayan, the ANSWER Coalition alongside many other Pilipino organizations, have teamed up with PEOPLE"S CORE to collect the much needed material for the relief efforts. PEOPLE"S CORE teamed with ANG KALUSUGAN PARA SA PILIPINO (AKAP) in the Philippines will take a huge role in the organization of the relief efforts.
Philippines - Citizens’ Action is Best Response for Disaster (tags)
Saying that the country needs to unite in order to confront and address the calamities brought about by typhoon Ondoy, Akbayan Party-list Rep. Walden Bello on Monday asked every Filipino here in the Philippines and those overseas to summon their Bayanihan spirit and help the victims in any way possible.
AJLPP LAUNCHES SAGIP TULONG SA PILIPINAS (STP) Relief Drive (tags)
The US –Arroyo Regime is guilty of criminal neglect. There are parallels between the hurricane Katrina and typhoon Ondoy specifically how the Philippine governments neglect the basic needs of the people while spending money for civil wars against the NPA and the Moros (MILF), foreign trips and personal profiteering. More than 25 provinces from Nothern Luzon to Bicol were affected by the floods. More than 400,00 people were homeless and hundreds are feared death. For cash and check donations please send it to: People'S CORE, 1610 Beverly Blvd. Suite No. 2 Los Angeles, CA 90026 or call (213) 241-0906 or check our website at peoplescore.net We will announce our drop-off points for material donations such as clothes, foot wears, medicines and others later.
PESANTE-USA CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING THAT CAUSES DISASTERS LIKE ONDOY (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA, an environmental and a peasant advocacy group based in the united States vehemently condemns the US –Arroyo regime for its criminal negligence and lack of preparedness against the natural calamities that regularly hit the Philippines. It was evident with Typhoon Ondoy (international code name Ketsana) that dumped 334 millimeters of rain in the first six hours, the highest ever recorded rainfall in the Metropolis. The previous record was 341 millimeters over a 24 hour period 42 years ago. Ondoy submerged up to 80% of the city, and covered areas that never experienced flooding before, stranding people on rooftops and bringing death and misery to Filipinos
Alliance Philippines Marked 37th Martial Law Declaration with a Forum (tags)
The 37th year of the declaration of martial law in the Philippines by the US-Marcos dictatorship was marked with a forum in Los Angeles and discussion meetings in San Francisco and New York. In Los Angeles, the AJLPP made a presentation at the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) Forum on the Philippines on Friday, September 18. At their LA office at 137 Virgil St. Los Angeles, CA 9004. KMB leader and high school teacher Mark Ramos spoke on class struggle and liberation in the Philippines at a crowd of at least 70 persons. . Also in attendance were a group of Filipinos under the Ecumenical Fellowship For Justice and Peace (EFJP) based in California.
Coup Rumors and N0 ElECTIONS in the Philippines (tags)
" Where there is smoke, there is fire" The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) learned from news sources that after Malacanang made announced that there will be no martlal law in the Philippines" another ranking AFP general echoed the same statement. The Alliance express alarm over these statements. The same propaganda pervaded the Philippines before Marcos declared martial law in 1972. Lieutenant General Roland Detabali, current president of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Makatarungan” Class of 1978, defended his class from allegations that its members are plotting to keep President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in power beyond the end of her term in 2010.
PHILIPPINES: Melissa Roxas' fighting stance against Arroyo regime (tags)
Melissa Roxas, member of BAYAN-USA and the cultural group Habi Arts in Los Angeles, California, returned to the country on July 20 to face head on those who abducted and tortured her and her two companions and pursue the cases she has filed against them. She attended a Court of Appeals hearing on her petition for a writ of amparo. She also testified before the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and the Committee on Human Rights of the House of Representatives regarding her abduction and torture.
ACTIVE US INTERVENTION IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Pesante News gathered today from news sources that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is deceiving the Filipino people when it claims that US soldiers based in the Philippines are not engaged in operations against the New People's Army (NPA). NDF-Mindanao spokesperson Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos said this in reaction to a statement by AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, Jr. denying US troops' involvement in anti-NPA operations. Pesante News said that Ka. Oris, NDF-Mindanao spokesoerson said that "Brawner is a flunky of the US military. He is an apologist for US military intervention. Just like his superiors in the AFP and the Arroyo regime, he praises the US military for permanently stationing its troops in the Philippines even if it violates Philippine sovereignty," Madlos further said that US soldiers have been involved in operations against the NPA for several years now. The 600-strong Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) under the US Pacific Command has been stationed in the Philippines since 2002 and is involved in "counterinsurgency" operations.
Wage all-out struggle against US forces in Mindanao--NDF/Ka Oris (tags)
The National Democratic Front-Mindanao (NDF-Mindanao) today issued a call urging all revolutionary forces in Mindanao "to wage an all-out struggle against the deployment and intervention of American soldiers in the internal armed conflict in the Philippines." NDF-Mindanao spokesperson Jorge Madlos ("Ka Oris") issued the call in response to the statement by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the US will continue to involve itself in the "counter-insurgency" war in the Philippines which would include heightened support for the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Landlordism in the Philippines :Hacienda Luisita as large as Makati and Pasig Cities combi (tags)
Pesante NEws reported today through a special report to the Inquirer Daily in the Philippines on a research that Hacienda Luisita is a 6,000-hectare property in Tarlac straddling Tarlac City and the towns of Concepcion and La Paz. It is as large as the cities of Makati (2,986 hectares) and Pasig (3,100 hectares) combined. Hacienda Luisita was originally part of the landholdings of the Compañia General de Tabacos de Filipinas, or Tabacalera. The estate was named after Luisa, wife of Don Antonio Lopez, who headed Tabacalera when it acquired the estate in 1882. It is now owned by the Aquino Family. Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino is running for president this coming elections.
REJECT US PUPPETS AND HIRELINGS IN THE COMING PHILIPPINE ELECTIONS 2010 (tags)
United States intervention in the Philippines knows no bound. The Kilusang Dekada 70 (KD70) vehemently condemns the US Department of Defense and the Heritage Foundation think-tank for meddling in the coming presidential elections in the Philippines on May 2010. The United States by propping up the presidential ambitions of Arroyo’s heir apparent Philippine defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro and giving him the necessary propaganda mileage during his visit in Washington DC and other states, is making the notion that Teodoro is the US “anointed one”. Teodoro is deliberately toeing the US line against terrorism and profess loyalty to the “US War Against Terror in Asia.”
STOP YOUR SUPPORT TO HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATOR AND CORRUPT US-Arroyo Regime (tags)
Deeply inspired by your promise of “Change We Could Believe In” during the last presidential campaign we would like to reiterate our support to your administration. We believed you would put a stop to the bankrupt policies espoused by your opponent, Senator John McCain and his fellow Republicans. With regard to the Philippines, our country of ancestry, we hoped that the “Change” you were talking about would mean a re-thinking of U.S. support for the administration of incumbent President Gloria Arroyo, whose record of corruption and violation of human rights has now surpassed that of the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.
Peace now, Resume the Peace Talks, Now! (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) with the five million strong Filipino American community in the United States wrote to you in the interest of true justice and lasting peace in the Philippines. The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) expresses its alarm and consternation on the recent developments on the peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). We are greatly troubled that the Philippines have never known a period of relative peace since 1972 when the US-Marcos dictatorship waged war against the New People’s Army (NPA and the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Moro people represented by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) until it surrendered in 1996 and then by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Up to now Mindanao is a battle ground with more 2.6 million people affected by the war and more or less 750,000 war refugees in Central Mindanao and elsewhere.
CA GRANTS PARTIAL WRIT FOR MELISSA ROXAS (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA learned through news sources in the Philippines that the Court of Appeals has partially granted the petition for writ of amparo and habeas data filed by Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas, and directed the military establishment to provide protection to her and her family while in the country against any form of harassment. In a 33-page decision penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam, the CA’s Former Special 16th Division also enjoined the military from distributing to the public any documents or records pertaining to Roxas’s alleged ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).
Senator Edward M. Kennedy, 77 (tags)
The Filipino American community in the United States lost one of its staunchest friend and ally- a champion of human rights, the oppressed and the elderly, a true blooded democrat till his end - Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, 77. On behalf of the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) a national alliance of veterans, youth, students and community organizations and activist for veterans rights based in Los Angeles, California, we express our deep and sincere condolences to the family, friends and the constituents of Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Lest We Forget: The Martyrs of Martial Law in the Philippines (tags)
The Kilusang Dekada 70 (KD70) commemorates the 26th death anniversary and the assassination of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr on August 21, 1983. Aquino’s martyrdom gains special significance today, August 21 because of two reasons: First, the assassination was not solved though everybody knows who is the mastermind and second because of the rampant abuse of power and corruption under the present US-Arroyo administration. Senator Aquino even during the days before martial law opposed the abuse of power under the US-Marcos dictatorship regime that does not respect democratic rights and treats itself as above the law. His martyrdom gains special significance today as we fight the US- Arroyo regime with a track record of abusing power and dispensing public funds without any concern for accountability.
August 15, 1945 : Victory Against Japan, Freedom for Asian Countries (tags)
The Alliance –Philippines (AJLPP) marked today, August 15, a day of freedom. Fifty four years ago, in August 15, 1945 several Asian countries won their freedom when Japan surrendered on this day. Although the formal surrender came later on September 2, 1945, Asian freedom fighters in Korea, Indo-China and Indonesia was freed and won their independence on August 15, 1945 from the clutches of the Japanese Imperialism.
On the PGMA-Obama Meeting On July 29-31 in the US (tags)
“ I did not become president to be popular”. Taking a cue from the dictator Marcos who said, “I did not become president to preside of the death of the Philippine republic” in 1972, Gloria M. Arroyo made her intentions very clear and went to the United States to seek the blessing and support of the new US president. Like all Philippine presidents before her, she will kowtow and try to impress the chief executive officer of the ruling capitalist class of the United States. She will for sure in the name of “fighting global; terrorism and “climate change” align her interest with the US of the capitalist class.
Melissa Roxas: Torture, Not Political Affiliation, Is the Issue (tags)
The latest accusations of Philippine Congressman Jovito Palparan should bear no weight in determining the outcome of the ongoing investigation on the case of American torture victim Melissa Roxas. This must only be determined by the facts, including the evidence currently being gathered by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in the Philippines.
Melissa Roxas Submits Torture Case Before UN in Geneva (tags)
Melissa Roxas Submits Torture Case Before UN in Geneva. Visit Justice for Melissa Roxas Website at http://justiceformelissa.org
MELISSA ROXAS SUBMITS TORTURE CASE BEFORE U.N. IN GENEVA (tags)
Melissa Roxas, the first known American Citizen under President Obama’s presidency to have become a victim of abduction and torture by military agents in the Philippines, filed through her counsel, Arnedo S. Valera, of the Migrant Heritage Commission’s Legal Resources program, her torture claim by way of “An Urgent Appeal and Allegation vs. the Philippine Government, before the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture , Professor Manfred Nowak under the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland . The case was received at the Geneva Office at 4:15 P.M today , July 28, 2009. Among the specific answers in response to the questionnaire on the torture of Melissa C. Roxas, 31 years old, where the dates of May 19 through May 25, 2009 as the date on which the incident of torture occurred; and Kapanikian, La Paz, Tarlac , the Philippines identified as the place of abduction. The victim believes the torture was carried out in a military camp in Nueva Ecija, known as Fort Magsaysay. Fort Magsaysay, about 150 kilometers north of Manila, is the largest military camp of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is home to the Army’s 7th Infantry Division. It also named the Special Operations Group (SOG) and those wearing military uniforms as interrogators and torturers.
JFAV SUPPORTS DALUYONG: 3-Day Filipino American Youth Consultation in LA (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), national alliance of veterans, students/youth and community advocates for veterans justice and equity rights, militantly and wholly supports the National Youth Consultation to be held in Historic Filipino Town in Los Angeles on July 24 and the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) Auditorium at 1300 N. Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027 on July 25-26, 2009 . On July 24-26, a three-day consultation bringing together grassroots Filipino American youth organizations to build mechanisms of coordination on national issues, and bridge the divide amongst the Filipino Diaspora in addressing Philippine and International concerns. The national consultation, “DALUYONG: Surging to Confront the Crisis of Our Times”, is organized by the Bagwis Collective (IL), Committee on Pilipino Issues (IL), Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (NY/NJ), and the host organization Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB or Pro-people Youth, CA) under the auspices of the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines). The event is also endorsed by a number of other progressive organizations across the U.S. and Canada (see complete list of current North American endorsements).
DALUYONG: Surging to Confront the Crisis of Our Times (tags)
Filipino American youth, both immigrant and US-born, are agitated and getting ready to tell the rest of the country where they stand and how they are to respond to the current economic crisis affecting their families, their education, their work, and their rights. They are concerned over current immigration policies, race relations, exploitation of women and children, and how these and other issues are linked to the broader global economic crisis and war. They are surging forward to claim what is inherently theirs – the future.
HONOR OUR HEROES; AWARE MARKS 68th USAFFE DAY JULY 24 IN LA (tags)
“ Honor our Heroes, Remember their Heroism.’ Widows, advocates and veterans led by the Association of Widows, Advocates and Relatives for Equality (AWARE) in cooperation with the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) of Los Angeles commemorates the 68th year anniversary of the USAFFE Day, July 26, 1941 on Friday, July 24th at 9:30 AM at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Auditorium at 1300 N. Vermont St, Los Angeles, CA 90027. On July 26, 1941, the 70,000 Commonwealth Army of the Philippines was integrated into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) by an executive order of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in preparation of an impending war in Asia in 1941.
HONOR OUR HEROES; AWARE MARKS 6th USAFFE DAY JULY 24 IN LA (tags)
“ Honor our Heroes, Remember their Heroism.’ Widows, advocates and veterans led by the Association of Widows, Advocates and Relatives for Equality (AWARE) in cooperation with the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) of Los Angeles commemorates the 6th year anniversary of the USAFFE Day, July 26, 1941 on Friday, July 24th at 9:30 AM at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Auditorium at 1300 N. Vermont St, Los Angeles, CA 90027. On July 26, 1941, the 70,000 Commonwealth Army of the Philippines was integrated into the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) by an executive order of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in preparation of an impending war in Asia in 1941.
FILIPINO SCHOLAR'S NEW WORKS (tags)
U.S.-based Filipino intellectual, E. San Juan, Jr., issues 4 new works critical of U.S. imperialism, white racial supremacy, and postmodernist ideological fashions serving neoliberal global capitalism.
Daluyong: National Filipino American Youth Consultation (tags)
Daluyong: Surging to Confront the Crisis of Our Times is a national Filipino American Youth Consultation that will bring together progressive youth from California, New York, and Chicago to assess, share, and plan the necessary steps to advocate for our community’s concerns and to build a broad movement and program towards fundamental change.
NDFP-GRP RESUMES PEACE TALKS IN OSLO, NORWAY (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) greets the resumption of exploratory talks towards the resumption of peace negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) this coming weeks with guarded optimism We express elation whenever the peace process moves forward after almost five years of being stalled due to the intransigence and lack of good faith on the part of the US-Arroyo regime.
NDFP-GRP RESUMES PEACE TALKS IN OSLO, NORWAY (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) greets the resumption of exploratory talks towards the resumption of peace negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) this coming weeks with guarded optimism We express elation whenever the peace process moves forward after almost five years of being stalled due to the intransigence and lack of good faith on the part of the US-Arroyo regime.
AJLPP CONDEMNS THE SERIES OF INDISCRIMINATE BOMBINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States, and the Filipino-American Community expressed outrage over the series of bombing in the Southern Philippines. The AJLPP express grave concern that the July 5-6 bombings in Mindanao may spread to the other urban centers like Manila. We squarely lay the blame to the US-Arroyo regime and her subalterns in the military who may be behind these barbaric bombings. This is the same scenario staged by the US-Marcos regime when it declared martial law in 1972. Although the perpetrators like to appear that the targets of the bombings are Catholic Cathedrals, Christian population centers and points to the MILF, Abu Sayyaff (ASG) or JI-Al Queda, the Filipino people suspects that the military is behind the bombings as elucidated by ISAFP Sgt. Vidal Doble.
Julius Fortuna, An FQS stalwart/ MDP Secretary General, Dies at 60 (tags)
The Kilusang Dekada 70 ( KD70) composed of First Quarter Storm and martial law activists based in the United States pays tribute to Julius Fortuna who passed away last Tuesday, June 23 in the Philippines. He succumbed on Tuesday morning to a massive heart attack at the Capitol Medical Center in Quezon City where he was rushed after complaining of difficulty in breathing. He would have turned 61 on July 30 this year. He was a member of the national council of the militant Kabataang Makabayan (KM) in the late ’60s and later served as secretary-general of the Movement for a Democratic Philippines, the coordinating body of radical groups that organized the massive demonstrations now collectively known as the First Quarter Storm of 1970.
PGMA CONSOLIDATES US FORCES, MEET AND GREET FIL-AM COMMUNITY (tags)
"Ati cupong singsing, metunyan timpukan" With the Kapampangan music sung by the choir, amidst heavy security and with a intimate mostly Kapampangan crowd, Philippine President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo met and greets the Filipino American community in Los Angeles in a breakfast meeting at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel last Saturday, June 20. The President paid tribute to the Filipino American overseas workers PGMA also mentioned the fact that “ more than two-thirds (2/3) of all overseas remittances to the Philippines comes from the more than3 million Filipinos in the United States.” She also acknowledges that these remittances keeps the Philippine economy floating.
PGMA CONSOLIDATES US FORCES, MEET AND GREET FIL-AM COMMUNITY (tags)
With the Kapampangan music sung by the choir, amidst heavy security and with a intimate mostly Kapampangan crowd, Philippine President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo met and greets the Filipino American community in Los Angeles in a breakfast meeting at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel last June 21. The President paid tribute to the Filipino American overseas workers PGMA also mentioned the fact that “ more than two-thirds (2/3) of all overseas remittances to the Philippines comes from the more than3 million Filipinos in the United States.” She also acknowledges that these remittances keeps the Philippine economy floating.
Filipino Veterans Protests Slow Processing of Lump Sum Checks: US Playing Politics (tags)
Another long wait for benefits. Filipino World War II veteran based both in the United States and the Philippines protests the long wait and slow processing of the lump sum benefits. “ We have waited for 63 long years for our benefits. Now they are going to let us wait again for another long wait.” This was the remark of veteran Mariano Pastorin of Los Angeles.” “ But we can’t do anything but wait. We waited for the American forces to go back for us during the Japanese occupation. We have waited for our benefits. We are still waiting for our benefits.” Pastorin joked about his long wait.
Human Rights Violations Continues in the Philippines (tags)
Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA , a US based human rights organization condemns and militantly protests the continuing acts of impunity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the democratic forces in the Philippines A KMP leader, Fermin Lorico of KAUGMAON Negros Orietal allied with the KMP was killed right after a protest against GMA charter change in Dumaguete City last June 10. In another development, last June 9. In Mindanao, a well-known peasant leader Rene Penas of the group allied with AKBAYAN was also killed in Sumilao, Bukidnon.
Veterans Laments Slow Processing of Lump Sum Checks: US Playing Politics (tags)
Filipino World War II veteran based both in the United States and the Philippines laments and criticizes the long wait and slow processing of the lump sum benefits. JFAV reported that more than 2,000 veterans in the Philippines and in the United States have received their one-time lump sum checks. It was reported that the Filipino veterans were given priority in processing while the US veterans will receive theirs later. JFAV pointed out that the US government is playing politics by giving benefits to Filipinos first to for political reasons. This especially that several amendments to the proposed charter change of the Arroyo administration will benefits the United States.
JUNE 11 INDEPENDENCE DAY COMMUNITY FORUM HELD IN LA (tags)
Two poles apart. As thousands of well heeled, best dressed Filipinos gathered in a plush hotel for a gala Independence Day night on June 13 for the Philippine consulate, scores of angry Filipino American and their allies voiced out their protests against fake independence in the Philippines. “ Fight for real independence and sovereignty!” —this was the call of the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP), GABNET-LA and ANSWER-LA as they held their community forum last June 11 at ANSWER office at 137 Virgil St. Los Angeles, CA. 90004.
Military Abuses Vs Filipino Peasants Continues (tags)
Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA condemns and militantly protest the continuing acts of impunity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the democratic forces in the Philippines This came after two dozen men in fatigue uniforms broke into the office of a militant farmers’ cooperative in Sanchez Mira in northwestern Cagayan shortly after midnight on June 11, mauled farmers staying in it to participate in a seminar, and ran away with undisclosed amounts of cash and goods . According to reports, 20 armed men forcibly entered the Mass Cooperative office in Bgy. Massisit in Sanchez Mira here and mauled the seminar participants, some members of the party list group Anak Pawis, aside their taking money and valuables.
MILITARY ABUSES AgAINST FILIPINO PEASANTS CONTINUES (tags)
he US based Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA condemns and militantly protest the continuing acts of impunity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against the democratic forces in the Philippines This came after two dozen men in fatigue uniforms broke into the office of a militant farmers’ cooperative in Sanchez Mira in northwestern Cagayan shortly after midnight on June 11, mauled farmers staying in it to participate in a seminar, and ran away with undisclosed amounts of cash and goods . Pesante -USA noted that similar cases of political harassment of militants in Cagayan province had occurred in the past, the most prominent being the burning two years ago of a community radio station in Baggao town which was put up with the help of the party-list group Bayan Muna.
FILAM ACTIVISTS RALLIED VS CHACHA IN LA (tags)
NO US INSPIRED CHARTER CHANGE, US OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! Scores of Filipino American activist with their solidarity comrades militantly picketed and rallied in front of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles in solidarity with the mass protests in the Philippines yesterday, June 9 ( June 10 in the Philippines) Activists from the Alliance –Philippines (AJLPP) , the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC), GABNET-LA and ANSWER-LA added their voices with the Filipino people in stopping and exposing the US-inspired charter change that seeks to perpetuate GMA in power.
KALAYAAN (FREEDOM) PHILIPPINES SERIES (tags)
3 Events This Week: Thursday-Saturday, June 11-13 Public Forum, Film Screening & Benefit Concert Presented by AJLPP, GABNet-LA, JFAV and ANSWER Coalition Filipino revolutionaries declared their independence from colonial Spain on June 12, 1898, 119 years ago. Two months later, the United States occupied Manila and declared war on the Philippines, crushing the young republic. Today, Filipinos are still in struggle for true independence and sovereignty. With continued U.S. occupation and intervention, and a culture of impunity of human rights violations forced on the people of the Philippines, the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP), the GABRIELA Network (GABNet), Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and the ANSWER Coalition commemorate Philippine Independence with fierce struggle in the United States. Join us at the following exciting events this week:
FILAM ACTIVISTS RALLIED VS CHACHA (tags)
NO US INSPIRED CHARTER CHANGE, US OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! Scores of Filipino American activist with their solidarity comrades militantly picketed and rallied in front of the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles in solidarity with the mass protests in the Philippines yesterday, June 9 ( June 10 in the Philippines) Activists from the Alliance –Philippines (AJLPP) , the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC), GABNET-LA and ANSWER-LA added their voices with the Filipino people in stopping and exposing the US-inspired charter change that seeks to perpetuate GMA in power.
US HAS A HAND ON PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGE (tags)
In a press conference held on Monday June 2, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said the U.S. military’s partnership with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) can be used as a model in fighting terrorism worldwide. Gates made the statement during his visit to Manila for a high level meeting with his Philippine counterpart - Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Clearly this was a vote of confidence on the Arroyo regime's on-going war against legitimate people's movements in the Philippines from a key member of the Obama Team himself. Emboldened by Gate's statement and promise of continuing military assistance from the United States, on June 3, against the backdrop of worsening economic crisis, of intensifying political killings and forced disappearances and escalating military conflict in Southern Philippines - in a brazen act of indifference and cowardice - the Arroyo controlled congress passed House Resolution 1109 which turned the lower house into a constituent assembly. This will make it possible for the U.S.- Arroyo regime to tinker with the 1987 constitution to further tighten and continue their stranglehold on the country and its people.
STOP THE US- INSPIRED ARROYO CHARTER CHANGE IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Alliance –Philippines (AJLPP) strongly condemns the US Imperialism and its fascist puppet-Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo in meddling and direct intervention in the political process in the Philippines. The US government is pushing for Charter Change by amending the 1987 constitution. We in the Filipino American community add our voices and militantly are in solidarity with the Filipino people in stopping and exposing the US-inspired charter change that seeks to perpetuate GMA in power. The AJLPP noted that it was very evident last June 1, 2009 when the GMA controlled House of Representatives passed resolution 1109 that will convene Congress into a constituent assembly to amend the 1987 constitution.
US-Arroyo Charter Change Railroad Rolls On: US Imperialism To Blame for the Legislative C (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP, or Alliance Philippines) strongly condemns US Imperialism and its fascist puppet-Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo (GMA) in meddling and directly intervening in the political process in the Philippines. The US government is pushing for Charter Change, or “cha-cha”, by amending the 1987 Constitution. The AJLPP noted that it was very evident yesterday, June 1, 2009, when the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo controlled House of Representatives passed resolution 1109 that will convene Congress into a constituent assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution.
US-Arroyo Gov’t fails to stop killings, Political killing Still Persists (tags)
he Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) condemns the US -Arroyo Regime for its failure to stop extrajudicial killings in the Philippines and its avowed policy that the military should end the insurgency "once and for all" by 2010. The AJLPP beleives that this policy remained the justification of military officials in tagging political and civil society organizations as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army. These are some of the observations made by Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings in a recent report. "Overall, the most important shortcoming has been the Government's failure to institutionalize or implement the many necessary reforms that have been identified. In the absence of such steps, the progress that has been made remains fragile and easily reversed," Alston said in his 16-page report. Alston said the follow-up report was based on information provided by the government as well as through consultations with domestic and international civil society, and by reference to publicly available reports and materials.
JFAV Commemorates 67th Anniversary of the Fall of Corregidor in the United States. (tags)
The Filipino American community in the United States and the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) militantly salutes all Filipino and Americans veterans, living or departed for the 67th Anniversary of the fall of Corregidor, May 6, 1942. With the fall of the island bation of Corregidor it paved the way of the total surrender of the whole Philippines to the Japanese invaders in May 9, 1942. For their heroism in Bataan, Corregidor and other battlefields in the Philippines, the brave soldiers and guerillas held the line for more than three months and farther on for another three more years waging a fierce war of resistance against the Japanese fascist invaders.
FILIPINOS DEMANDS LEGALIZATION AND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS (tags)
Last Friday, May 1, International Workers’ Day, women workers, youth and allies of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) joined the groundswell of immigrants and workers demanding for Obama to deliver on his promise of immigration reform in nationally-coordinated marches. The Alliance Philippines called for full legalization, amnesty, a stop to racist enforcement measures like deportations, detentions and border militarization, full protections for all workers, and an end to US imperialism, the root cause of the Filipino people’s forced migration. “We are here to echo the voices of the 14 million undocumented who are struggling and working hard despite the economic crisis,” said Mona Lunot, nanny, housekeeper and Chairperson of DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association, in her speech at the concluding rally in New York City. DAMAYAN is a member organization of Alliance Philippines. “Undocumented workers are called ‘aliens.’ But we are the workers who take care of Americans’ homes and children, cook their food, build their houses, and plant the food they eat.
US-ARROYO REGIME FAILS TO STOP POLITICAL KILLINGS-UN REPORT (tags)
he administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has failed to institute substantive reforms recommended two years ago by the United Nations’ special rapporteur to put a stop to extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. And the President's statement that the military should end the insurgency "once and for all" by 2010 remained the justification of military officials in tagging political and civil society organizations as fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army.
The Philippine Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is not safe. (tags)
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is not safe, not economically sound, not insurable, not sustainable. It is tainted with corruption. Statement Calling for Rejection of the Proposal to Recommission the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
FILIPINOS DEMANDS LEGALIZATION AND IMMIGRANT RIGHTS (tags)
Last Friday, May 1, International Workers’ Day, women workers, youth and allies of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) joined the groundswell of immigrants and workers demanding for Obama to deliver on his promise of immigration reform in nationally-coordinated marches. The Alliance Philippines called for full legalization, amnesty, a stop to racist enforcement measures like deportations, detentions and border militarization, full protections for all workers, and an end to US imperialism, the root cause of the Filipino people’s forced migration. “We are here to echo the voices of the 14 million undocumented who are struggling and working hard despite the economic crisis,” said Mona Lunot, nanny, housekeeper and Chairperson of DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association, in her speech at the concluding rally in New York City. DAMAYAN is a member organization of Alliance Philippines. “Undocumented workers are called ‘aliens.’ But we are the workers who take care of Americans’ homes and children, cook their food, build their houses, and plant the food they eat.” In the Los Angeles, the epicenter of the immigrant rights movement, in the biggest rally more than 30,000 marchers led by the Full Rights For immigrant coalition turned out and marched from Broadway and Olympic intersection around 1;00 PM. Composed mostly of Latino workers and advocates who filled the streets, the militant march overflowed the main streets of LA.
Brother Eddie for President Movement launched in the USA (tags)
Chanting “BROTHER EDDIE” a rowdy crowd of more than 150 supporters, friends and relatives that packed the fundraiser of Brother Eddie Villanueva formally launched the “Brother Eddie for President Movement “ in the United States, in a fundraiser dinner in Los Angeles, California last Sunday, April 26. Bro. Eddie Villanueva is the founder of the Jesus is Lord Church. The JIL has more than three million members and 26 churches in the Philippines and all over the world. This was the follow up of Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s formal acceptance of the challenge of different sectors in the Philippines to run as a presidential aspirant in the 2010 Presidential elections last March 23, 2009 at the Araneta Center. The launching was held in Casa Prinsesa Coffee Shop at 4527 New York, Eagle Rock, --a predominantly Filipino residential and business area in the city of Los Angeles.
40 years of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) (tags)
The Communist Party of the Philippines is the shining star of the Filipino people. For 40 years, the Party has engaged in fierce struggle and has led the people's revolution paving the way for a just society. The Party celebrates its 40th founding anniversary with far greater resolve to serve the Filipino people to the fullest of its capacity.
32,000 MARK REACHED THIS APRIL: MORE VETERANS DYING WITHOUT BENEFITS (tags)
“The more the merrier” With this as a rule the Philippine and the US governments braces itself for more troubles as the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles confirmed today that there were more than 32,000 Filipino veterans have applied for lump sum benefits since February 2009. During the commemoration of 67th Bataan Day in Los Angeles last April 9, 2009, Los Angeles Deputy Consul Daniel Espiritu confirmed that there were more than 32,000 veterans who have applied and are having their claims processed in the Philippines and the United States. The problem of more applicants for the benefits still plagues the veterans.
MORE VETERANS APPLYING FOR BENEFITS; 32,000 MARK REACHED THIS APRIL (tags)
“The more the merrier” With this as a rule the Philippine and the US governments braces itself for more troubles as the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles confirmed today that there were more than 32,000 Filipino veterans have applied for lump sum benefits since February 20098. During the commemoration of 67th Bataan Day in Los Angeles last April 9, 2009, Los Angeles Deputy Consul Daniel Espiritu confirmed that there were more than 32,000 veterans who have applied and are having their claims processed in the Philippines and the United States. The problem of more applicants for the benefits still plagues the veterans.
EPCC STATEMENT OPPOSING AND CONDEMNING HR 737 (tags)
The Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) composed of different community and people’s organization in Los Angeles vehemently condemns and opposes the HR 737 or the Nograles Resolution seeks to amend the 1987 Constitution’s economic provisions. The EPCC stands with the Filipino people and the Filipino American community that militantly oppose the treasonous bill only seeks favorable and one-sided benefits to foreign corporations and business and is virtually giving away the Philippines to foreigners.
BANGON PILIPINAS FUNDRAISER FOR BROTHER EDDIE (tags)
THE BANGON PILIPINAS-USA, A GROUP ADVOCATING FOR SYSTEMIC CHANGE IN THE PHILIPPINES COMES MAY 2010, THE DATE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES HOLDS A FUNDRAISER FOR BROTHER EDDIE VILLANUEVA IN LOS ANGELES. THE FUNDRAISER WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 26, 2009 AT 6:00 PM AT THE CASA PRINSESA ON 4527 NEW YORK BLVD. LOS ANGELES, CA 90041. THIS WAS ANNOUNCED BY BANGON PILIPINAS-USA HEAD JAY VALENCIA, PRESIDENT OF THE CIRCULO PAMPANGUENO OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA U.S.A.
LUMP SUM CHECKS OUT: MORE THAN 26,000 FILIPINO VETERANS ENROLLED FOR BENEFITS (tags)
The first batch of Filipino World War II veterans are about to receive their lump sum checks this month as promised by the Department of Veterans Administration (DVA) The DVA reported that they are assessing at least 776 applications and have approved the first batch of 195 checks that will be delivered this week to at least 18,000 veterans in the United States and the Philippines. A 98-year old ACFV lobbyist Alberto Bacani, from Alexandria , Virginia became the first Filipino veteran who received his $ 15,000 dollar check. This was given to him by retired general Antonio Taguba who represented the DVA Secretary in a special ceremony in the Philippine Embassy in Washington DC last April 8.
COMMEMORATE BATAAN DAY AND GRASP THE LESSONS OF THE VETERANS STRUGGLE (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) gives the Filipino Veterans a red salute for the commemoration of the 67th anniversary of the fall of Bataan, April 9, 1942. We also pay tribute to both the living and the departed veterans of that war. Bataan is not only a symbol of resistance, Filipino patriotism and bravery but also a living testament of the Filipino people's will to fight and defeat fascism in the Philippines and the whole of Asia. Greatest Contribution It is one of he greatest contribution of the Filipino people to the free world in defeating fascism in Asia and liberating a large portion of the Philippines even before the Americans reoccupied the Philippines. In the process we lost one million people, our cities like Manila, Baguio and Dagupan and almost he whole Philippines were destroyed.
The Communist Party of the Philippines and the Khmer Rouge (tags)
For decades the Khmer Rouge regime has been exposed for its atrocities and genocides against its own people. Yet the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) nor its political arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF) nor any of its influenced and led organizations have issued any statement of condemnation. In fact in some of the statements issued by the CPP-NDF or interviews issued by its leaders, they seem to defend the Khmer Rouge.
Filipinos Join Nationwide Rallies Demanding US Troop Withdrawal (tags)
Filipino domestic workers, youth, veterans and allies of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace In the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) took part in national mobilizations this past Saturday, March 21, demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and the Philippines. The marches and rallies, organized by the International ANSWER Coalition, commemorated the sixth-year anniversary of the US occupation of Iraq.
New People's Army (NPA) celebrates 40th anniversary in the Philippines (tags)
The outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) on Sunday congratulated its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), on the 40th anniversary of its founding in the Philippines. "We congratulate all the Red commanders and fighters, the Party cadres and members in the NPA and the broad masses of the people for their accumulated and current victories. We render the highest tribute to our revolutionary martyrs and heroes," said the CPP in a statement posted on its Web site.
Filipinos Join Nationwide Rallies Demanding US Troop Withdrawal on 6th-Year Anniversary of (tags)
Filipino domestic workers, youth, veterans and allies of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace In the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) took part in national mobilizations this past Saturday, March 21, demanding the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and the Philippines. The marches and rallies, organized by the International ANSWER Coalition, commemorated the sixth-year anniversary of the US occupation of Iraq.
BAYAN-USA Holds 3rd Congress in Los Angeles Amidst VFA Protests (tags)
Information about BAYAN-USA congress scheduled for March 27-29, 2009. Progressive members of the Filipino community representing labor, youth, church groups, academia, and cultural workers will gather in Los Angeles.
GABNET/MA-AL AT D.C., LOS ANGELES & SAN FRANCISCO ANTI-WAR RALLIES (tags)
GABNet of the Mariposa Alliance was present at all three major anti-war rallies called by the ANSWER Coalition.
US OUT OF IRAQ, THE PHILIPPINES AND EVERYWHERE! (tags)
As the invasion of Iraq enters its seventh year, the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) continues to express militant greetings and solidarity to the people of Iraq, Philippines and everywhere who are fighting US imperialism and its forces of occupation. We stand with the people marching in the streets of Washington, DC today in the united cry “From Iraq to Afghanistan to Philippines and Palestine, OCCUPATION IS A CRIME!” The US thirst for war must end. The current administration is not ending the US wars of aggression, but is transferring the war to other countries like Afghanistan. We are reminded how Nixon said he wanted to end the unpopular war in Vietnam but escalated the war in Cambodia and Laos. By redeploying 30,000 or more troops to Afghanistan, threatening Iran, Pakistan and the Russian Federation, Obama is not proving to be much different from his predecessors
US ALIS SA IRAQ, PHILIPPINES AT LAHAT NG DAKO ! (tags)
Sa pagsapit ng ika pitong taon ng pananalakay ng US sa Iraq, ipinapahayag ng Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines) ang militanteng pagbati at pagpupugay nito sa mga palabang masa ng Iraq, Pilipinas at lahat ng dako ng mundo na lumalaban sa Imperyalismong US at lahat ng pwersang nanakop. Kaisa kaming naninidigan ng lahat ng taong nagmamartsa sa Washington DC sa panawagan:” Mula sa Iraq, Afghanistan hanggang sa Palestina at Pilipinas: “Ang pananakop ay isang Krimen!”
On November 1, 2005, Nicole, a 22-year-old Filipina, was observed being dumped out of a van in a semi-unclothed and semi-conscious state. The van contained three U.S. troops who were in the Philippines for the annual joint military exercises with the Philippine Armed Forces. Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith was subsequentlly charged with rape before the Philippine courts. He was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years. After spending 30 days in a Philippine jail, he was spirited out at midnight to the U.S. embassy where he is said to remain while his case goes through the Court of Appeals. This month, Nicole signed an affidavit saying she might have given the wrong signals to Cpl. Smith. She was given an immigration visa for the U.S. The Filipino people are demanding that the Visiting Forces Agreement signed by President Bush and President Estrada, who was overthrown in 2001, be abrogated for its onerous provisions against the sovereignty of the Philippines.
AI, EU Community Calls for Probe and End of Political Killings (tags)
Lawmakers of the European Union (EU) and the human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) have again urged the government to put an end to political killings. At the same time, Ambassador Alistair MacDonald of the European Commission condemned on Monday the abduction and murder early this month of Rebelyn Pitao, daughter of New People’s Army commander Leoncio Pitao.
Ebola Virus in the Philippines (tags)
In the last couple of weeks, news broke out about the presence of a strain of the "ebola virus" here in the Philippines and the infection of a pig farm worker in Bulacan. Upon inspection, the DOH and WHO declared all the pigs in that farm infected with the "ebola virus". Because of this, all the pigs in that farm will be slaughtered to control the spread of the disease brought about by the "ebola virus". A person with "ebola virus" can die by hemorrhage. "Ebola virus", is one of the viruses invented by the U.S. Army Biological Facility in Fort Detrick, Maryland, U.S.A.. This is now being run by the World Health Organization (WHO). Among the viruses the US Army made were ANTHRAX, AIDS virus and "mad cow disease".
AJLPP CONDEMNS ARRO ON EDSA 1mes (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) vehemently condemns President Arroyo’s assertions that there should not be anymore EDSA. Referring to the People’s Revolt against dictator Marcos in 1986. Mrs. Arroyo abhorred another EDSA after she herself was propelled into power by another EDSA in 2001 against former President Joseph Estrada For the AJLPP based in the United States, “ For tyrant afraid of people’s power that placed she in power and now threatens her with another uprising, Mrs. Arroyo’s statement is a proof of her alienation to the public.”
LETTER OF SOLIDARITY TO HANJIN WORKERS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
We, the Filipino American community in the United States and their allies express our militant solidarity with Hanjin Shipyard workers in their struggle to unionize and thus end their deplorable working conditions which has led to at least 24 deaths. In January of this year, two more were killed while just as February began, 24 were hurt when a bus carrying workers to the shipyard overturned. We are appalled at the slow response of the Philippine Senate and the Executive branch and their failure to act on the continuing fatal accidents and deaths of workers at Hanjin Shipbuilding. While we hold Hanjin, a South Korean transnational corporation employing 15,000 workers in the Philippines, directly accountable for the extremely unacceptable living and working conditions of Filipino workers, we equally hold the Philippine government complicit for acting against the country's national interests and against Filipino workers interests. We demand that the Philippine Government compel the Hanjin Shipyard company to clean up the docks and work areas, ensure worker safety, enforce environmental laws and provide just wages and benefits to Filipino workers.
AJLPP: SUPREME COURT DECISION ON SMITH RAPE CASE CONTRADICTS ITSELF (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) scored the ambivalent and double standard Philippine Supreme Court’s decision that said that US Marine Daniel Smith could be continuously detained in the US Embassy while he appeals his case in court. AJLPP condemns the self- contradictory rule that has been the hallmark of the Supreme Court ever since time immemorial. The ruling that the convicted marine must be jailed in a Philippine facility that cannot be implemented just perpetrates the colonial status of the Philippines under the rule of the United States.
Philippines agrees to settle NYC taxes for $9-M to save $29-M (tags)
Corruption stretch from the Philippine sea to the other side of the shining seas- in the United States. AJLPP learned through media sources that New York mayor Michael Bloomberg welcomed the Philippine government’s promise to pay $9 million in property taxes, including interest, calling it “what every other law-abiding property owner does.”
There is a flurry of activities in the Philippine countryside spurred by the recent escalation of UN campaign on climate change. Forums, symposiums and trade shows, addressing the issues and technology are taking the character of a new cottage industry in the making. But what is remarkably noticeable is the proliferation of foreign companies peddling a plethora of items related to the UN initiative, from contraptions to capture fugitive emission to financing mechanisms and templates on organizational structures to facilitate a better chance of certification from pertinent UN bodies.
PGMA-POOR COPYCAT OF DICTATOR MARCOS (tags)
President Gloria M. Arroyo is leading the Philippines-the Marcos Way. Pesante-USA scored today the apparent terrible insensitivity and serous callousness of Gloria Arroyo and her penchant for following the way of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in her wild dream of perpetuating herself in power, the way Marcos tried to do during his dictatorial regime.
CORRUPTION, DEFPRETRATION. LANDSLIDES. DEATH AND MEA CULPA (tags)
“The reasons for the degradation of our forests are corruption and our own shortcomings,” admitted Secretary Lito Atienza of Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in a New Year message to his department personnel. A common knowledge among Filipinos, Atienza's admonishment, hardly created a ripple in Manila were ordinary citizens had almost but accepted corruption is an integral part of governance in the island nation.
GABNET LOS ANGELES AND PESANTE USA COMMEMORATE MENDIOLA MASSACRE; (tags)
Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance and PESANTE-USA held a commemorative and educational forum on the 22nd anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre. Activists and community members gathered at Historic Filipinotown to hear about the 1987 event and discuss the ongoing struggle for peasant and human rights in the Philippines. The event was opened by Al Garcia of PESANTE-USA who described the January 22,1987 Mendiola Massacre, where 15,000 peasants peacefully rallying for genuine land reform were ruthlessly fired upon by the police and the Philippine Mari
Peace Group Demands Shutdown of Israeli Embassy (tags)
‘SEVER TIES WITH WAR CRIMINALS’ SAYS GROUP 13 January 2008: Carrying a giant eviction order and a mock padlock, the broad anti-war group, Stop the War Coalition-Philippines, went to the Israeli embassy today to symbolically order its closure.
REMEMBERING MENDIOLA, Jan 22, 2009 at FACLA (tags)
Los Angeles-- REMEMBER MENDIOLA! FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS! GABNET of the Mariposa Alliance,PESANTE and the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) in Los Angeles,marked the 22nd Year of the January 22,1987 Mendiola Massacre, where thirteen (13)protesters were killed and over 150 others were wounded in an educational forum in FACLA, community hall on Jan 22, 2009 in Historic Filipinotown Los Angeles. Speaking before scores of FilAm activists, Arturo Garcia of Pesante and AJLPP explained that the AFP was after the NDF negotiating panel who were in Manila in 1987 during the 60 day ceasefire. Unable to liquidate their targets they pounced on the defend less peasants in Mendiola that day.
PESANTE COMMEMORATES MENDIOLA MASSACRE (tags)
On Thursday, January 22nd, Gabnet of the Mariposa Alliance will co-host an educational forum with PESANTE and the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) in Los Angeles. The groups will meet to commemorate the 22nd Year of the January 22,1987 Mendiola Massacre, where 15,000 peasants peacefully rallying for genuine land reform from the newly installed US-Aquino Regime were ruthlessly fired upon by the police and the Philippine Marines. Thirteen protesters were killed and over 150 others were wounded. The AFP was after the NDF negotiating panel who were in Manila in 1987 during the 60 day ceasefire. Unable to liquidate their targets they pounced on the defend less peasants in Mendiola that day.
REMEMBERING MENDIOLA, Jan 22, 2009 at FACLA (tags)
On January 22nd, 1987 government forces opened fire at a demonstration for agrarian reform on Mendiola St in Manila. As a result, 13 peasants were massacred, while 150 were severely wounded. This January 22nd we will remember those who have fallen for peace and justice in the Philippines. Join us as we discuss the root causes that continue to exist and oppress people worldwide.
CPP WARNS OF ATTACKS VS BALIKATAN WAR EXERCISE (tags)
AJLPP learned from news sources in the Philippines that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has ordered its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), to attack American and Filipino military forces when they hold joint exercises in the Bicol region in April. "NPA units in Bicol are specifically instructed to launch as many tactical offensives as they can in many areas of the region in mockery of the Balikatan [Shoulder to Shoulder] exercises and to prevent the US military from strengthening its foothold in the region," the CPP said in a statement sent to Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday.
Israel’s claims of self-defense are clearly refuted by the disproportionate consequences of its aggression. With the death toll rising to 599, including 133 children, 33 women, and 6 medics, Israel can no longer hide the fact that its actions are tantamount to genocide, as Richard Falk, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian Territories, has pointed out.
US-RP BALIKATAN IN BICOL (tags)
LEGAZPI CITY—The AJLPP sources learned today that RP-US War Exercise BALIKATAN is underway in Bicol region, southern Luzon, Philippines. Bicol is one of the hot spot of NPA insurgency since 1972. Proof of this, according to Capt. Kelly Schmader, commander of the 30th Naval Construction Regiment, are the 2009 RP-US Balikatan military exercises that will be held in three Bicol provinces—Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon—in April.
"BALER'- A MOVIE FOR NEO-COLONIALISM (tags)
“Baler,” winner for best picture in the present Metro Manila Film Festival, is the first feature film made of the siege of Baler- the last Spanish outpost to surrender to revolutionary forces during the revolutionary war of 1896. The Siege of Baler was based on the diary Spanish Lt. Col. Martin Cerezo, commander of a garrison of Spanish soldiers in Baler, Tayabas( now called the Quezon province), during the Spanish occupation of the Philippines. By December 10, 1898, the Spanish-American War had already ended; Spanish forces in the Philippines, Cuba and elsewhere had already surrendered but the Spanish garrison in Baler didn’t know it. Their headquarters in Iloilo (the last capital of Spain in the Philippines to surrender), forgot to tell them. Katipuneros attacked the 57-man garrison and the Spaniards took shelter in the town church. Instead of rushing the church, the Filipino colonel decided to surround the church with his more superior forces and wait for the Spaniards to run out of food and is forced to surrender. He did not expect the tenacity and fighting spirit of the Spaniards. The siege lasted almost a year, exactly 338 days. Col. Martin Cerezo recounted in his diary the suffering of his soldiers inside the besieged church.
ACTIVIST CONTINUE PROTESTS THROUGHOUT CHRISTMAS (tags)
Activists here continue their unrelenting advocacy in support of various causes and in protest of other issues even as the community savors Christmas and the advent of a new year. The Filipino Veterans Support Bill, or SB 3689, remains as the foremost concern of the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV). Despite failing energy, living FilVets stay active on the road, making their presence felt in mass actions and community gatherings, and taking the opportunity to speak their minds. On December 8, JFAV announced the formation of a partner organization, the Association of Widows, Advocates and Relatives for Equality (Aware) at a meeting held at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) here. In San Francisco, FilVets Gomer Bondad and Reggie Nacua, with activists Ago Pedalizo and Violy Reyes, discussed the seemingly unresolved impasse on the lump sum clause of SB 36879, now pending in the US Congress, at a community meeting held at the ABS-CBN studio in Redwood City last December 10
COMMUNISM NOW DOWN TO THE LOWEST IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Despite the tremendous efforts of the Communist Party in the Philippines to destabilize the government, its popularity is at its lowest.
Prof. Sison Greets the CPP on its 40th Year (tags)
As founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), I convey warmest greetings of comradeship to all CPP cadres and members on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CPP. I share your joy in celebrating all the struggles waged and all the victories won by the CPP and the Filipino people in the last four decades of the new democratic revolution.
FREE RANDALL ECHANIS AND ALL POLITICAL DETAINEES! (tags)
The recent charades, so called arrest and hospital detention and then the eventual release of Jocjoc Bolante after he was deported back to Manila by US immigration authorities truly reflects the ills of a justice system under rule of the puppet US-Arroyo regime in the Philippines. The Kilusang Dekada 70 vehemently condemns the recent travesty of justice. We ask- why is it so easy for this government play charades and masquaredes in the Congress and in the courts than to listen to the cries for justice coming from victims of enforced disappearance, torture and unjust imprisonme
AJLPP Commends Dec. 12 People’s Mass Actions Against Charter Change (tags)
Moral corruption and objectivity is the latest victim of the US-Arroyo’ regime’s propaganda in the Philippines. It is really unnerving that even the mass media including the ABS-CBN News, the Inquirer Publishing Inc. and others who cannot get their facts straight. It is but fine for the military and police in the Philippines to diminish the effect of the mass actions in the Philippines by under estimating the people’s turn-out, but for the media to quote police estimates and fail to make its own estimates really makes people sad. To the AJLPP based in the United States, this means they even failed to count the number of people who attends rallies honestly.
AJLPP SUPPORTS DEC 12 MASS ACTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Today, in commemoration of International Human Rights Day all over the world the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States and the Filipino American community also strongly and militantly supports the mass actions on December 12th against the charter change in the Philippines. We stand in solidarity with stalwarts of the opposition and all the progressive lawmakers for standing up against tyrant puppet of the US Imperialist Gloria Arroyo and her cohorts who wanted to change the charter by unlawful means.
AJLPP SUPPORTS DEC 12 MASS ACTIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) National Coordinator Mario Santos vehemently condemns in the highest terms the GMA schemes to change the constitution by a constituent assembly she controlled, Therefore, the AJLPP based in the United States and the Filipino American community also strongly and militantly supports the mass actions on December 12th against the charter change and against the imperial and fascist presidency of Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo in Manila and the rest of the Philippines.
AJLPP Support the Protest Vs Charter Change Dec 12 in the Phiippines (tags)
ntly condemns in the highest terms the GMA controlled House of Representatives led by well known GMA puppets Speaker Prospero Nograles that the impeachment complaint by voting it down by a vote of 183-21 Last December 2. The AJLPP also hail the Thai people in their recent victory against the deposed Thai prime minister Songchai who was ordered to quit by Thai Constitutional court for cheating in the elections. The AJLPP based in the United States and the Filipino American community also strongly and militantly supports the mass actions on December 12th against the charter change and against the imperial and fascist presidency of Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo in Manila and the rest of the Philippines.
Philippines: An urgent call to the NDF and the GRP regarding the recent killings of farmer (tags)
An urgent call to the National Democratic Front (NDF) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) regarding the recent killings of farmers!
SCARED GMA RAN AWAY TO PERU AS FILIPINO AMERICAN COMMUNITY PICKETS (tags)
OUST GMA, YOU’RE OUSTED! YOU’RE BUSTED! US puppet Gloria Arroyo just ran scared as she always does, this time to the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru. This while hundreds of activist from the ALLIANCE for a JUST and LASTING PEACE in the PHILIPPINES (AJLPP), ANSWER-LA and GABNET/LA and their allies turned out in full force Friday, November 21, 2008, 6 PM, with a picket and a rally in front of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, to protest her supposed reception for the community in the US.
GMA RAN AWAY SCARED TO PERU AS FILIPINO AMERICAN COMMUNITY WITH THE AJLPP RALLY/PICKETS AT (tags)
OUST GMA, YOU’RE OUSTED! YOU’RE BUSTED! US puppet Gloria Arroyo just ran scared and as she always does to the APEC meeting in Lima, Peru. This while hundreds of activist from the ALLIANCE for a JUST and LASTING PEACE in the PHILIPPINES (AJLPP), ANSWER-LA and GABNET and their allies turned out in full force Friday, November 21, 2008, 6 PM, with a picket and a rally in front of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, to protest her supposed community reception to the community in the US.
BISHOPS-ULAMA CONFERENCE CALLS FOR PEACE TALKS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC), yesterday called on the government and the MILF to immediately resume the stalled peace talks. The BUC made the call in a joint statement it issued during the three-day 35th General Assembly in Jolo, Sulu, which ended Nov. 21. The joint statement was signed by Davao Archbishop Fernando Capalla; Hilario Gomez Jr., bishop emeritus of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP); and Dr. Hamid Barra of the Ulama League of the Philippines. “We appeal to let the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF continue, in whatever level or means possible, and let peace panels be convened as soon as the situation allows it,” the BUC said.
PROTEST US-ARROPO REGIME, NOV.20 (tags)
Join us to protest US puppet Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo! DATE: Friday, November 21, 2008 TIME: 5:00pm PLACE: Sheraton LAX Gateway Hotel.6101 West Century Blvd. LA, CA 90045
DESPITE ARROYO"S CHANGE IN SCHEDULES AJLPP RALLY/PICKET AT LAX SHERATON VS US-ARROYO (tags)
The ALLIANCE for a JUST and LASTING PEACE in the PHILIPPINES (AJLPP), ANSWER-LA and GABNET enjoins all freedom-loving activists to join us on Friday, November 21, 2008, 6 PM, to stage a picket and rally in front of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, to protest the presence of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the US. And despite with some abrupt changes in schedules , the AJLPP with ANSWER-LA and Gabnet-LA will demand a stop to the US War on Terror in Mindanao, Stop the crackdown on the Progressive movement in the Philippines and Resume the Peace talks between the GRP and the MILF/NDFP
PESANTE CONFIRMS HR RIGHTS GROUP FINDINGS: Rights abuses continuing in RP (tags)
Pesante-USA, a Filipino American peasant , environmental and human rights advocacy groups confirmed thorough relaisble news sources that human rights abuses are continuing in the Philippines with 21 extrajudicial killings taking place in the third quarter of the year, a local rights monitor said Thursday. Pesante reported that of the killings 19 took place on the restive southern island of Mindanao where the government is fighting Muslim and communist secessionist groups, substantiated and according to a report by Karapatan, an umbrella organization of human rights groups in the Philippines.
PICKET/RALLY AGAINST PGMA Nov. 21 in LA (tags)
The ALLIANCE for a JUST and LASTING PEACE in the PHILIPPINES (AJLPP), ANSWER-LA and GABNET enjoins all freedom-loving activists to join us on Friday, November 21, 2008, 6 PM, to stage a picket and rally in front of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel, 6101 West Century Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045, to protest the presence of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the US. The AJLPP with ANSWER-LA and Gabnet-LA will demand a stop to the US War on Terror in Mindanao, Stop the crackdown on the Progressive movement in the Philippines and Resume the Peace talks between the GRP and the MILF/NDFP
Filipino Workers to heads of G20: Creating a better world order is no more your business (tags)
Relegating the world’s future to the hands of same leaders who created the current global economic crisis is a recipe to further disaster, according to Partido ng Manggagawa (Workers Party), a militant labor party in the country which joined hundreds of other protesters in a march to the US embassy this morning in time for the G20 Summit in Washington DC.
Filipino Workers hold March to protest against the GFMD (tags)
As the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) opened today in Manila, at least 5000 workers from the Philippines and other countries in every region of the world came together in one of the broadest labor mobilizations ever organized in the entire history of the global trade union movement.
On the 2nd GMFD Conferene in Manila (tags)
On behalf of the of the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) we express our militantly solidarity for the all the mass actions and protests against the Manila ‘s Second Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). The AJLPP strongly condemns the pro-imperialist and anti-migrant GMFD framework and agenda of the conference in Manila. The agenda of the conference lay bare the exploitative foundation and consequences of so-called neoliberal globalization on the lives of migrants, refugees and their families.
JFAV Optomistic on the passage of the veterans benefits bill this year. (tags)
Taking time-off from its hectic activities to pass the veterans benefits bill pending in the US Congress, the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) commemorated the 64th Year of the Leyte landing, October 20, 1944- the start of the Liberation of the Philippines with the proper rites at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) in Vermont and Fountain St in Los Angeles on Oct. 22, 2008. The veterans and their advocates are still very hopeful that the US Congress will convene the joint conference committee to reconcile the three separate bills for Filipino veterans. At present the S. 1315, HR 6897 and the Chat Edwards bill that appropriated $198 million for the veterans needs to be reconciled. The JFAV and the ACFV is still highly optimistic that the reconciled bill that will grant recognition and give benefits to the Filipino veterans will be enacted before the US Congress ends this year.
AJLPP Statement on the Return of Jocjoc Bolante to the Philippines (tags)
“ The essence of justice is strained. It is not a drop of mercy from heaven but how the system explains and implements it” The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) based in the United States, vehemently condemns the complicity of the United States and the US- Arroyo regime in facilitating the return of former undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante who was “ deported” back to the Philippines basically as a free man today, October 28. It was pathetic that the United States deported Bolante after refusing his asylum request and like in the case of Imelda Marcos the laws of the United States were used as instrument of making mockery of the laws and does not stand up for its core principles.
Filipino Veterans Commemorate 64th Year of the Leyte Landing at HPMC in LA (tags)
–Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) commemorated the 64th Year of the Leyte landing, October 20, 1944- the start of the Liberation of the Philippines with the proper rites at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) in Vermont and Fountain St in Los Angeles on Oct. 22, 2008. Scores of World War II veterans, community advocates and the Philippine Consul General Mary Jo Aragon, Vice Consul Daniel Espiritu, Errol Santos of HPMC and hospital personnel led the simple rites held at the HPMC auditorium. A Filipino mass was officiated by Fr. George Florendo to pay tribute to both living and departed veterans who fought in World War II in the Philippines.
On the 64th Year of the Leyte Landing (tags)
While we in the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) are commemorating the 64th Year of the Leyte landing, October 20, 1944- the start of the Liberation of the Philippines with the proper rites at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center (HPMC) in Vermont and Fountain St in Los Angeles on Oct. 22, 2008 in Los Angeles, it is gratifying to note that even the Americans have unsung heroes. I reprinted an article written by retired general Ramon Farolan about a great American hero, forgotten by his countrymen. The same forgetfulness the American public does to the Filipino World War II veterans. Some people only celebrates victories. They try forget the past nor study its lessons. Let this article speaks for itself.
AJLPP: RP-US war games in Luzon –An Act of Armed Intervention (tags)
The AJLPP vehemently condemns US-RP BALIKATAN joint military exercises in the Philippines. The AJLPP said that US imperialism aims to further strengthen its military position in the Philippines and in the Asia-Pacific region amid the severe crises besetting the US and its puppet regime. The AJLPP denounced the series of Balikatan exercises as "a continuing outright violation of national sovereignty, as armed foreign troops are allowed to freely operate, and even engage in combat as well as intelligence and other military operations in Philippine territory.” The AJLPP likewise condemned the puppet Arroyo government "for allowing the US to use the revival of its military bas
FIGHT THE SECOND JAPANESE INVASION OF THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
The Filipino Community and all concerned Filipino Americans in the United States vehemently condemn the Senate's railroading of the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on Wednesday night. October 8th.. Pro-Japan collaborators also known as the modern MAKAPILIS, the sixteen senators led by JPEPA's sponsors Senators Miriam Santiago and Mar Roxas (whose grandfather was a Japanese and an American puppet) have compromised the country's national patrimony and sovereignty by approving a patently one-sided, anti-Filipino economic treaty.
OPPOSE JANP-RP TREATY (JPEPA), STRUGGLE AGAINST JAPANESE IMPERIALISM (tags)
The Filipino Community and all concerned Filipino Americans in the United States vehemently condemn the Senate's railroading of the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) on Wednesday night. October 8th.. Pro-Japan collaborators also known as the modern MAKAPILIS, the sixteen senators led by JPEPA's sponsors Senators Miriam Santiago and Mar Roxas (whose grandfather was a Japanese and an American puppet) have compromised the country's national patrimony and sovereignty by approving a patently one-sided, anti-Filipino economic treaty. This is a reminiscence of how the Philippine Senate in 1972 passed the RP-Japan Treaty of Amity that opened the Philippines to the exploitation and oppression of the Japanese Imperialists.
AJLPP Condemns US War Games (tags)
As Philippine and US troops began Wednesday a two-week integrated ground and air training meant to improve their forces' skills in fighting terrorism and responding to disasters and security situations,the AJLPP condemns such acts of brazen military intervention in the Philippines. More than 60 military exercises or war games were conducted in the Philippines since the VFA was approved in 1999 according to AJLPP. The US-RP military war games commenced in the former US Clark Air base in Pampanga. It is now callled Diosdado Macapagal Airport after the current president 's father.
BAILOUT THE FILIPINO VETERANS NOT THE CAPITALIST (tags)
Today, we protest the racist attacks against the Filipino World War II Veterans. Again, the fast disappearing Filipino World War II veterans and the seniors were the first victims of the Bush $700 capitalist bailout. We gather today at the foot of the monument to the Spanish-American War of 1898. At proof that the United States occupied the Philippines and colonized the Philippines. And that on 1941, when the Second World War broke out, we have to fight a war that is not of our own making. Filipinos were ordered and conscripted into the United States army and were ordered to fight for the war. But the United States refuse to honor the wartime services of the Filipinos saying the fought for their own country. What a shame!
AJLPP Hits US Filipino Puppets Defense of US Imperialist Intervention in the Philippines (tags)
The puppetry of US running dogs known no bound. The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) strongly condemns high handed brazen US intervention particularly in Mindanao, which is legal, according to a contingent of the Legislative Oversight on the Visiting Forces Agreement (Lovfa) of both chambers of Congress.
Very few people know that the US military is directly involved in the fierce fighting going on in the Philippines between the Moro insurgents and the corrupt and brutal Arroyo regime supported by the Bush neocons and the warmongering Pentagon planners. Will you continue to allow US tax dollars to be wasted in this barbaric genocidal war against indigenous peoples? Over a thousand extrajudicial killings and "forced disappearances" under Arroyo's tenure, plus a few hundred Muslims dead as "collateral damage," may be the signs of US "benevolent hegemony" (Robert Kagan) and US "magnanimous imperial power" (Dinesh D'Souza). McKinley's "Benevolent Assimilation" lives on!
The Philippines, a First World Country in 2015? No WAY! (tags)
In 1960, Disodado Mcapagal led the Philippines into the arms of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos by implementing the dictates of the World Bank-IMF in imposing decontrol and de-industrializing the Philippines with the slogan “Fight Poverty” Forty years later, in 2008, her daughter Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo promised in her speech to the United Nations last September 23 to lead the Philippines into a “First World Country Status” with the same slogan” Fighting Poverty” in 2015 .
The Philippines, a First World Country in 2015? No WAY! (tags)
n 1960, President Diosdado Macapagal led the Philippines to the arms of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos by implementing the dictates of the World Bank-IMF in imposing decontrol and de-industrializing the Philippines with the slogan “Fight Poverty” Forty years later, in 2008, her daughter Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo promised in her speech to the United Nations last September 23 to lead the Philippines into a “First World Country Status” with the same slogan” Fighting Poverty” in 2015.
PHILIPPINES: Suspend US Military Deployments to Mindanao (tags)
A broad coalition of NGOs, social movements, and political parties from Mindanao and the rest of the country today called for all US military deployments in Mindanao suspended pending the conclusion of a fair and thorough probe by lawmakers.
Philippine Government Launches New War on Muslim Groups (tags)
War officially came to southern Philippines again as the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo unilaterally put an end to eleven years of negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) September 3. A month early the government abruptly broke off talks with the MILF on the eve of signing an autonomy pact. There are numerous reports of U.S. Special Forces accompanying Philippines Army units on their deadly sweeps in the Bangsamoro (land of the Moro people) region. More than 100 people have been killed so far and half a million refugees have fled from the fighting. Bourgeois liberals and the petty-bourgeois left lamely call on the government to resume the “peace process,” which in any case was only intended to wear down the insurgents. Revolutionaries instead seek to mobilize Philippine workers to drive out all U.S. forces, whatever their legal status; to force the withdrawal of the AFP from the contested southern areas; and to defend the Bangsamoro people and their right to self-determination.
US BLAMED FOR MINDANAO WAR (tags)
With more than 500,000 people in Northern and Central Mindanao as war refugees due to the AFP and MILF fighting, the Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) placed the blame on the United States for intervening in the Mindanao Conflict. As of the press time, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) based in Geneva, Switzerland have confirmed that more than 500,000 war refugees were affected by the current fighting in the two Lanao provinces, Cotabato and Davao provinces, Maguindanao and Saranggani due to the escalation of the conflict The AJLPP pointed out; “ If the United States did not advised President Arroyo to negotiate and affirm the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain without transparent consultations with all concerned parties, the situation will not turn from bad to worse.
60th founding anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (tags)
Message on the occasion of the 60th founding anniversary of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
We, Filipino Americans in the United States are aghast at the height of callousness of the Department of Justice as it issues statements that shows its impartiality towards a former government official who is going to be deported by the US government while it wields a heavy hand on a peace consultant of the NDF in the Philippines. We, in the Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) vehemently condemn the defiance of DOJ and the PNP in its insistence on not transferring Randall Echanis from the Manila City Jail to Camp Crame. This recycled policy of treating political dissidents like common criminals is a worn-out Marcosian tactics being used now by the US-Arroyo regime.
NO RICE CRISIS IN THE PHILIPPINES: MAYOR JOJO BINAY IN LA VISIT (tags)
“There is no rice crisis in the Philippines. It is an artificial crisis created by the GMA administration in the urban areas o use for its political maneuvers and economic benefits” This was the stand of Presumptive presidential candidate for the President of the Philippines. Makati Ciy mayor Jejomar Binay when asked about the rice crisis in the Philippines. Binay held a press conference at Bahay Kubo restaurant in Historic Filipinotown Los Angeles, August 27,2008. Addressing a jam packed hall with Filipino community leaders from all over California. ” The real rice crisis happened in 1964 at the time of President Diosdado Macapagal. That was the real rice crisis when everybody even the rich and poorest was lining up for the rice. I was very young then and I still remember.
OPPOSITION BET MAYOR BINAY BLASTS GMA IN LA VISIT (tags)
Presumptive presidential candidate for the President of the Philippines. Makati Ciy mayor Jejomar Binay held a press conference at Bahay Kubo restaurant in Historic Filipinotown Los Angeles, yesterday, August 27,2008. Addressing a jam packed hall with Filipino community leaders from all over California, Mayor Jojo Binay lambasted the failed policies of current Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in his capacity as the PDP-Laban president and the United Opposition (UNO), He is reportedly supported by former President Joseph “Erap”Estrada.
AJLPP CONDEMNS US INTERVENTION IN MINDANAO (tags)
“We want peace now, stop the Philippine military offensives in Mindanao.” The Alliance-Philippines strongly demanded that the US-Arroyo regime stop all military offensives in Mindanao and return to negotiations. The AJLPP also condemned the US armed intervention in Mindanao. This as the number of war refugees swelled up to 300,000 from 210,000 in two weeks as the conflict escalates. The AJLPP also supports the stand of Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo that “arming civilians would not help the government’s efforts to restore peace in southern Philippines. He said, “We are against it, because violence can never be a solution. It will not solve the problem,”
SGSI Commander Manuel Aquino, 91 (tags)
Commander Manny Aquino, past president of the Filipino World War II veterans group –the Society of Guerillas and Scouts International (SGSI) based in Los Angeles passed away last August 5, 2008. He was 91 years old. Cmdr. Manny Aquino was a World War II Bataan veteran and fought under the USAFFE. He was also a survivor of the infamous Death March and later a guerilla. He served under the Philippine Army and fought under PEFTOK during the Korean War from 1950-1954. He later joined the Philippine Navy until he retired from military service while in the Philippines. Cmdr. Aquino succeeded Cmdr. Isidro Bathan and held the post of SGI commander until he was relieved by Cmdr. Jack Vergara in December 16, 2006. He was an active member of the army reserve and its honor guard. He was born on August 13, 1917 in the Philippines and lived in Carson.
PHILIPPINES: Ban Endosulfan! (tags)
Citizens Press for Total Ban on Endosulfan to Put Off “Toxic Time Bomb”
STOP US TAX DOLLARS FUNDING REPRESSION IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Thanks to Bush, US ciizens' tax dollars are being wasted funding the corrupt and brutal Arroyo regime in the Philippines. Arroyo has been condemned by Amnesty International. Human Rights Watch, Asia Commission on Human Rights, World Council of Churches ,UN Rapporteurs, and numerous organizations for committing thousands of extra-judicial murders of lawyers, journalists, church people, women and union organizers, indigenous minority peoples. We need to put a stop to this outrageous inhumanity.
Joint Statement on the 34th G8 Summit in Tōyako, Hokkaidō, Japan
BUSH SENDS NUCLEAR AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
With the subservience of the Arroyo regime, Bush continues the political-military intervention in the "killing field" of the Philippines, wasting millions of tax-dollars in suppressing the Moro insurgents and Filipino national-democrats, abetting the horrendous extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearances and widespread poverty and oppression, all in the name of the war against "terrorism," a code-word for popular resistance against global capital's greed and inhumane devastation of the planet.
Ka Dan, Captain Danilo Vizmanos, PN (Retired), 79 (tags)
The First Quarter Storm Network (FQSN)-USA pays tribute to retired Navy Captain Danilo “Ka Dan” Vizmanos, military officer turned political activist, who died Monday night (June 23) at the age of 79. Ka Dan Vizmanos had fought martial law and crusaded against the United States military bases in the Philippines, among other patriotic causes. A Philippine Navy captain, a graduate of the famous US Merchant Marine Academy and an expert in submarine warfare, he joined the national democratic movement, blazing a trail for others like him in the military to follow. Upon the declaration of martial law
Highlights of the US State Visit of President Arroyo of the Philippines (tags)
If we have to assess the highlights of the 10-day state visit of President Macapagal-Arroyo to the United States, we can sum it up in several points. Besides securing $ 700 million loans, talking with US investors and visiting her fellow Filipino psychopaths, one important agenda of PGMA in her visit are the “ getting to know you” meetings with the US Democratic Party presumptive presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican Senator John McCain. Highlights of the US State Visit of President Arroyo of the Philippines
Revolutionary Justice for the Filipino Working Class Victims of Big Capitalists! (tags)
The Revolutionary Council of Trade Unions (RCTU) in Southern Mindanao, an underground group of revolutionary unions and an allied organization of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) expresses its strongest indignation of the systematic attack perpetrated by foreign and local comprador-capitalists against the Filipino working class.
PGMA US VISIT, PATHETIC DISPLAY OF MENDICACY OF A US PUPPET (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) today expresses outrage over the passing of the more than $ 628 B budget to fund the Iraq –Afghanistan war yesterday, June 26 in the US Congress while that the Filipino Veterans Equity bill that was languishing in the US congress for more than 18 years was not even discussed. Aside approving the war budget, the high profile legislative visit or the lobby by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took precedence in the House of Representatives. It is high point in mendicancy for the president of the Philippines to let herself be stereotyped as “cooks” and “Philippine-Americans” by no less President Bush during their White House meeting.
PGMA US VISIT, CREDIT GRABBING AND A HIGH POINT OF MENDICACY OF A US PUPPET (tags)
Money for the Filipino Veterans, Not a Penny for the war in Iraq! Money for People’s Needs, Not for the War! The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) today expresses outrage over the passing of the more than $ 628 B budget to fund the Iraq –Afghanistan war yesterday, June 26 in the US Congress while that the Filipino Veterans Equity bill that was languishing in the US congress for more than 18 years was not even discussed.
On the Recent 10-Day Visit of Phil. Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the US (tags)
The 10-day visit of U.S.-backed Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) and ten of her Cabinet members to three states in the U.S. is nothing more than a spectacle starring a puppet president and her masters in the White House, the Capitol, and in the offices of Wall Street. The Filipino people have nothing to gain from this
CDIR Condemns Malaysia's expulsion plan Against Immigrants (tags)
The Coalition in Defense of Immigrant Rights (CDIR)-USA strongly condemns Malaysia’s plan to chase out tens of thousands of Filipino and Indonesian illegal immigrants. The CDIR-USA said that immigrants include a large number of asylum seekers and refugees who had fled from the conflict-ridden Mindanao region in the southern Philippines to Malaysia's eastern Sabah state on Borneo island. In addition,the CDIR noted that many are stateless people and migrants who had lived in Sabah for more than a decade, including children who now risk being expelled. The CDIR said that the simplistic and arbitrary action of mass crackdown by the federal government in addressing such a serious and complex issue will result into serious human rights and humanitarian crisis,"
Los Angeles Anti-Arroyo RAT Smells a Foul Regime (tags)
Philippine Consulate, Los Angeles – The anti-Arroyo RATs – "Rapid Action Team" traced the foul scent in the thick smoggy air of Los Angeles to the rotten Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) regime. Filipino Americans and their allies gathered around a trashcan with GMA situated in the middle indicating that it is "Time to Take Out the Trash."
PGMA-Bush Summit, A Meeting of Terrorist (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) condemns in the strongest terms possible the President Arroyo of the Philippines and US President Bush summit on June 24 in Washington DC and the coming President Arroyo’s visit to the United States from June 23 -27, 2008.The Arroyo-Bush summit is a meeting of two terrorist. It is a meeting of the most unpopular presidents in their respective countries, a summit between a colonial master and a puppet. Up for discussions are colonial relations, pure and simple. The Filipino people stand nothing to gain from such a meeting of two of the most criticized leaders in the world
Filipinos and allies in New York City to "DETAIN AND DEPORT GLORIA!" (tags)
Progressive Filipinos and allies in New York City will "detain and deport Phil. Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA)" in front of the Philippine Consulate TOMORROW, JUNE 26. The cultural street action, along with speeches and statements from various Filipino and allied organizations will illustrate the criminalization of Filipino im/migrants and serves as an act of protest to GMA's 10-day visit to the U.S. She will be in New York City on June 26-28 to meet with US politicians to ensure continued U.S. military support, and to court investors in a bid to further sell off the natural resources of the Philippines. So the existing colonial puppet-master relationship continues.
So-called US humanitarian mission in Samar a guise for military intervention (tags)
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Eastern Visayas expressed today that the Pacific Friendship 2008 ending this June – a "humanitarian mission" by the US Navy in Samar – is but a guise for foreign military intervention and tramples on national sovereignty. "Because it is confronted by people's resistance worldwide and thus fighting on so many fronts, the US currently relies on psychological warfare operations and selected deployments of its special operations forces," said Fr. Santiago Salas, NDFP-EV spokesperson. "The principal fighting forces of the US are currently bogged down trying to quell the anti-occupation resistance movements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thus in other countries like the Philippines where it has strategic interests, the US has in recent years resorted to feigned humanitarian missions such as the recent one in Samar, and the Balikatan war exercises where US special operations forces train their counterparts in the puppet Philippine military."
Philippine Human Rights Group Stands by Concerns (tags)
On this supposed “independence day” of the Philippines, the Philippine Human Rights Watch delegation in attendance at the UN Human Rights Council 8th Session confirms its support to the joint statement delivered by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) during the “interactive dialogue” yesterday on the consideration of the report of the Working Group on the Netherlands Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
On the 110th Independence Day of the Philippines, June 12, 2008 (tags)
As Filipinos and Filipino Americans, the Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) with pride and passion, we commemorate the 110th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12, 1898 and the victory of the Philippine revolution of 1896 against 333 years of Spanish colonialism and oppression. On this momentous occasion let us pay tribute to all our heroes who fought for our freedom. On this auspicious day, we remember that the Philippine flag was first displayed, the national hymn was played and the independence from Spain was proclaimed in the balcony of the home of general Emilio Aguinaldo in Kawit, Cavite. At that time almost all of Luzon was liberated and under the control, of the revolutionary forces except for Manila and some Spanish outpost in the Visayas and in Mindanao was still holding out. The formation of the first bourgeois democratic republic in Asia on January 23, 1899 followed. But just to be destroyed by a new colonial power- the Imperialist United States of America. By waging an imperialist war of aggression against the young republic and its people from 1899 to 1913 in a “war of pacification” against the Filipinos, the United States occupied the Philippines for 48 years. The Filipinos lost almost 2 million people during the Filipino=-American War.
AJLPP Condemns Dutch court orders prosecution of Prof. Jose Maria Sison (tags)
The Dutch authorities are at it again! The Alliance Philippines today condemns the Dutch court orders that give prosecutors the go-ahead Thursday to pursue murder charges against Philippine communist leader Jose Maria Sison, despite an earlier dismissal of the case. "Today, the District Court of The Hague decided in camera that the Public Prosecution Service may continue the prosecution of Jose Maria Sison for involvement in, among other matters, a number of murders committed in the Philippines in 2003 and 2004," said a press statement of the court. The AJLPP National Coordinator Mario Santos today said: “The order of Dutch authorities at the behest of its US imperialist allies is a terrible blow to the cause of peace in the Philippines and fodder for the continuing war of terror against the Filipino people. The peace talks between the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) have already been stalled for four years."
Memorial Meetings for Ka Bel to be Held US-Wide (tags)
Whenever death may surprise us, it will be welcomed provided that our battle cry reaches some receptive ear, that another hand stretches out to take up the weapon, and that other men come forward to intone our funeral dirge with the staccato of machine gun and new cries of battle and victory." ~ Ernesto "Che" Guevarra Los Angeles - Nationwide memorial meetings to mourn and honor Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran will be held in different cities in the United States from May 21 to June 9, 2008. Ka Bel was an ANAKPAWIS Representative, Chair Emeritus of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May First Movement), and former Chair of the International League for People’s Struggle (ILPS). Mario Santos, Alliance Philippines National Coordinator, made this announcement in San Francisco after the meeting with representative from International ANSWER on May 22. According to Santos, the memorials for Ka Bel will be held on May 27 in Queens, New York, May 28 in Los Angeles at Remy's on Temple Art Gallery in Historic Filipinotown and San Francisco, and on June 9 in Seattle. Progressive Filipino forces in Chicago will hold a memorial on May 24.
Rep. Crispin Beltran, The Great Hero of the Working Class (tags)
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Alliance Philippines), with profound sadness, announced the passing of Ka (short for "kasama" or comrade) Crispin Beltran, 75, last May 20, 2008, in the Philippines. Ka Bel, as we fondly call him, was a representative of ANAKPAWIS (Toiling Masses) Party List, chair emeritus of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May First Movement), labor center in the Philippines, and was the first chairperson of the International League of Peoples Struggle (ILPS) from 2001-2004.
The fight for Filipino veterans' equity: A struggle against racism (tags)
After 63 years, the U.S. Senate finally passed the Veterans Expanded Benefits Bill on April 24 with a vote of 96 to 1. But can this act of Congress giveA back justice and equity for Filipino veterans who were denied their rights for 63 long years? The Philippines was a colony of the United States when World War II broke out in 1941. In a hurry to defend its colonial possessions in the Pacific, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt formed the United States Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) and integrated the 70,000-strong Commonwealth Army of the Philippines into the 30,000-troop U.S. army in the Philippines on July 26, 1941.
National Transport strike in the Philippines : A Success (tags)
Pesante-USA based in Los Angeles, California congratulates the striking Filipino jeepney drivers from the militant PISTON group in the Philippines Monday that crippled public transportation in some cities in Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao The Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON, United Organization of Drivers and Operators Nationwide) called the strike to demand the scrapping of the expanded value-added tax (E-VAT) on oil products and of the oil deregulation law.
AJLPP Supports the May 12, 2008 National Transport Strike in the Philippines (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) declared today its support for the national transport strike in the Philippines planned for May 12, 2008. AJLPP national coordinator Mario Santos said, “The AJLPP unequivocally and wholeheartedly supports the transport group, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (PISTON), which is affiliated with the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU – May First Movement) Labor Center.” PISTON will lead Monday’s transport strike which will start at 12:01 a.m. Monday.
On the 66th Year of the Fall of Corregidor, May 6, 1942 (tags)
On May 6, 1942, after enduring one month of siege, air and artillery bombardment by the Japanese, the island fortress of Corregidor surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Army.. With the surrender of Corregidor, General Jonathan Wainright, USAFEE Chief was forced to formally surrendered the whole Philippines. With the fall of the Philippines, organized armed resistance by the USAFFE forces in the Philippines ceased to exist. The formal occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese Imperial forces for the next three years begun. But, the Filipino guerilla resistance became very much alive. Independent guerilla forces started in earnest. The guerilla forces in Northern Luzon led by General Guillermo Nakar in Isabela and the HUKBALAHAP in Central Luzon started even before the fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942. For the next three years, Filipino guerillas led by able Filipino leaders or by American officers never let the Japanese have peace of mind in occupying the Philippines. They held the line and even liberated areas even before American forces landed in the Philippines.
More US soldiers to arrive in Sulu province (tags)
More US troops are expected to arrive soon in the Philippines to support hundreds already deployed in the southern part of the country aiding Filipino soldiers in battling terrorism. At least 30 soldiers, part of the Guam Army National Guards’ First Battalion under the 294th Infantry Regiment, are heading to support “Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines,” the Guam-based Mariana’s Variety newspaper reported Wednesday.
Clinton honors Fil-Am vets in 66th Anniversary of ‘Fall of Bataan’ (tags)
HILLARY CLINTON released the following statement April 10 in honor of the men and women who bravely fought for the freedoms of the United States and the Philippines 66 years ago, when Japanese troops invaded the Philippines. This invasion led to the Fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942. "It is my honor to have the opportunity to salute these brave Filipino men and women who gallantly gave their lives for the freedom that citizens of both the Philippines and the United States now enjoy. And to those who have survived, I pledge that America will not forget the hardships that you and your family endured from that war."
Killings still major problem in Philippines--US report (tags)
- Extrajudicial and political killings, including those of journalists, by members of the military, police and other perpetrators continue to be a major problem in the Philippines, according to a report of the US Department of State. In its 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released in March this year, the US said that communist rebels and other terrorist groups also committed human rights violations against civilians. The report said that despite intensified efforts by the Philippine government to investigate and prosecute these cases, many went unsolved and unpunished.
AJLPP Sautes the 35th Year of the NDFP (tags)
On behalf of the Filipino American community in the United States and all its allies, we in the Alliance Philippines (AJLPP)consider it fitting and proper to extend warmest greetings to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in celebration of the 35th anniversary of its founding on 24 April 1973 when its 10-Point Program was unfurled and promulgated. We share in the Filipino people's jubilation that the NDFP has won great victories in the application and development of the policy and tactics of the united front in advancing the people's democratic revolution against foreign monopoly capitalism, domestic feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism in the Philippines.
Open Letter to the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and Canada (tags)
We, the undersigned Canadian-based organizations and individuals, strongly condemn the harassment by armed men of Rep. Satur Ocampo on his return from a Human Rights Mission to Canada. We also condemn the threat of his imminent arrest. We are seriously concerned for his safety and that of the other members of the Mission, Rep. Crispin Beltran and Rep. Luz Ilagan.
PASS THE EQUITY BILL NOW! (tags)
Senator Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) issued the following statement on the United States Senate unanimous vote to proceed with a floor debate on S. 1315, the Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act. Among other actions the bill would restore U.S. Veterans status and eligibility for Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pension benefits to Filipino Veterans serving in WW II. A final vote is expected today:
Ester Soriano. Community Activist Laid to Rest (tags)
Filipina-American activist Ester Soriano was laid to rest last Saturday. April 19, 2008 at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California Ester, who passed away last April 3, 2008, three day short of her 62nd birthday. was one of the founders of the National Committee for the Restoration of Civil Liberties in the Philippines (NCRCLP) in San Francisco in 1972. On the very weekend that martial law was declared by dictator Marcos in Philippines. A SERVICE OF CELEBRATION was held at the First AME Church of Los Angeles at 2270 South Harvard Boulevard Los Angeles, California 90018 at 10:00 AM last Saturday, April 19, 2008. Thousands of people from all walks of life, professions and races attended the service.
Satur Ocampo details UN report on HRVs in Canada speech (tags)
Philippine Rep. Satur C. Ocampo (Party List, Bayan Muna), Deputy Minority Leader in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, appealed to the Canadian government to urge the Philippine Government to seriously consider the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the spate of extrajudicial killings that have been going on at an alarming rate in the Philippines over the past six years. In a speech delivered to the Filipino community at the Carr Hall of St. Michaels College of the University of Toronto, Ocampo spoke about the report submitted by Prof. Philip Alston to the United Nations on November 28, 2007.
Ester Soriano-Hewitt, 62 (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) with deep sorrow condole with family and friends of Ester Soriano-Hewiit who passed away last April 3, 2008. Ester Soriano-Hewitt was one of the founders of the National Committee for the Restoration of Civil Liberties in the Philippines (NCRCLP) in San Francisco in 1972. On the very weekend that martial law was declared by dictator Marcos in Philippines. She later headed the NCRCLP Chapter in Los Angeles and later the Alliance for Philippine Concerns (APC) with Dr. Enrique and Prosy Dela Cruz and countless others. Under Ester’s able leadership they countless demonstrations and rallies infront of the LA Philippine consulate against the US-Marcos-dictatorship until it was toppled in February 1986.
Japan rights group tags cops, soldiers in killings (tags)
A Japan-based international human rights group Tuesday joined the growing number of non-government organizations that have tagged the Philippine military and police in extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances. Human Rights Now (HRN) said a fact-finding team it sent to the Philippines last year had concluded that there were "reasonable grounds" to believe that in the many cases, the Armed Forces of the Philippines or the Philippine National Police were responsible for the killings.
Conversion of rice fields created rice shortage (tags)
In the Central Luzon plains, Nueva Ecija is unique. In this farming province, the biggest rice producer in this region, you see rows upon rows of rice paddies. But it had more rice lands before the phenomenon of land conversion in the late 80s. The large landowners converted their lands to non-agricultural use so these would not fall under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law enacted in 1988. Land conversion was also necessitated by population rise and the urbanization of many towns of the province.
FILIPINO VETERANS TO PROTEST APRIL 10 AT THE WESTWOOD FEDERAL BUILDING IN LA (tags)
Money for Filipino Veterans, Not for the War! The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) with the Alliance Philippines (AJLPP ) and Samahang Pilipino at UCLA will mark the 66th Fall of Bataan Day with a protest rally for equity and justice on April 10, 2008 at 5: 00 PM at the West wood Federal Building at the corner of Veteran and Wilshire Streets.
Ex-PUP president and FQS Activist Nemesio Prudente dies at 81 (tags)
Nemesio Prudente, the former president of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and human rights advocate, died early Friday in a Cavite hospital. He was 81. One of the more prominent political prisoners of the martial law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Prudente died following almost a month of confinement at the De La Salle Medical Center in Dasmariñas, Cavite, his nephew Dante said.
On the 39th Year of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the People’s War in the Philippines (tags)
In the Philippines today, the New People's Army (NPA) is commemorating its 39th year anniversary. Nearly four decades ago, on March 29, 1969, the NPA was founded in a district in Tarlac, Central Luzon, Philippines and resumed the armed struggle to liberate the Filipino people from the clutches of US imperialism, domestic feudalism and the puppet reactionary state.
The Present Rice Crisis in The Philippines (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA, a Filipino farmers, environmental and human rights advocacy group based in Los Angeles expressed dismay over the US-Arroyo regime’s way of solving the present rice crisis in the former rice producing nation of the Philippines. The Philippine government is going to buy two million metric tons of rice abroad at a cost of $600 or P24,600 per metric ton, that will be P49.2 billion, which is 146 times than the Philippines annual post-harvest budget. President Arroyo already released P1.5 billion to boost rice production especially in the top 10 poorest provinces. The rice will be imported- from of all places-- the United States and Vietnam.
US troops Reached 4,000 Deaths Mark in Iraq War (tags)
The Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) find it unfortunate and sad that the number of American troops killed in Iraq surged to 4,000 at the time of the holiest of the Christian events: Easter Sunday, March 23,2008. The US war deaths surged passed the number of U.S combat deaths in the Filipino-American War of 1899-1902 which is 1,500 out of more than 4,324 war deaths in the four years war for the colonizing the Philippines.
MY EXPERIENCE OF IMPRISONMENT AND TORTURE (tags)
I have been informed that the International Action Committee Stuttgart, an organization in which Turkish, Palestinian and German people work together, is holding this forum to commemorate Political Prisoners Day. Thus, I have been invited to speak on my experience of imprisonment and torture in the Philippines, together with two other former political prisoners who shall speak about their own experiences in Turkey-Kurdistan and Palestine. I thank the organizers for inviting me. And I wish to express my warmest greetings of solidarity to all those who are present and to all the people in organizations that are represented here. I have strongly wished to be with you tonight. But unfortunately, the Dutch authorities do not issue travel papers to me for attending this forum. We have to resort therefore to the audio-visual techniques that are available to us. As instructed by the organizers, particularly by Ms. Elsbeth Sureau, I intend to present to you the following: 1. a summary of my imprisonment and torture, 2. the reasons for imprisonment and the political situation then obtaining in my country, 3. the protest and resistance within and outside prison, and 4. the perspectives. I shall use 15 minutes to speak and let the German translation run for another 15 minutes. I shall answer your questions in the open forum.
AJLPP Statement on the Fifth Anniversary of the War in IraqMarch 15-19, 2008 (tags)
War is Hell.” This statement of an American civilwar general, General Tecumseh Sherman, best describesthe present war on Iraq and Afghanistan. On its fifthyear, the Iraq war surpassed World War II in lengthand the Vietnam War in expenses. Studies by Nobel Price winning economist Joseph E.Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes show that it will costU.S budget between $1.7 - $2.7 trillion by 2017,exceeding the US war expenses in Vietnam.
US slashes AFP aid to RP, cites corruption, killings (tags)
he United States has slashed its development and military assistance to the Philippines from $116.6 million in 2008 to $99.2 million in 2009, citing corruption and extra-judicial killings as reasons, a report yesterday said. In its 2009 congressional budget justification report for East Asia and the Pacific, the State Department said the aid for the Philippines “represents an overall decrease from the FY 2008 level.”
Health groups join anti-corruption protests in the Philippines (tags)
Health group hit the Arroyo government in the Philippines for its unbridled corruption while it continues to neglect health care and other essential social services.
US court nixes RP ‘privilege’ over real estate tax debts (tags)
In a legal debacle for Manila, a United States federal court judge has ruled that the Philippines cannot invoke diplomatic privilege so that it would not be compelled to pay $19 million worth of unpaid real estate taxes to the New York City government. The New York City government scored a victory over real estate tax-delinquent states, including the Philippines, India and Mongolia, after US District Judge Jed Rakoff, in a written opinion, ruled in favor of the city. Rakoff’s ruling will force the three countries, which are renting out offices and business establishments housed in diplomatic buildings in New York, to settle their financial obligations to the city’s government. Reports said India owed the city $39.4 million including taxes, while Mongolia has to pay $4.2 million.
Moro group hits GMA’s ‘timeline’ to end rebellion in Mindanao (tags)
A ranking official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-Central Committee has criticized President Arroyo for her recent speech at the local Peace and Security Assembly in Mindanao where she reiterated her 2010 “timeline to end armed rebellion” in the region without specifically stating the current government-MILF peace process as the main component.
Don’t tie aid to RP record, US urged (tags)
The administration has asked lawmakers in the United States not to peg the amount of Washington’s military assistance to the Philippines on the latter’s human rights record, arguing that the two were distinct from each other and must be addressed separately. “I told the legislators that the issue of US foreign military assistance and reports about extrajudicial killings in the Philippines should be treated separately,” Ambassador to Washington Willy Gaa told the Inquirer shortly before he flew back to the US on Friday. Gaa admitted that American legislators were greatly concerned about the persistent reports of human rights violations allegedly committed by the Philippine military and police. He, however, said the move of the administration of President George W. Bush to cut by 50 percent the proposed US foreign military assistance to the Philippines from the $30 million in 2007 in the 2008 federal budget was “expected.”
FILIPINO VETERANS ALL SET TO MARK 62nd YEAR OF THE RESCISSION ACT IN LA (tags)
No Justice, No Peace! The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) veterans council composed of different Filipino World War II veterans groups held a meeting to prepare for the 62nd year of the Rescission Act on February 18, 2008. Prominent veteran leaders attended the council meeting last February 9. Among those who attended were Franco Arcebal of ACFV; Jack Vergara of Society of Guerillas and Scout Inc.(SGSI); Ramon Lladoc of Veterans Center of the Philippines; Eugene Mondok of United Filipino American veterans(UFAV); Peping Baclig and Nick Gadia of JFAV and Arturo Garcia of People’s CORE.
FILIPINO VETERANS ALL SET TO MARK 62nd YEAR OF THE RESCISSION ACT IN LA (tags)
No Justice, No Peace! The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) veterans council composed of different Filipino World War II veterans groups held a meeting to prepare for the 62nd year of the Rescission Act on February 18, 2008. Prominent veteran leaders attended the council meeting last February 9. Among those who attended were Franco Arcebal of ACFV; Jack Vergara of Society of Guerillas and Scout Inc.(SGSI); Ramon Lladoc of Veterans Center of the Philippines; Eugene Mondok of United Filipino American veterans(UFAV); Peping Baclig and Nick Gadia of JFAV and Arturo Garcia of People’s CORE.
RELEASE KMP LEADER RANDALL ECHANIS- Pesante-USA (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA. a Filipino peasant., human rights and environmental advocacy network in the United States and a member organization of the AJLPP, strongly condemns the arrest and detention of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) deputy secretary general Randall Echanis, 60 years old in the island of Negros last Monday, January 28,2008 in the Philippines. Pesante Coordinator Arturo Garcia said : “the arrest of Echanis, is a strong warning to legal activist to stop organizing the Filipino peasantry. It is also a strong arm tactic of the AFP and the PNP to implicate legal mass leaders to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA as a part of their legal offensive.” “With the extension of Esperon as AFP Chief of Staff, the US-Arroyo regime will try to make out KMP and other legal mass organizations as “communist organizations” in order to present them as war trophies.
Communist Party of the Philippines pursues a violent course against its left opponents (tags)
In the Philippines, one of the poorest countries in Asia, 40 percent of the people live in poverty. Conditions there have sparked a large radical movement, heavily repressed by the government.
AJLPP welcomes church calls for the resumption peace talks between NDFP and GRP (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) today welcomed the call of the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) for the Philippine government for the resumption of peace negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) “without preconditions.” AJLPP national coordinator Mario Santos expresses utmost support to the call of the PEPP. He was happy with the statement of Archobishop Ledesma on the prospects of the resumption of peace talks.
The CPP-NPA-NDF “Hit List” - a preliminary report (tags)
It is essential to understand the real scope of the assassination policy of Left activists pursued, after the 1992 crisis, by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its military arm, the New People’s Army (NPA) and its politico-diplomatic arm, the National Democratic Front (NDF).
AFP seeks additional troops, P3.5B to quash insurgents (tags)
President Arroyo yesterday said she is merely awaiting the recommendation of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to approve the proposal of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leadership to beef up its strength by six battalions to bolster the government’s campaign to stamp out the decades-old local communist insurgency. Presiding over the first AFP Command Conference of 2008 at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday morning, Mrs. Arroyo listened intently to the presentations of the military brass, led by AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on the insurgency situation and other threats to national security. Esperon reported to the President that the AFP needs six more battalions and P3.5 billion to implement its “unified command” program. In addition to the six battalions, the AFP hopes to constitute 20 more Cafgu (Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit) companies to help the military fight insurgency in the countryside.
NPA rebels warn of more attacks (tags)
Communist rebels claimed responsibility for the raid on a Swiss mining firm in the southern Philippines and have warned of more attacks in the country. Rebels raided the Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in the town of Tampakan in South Cotabato early Tuesday, torching buildings and equipment and attacking a military post nearby. Authorities said no one was injured or killed in the raid, which the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels claimed was a punishment for the giant Swiss mining firm accused of land grabbing, plunder and environmental destruction. The rebels said the raid was in response to a longstanding demand of the people to put a stop to the firm’s operations in the area.
Troubles in Pakistan: Benazir Bhutto’s Assassination and Its Implications (tags)
“She who rides the tiger ends up in it.” The tragic death by assassination of Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan highlights the failure of American foreign policy. For a person who was cultivated by the personal diplomacy of America and beholden to Anglo-American policy – promising to support the US against al-Qaeda and the unlimited use of Pakistan nuclear power in the service of America, Benazir Bhutto was foremost a willing American puppet. Her political opportunism stemmed from her desire to vindicate herself and to be in power as prime minister for the third time, and underscores the weakness of US diplomacy that was based on personality, populism and charisma
The Filipino Veterans Equity Act (tags)
The Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 has gone through its shares of ups and downs this year. If passed, an estimated 7,000 Filipino American veterans living in the US and 12,000 Filipino veterans in the Philippines, who both fought during WWII, would restore US Veterans status and be eligible for Veterans Affairs (VA) disability pension benefits.
Joma Sison slams Arroyo for lying about the economic situation (tags)
Prof. Jose Maria Sison, chief political consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, slammed Gloria M. Arroyo for lying about the Philippine economic situation by claiming that she is propelling the Philippines to become a “first world country”. Prof. Sison declared, “In utter subservience to the US-dictated policy of “neoliberal” glob” alization, she has worked against the line of national industrialization and genuine land reform and has aggravated and deepened the agrarian, pre-industrial and semi-feudal character of the Philippine economy. She has worsened the backward and impoverished “third world” conditions of the Philippines.
Arroyo's bankrupt and deceptive economic policy (tags)
Gloria M. Arroyo, the fake president, keeps on babbling that her regime is propelling the Philippines to become a "first world country". She is obviously lying.
On the Turkish Armed Incursion into Northern Kurdistan (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) condemns the Turkish authorities in bombing and incursions in Northern Kurdistan part of Iraq for the third straight days. We equally condemn the US and Iraqi authorities for providing the necessary data for such bombings and incursions against the Kurdish people in the border of Turkey and Northern Iraq. The same military incursions and bombings in the islands of Sulu in Southern Philippines where a division size forces of the AFP and undetermined numbers of US military special forces and advisers were deployed for more than a year.
Bali: A Missed Opportunity (tags)
The gap between the urgent threat of global warming and the collective will to do something about it has never been greater. The recently concluded Conference on Climate Change in Bali was a grand opportunity to act. Instead, it was another missed opportunity. Unfortunately, the United States played a very negative role, standing in the way of consensus at every turn. And unfortunately, the rest of the world thought that seducing the US into a new agreement on climate action was top priority, resulting in a Bali Roadmap that was very sketchy.
Why there is no ceasefire in The Philippines (tags)
It is understandable why there is no ceasefire between the armed forces of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and those of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
NDFP strongly condemns the illegal arrests (tags)
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) strongly condemns the illegal arrest, torture and detention of NDFP Consultant Emeterio Antalan and his staff Mr. Edgardo V. Friginal as another gross violation of the GRP-NDFP Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG). Mr. Antalan, 48 and Mr. Friginal, 41, were beaten up, kicked and hit with rifle butts, by ten soldiers of a joint force of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on 28 November 2007 at about 5 pm, in Barangay Dimasalang Norte, Talavera, Nueva Ecija.
On the Stalled MILF-GRP Peace Talks (tags)
The Alliance for Just and lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) through its National Coordinator Mario Santos expressed dismay over the break-off of peace talks between the Moro Islamic Front (MILF) and the Government of the Philippines (GRP ) last December 16,2007. The AJLPP’s Santos saidthat the news is bad for the cause of peace, learned through media sources that the scheduled exploratory talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday did not push through after the MILF backed out of the meeting due to a dispute over a draft agreement on territorial boundaries. The MILF rejected the inclusion by government negotiators of the phrase “constitutional process” in the proposed draft Memorandum of Agreement on ancestral domain as the mode for implementation of the agreement.
FIGHTING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND FILIPINO DIGNITY (tags)
Massive human rights violations--extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, torture, massacres, dislocation of millions of peasants and rural folk--characterize the current Arroyo regime in the Philippines. US taxdollars are paying the Arroyo military and police to carry out such barbaric practices. US citizens, concerned with human rights, ought to protest Bush/Pentagon's aid to the corrupt Arroyo administration, and demand an end to US mililtary intervention in suppressing the Moro and National Democratic Front insurgents. In the following article, Prof. E. San Juan re-affirms the necessity of upholding human rights embodied in the UN Declaration of Human Rights, which is an integral part of contemporary international law, to which every nation should adhere as member nation-states. The article pays tribute to the self-sacrificing work of thousands of Filipino activists fighting for national democracy, social justice, and genuine sovereignty, in particular the staff of KARAPATAN and its secretary-general, Marie Hilao Enriquez.
Statement of Solidarity on the Two-Day Filipino People’s Transport Strike (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Peasant-USA) whole-heartedly and militantly support the 2-day nationwide transport strike led by the Alliance against Oil Price Hike. PISTON and BAYAN Philippines. The people and the public transport sector have no choice but to show their strength and unity in the face of these continuous depredations and acts of economic sabotage. This is while the oil price worldwide to $ 85 per dollar. While oil prices is going down, oll prices in the Philippines is skyrocketing to the limits
Historic Debate on Filvets Bill Up Before Full Senate (tags)
When US Senate session resumes after Dec. 3, it will deliberate for the first time, the Filipino Veterans Equity Bill sponsored by Hawaii Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (Dem.). He is Chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee. Originally Senate Bill 57, the “Veterans Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007” will provide for the first time starting May 1, 2008 a flat rate of $3,600 annually disability pension for single Filipino veterans living in the Philippines; $4,500 annually for married veterans; and $2,400 annually for surviving spouses.To be eligible, a veteran “must have income below a certain threshold, have served during a period of war, and have a permanent and total non-service-connected disability.”
On the November 29 Incident and the UN Human Rights Report (tags)
The calm before the storm, comes the small typhoons. The Alliance For Just And Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) is not surprised at all by the dramatic action staged by military rebels led by cashiered General Danny Lim and Ltsg. and now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV last November 29 in Makati City. They have the right to defend themselves against the persecution of the unjust and fake US –Arroyo regime and have the right to express themselves in protest against the use of the courts against them. Their call for change and their condemnation of corruption in the military and the high places within the US-Arroyo regime is understandable. The $ 16 pay-off for the ZTE scandal, the NBN deal, the rampant graft in the government, the payolas all stink in the air. The AJLPP also vehemently condemn the way the PNP manhandled the media. Many media persons were arrested and brought to Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. Meanwhile, the AJLPP also commend the United Nations reporter for formally confirming their findings on human right violations in the Philippines. Philip Aston declared his findings and submitted them to the general assembly.
NDFP condemns abduction of NDFP consultant Elizabeth Principe (tags)
The NDFP vigorously condemns the abduction of NDFP Consultant Elizabeth Principe in broad daylight at 11:20 a.m. on 28 November 2007 in Cubao, Quezon City by eight men in black uniform similar to that used by the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit of the Philippine N
On the Makati City November 29 Incident and the UN Human Rights Report (tags)
—The calm before the storm, comes the small typhoons. The Alliance For Just And Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) is not surprised at all by the dramatic action staged by military rebels led by cashiered General Danny Lim and Ltsg. and now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV last November 29 in Makati City. They have the right to defend themselves against the persecution of the unjust and fake US –Arroyo regime and have the right to express themselves in protest against the use of the courts against them.
On the Philippine Congress Bombing (and Glorietta Mall blast) (tags)
Akbayan & Anak Mindanao Partylists condemn Batasan bombing
Philippine Protest Marks The First Senate Hearing On The JPEPA (tags)
14 September 2007, Manila, Philippines. – A crowd of more than 300 workers, farmers, fishers, and environmentalists from the Magkaisa Junk JPEPA Coalition (MJJC) today called on the Senators of the 14th Congress to look beyond the rosy projections and government hype surrounding the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), and to carefully assess its short-term and long-term implications. The group’s call came on the day of the first scheduled Senate hearing for this historic, precedent-setting treaty.
DUTCH FASCISM & BUSH-ARROYO STATE TERRORISM ATTACK FILIPINO REFUGEES (tags)
Colluding with U.S. & Filipino reactionaries, Dutch fascist authorities arrested Jose Maria Sison, a Filipino political refugee, and raided the National Democratic Front International Information Office in Holland. This is a clear example of State Terrorism working on behalf of predatory imperialist capital. All progressives and democrats everywhere should protest this outrage and support the Filipino people's struggle for justice, equality, and true independence.
Related links:
PHILIPPINES: Kintanar widow to testify against Joma Sison (tags)
Gloria “Joy” Jopson-Kintanar has blamed Sison for the murder of her husband, Romulo Kintanar, on Jan. 23, 2003. She and another widow, Veronica Tabara, filed complaints against Sison early last year that served as grounds for the arrest of the CPP founder in the Netherlands on Tuesday.
RALLY AUG.30 at 6;00 PM at Phil Consulate General (tags)
CALL TO ACTION: In Los Angeles, join AJLPP for the emergency mobilization to demand the release of Jose Maria Sison and call for the resumption of the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations Thursday, 8/30/07, at 6:00 pm at the Philippine Consulate: 3600 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010. If you have questions, please call (213) 241-0906.
For a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines, Free Prof. Jose Maria Sison Now! (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP or Alliance Philippines) vehemently condemns the arrest and detention today, August 28, 2007, by the Dutch authorities of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) chief political consultant, Prof. Jose Maria Sison. The arrest of Prof. Joma Sison impedes the course of a just and lasting peace in the Philippines. The incident derails the prospect of the resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP. The Filipino people’s prosperity and future depends on the resolution of the protracted civil war raging in the Philippines and the determined principled pursuit and eventual conclusion of GRP-NDFP peace talks.
DUTCH ARRESTS JOMA SISON, NDF POLITICAL CONSULTANT (tags)
JOSE Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was arrested in The Netherlands after a Dutch court judge issued a warrant for his arrest, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs. The DFA confirmed reports aired on the TV network ABS-CBN that said Sison is in custody of the Dutch police. Sison is chief consultant of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in the suspended peace talks between the communist rebels and the Philippine government. Sison was apprehended in The Hague, the Dutch capital, in connection with the alleged killings of "deep penetration agents" of the New People's Army in Leyte Province, according to the ABS-CBN website.
MORE WARS FOR GMA TO FIGHT (tags)
Communist leader Jose Maria Sison’s arrest by the Dutch police for two murders committed in the Philippines is yet one more example of the Philippines, a sovereign country, giving up its sovereignty to a foreign power by acknowledging The Netherlands’ jurisdiction over a case, or cases committed on Philippine soil. It would have been understandable, and even correct, for the Dutch authorities to order the arrest of Sison and whoever else among the self-exiles in the communist movement, if he and anyone of them broke Dutch law for a crime committed in Dutch territory. But to arrest Sison on charges of two murders committed in the Philippines years ago?
AJLLP CALLS FOR A JUST AND LASTING PEACE IN MINDANAO (tags)
The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) –USA reiterates its call for a stop on the ongoing war in Mindanao. The AJLPP through its National Coordinator Mario Santos today vehemently condemns the lack of sincerity on the part of the US-Arroyo regime in pursuing the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the National Democratic Front (NDF).
SPLITS ROCK COUPLES FOR CHRIST/GAWAD KALINGA(GK) (tags)
he Couples for Christ (CFC) , one of the biggest Catholic lay organization with membership in 160 countries announced it has spit into two with the largest segment remaining as CFC, the Philippine News reported today. Until the release of the letter dated August 16, the internal dissension was kept under wraps. The CFC was established in 1981. The CFC started the Gawad Kalinga (GK) program that seeks to build 777, 000 housing units for the “poorest of the poor” in the Philippines.
WELCOME HOME, ANNALISA AND THE GABNET3! (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) welcomes the release of the GABNet 3--Dr. Annalisa Enrile (Chairperson), Ninotchka Rosca (Founding Chair, writer) and Judith Mirkinson (International Relations Officer, founding member)--who've been placed by the Philippine Department of Justice in a "watch" list and barred from returning home to the US.
Toxic Treaty Favors Japan, Not the Philippines (tags)
August 14, 2007. Manila, Philippines. Senate Forum Bares Legal Traps and Empty Promises of the JPEPA
GABNET 3 ATTEMPTS TO BOARD PLANES A SUCCESS, DESPITE HARASSMENT FROM IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS (tags)
Dr. Annalisa Enrile and two other GABNet leaders en route to US after harassment from immigration officials at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila
U.S.-WIDE VIGIL FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF GABNET 3--U.S. CITIZENS / PERMANENT RESIDENT BANN (tags)
RALLY AND VIGIL IN SUPPORT OF THE GABNET 3
HUMAN SECURITY ACT PUTS LEADERS OF GABRIELA NETWORK-USA ON RP (tags)
USC Professor and activist plus two others are restricted from leaving the Philippines
FILIPINO VETERANS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS CONDEMN HARRASMENT OF US-BASED GABRIELA NETWORK LEA (tags)
Different Filipino World War II veterans and community organizations in Los Angeles today condemned the harassment perpetrated by the Philippine authorities against GABRIELA Network (GABNet) USA National Chairperson Dr. Annalisa Enrile. Dr. Enrile was barred from boarding her return flight to the United States. This act of harassment occurred on the culminating day of the 10th bi-annual Women’s International Solidarity Affair in the Philippines, a conference that draws hundreds of women from all over the globe and covers issues such as sex trafficking and other international human right violations. The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), the Society of Guerillas and Scouts Inc (SGSI) and other community organizations like the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC), Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA and other groups were outraged by the violations of Dr. Enrile’s rights.
LETTER OF CONCERN ABOUT DR. ANNALISA ENRILE , CHAIRPERSON, GABRIELA NETWORK- U.S.A? (tags)
The Philipine Peasant Support Network(Pesante)-USA, a solidarity and advocacy network since 1991 based in the United States, voice our serious concern about the status of US citizens Dr. Annalisa Enrile and human and women's rights activists Judith Mirkinson, and of US permanent resident Ninotchka Rosca, a writer and novelist. Dr. Enrile was prevented from boarding her return flight from Manila to Los Angeles on August 5th and was informed that she was on a "hold" order from the Philippine Department of Justice.
Former Catholic Nun Talks of War and Immigration at Seattle Baptist Church (tags)
guest speaker, Sister Florchita Bautista discussed her reflections at the University Baptist Church before an audience of fifty people last Sunday, August 5. Bautista cited the cases of human rights violations in the Philippines, specifically, stories of the grade three pupil Grecil who was shot by military men and was even accused of being a member of the rebel group New People’s Army, and that of Alice, the wife of Dr. Chandu Claver whose family is in Canada now seeking political asylum. Alice got eight bullets from the military operatives in Kalinga, northern part of the Philippines. Like many activists, Alice before her death was very active with progressive organizations that are fighting for the rights of the indigenous people over their ancestral lands and was critical of the corrupt policies of the government.
Govt battles martial law victims for Marcos funds (tags)
Victims of abuse under Ferdinand Marcos are battling the Philippines government in a Singapore court for $25 million plundered by the former dictator, lawyers said Thursday. About 10,000 victims of human rights abuses under Marcos, who died in 1989, are competing with claims from five foundations linked to the former dictator and the Philippine National Bank (PNB) as well as the government. The $25 million is all that remains in dispute after hundreds of millions of dollars in funds held in escrow overseas were earlier returned to the Philippines government after a 2003 court ruling.
Joint Alliance-Philippines and International ANSWER Statement in Response to Philippine Pr (tags)
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) or Alliance-Philippines, and the International ANSWER Steering Committee of which it is a member, strongly denounce Bush “ally” Philippine president Gloria Arroyo for going forward with the implementation of an Anti-Terror Law (ATL), euphemistically called the Human Security Act, in the Philippines. We express our militant solidarity with the progressive forces in the Philippines who will be staging protests against Arroyo in all major cities throughout the country when she delivers her State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23. Besides spinning the usual lies and deceit about her regime’s accomplishments, US “major ally” Arroyo is expected to make the ATL the centerpiece of her SONA.
Activists in Canada Give Tribute to Claver (tags)
In a tribute to signify their protest against the impunity in human rights violations back home, supporters of Alice Omengan-Claver gather July 28 to mark the one year anniversary of her death. Claver, wife of then Bayan Muna-Kalinga Chapter chair Dr. Chandu Claver, died a year ago from assassins' bullets in Bulanao, Tabuk in the province of Kalinga in the Philippines. The ambush is widely-believed to have been carried out by military operatives in the province as part of the counter-insurgency campaign of the Macapagal-Arroyo government called Oplan Bantay Laya (Operation Guard Freedom).
Palace alarmed, denies slash: US State Dep’t cuts aid to RP military (tags)
Aid to the Philippine military has been from slashed from some $30 million to a mere $11 million for 2008 or a cut of two thirds, by the United States State Department, as shown in its Web site. Malacañang executives, clearly alarmed at the report, yesterday claimed that the report was false, while US Embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop failed to provide a categorical response on whether there was a slashing of military aid, saying instead that no US budget has been submitted as yet and that the budget is a “complex” and “negotiated” procedure by Congress, even when the Web site of the State Department showed the slashed figures, which the Washington Post reported was personally allocated by State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, country by country. The Congress Web site, moreover, showed a higher aid figure for the Philippines.
Response to Philippine President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23 (tags)
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) or Alliance-Philippines, , strongly denounce Bush “ally” Philippine president Gloria Arroyo for going forward with the implementation of an Anti-Terror Law (ATL), euphemistically called the Human Security Act, in the Philippines. Arroyo’s Puppet Hypocrisy and US Intervention AJLPP strongly denounce the hypocrisy of the US- Arroyo regime for painting a rosy picture of the Philippines while poverty, corruption and repression grips the land. The Arroyo regime pretends to be interested in resuming peace talks with both the Philippine revolutionary movement represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while it ordered an attack against the MILF. The fascist regime continues its alarming spree of extra-judicial killings (now more than 870 since Arroyo took office in 2001) against political opponents and critics, and unleashes legalized fascism against the entire Filipino people through the implementation of the Anti-Terror Law.
FIL-AM COMMUNITY/ JFAV HAILS HOUSE VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMITTEE’S PASSAGE OF EQUITY BILL (tags)
“Better late than never!” ( Huli man daw at magaling, naihahabol din!) The Filipino American community in Southern California and the Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) hailed today the passage of the Equity Bill in the House Veterans Affair Committee headed by Congressman Bob Filner by a vote of 15-12. The bill passed the Veterans Affairs Committee hearing last Tuesday, July 17. Earlier Filner promised to have the bill passed by June 30. JFAV coordinators Peping Baclig and Al P. Garcia of People’s CORE also thanked everybody who tirelessly work for this efforts for the last 18 years. Earlier the U.S. Senate passed their version that will grant old age pension to Filipino veterans in the U.S. and in the Philippines.
JOIN JULY 23 AJLPP PROTEST ACTION/VIGIL (tags)
JOIN JULY 23 AJLPP PROTEST ACTION/VIGIL AGAINST MARTIAL RULE IN THE PHILIPPINES Monday, July 23, 2007 at 6:30 PM Philippine Consulate General 3600 Wilshire Blvd. (Corner Kingsley St) Los Angeles, CA 90010
How to resume formal talks and have ceasefire in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations (tags)
The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) must address and resolve beforehand certain prejudicial questions raised by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in order to resume the formal talks in the GRP-NDFP peace negotiations. In this regard, the GRP must do the following: It must stop the extrajudicial killings, abductions, tortures, mass displacement of more than one million people and other human rights violations perpetrated by the reactionary armed forces. It must declare that it is against the "terrorist" blacklisting of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA) and the NDFP chief political consultant. It must indemnify the victims of human rights violations during the Marcos fascist regime. If the GRP wants to have a ceasefire during the peace negotiations, it must come to terms with the NDFP on the basis of the 10-point Concise Agreement for an Immediate Just Peace proposed by the NDFP and must agree with the NDFP on how to accelerate the forging of comprehensive agreements on social, economic and political reforms in order to address the root causes of the armed conflict.
Reds reject peace overture (tags)
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) yesterday rejected a ceasefire offered by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. in a bid to revive stalled peace talks. CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, in a statement from the Netherlands, where he is in self-exile, said the group will only return to the negotiating table when the Philippine government moves to have it removed from a terrorist blacklisting in the United States and Europe. He stressed the Arroyo administration must also show it is sincere about stopping the military from carrying out political killings, while also indemnifying victims of human rights violations.
FILIPINO EDUCATOR ASSAILS ARROYO DICTATORSHIP IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
World-renowned Filipino educator Dr. Francisco Nemenzo, former president of the University of the Philippines and head of the coalition, LABAN NG MASA, urges the formation of a revolutionary transitional government to replace the corrupt, brutal and illegitimate Arroyo regime backed by Bush neocons and predatory corporate elite. The following article provides a background to Dr. Nemenzo's principled critique of U.S.-Arroyo State terrorism.
Letter to the Philippine President on widespread violations of human, democratic, workers' (tags)
The Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) hereby raises to your office as Chief Executive of the land our concerns about the reports that at the International Labor Organization Conference Committee on Standards meeting held in Geneva, the Philippine representative rejected said committee's recommendation for the ILO to send a high-level mission to the Philippines to look into the case of involuntarily disappeared and murdered trade union activists and leaders.
Confronting U.S. Empire: Reviewing Filipino American Insurgent Intellectual Production (tags)
This new intervention by internationally renowned Filipino scholar E. SAN JUAN, Jr. signals a renewed self-reflection by the Filipino American community and the entire diaspora of nearly 10 million Overseas Contract Workers.
EUROPEAN COURT ANNUL TERRORIST LISTING OF PROF. JOSE MA. SISON (tags)
In its judgment issued in Luxembourg yesterday, in Case T-47/03 of Jose Maria Sison versus Council of the European Union, the European Court of First Instance (ECFI) in Luxembourg annulled the Council of the European Union (EU) decision blacklisting Prof. Sison as a “terrorist”. The ECFI ruled that the Council of the EU violated the rights of Prof. Sison to defense, the obligation to state reasons and the right to effective judicial protection. There had never been any competent judicial authority calling him to a criminal investigation or any court hearing regarding any terrorist act. The ECFI also ordered the Council of the EU to bear the costs of the litigation incurred by Prof. Sison and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) which acted as an intervener in his favor.
FILIPINA SENATOR ATTACKS ARROYO STATE TERRORISM IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Of distinguished progressive lineage, Senator Jamby Madrigal of the Philippines takes a principle stand critical of the Arroyo regime's bloody and brutal repression of Filipinos backed by the Bush neocons. This article provides a context for the Philippine crisis and Senator Madrigal's views on U.S. imperialism in the neocolony and its complicity with State-terrorist repression.
Progressive FIlipinos Welcomes US Senate Spending Bill (tags)
Progressive Filipino groups from whose ranks most of the victims of extrajudicial killings have come welcomed the action of the United States Senate appropriations committee prohibiting the use of US military aid against Filipino civilians. The U.S Senate in its version of the Foreign Operations Spending Bill it approved last week, the committee instructed the US Secretary of State to monitor US military assistance to the Philippines so that they won’t be “misused by units of the security forces…against civilians, including civilians who are members of political opposition parties and human rights groups.”
On Admiral Timothy Keating's threat to escalate US military intervention (tags)
Far worse human rights violations can be expected to follow from the statements of US Pacific Forces commander Admiral Timothy Keating that the US is going to tighten its "anti-terror military cooperation" with the Arroyo regime and is willing to escalate the long-running US military intervention in the Philippines in order to fight the New People's Army (NPA) led by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) upon the request of the Arroyo regime.
Philippine farmers demand reform and extension of agrarian reform program. (tags)
Philippine farmers demand reform and extension of agrarian reform program. Asian farmers join rally in solidarity with their struggle
JFAV Questions RP Embassy Data that Only 18,155 Filipino war vets are to benefit from US (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) adamantly questions the number of Filipino World War II veterans are expected to benefit from the equity bills awaiting action in both houses of the United States Congress, as reported in major newspapers. Newspapers quoted the report of Philippine Ambassador to the US Willy Gaa that only 18,155 of this number remain alive, according to Gaa.?"After the US Army left in 1948 with its list of Filipino WWII veterans, the Armed Forces of the Philippines continued to list late registrants," But for JFAV, a community-veterans alliance based in California; “ the crux of the problem is that the main stream newspapers report did not report the other half of what Gaa reported that PVAO reported that figures of 33, 571 living veterans in the Philippines as of May 2007. PVAO also reported 54,000 living Filipino veterans in the Philippines in 2002.”
Filipino Ambassador to US besieged by questions on ‘human rights’ during talk In Seattle (tags)
The Honorable Willie Gaa, Philippine Ambassador to the US wrestled with claims of illegal arrest and detention of Congressman and labor leader Crispin Beltran and United Church of Christ Berlin Guerrero, the unabated political killings of unarmed social activists—at least 850 since Pres. Arroyo took power, and the involvement of the death squads affiliated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, during an open discussion at the Filipino Community Center last Saturday, June 16th. A member of the Ecumenical Fellowship for Justice and Peace, a church-based human rights group, presented the full page advertisement of the ‘statement of concern’ of the church and labor community, demanding among other things an immediate end to state sponsored political violence and the release of all political prisoners in the Philippines.
JFAV Marks RP Independence Day/Battle of Bessang Pass: SGS Inducted in LA (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and People’s Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (People’s CORE) and the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) commemorates the 109th Philippine Independence Day and the 62nd Anniversary of the Battle of Bessang last June 12, 2007 at the Los Angeles City Hall. As a part of the commemorative events, Council Member Herb J. Wesson Jr. of the 10th Council District inducted the newly elected officers of the SGSI at the Mayor Tom Bradley Room or the City Tower at the 26th Floor, Los Angeles City Hall at 200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
HONORING SALUD ALGABRE, FILIPINA WOMAN WARRIOR / PAGPUPUGAY KAY SALUD ALGABRE (tags)
E. San Juan's new collection of poems in Filipino include a homage to the Filipina woman warrior, Salud Algabre, a peasant leader of the 1930 Sakdal Uprising against U.S. colonialism and its local agents, the Filipino oligarchy, whose descendants now rule the neocolony.
Abu Sayyaf: The CIA’s Monster Gone Berserk (tags)
The Philippines is under watch by America’s “anti-terrorism” network. This is so not only because of the presence of active Moro and Marxist guerrillas but also because of its special concern on the Abu Sayyaf. In the ‘80s, just as it was waging its last surrogate wars against the Soviet Union, the U.S. was also engaged in new forms of covert operations -- the training of Islamic militants to fight the Russians in Afghanistan and elsewhere. A product of this war – the Abu Sayyaf – was once hailed by American presidents as a group of “freedom fighters.” It was an exaltation that would haunt them for years.
JFAV Marks RP Independence Day/Battle of Bessang Pass: SGS Inducted in LA (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and People’s Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment (People’s CORE) and the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) commemorates the 109th Philippine Independence Day and the 62nd Anniversary of the Battle of Bessang last June 12, 2007 at the Los Angeles City Hall. As a part of the commemorative events, Council Member Herb J. Wesson Jr. of the 10th Council District inducted the newly elected officers of the SGSI at the Mayor Tom Bradley Room or the City Tower at the 26th Floor, Los Angeles City Hall at 200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
REPORT ON THE CLASS STRUGGLE IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
Interview of Filipino Activist Intellectual E. SAN JUAN, Jr.
FREE PASTOR BERLIN GUERRERO, NOW! (tags)
On behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), I write to express our alarm and dismay over the abduction of Pastor Berlin Guerrero of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. Our understanding is that he was abducted by members of the Philippine National Police and the Naval Intelligence Security Forces and is still being held by Philippine authorities. We are deeply concerned by reports of the tactics employed in Pastor Guerrero's abduction. We understand that he was taken by armed men who carried drawn weapons. No warrant of arrest was produced at the time of his abduction. Reports indicate that personal affects were taken from members of his family when he was abducted. We urge you to call for, and oversee, a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding the abduction of Pastor Guerrero. This investigation should include the activities of the police and of the military and security forces.
Election Fraud and Violence in the Philippines Exposed at the Annual RP Independence Day (tags)
Sining Pandayan or "forging art" in Filipino is the multi-generational, multi-sectoral cultural group comprised of workers, women, immigrant and second-generation youth, students, young professionals, and LGBTQ, mainly from DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association and Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan. Sining Pandayan uses various cultural and expressive means such as poetry, music and street theater to project issues of the Filipino people, both in the homefront and locally.
NDFP verifies that Prof. Sison is NDFP chief political consultant and belies GRP claims (tags)
The National Council of the National Democrat Front of the Philippines hereby verifies that Prof. Jose Maria Sison is the NDFP chief political consultant and belies the claim of the Manila government that he is chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and head of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Philippine Govt rejects OIC on MNLF camps (tags)
The Philippines has rejected the request of the powerful Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)—the United Nations of Muslim majority countries, whose official observer for the Philippines is the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)—to give back to the MNLF’s Ustadz Habier Malik the two camps that government troops wrested from Malik on April 15. The OIC is helping all parties in the Mindanao conflicts keep the peace. Its richer members are pouring development aid into Mindanao and have pledged to invest billions to make Mindanao and the Filipino Muslims enjoy prosperity and modernization. Malik had issued a declaration of jihad (holy war) against the government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines after government troops overran his MNLF camps in retaliation for his group’s attack, using mortars, on a Marine base. Malik’s attack killed two Marines.
US Church and Labor Leaders to Pres. Arroyo: “Stop the Killings and Release Ka. Bel (tags)
The Philippines News Today, a local newspaper in the cities of San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada will release a full page Ad of American and Filipino progressive organizations and individuals calling among other things, an end to political killings in the Philippine and the immediate release of detained Congressman and labor leader Crispin Beltran and all political prisoners. The Supreme Court of the Philippines recently dismissed trumped up case against six Congress leaders including Beltran. Another local newspaper, Diaryo Pilipino, based in Southern California issued the same statement a month ago. Both newspapers have combined circulation of 60,000 that target to reach the majority of Filipinos living in the West Coast of North America.
AJLPP Oppose Another US-Arroyo Sell Out of Philippine Sovereignty. (tags)
SOFA, another grand sell-out”. This is how the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP)-USA characterize the treasonous action of puppet president when it signed the RP-Australia Status of Forces Agreement. (SOFA) The AJLPP never forget that the United States and Australia connived in supprting the US-Marcos dictatroship and its active involvement in the counter insurgency war against the Filipino and the Moro people since the end of World War II. Expect that the terrorism of the Arroyo regime is further emboldened by VFA and SOFA treaties and the military intervention and hegemonic superpower support of the US and its regional junior partner Australia." ?
AJLPP Oppose Another US-Arroyo Sell Out of Philippine Sovereignty. (tags)
SOFA, another grand sell-out”. This is how the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP)-USA characterize the treasonous action of puppet president when it signed the RP-Australia Status of Forces Agreement. (SOFA) The AJLPP never forget that the United States and Australia connived in supprting the US-Marcos dictatroship and its active involvement in the counter insurgency war against the Filipino and the Moro people since the end of World War II. Expect that the terrorism of the Arroyo regime is further emboldened by VFA and SOFA treaties and the military intervention and hegemonic superpower support of the US and its regional junior partner Australia."
JFAV Marks June 12 RP Independence Day/Battle of Bessang Pass (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) and People’s Community Organization for Reform and Empowerment ( People’s CORE ) and the Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) will commemorate the 109th Philippine Independence Day and the 62nd Anniversary of the Battle of Bessang Pass with the induction of the new set of officers of the Society of Guerillas and Scouts Inc. (SGSI) on June 12, 2007 at 12:00 PM the Los Angeles City Hall. The SGSI induction ceremonies will be held at the Mayor Tom Bradley Room or the City Tower at the 26th Floor, Los Angeles City Hall at 200 N. Spring St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Film Review: The Piracy of the “Pirates: On the World’s End” (tags)
What I enjoy with Hollywood is that it has a license to do everything with anything. Like the voyages of the pirates that went awry from Southeast Asian port of Singapore to the icy poles and to the sea of legendary Hades. They were quiet on the fact by piracy, England and Holland built their empires on the skulls and bones of their victims at the sea. Try to visit Amsterdam and you can see the monuments to the Dutch pirates who colonized a lot of nations like Indonesia also called the Dutch East Indies for the Netherland
France urges RP to back disappearances treaty (tags)
France appealed to the Philippine government to sign and ratify an international treaty on forced disappearances in view of the pending assistance of local authorities by human rights experts from Europe in solving the unabated political killings in the country. French Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Chesnel yesterday stressed the need for all democratic governments to support the treaty on disappearances, which will criminalize and put an end to rampant state-sanctioned abductions.
RP, Australia sign defense pact (tags)
The Philippines and Australia signed signed a security pact yesterday that will allow the countries’ militaries to hold joint counterterrorism exercises. The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) is the second such agreement entered into by the Philippines. President Arroyo and Australian Prime Minister John Howard witnessed the signing of the agreement by Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and Australian Minister for Defense Dr. Brendan Nelson. Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo vowed to question SOFA and said that they would press for the public disclosure of all the terms indicated in the agreement. “The VFA has already allowed the year-round presence of American troops. Now, they have the SOFA and they are saying that they are also taking other countries. How many soldiers from foreign countries would be allowed in our country?” he asked. Ocampo said Congress, particularly the committee on foreign affairs, was not informed about the provisions of the agreement.
Philippine-Australia SOFA furthers foreign intervention, fascist terror under Arroyo (tags)
The Philippines revolutionary movement today in a statement posted over the internet scored the Arroyo regime and the Australian government for entering into a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), saying this only furthers foreign military intervention in the Philippines, and also serves to boost the Arroyo regime's fascist repression of the people.
AJLPP / CDIR Rejects The Border Protection and Immigration Reform Bill as Racist (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines ) and the Coalition in Defense of Immigrant Rights (CDIR) vehemently oppose the so called " US Border Protection and immigration Reform Bil" l that will turn 12 million immigrants into a permanent underclass of “guest workers” and scrap the family reunification laws that will separate millions of immigrant families.
Political Killings haunt GMA in New Zealand (tags)
Protesters greeted President Arroyo and human rights was one of the main issues she discussed with New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark during their meetings here yesterday. After a bilateral meeting between the two leaders at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Parliament House, Clark informed the media that the respective human rights commissions of the two countries “have started a dialogue and are exploring ways in which New Zealand might share its experience and support the work with its counterpart.” The Philippines was called a “disaster area for human rights” by New Zealand parliamentarians and human rights activists, which said hundreds of trade unionists, priests, journalists and human rights advocates had been systematically murdered since Mrs. Arroyo took office in 2001.
Elections in RP successful – US (tags)
A US State Department official said yesterday the May 14 elections were generally successful despite reports of violence and fraud. “I know there have been some problems with violence. But I would say overall the elections have been very successful and a real sign that the Philippines has a very well-developed democracy. It has never been an easy process,” Christopher Hill, US State Department assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific, said over Radyo ng Bayan. Hill’s observation followed an earlier statement of concern from the US Embassy in Manila on reports of violence in many parts of the country during the elections.
PROTEST VS POLITICAL KILLINGS GREETS GMA IN TOKYO TRIP (tags)
President Arroyo was greeted with protest on Tuesday as Japan-based human rights groups gathered in front of the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo urging her to immediately end the spate of political killings in the Philippines and prosecute the perpetrators. Members of Amnesty International Japan, Human Rights Now and other groups also called on Tokyo to push visiting Mrs. Arroyo on human rights issues.
RP fails to get rating firm’s confidence vote (tags)
THE Philippines failed to secure a confidence vote from one of three important foreign credit-rating companies, after the country’s revenue-generating agencies missed collection targets for the first quarter. In a statement issued Friday night, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services said it kept its credit-rating outlook for the country, currently stable, dashing government hopes that the rating company would lift the same to positive.
PHILIPPINES: ON ELECTION DAY , GMA CHEATING MACHINE OPERATES (tags)
The US-Arroyo regime cheating and repressive machinery for the May 14 national elections is all systems go. To counter the evil machinations of the US-Arroyo regime, the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) reiterates it call for the Filipino people to be vigilant and fight with all their might against legalized vote buying, wholesale cheating and brazen violence in this May 14 elections. At the rate it is acting, the US-Arroyo regime is sure to surpass the much hated Marcos regime its brazenness and fascist terrorist acts. AJLPP also expresses its deepest concern over the escalating violence and the propaganda in “rationalizing” its cheating activities “ in the elections. More than 100 armed incidents have been reported since the election season started late February 2007 in the Philippines. The AJLPP compiled the latest updates from the Philippines:
PHILIPPINES: ON ELECTION DAY , GMA CHEATING MACHINE REVS UP (tags)
The US-Arroyo regime cheating and repressive machinery for the May 14 national elections is revved up and is now on full operations.. The AJLPP reiterates it call for the Filipino people to be vigilant and fight with all their might against legalized vote buying, wholesale cheating and brazen violence in this coming May 14 elections. At the rate It Is acting, the US-Arroyo regime Is sure to surpass the much hated Marcos regime its brazenness and fascist terrorist acts. AJLPP also expresses its deepest concern over the escalating violence and the propaganda in “rationalizing” its cheating activities “ in the coming elections. More than 100 armed incidents have been reported since the election season started late February 2007 in the Philippines.
PHILIPPINES: AS ELECTION DAY COMES , GMA CHEATING MACHINE REVS UP (tags)
As the US-Arroyo regime revved up Its cheating and repressive machinery for the May 14 national elections, the AJLPP reiterates it call for the Filipino people to be vigilant and fight with all their might against legalized vote buying, wholesale cheating and brazen violence in this coming May 14 elections.
Review of E. SAN JUAN's ON THE PRESENCE OF FILIPINOS IN THE UNITED STATES (tags)
Filipinos in the U.S. today comprise the largest community of Asians in the U.S. But knowledge about Filipinos is scarce; instead, trivialities, cliches, and stereotypes are disseminated by Filipino historical associations. This review calls attention to one serious effort to approach Filipinos from a historical-materialist point of view.
KABATAAN PARTY LIST SUPPORT GROUPS EVENTS (tags)
In nationally-coordinated events in California and New York last April 28, 29 and May 4, over 350 Filipino youth gathered to show unwavering support for KABATAAN Partylist, the leading and only partylist representing the youth sector in the upcoming elections in the Philippines. Using rock and acoustic music, hip hop, poetry, and shadow theater, Filipino youth used their creativity to show how their local issues are connected with the issues of youth in the Philippines addressed by the KABATAAN Partylist.
Statement of the Ecumenical Bishops Forum (tags)
The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF), the fellowship of bishops from the United Church of Christ (UCCP), United Methodist (UMC), Episcopal Church in the Philippines (ECP), Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) and the Roman Catholic Churches in the Philippines lament the deployment of elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in urban areas in the country. It is another nail hammered on the flailing limbs of freedom in this country. There is no justification for their presence in these areas at this time. The AFP is called to defend this country from aggression and armed rebellion. The police force should suffice for preserving the peace in our communities. No country claiming to be democratic alows its soldiers to roam around communities in full battle gear. No country claiming to be free allows its soldiers to engage in partisan politics. Even civic functions which military officials claim soldiers perform in these communities are best left in the hands of other government agencies and other non-government organizations.
NATIONAL FILIPINO YOUTH CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORT KABATAAN PARTYLIST (tags)
In nationally-coordinated events in California and New York last April 28, 29 and May 4, over 350 Filipino youth gathered to show unwavering support for KABATAAN Partylist, the leading and only partylist representing the youth sector in the upcoming elections in the Philippines. Using rock and acoustic music, hip hop, poetry, and shadow theater, Filipino youth used their creativity to show how their local issues are connected with the issues of youth in the Philippines addressed by the KABATAAN Partylist.
PHILIPPINES: AS ELECTION DAY COMES NEAR, VIOLENCE ESCALATES (tags)
Nobody can beat the brazen violence and blatant machinations of the US-Arroyo regime. It is even surpassing the US-Marcos regime in its brazenness and fascist terrorist acts. Again, the AJLPP reiterates it call for the Filipino people to stand guard against legalized vote buying, cheating and violence in this coming elections. AJLPP also expresses its deepest concern over the escalating violence and the propaganda in “rationalizing” its cheating activities “ in the coming elections. More than 100 armed incidents have been reported since the election season started late February 2007 in the Philippines.
AS ELECTION DAY COMES NEAR, VIOLENCE ESCALATES (tags)
Nobody can beat the brazen violence and blatant machinations of the US-Arroyo regime. It is even surpassing the US-Marcos regime in its brazenness and fascist terrorist acts. Again, the AJLPP reiterates it call for the Filipino people to stand guard against legalized vote buying, cheating and violence in this coming elections. AJLPP also expresses its deepest concern over the escalating violence and the propaganda in “rationalizing” its cheating activities “ in the coming elections. More than 100 armed incidents have been reported since the election season started late February 2007 in the Philippines.
FILIPINA MILITANTS CONDEMN ARROYO-BUSH FOR CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY (tags)
The 2nd session of the Permanent People's Tribunal (March 21-25, The Hague, Netherlands) marks a historic milestone in the Filipino people's struggle for social justice and true independence from U.S. imperialism and predatory global capital. This brief report sums up the major achievement of the Tribunal, highlighting the role of progressive Filipina women in the fight for freedom and people's liberation.
THE US-ARROYO REGIME HAS NO CONCERN AT ALL FOR THE FILIPINO WORKERS (tags)
Today, the working class in the Philippines and the whole world commemorate International Workers' Day. This is in recollection and reaffirmation of the long history so far of the heroic struggle of the working class to claim their interests, rights at power against the rule, exploitation and oppression of the big capitalist class and their henchmen and instruments that are characterized by greed, rottenness, deceit and cruelty at their very core.
AJLPP Condemns the Killing of Two Peasant Leaders/Attempted Massacre in Mindanao (tags)
The Alliance for Just anbd Lasting Peace (AJLPP) based in the United States vehemently condemn in the strongest terms possible the killing of two peasant leader in Davao and the wounding of three others in an attempted massacre in New Bataan, Davao in the island of Mindanao last April 26. Two members of a Davaol peasant group were shot dead and three others wounded in the southern Philippines, the media sources reported, Friday.
FILIPINO YOUTH IN THE US TO HOLD NATIONALLY-COORDINATED MUSIC AND POETRY FESTIVALS (tags)
New York & California – In the final two-week push before the May elections in the Philippines, Filipino youth, musicians, spoken word artists, organizers and allies are coming together in New York and Los Angeles to show support for the KABATAAN Partylist, the largest youth party representing the youth sector in the upcoming Philippine elections, and to call for clean and fair elections. Youth of KABATAAN-Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (Linking the Children of the Motherland), based in New York and New Jersey, and KABATAAN-Kabataang maka-Bayan (KmB, Pro-People Youth), based in California, will speak out for the rights of Filipino youth, both in the Philippines and here, in the US.
Stop the war in Mindanao (tags)
Proof of MNLF coddling Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Abu Sayyaf (ASG) terrorist groups must be presented; US Troops Out
Philippine party-list group Babae Ka to push for equal employment opportunity law (tags)
Babae para sa Kaunlaran or Babae Ka (You are a Woman) will be enacted by the 14th Congress of the Philippines. Women party-list group Babae Ka has announced that the group would prioritize the passage of the “equal employment opportunity law” which will ban discrimination by age, gender and religion in the process of employment.
STOP THE KILLINGS AND ABDUCTIONS (tags)
The Alliance Philippine (AJLPP) condemn in the strongest terms possible the continued spree of political killings and abduction of progressive leaders in the Philippines. The campaign of political killings and abduction continued unabated despite the international condemnation by international organizations of the US-Arroyo regime. And the most embarrassing, the killings and abduction were committed despite the Lenten season. Also in flagrant violation of the JASIG, it has summarily executed Sotero Llamas, Political Consultant of the NDFP, and caused the involuntary disappearance of NDFP Consultants and their immediate families and staff, namely, Rogelio Calubad and his son Gabriel; Prudencio Calubid, his wife Celine Palma and two companions, Leopoldo Ancheta and Philip Limjoco. The AJLPP believed that as long as the US-Arroyo regime remained play deaf and dumb on political killings and abduction of activists in the Philippines, her hands will be filled with blood and not too soon, she will pay like Marcos and Estrada for her crimes against the people.
The Arroyo regime has scuttled the peace talks (tags)
Avoiding answering the question whether the Arroyo regime agrees with the report of United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston that the military is principally responsible for political killings, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo makes the false statement that the regime has a standing invitation to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines for peace talks. The Arroyo regime has scuttled the peace talks. It has declared its militarist plan to destroy the revolutionary movement before 2010. It has flagrantly violated the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) by committing crimes against humanity, perpetrating extrajudicial killings of more than 830 unarmed civilians, enforced disappearances on about 200 persons and frustrated killings on more than 350 persons, among other gross human rights violations.
* Philippine Government Apathetic Toward Human Rights Abuses * (tags)
UNITED Nations special rapporteur Philip Alston gave an oral report to the UN Human Rights Council yesterday of the preliminary findings and recommendations in connection with his 10-day visit to the country in February to investigate extrajudicial killings. In his report, Alston criticized key government agencies, particularly the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice, and Malacañang for shirking their responsibilities in upholding human rights in the Philippines.
Progressive FilAm Organizations in Los Angeles Snubbed the March 26 PNP-AFP “Pulong Bayan (tags)
More than 20 Filipino American journalists attended the Philippine Consulate General’s “Pulong Bayan sa Konsulado” on Human Rights in the Philippines with deputy director General of the PNP, General Avelino Razon last Monday, March 26 at 3600 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles. But prominently absent were representatives from different Southern California Filipino American progressive organizations like the Alliance Philippines (AJLPP), Gabriela and other organizations who were also invited but who boycotted the affair.
AJLPP-NY/NJ DENOUNCES THE WAR ON IRAQ AT THE MARCH ON THE PENTAGON (tags)
Speech delivered by Leah Obias of the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) - NY/NJ at the historic March on the Pentagon on March 17, 2007 in Washington DC
GABRIELA NETWORK STATEMENT ON THE 4TH ANNIV. OF THE INVASION OF IRAQ (tags)
GABRIELA NETWORK STATEMENT ON THE 4TH ANNIV. OF THE INVASION OF IRAQ. 19 March 2007.
ALLIANCE PHILIPPINES (AJLPP-USA) STATEMENT (tags)
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) joins hundreds of thousands of protesters in hundreds of cities and towns across the United States and all over the world to mark the fourth anniversary of the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq and the 40th year of the protest march at the Pentagon during the Vietnam War in 1967. Four years after George W. Bush hastily declared the war to be “over,” more than 3,200 U.S. soldiers, 650,000 Iraqis have died and hundreds of thousands including more than 30,000 American veterans maimed in an ongoing brutal war and occupation which was premised on lies. Onboard that aircraft carrier Lincoln,Bush said that he would make the Philippines the “model of democracy” for Iraq. But to Filipinos, it meant the death of 840 social activist, 200 misssing and the jailing of 200 patriots including two congressmen: Satur Ocampo and labor leader Crispin Beltran who were stripped of their parliamentary immunity.
Two Washington Meetings, One Goal: Stop Political Killings in the Philippines (tags)
Leaders and members of Baptist, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, ANSWER Seattle, Veterans for Peace and the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) will fund-raise on Mar 16, Friday at 6 PM at the University Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington to publish a full page ad in the leading newspaper in the Philippines demanding among others an immediate end to political killings that to date have claimed 840 lives of social activists.
AJLPP –USA Condemns the latest killing of ANAKPAWIS Provincial Coordinator (tags)
-The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) –USA condemn in the most strongest terms possible the brazen killing of Renato “Atong” Pacaide, general secretary of the peasant organization, NAMDDS. a chapter of the KMP ( Peasant Movement of the Philippines and Provincial Coordinator of party list group ANAKPAWIS last March 2, 2007
APPROACHING THE FILIPINO EXODUS & DIASPORA (tags)
Two new books by noted Filipino author E. SAN JUAN, Jr. explore the predicament of millions of Filipinos leaving the Philippines and working or settling in other countries around the world--an unprecedented 9-10 milllion of 85 million Filipinos are scattered around the planet. Their huge remittance props up a sharply divided class society where a tiny oligarchy (supported by Washington/Pentagon) exploits and oppresses the majority. Over 830 victims of extrajudicial killings occured from 2001 up to the present under Arroyo's corrupt, illegitimate regime. Why is this happening?
AJLLP Joins the Call for the Removal of AFP Chief and NSA Chief in the Philippines (tags)
he Alliance- Philippines (AJLPP)-USA supports the call of -- party list group Bayan Muna (People First) and other pro-people groups that demanded the sacking of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales and Armed Forces chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr., and the prosecution of retired major general Jovito Palparan, now a Department of Justice security adviser for the political killings in the country.
Statement of Prof. Philip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the UN-Human Rights Council (tags)
Professor Phillip Alston, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions in the Philippines
US lauds ratification of Philippines' anti-terrorism bill (tags)
The US Embassy lauded yesterday the House of Representatives’ ratification of the anti-terrorism bill and the approval of the bicameral conference committee report on the bill. "For us, it is a very good and positive step (for the Philippines). The Philippine law enforcement and judicial authorities should have this kind of tools that are needed to counter terrorism," press attaché Matthew Lussenhop said. He also said the US government was not disappointed with the delay in the passage of the anti-terror measure, pointing out that "we respect Philippine democracy and its legislative consultative process and it takes time."
AJLPP Condemns the Passage of the Philippine Anti-Terror Bill (tags)
The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) vehemently condemned the passage of a the anti-terror bill in the Philippine Congress in a special session. The AJLPP expressed dismay over the ratification that came by way of approval by the House of Representatives of the Senate-amended bill -- called the “Human Security Act of 2007” -- which opponents had warned might be used to repress civil liberties.
THE RECENT JUDGMENT OF EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE: A BIG BLOW TO THE CAUSE OF PEACE (tags)
The Alliance for the Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA vehemently condemn the recent judgment by the European Court of Justice that dismissed the appeal of Prof. Jose Maria Sison for access to the secret documents used by the Council of the European Union. By putting Prof. Sison in the so-called terrorist list and imposing on him punitive sanctions, the European Court dealt the peace process in the Philippines, a very heavy blow
AJLPP-USA Condemns Philippine Government’s Anti-Terrorist Bill. (tags)
The Alliance for A just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) –USA and its allied organizations in the United States vehemently condemn in the strongest term the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Bill (ATB) in the Philippine Senate yesterday. AJLPP National Coordinator Mario Santos said: The Senate and Arroyo’s action proved that the Philippine government’s brazen puppetry ( kakapalan ng mukha)and lackyism (pagpapakatuta) knows no bounds. It does not only order the killing of Filipinos but also allows the legalization of fascist laws and violation of its constitution.
STATEMENT ON THE POLITICAL KILLINGS IN THE PHILIPPINES (tags)
We Filipino-American students call for an end to the murder of activists in the Philippines and to a Philippine government that works against rather in the national interest.
Sweden, Canada To Work for Peace talks with MILF (tags)
Sweden has joined a bloc of nations backing peace talks aimed at settling a bloody Muslim rebellion in the southern Philippines, while Canada has expressed interest in following suit, officials said Thursday.
RP wants US help in routing communists (tags)
The Philippine government will welcome US counterinsurgency assistance against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA), Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said on Thursday. Ermita hinted at growing US involvement in the Philippines’ internal security affairs while discussing the coming joint Balikatan war games in Jolo. Interviewed after his sendoff of President Arroyo, who left Thursday morning for Davos, Switzerland, Ermita said the Chief Executive is glad that both counterterrorism and counterinsurgency campaigns are “moving forward, very smoothly.”
Pesante-EFJP Los Angeles Remembers Mendiola Massacre (tags)
Filipinos and their solidarity allies militantly remembered the 20th year of the Mendiola Massacre of January 22, 1987, solemnly paid tribute to the 820 victims of political killings in the Philippines and reaffirmed their solidarity to the people’s struggle in the Philippines last night, January 22, 2007 at Remy’s on Temple Art Gallery in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles.
Pesante-EFJP Los Angeles Remembers Mendiola Massacre 20th Year and Political Killing Vict (tags)
Filipinos and their solidarity allies militantly remembered the 20th year of the Mendiola Massacre of January 22, 1987, solemnly paid tribute to the 820 victims of political killings in the Philippines and reaffirmed their solidarity to the people’s struggle in the Philippines last night, January 22, 2001 at Remy’s on Temple Art Gallery in Historic Filipino town, Los Angeles. Scores of Filipino Americans and their solidarity allies held a 20-minute ecumenical service led by Rev. Frs. Joe Tronco, Dennis and Rene De Guzman. A 12-minute short film “ The Golf War” explaining the situation of the Philippine peasantry was also shown.
AJLPP Support The Petition to the Supreme Court To Declare VFA unconstitutiona (tags)
The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) –USA militantly support the call of nationalist Filipinos led by Former Senate president Jovito Salonga, former Senator Wigberto Tañada, retired Court of Appeals associate justice Jose de la Rama; and lawyers Emilio Capulong, Harry Roque, and Florin Hilbay to declare as unconstitutional the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) for allegedly creating a "privileged class among criminals." The AJLPP –USA express elation that the Former Senate president Jovito Salonga led complainants in filing the 43-page petition before the high tribunal Friday. They said that the VFA had given the US soldiers "a class above all others" when it allowed the US to have custody of its erring
AJLPP: GMA caused people's cynicism of People Power (tags)
On January 20, 2001, the people of the Philippines overthrew President Joseph Estrada and installed Vice President Gloria Macapagala-Arroyo, Six years after the EDSA 2 uprising that toppled President Joseph Estrada, the AJLPP-USA agroup in the US working for a just and lasting peace laments that the political situation turned to worse for the Filipinos.
Philippines Cultural Solidarity Night (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network-USA (Pesante) and the Ecumenical Fellowship for Justice and Peace (EFJP) invite you to attend a cultural solidarity night to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Mediola Massacre in the Philippines. On Jan. 22, 1987, 13 peasants were massacred and more than 150 were wounded by members of the repressive Armed Forces of the Philippines while demanding genuine land reform in a peaceful protest. The commemoration and solidarity night will be an evening of art, culture and politics.
Bayan Muna member gunned down in Northern Samar (tags)
A member of the party-list group Bayan Muna and chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Northern Samar was gunned down late yesterday afternoon by a motorcycle-riding assassin in front of students at the University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman. Professor Jose Maria Cui, also a former secretary general of human rights group Karapatan in the Eastern Visayas, died on the spot after being shot in the head and chest by an unidentified suspect outside the Engineering Building of the campus around 4:15 p.m.
The AJLPP-USA Year End Report, 2006 (tags)
The SolCom was able to gather more than 5,000 petitions, sent more than 2,000 signed postcards to the Europe, sold more than 500 books, issued thousands of postcards, hundreds of posters and buttons in its three years of action until AJLPP came into existence. It is worthwhile to look back and retrace the steps the AJLPP has taken during the last year 2006 so it can look forward in this current year 2007. It is but fitting to move forward with greater zeal and determination to serve the Filipino people and the Filipino American community in the United States.
PHILIPPINES - Smith's illegal transfer: Arroyo's judgment will be through the ballots (tags)
AKBAYAN (Citizens' Action Party) today said that the Philippine President Arroyo's numerous crimes against the Constitution and the country's sovereignty, the latest of which is the patently illegal transfer of Smith's custody to the US Embassy, will tried through the ballots in the 2007 elections.
Statement On the US-Wide Anti-War Mobilization against the Bush “Iraq Troop Surge” (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) - USA, a member of the national steering committee of the International A.N.S.W.E.R., stands with the American people not only in opposing all unjust wars and racism being perpetrated by the imperialist system. For the Filipino American community, all imperialist wars are not patriotic crusades and a worthy cause to die for. We vehemently oppose Bush’s new policy of the “Iraq troop surge” or the Iraq alternative, for this is just a carbon copy of the failed Nixon “ Vietnamization” during the Vietnam War. It is now called “Iraqis solving Iraq’s problem.”
Four Reasons Why Smith Should Be in RP custody (tags)
The AJLPP published this good article: THE UNDERSIGNED groups express their outrage over how the Department of Justice and the Department of Foreign Affairs have taken the cudgels for Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith who, we have learned, has been released to the custody of the US Embassy upon orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. These officials have forgotten that they represent the Filipino people and not an American serviceman. Instead of deferring to the judiciary's interpretation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), they have thwarted the legal import of the original provisions of the VFA and substituted their own meaning to justify the transfer of Smith's custody to the United States. This case is not only an issue of custody.
Philippines - 2006 worst year for rights since Marcos (tags)
Political murders in the Philippines reached their highest level in 2006 since the toppling of dictator Ferdinand Marcos more than 20 years ago, human-rights activists say. More than 180 activists—including journalists, human-rights workers, leftwing politicians, trade unionists and lawyers—were assassinated this year for their criticism of those in power, they say. “An average of three extrajudicial killings are occurring every week in the country,” a Canadian human-rights team concluded recently after a fact-finding mission to the Southeast Asian nation. “A clear pattern of state-perpetrated politically motivated extrajudicial killings” was occurring in the country, the team said.
US cancels Balikatan War Exercise in the Philippines, So What? (tags)
The United States has canceled the joint Balikatan war games in the Philippines. US officials said the decision was reached because courts here refused to give in to its demand for the immediate transfer of rape convict Lance Corporal Daniel Smith to American custody. The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA is not surprised with the U.S Forces Pacific Commander's decision that also stopped "all humanitarian missions and aid" to the Philippines. This form of imperial arrogance is a common reaction of a modern imperialist empire whose was not able get its demand from a lackey client nation. Only the brazen puppets will cower under this form of brinkmanship. But for the Filipino people, they will just shrug it off and say; So what?" AJLPP exclaimed.
Pesante-USA Condems Killing of Youth leader in Cagayan (tags)
Cagayan, the northernmost province of Luzon has become a valley of death for activists as a 19-year-old youth leader became the third militant in a month to be killed in the province. Sangguniang Kabataan chair Nelson Asocena, a member of the youth group Anakbayan and the peasant group Kagimungan, was shot dead in an attack allegedly by six men in military uniform on Dec. 13 in Rizal, Cagayan. Pesante-USA vehemntly condemn the fascist terror Kiling. Asocena was the third militant leader to be killed in Cagayan within a month and the 802nd in the Philippines since 2001, based on records of the human rights group Karapatan. More than 800 activist, leaders, and ordinary members of people's organizations and their familes had been killed since 2001 when Arroyo assumed presidency in the Philippines.
On the Philippine Judge’s Decision to Deny Custody of a Convicted US Marine to the US Emba (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) USA highly commends Judge Benjamin Pozon of Makati City, Philippines for standing firm on his decision not to give the U.S Embassy custody of convicted rapist Cpl. Daniel Smith of the U.S. Marines despite the lap-dog subservience of the US-Arroyo government and its Department of Justice. What remains now is to ask all patriotic Filipinos to unite and act to scrap the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that is the source of all the indignities and violations of our national territory and honor as a people. The United States will always use the onerous and lop-sided VFA to advance their interest against our people and nation. Truly, it took the courage of a Filipino woman, “Nicole”, who stood up for her dignity as a person to emphasize the unequal relationship between the US and the Philippines. It took another brave Filipino man, a judge, to uphold our sovereignty and the majesty of Philippine laws to make us proud to be on a moral high ground and to stand firm as Filipinos. It will take the people of the nation to unite the country to continue to stand and fight for its sovereign rights.
Cory Aquino to join Dec. 17 Anti Charter Change rally at Luneta , Philippines (tags)
After the serties oftropical storms, a new political storm is brewing in the Philippines. The Icon Of Filipino People Power whose constiution of 1987 is named after ( The Cory Constitution of 1987) --the target of the US-Arroyo regime charter change yesterday said she would take part in the Church-led prayer rally on Dec. 17 to protest the Palace-backed move by administration congressmen, since withdrawn, to amend the 1987 Charter through a constituent assembly (Con-ass). In a brief statement, former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino also called on the people to join the rally at the Rizal Park . She said in a statement: “I will join the prayer rally on Sunday at the Luneta to express my moral outrage at the attempt of administration congressmen to foist their processed idea of Charter change upon the nation by turning Congress into a constituent assembly,”
Revolutionary Forces in the Philippine Condemns Arroyo-De Venecia blackmail (tags)
The revolutionary forces in the Philippines today condemned Gloria Arroyo and her cohorts in the House of Representatives for what the revolutionaries calls "an obvious blackmail to desperately push by any means a self-serving Arroyo constitution."
Migrant Workers, WW2 Vets, Inter-faith Demand Release of Philippine Labor Leader (tags)
AJLPP to Mark International Human Rights Week; Migrant Workers, Pro-Filipino WW2 Vets and Inter-faith groups in NY, SF, LA and Seattle to Raise Political and Financial Support for Detained Philippine Labor Leader
On the Verdict of the the GANG Rape of a Filipina by Four US Marines (tags)
The gang rape of Nicole by four US marines in the Philippines is not only an issue of a woman but a whole nation raped for the last century, made possible through onerous and lopsided military agreements, much like the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
US Marines' Gang-rape of a Filipina: A Violation of a Woman’s Right / Nation’s Sovereignty (tags)
On December 4, the Philippine Court released a verdict on the following four US Marine “visiting troops” charged with gang-raping a 22-year old Nicole and a fresh graduate from a Catholic University: Lance Corporals Daniel Smith (principal accused) was found guilty. Dominic Duplantis, Keith Silkwood and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier were pronuced not guilty. The latter three were reportedly at the scene cheering while the principal suspect was raping Nicole inside a cruising van at Subic Bay Freeport, which used to be part of the biggest US military naval base in the last Philippines, last Nov. 1, 2005.
PHOTOS - U.S. Marines Accused of Rape in Philippines (tags)
U.S. Marine convicted in Philippines rape case 21-year-old gets 40 years in prison; case has tested U.S.-Philippines ties
US Marines' Gang-rape of a Filipina: A Violation of a Woman’s Right ... (tags)
On December 4, the Philippine Court will release a verdict on the following four US Marine “visiting troops” charged with gang-raping a 22-year old Nicole and a fresh graduate from a Catholic University: Lance Corporals Daniel Smith (principal accused), Dominic Duplantis, Keith Silkwood and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier. The latter three were reportedly at the scene cheering while the principal suspect was raping Nicole inside a cruising van at Subic Bay Freeport, which used to be part of the biggest US military naval base in the last Philippines, last Nov. 1, 2005.
ON THE 143rd BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF ANDRES BONIFACIO AND THE 42nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE KM (tags)
Those of us who are from the Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) are especially proud to celebrate the 143rd birth anniversary of the great Supremo (Supreme Leader) Andres Bonifacio, the founder of the Katipunan, which ended over 300 years of Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines. On November 30, 1964, on his very 101st birthday, the organization of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM – Patriotic Youth), meanwhile, was founded. Subsequently, various other youth-student organizations and those in the community, such as the Samahang Demokratiko ng Kabataan (SDK), Katipunan ng Kabataang Demokratiko (KKD), Samahang Molabe (SM), Kamanyang and others, were also founded in different parts of the Philippines.
US Marines' Gang-rape of a Filipina: A Violation of a Woman’s Right ... (tags)
On November 27, the Philippine Court will release a verdict on the following four US Marine “visiting troops” charged with gang-raping a 22-year old Nicole and a fresh graduate from a Catholic University: Lance Corporals Daniel Smith (principal accused), Dominic Duplantis, Keith Silkwood and Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier. The latter three were reportedly at the scene cheering while the principal suspect was raping Nicole inside a cruising van at Subic Bay Freeport, which used to be part of the biggest US military naval base in the last Philippines, last Nov. 1, 2005.
Please Email, Phone or Write Today In Support Of Tortured Filipino Anarchists (tags)
Please take a minute to email, phone, fax, or write in support of The Sagada 11, young anarchists falsely accused of a Maoist guerilla attack and tortured in The Philippines. Today, November 17th is an international action day for them! A sample letter and contact details for officials follow this short description of the background to the case...
Philippines: Statement on the charge of rebellion (tags)
It is our patriotic duty to defend the area of freedom that people’s power had carved out in the struggle against the Marcos dictatorship. The best way to defend freedom is to exercise it. Responsible citizens cannot watch in silence as the minions of Mrs. Arroyo make a mockery of our democratic rights.
Nov 17th is an Action Day For Imprisoned Anarchists in The Philippines (tags)
A day of protest has been called for the Sagada 11, young anarchists falsely accused of a Maoist guerilla attack and tortured in The Philippines - Phone, fax, email, write on Friday, 17th November. Also more actions at embassies etc are encouraged, please copy and distribute the leaflet below, and last but not least please write to the prisoners directly.
Philippines: AKBAYAN holds successful 3rd Congress (tags)
Amidst escalating repression and political crisis, the Akbayan Citizens Action Party recently held its Third Regular Congress last October 14 and 15, 2006, at the Riverbend Hotel in Marikina City. With the theme "Ipaglaban ang Dangal ng Pilipino, Ipaglaban ang Kinabukasan Ngayon" (Claim the Future Now), Akbayan marked its more than eight years existence as an alternative national political party in the Philippines.
Philippine Women's National Day of Protest (tags)
US-BASED WOMEN’S GROUP GABRIELA NETWORK COMMEMORATE PHILIPPINE WOMEN’S NATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST; DECLARE U.S. CULPABLE FOR EXPLOITATION AND OPPRESSION OF FILIPINAS
PHILIPPINES: Resist Arroyo’s “mad dog” campaign to cripple the political opposition! (tags)
The Department of Interior and Local Government’s “preventive suspension” of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and his entire city council based on flimsy administrative charges marks the height of the Arroyo government’s “mad dog” campaign to cripple the political opposition by all means.
Filipino Activists protest Charter change, killings in Mendiola (tags)
Thousands of FIlipino protesters led by the militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP-The Philippine Peasant Movement) marched Friday to denounce President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's campaign to amend the constitution and what they said was a spate of political killings in the Philippines. The Philippine Peasant Support Network(Pesante-USA) expressed solidarity with this nationwide mass action in the Philippines. As a Filipino peasant advocacy group, Pesante was formed in the U.S in 1991 and is a member of the Aliiance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP).
Philippine troops, block farmers in Anti-GMA –Pro Peasant caravan in Pampanga, Central Luz (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesnte) -USA in solidarity with the peasant organizations in the Philippines, strongly condemns the military and police harrasment of the peasant caravan from Central Luzon in Pampanga, going to Manila in protest over the agrarian reform month in the Philippines. Media souces reported today that 500 militant farmers taking part in a Central Luzon-wide caravan against political killings and American war games were stopped on Thursday by about 200 government soldiers and residents in the Pampanga capital of San Fernando and blocked four times by policemen on their way to this ecozone and Manila. Pesante-USA vehemently protest such military harrasments that used their civilian supporters to coerce and harass peasant protesting GMA's bogus land reform and fascist attacks against the people especially the KMP and other progressive groups.
AJLPP-USA Condemns Arroyo’s Brazen Puppetry to US Imperialism and Attacks against People’s (tags)
Pundits and blind defenders of imperial America have it all wrong: the DPRK is simply trying to defend itself from the bellicose saber-rattling that the US imperialists have directed at them and other countries and nations asserting their national sovereignty and refusing to submit to US dictates. We should not be afraid of anti-imperialist countries like the DPRK. Rather, we should link arms with all peoples, nations and countries opposed to the world’s common enemy – US imperialism
AJLPP-USA Condemns Arroyo’s Brazen Puppetry to US Imperialism and Attacks against People’s (tags)
Pundits and blind defenders of imperial America have it all wrong: the DPRK is simply trying to defend itself from the bellicose saber-rattling that the US imperialists have directed at them and other countries and nations asserting their national sovereignty and refusing to submit to US dictates. We should not be afraid of anti-imperialist countries like the DPRK. Rather, we should link arms with all peoples, nations and countries opposed to the world’s common enemy – US imperialism.
AJLPP Condemns Arroyo's Puppetry and anti-DPRK Attacks (tags)
Pundits and blind defenders of imperial America have it all wrong: the DPRK is simply trying to defend itself from the bellicose saber-rattling that the US imperialists have directed at them and other countries and nations asserting their national sovereignty and refusing to submit to US dictates. We should not be afraid of anti-imperialist countries like the DPRK. Rather, we should link arms with all peoples, nations and countries opposed to the world’s common enemy – US imperialism.
EL SALVADOR, GUATEMALA THEN, NOW THE PHILIPPINESl (tags)
-- The First Quarter Storm Network-USA recalls some accounts on the campaign of assassinations that the US-sponsored ultra-rightist military regimes in El Salvador and Guatemala conducted against their political enemies during the 1980s. The hand of the ugly American, John Negroponte who headed the dirty tricks department was ever present then in Latin America. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that what is happening in the Philippines is uncannily similar to what was happening then in Guatemala and El Salvador in the 1980s. Negroponte, after all, heads up the super-spy agency now that the US is waging a so-called global "war on terror" in tandem with shameless puppets like Gloria Arroyo conducting local campaigns like Oplan Bantay Laya (Freedom Watch).
PHILIPPINES: The Killings Must Stop (tags)
This is a Statement by European Church and Civil Society Organisations regarding the recent upsurge of political killings in the Philippines.
Sulu offensives to continue through Ramadan – AFP Chief (tags)
Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. announced Monday. that military offensives against suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines will continue throughout the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
AJLPP-USA Sept.21-13 Events- A Success! (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace In the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA commemorative activities for the 34th year of martial law and solidarity against political killings in the Philippines that was held in four cities of the United States was a tremendous success.
Alliance Philippines (AJLPP-USA) September 22 (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace In the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA Community Forum: PHILIPPINE UPDATE AND THE EVILS OF MARTIAL LAW last Friday, September 22 at 7;00 PM on September 22, 2006 in Los Angeles was a success. Scores of participants in the forum mostly survivors, victims and those who witnessed and experienced martial law in the Philippines and who now are living in the U.S shared their experiences and the lessons they learned during martial law.
Global Day of Action Demands End to Killings in the Philippines (tags)
Global Day of Action Demands End to Killings in the Philippines
FIGHT RESURGENT FASCISM, FIGHT ARROYO'S UNDECLARED MARTIAL LAW (tags)
We activist of the First Quarter Storm Network (FQSN)- USA commemorate the thirty-fourth year declaration of martial law in the Philippines that plunged the country into 14 years of dictatorship. Today, on the 34th year commemoration of martial law, we have to struggle against another tyrant who wanted to impose the same dictatorship under another label. We have to fight on! We still have to fight a war to win –the war against forgetting and revisionism. We have to wage a protracted war to remember, relive and reaffirm with our collective memories, our struggle for national democracy and the social liberation of our people.
IMF out of the Philippines and South countries now, protesters demand (tags)
On the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) together with the World Bank in Singapore, the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and other civil society organizations blame “the Fund” for being the single most influential factor for the worsening poverty in the Philippines and other countries in the South.
AJLPP-USA Mobilize for the Martial Law Commemoration and International Global Days of Acti (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA in solidarity with the people of the Philippines in their militant protest against political killings, call to resume peace negotiations and in commemoration of the 34th year of the declaration of martial rule in the Philippines launches different types of activities from September 21-23 in four major cities in the United States.
NPA'S BEATEN BY 2010- AFP (tags)
Government forces are geared up to accomplish their mission to neutralize the communist New People’s Army (NPA) before President Arroyo ends her term by 2010, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon declared yesterday
HOT INTEL: THE BOJINKA PHILIPPINES TREASON BOX (tags)
Bushfraud you have an Eva Telechi problem. Bushfraud you have a D.B. problem. Bushfraud you have a Manila Hotel, Philippines problem. Plus you have a Robert Wachtel-White Monkey problem.
AJLPP-USA MOBILIZES FOR MARTIAL LAW COMMEMORATION (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA in solidarity with the people of the Philippines in their militant protest against political killings, call to resume peace negotiations and in commemoration of the 34th year of the declaration of martial rule in the Philippines launches different types of activities from September 21-23 in four major cities in the United States. The following cities will ho
PESANTE CONDEMNS AFP RED BAITING (tags)
Philippine Peasant Support Network(Pesante)-USA based in Los Angeles, in a statement issued today, September 14, 2006 vehemently condemns AFP Chief General Esperon’s statement against Ocampo and Casino and other leaders of the progressive mass organizations in the Philippines. “Esperon’s statement is a clear military’s anti communist mind-set. It’s bunker mentality that foments anti-communist with-hunting and a clear signal for the military death squads to go after progressive mass leaders.”
PHILIPPPINE MILITARY CHIEF CALLS BAYAN MUNA's OCAMPO, CASINO -"ENEMIES OF THE STATE.& (tags)
Philippine ARMED FORCES of the Philippines chief of staff, General Hermogenes Esperon yesterday said some party-list representatives, including Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, were enemies of the state hiding behind the legitimate cover of their organization, Bayan Muna. On the other hand, the Philippine Peasant Support Network(Pesante)-USA based in Los Angeles, in a statement issued today, September 14, 2006 vehemently criticized Esperon’s statement against Ocampo and Casino and other leaders of the progressive mass organizations in the Philippines. “Esperon’s statement is a clear military’s anti communist mind-set. It’s bunker mentality that foments anti-communist with-hunting and a clear signal for the military death squads to go after progressive mass leaders.”
US commander tells Filipinos: Do not be ‘hostages’ of history (tags)
A top US commander appealed yesterday to residents of this island province "not to be ‘hostages’ of the historic 1906 Bud Daho Battle" that killed thousands of Tausugs, mostly women and children, for their defiance of the US colonial rule. Col. James Linder, commander of the Joint Operations Special Task Force in the Philippines, made the appeal after a Catholic priest here urged the US government to issue an apology to the people of Sulu, who commemorated the centennial anniversary of the Bud Daho Battle (Battle of the Clouds)
Leftist murders spark fear in Philippines (tags)
James Ayunga thinks of death whenever a motorcycle roars past. "I get goosebumps when I hear one come up behind me," said the farmers' activist and father of three. Across the Philippines, masked gunmen on motorcycles have killed scores of left-wing community leaders and Ayunga fears he could be next.
Filipinas in Lebanon treated like ’modern-day slaves’ (tags)
FINDINGS OF INTERNATIONAL MISSION TO LEBANON: Filipina overseas workers in Lebanon are being treated like “modern-day slaves,” this was the main finding of Filipinos who had just arrived from Lebanon as part of an international civil society and parliamentary delegation.
We Demand a Credible Independent Investigation of the Murder of Filipino Activists (tags)
The Melo Commission of the Arroyo administration is doomed to fail because her regime as the prime suspect in the killings is also the prime investigator. We Fil-am students call for a truly independent and credible investigation of the murder of Filipino activists.
Commemorate August 23, 1896, the Cry of Pugad Lawin: The Start of the 1896 Revolution (tags)
There are limits to what the cedula and terrorist killings can accomplish in keeping the restive Filipino people cowed into submission. Aspiring Mini-Me Dictator Arroyo must realize that Dictator Marcos’ brazen terrorism and iron-fist rule did not last indefinitely. And like the Cry of August 23, 1896, the Filipino people will once again rise up and fight their oppressors. The Filipino people will finish the unfinished Philippine Revolution against US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism until they become truly sovereign and free.
International Church leaders Condemns Political Killings in the Philippines (tags)
Condemnations as well as outrage over the unabated and rampant political killings in the Philippines is swelling in the international Christian community. More and more Protestant denominations have expressed alarm over the killings, with the Methodists issuing a statement calling on the US government to pressure Philippine President Arroyo's administration into decisive action. This came on the heels of the latest Amnesty International statement condemning the Arroyo government’s inaction and apparent crackdown of political dissent.
International Church leaders Condemns Political Killings (tags)
Condemnations as well as outrage over the unabated and rampant political killings in the Philippines is swelling in the international Christian community. More and more Protestant denominations have expressed alarm over the killings, with the Methodists issuing a statement calling on the US government to pressure Philippine President Arroyo's administration into decisive action. This came on the heels of the latest Amnesty International statement condemning the Arroyo government’s inaction and apparent crackdown of political dissent.
Filipinos Protests US-Israel Agression vs Lebanon and Palestine (tags)
The Filipino American Community Problems on the Pilipino Language (tags)
August is usually the National Language Week ( Linggo ng Wika) in the Philippines. Pesante-USA presented this paper this week for Filipinos in the Philippines and America to ponder. Its an irony while the Philippine government ( US-Arroyo regime) is reverting to the colonial mendicancy of propagating English to compete in the international market for labor exports, Filipinos abroad and Filipino Americans in the U.S are advancing the propagation of Pilipino in the United States. This is an important development we should monitor and work on. The more than 3 million Filipinos in the United States might be away from their homeland but their patriotism is afire and will never forget their roots.
FREE THE TAGAYTAY 5! FREE ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS IN ARROYO'S JAILS! (tags)
The massive human rights violations in the Philippines by the Arroyo regime have been universally condemned by Amnesty International, the United Nations, National Lawyers Guild, Reporters Without Borders, and other international bodies. We call on U.S. citizens to demand the cut-off of U.S. military and other assistance to the corrupt and illegitimate Arroyo regime as a gesture of solidarity to millions of Filipinos victimized by the tyrannical, militarist Arroyo regime.
THIS morning, I received a text message from a friend based in Baguio City. I'm translating the text: "Update from those who visited Chandu. He's OK now. Can communicate. Hope he'll pull through." That was the uplifting part, but the text ended: "Alice's burial on Friday." Chandu is Dr. Constancio Claver, a physician working in the Cordilleras and chair of the Bayan Muna party-list group in Kalinga province. Last Monday, his family was ambushed by armed men on board two vans. Chandu and a bystander suffered gunshot wounds and both are now recovering. Sandy, their 7-year-old daughter, was in the van and was spared but suffers from shock. Alice, Chandu's wife, died from her wounds.
Fierce fighting in S. Philippines (tags)
T roops are searching for several key militants The Philippine military says five members of the Muslim group the Abu Sayyaf have been killed in fierce fighting in the south of the country. Rockets have been fired and bombs dropped on a base of suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo island.
JFAV Supports the Repeal of Marcos Decree Against Filipino Veterans (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)-USA supports Filipino veterans struggle in the Philippines and the United States against the Marcos-era decree that terminated the benefits of retired Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel who had acquired foreign citizenship and the counterpart measure seeking the repeal of Presidential Decree 1638 (or the AFP Military Personnel Retirement and Separation Decree of 1979) has yet to be filed in the Senate.
Deport Bolante Back to the Philippines, (tags)
The AJLPP calls on the US government to act and deport Arroyo’s bagman Bolante. We likewise call on the Philippine government to prosecute Bolante as soon as he is returned to the Philippines. Only then we can believe that they are both serious in fighting corruption in the Philippines. Otherwise, we are just watching another charade in the making. Peace will only be another victim in the altar of self-appointed high priests of immorality, corruption and greed.
In the light of the profound economic and political crisis in the Philippines today, what could be the significance of celebrating the one-hundred year anniversary of the coming of Filipino contract labor to Hawaii? Are Filipinos the new compradors for the militarist U.S. Empire? Or are they harbingers of a new generation of combatants from the oppressed communities? At the turn of the century, the revolutionary organizer Rosa Luxemburg elegized the dismal plight of the subjugated natives. Today, US Special Forces are back to reconquer the neocolony, with the natives no longer smiling, now up in arms, united with people of color in Venezuela, Palestine, Hawaii, Nepal, Mexico, and other battlefronts of our beleaguered planet. Whither the Filipino diaspora?
Start anti-corruption drive with Bolante’ (tags)
If the government is serious in its campaign against corruption, it should start revealing details of why former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante was taken into custody in the United States, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said yesterday.
Dismantle the US-Arroyo Fascist Puppet Regime, Resume Peace Negotiations Now! (tags)
For the sixth time, the fake president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will deliver her State of the Nation Address (SONA) as the traditional year-end report to elucidate new policies like all Philippine presidents do. But her sixth SONA will no different from her previous ones: all the high-tech glitz and fanfare in the world will not be able to hide its emptiness and utter lack of credibility
Warnings she must heed: (tags)
All kinds of speculations have been aired since former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante was arrested in the United States for entering the country without a visa. Could his arrest be a US government warning shot to the Arroyo administration? Opposition voices are saying his arrest was made on the initiative of the Arroyo administration. They allege the administration does not want Bolante to come back to the Philippines and be forced to spill the beans in congressional investigations about his alleged diversion of P728 million from funds for fertilizers to be shared with farmers to President Arroyo’s 2004 campaign kitty. Both the Philippine and American governments are not forthcoming with details. The Philippine government has in fact ordered a total blackout on statements and news about Bolante. US immigration experts are befuddled why Bolante was arrested and held. He is in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement “processing center” in San Pedro, California.
Warnings she must heed: (tags)
All kinds of speculations have been aired since former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn Bolante was arrested in the United States for entering the country without a visa. Could his arrest be a US government warning shot to the Arroyo administration? Opposition voices are saying his arrest was made on the initiative of the Arroyo administration. They allege the administration does not want Bolante to come back to the Philippines and be forced to spill the beans in congressional investigations about his alleged diversion of P728 million from funds for fertilizers to be shared with farmers to President Arroyo’s 2004 campaign kitty. Both the Philippine and American governments are not forthcoming with details.
Philippine Army Lt.San Juan turns back on Magdaló comrades (tags)
“I reaffirm my allegiance to the Constitution and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” San Juan said. Rumors had surfaced in past weeks that San Juan, who belongs to the elite Light Reaction Company (LRC), had broken off from the Magdaló.
E. San Juan's recent book, ONLY BY STRUGGLE (Quezon City: Giraffe Books), represents one of the most important progressive voices in the movement for national democracy and liberation in the Philippines. This review highlights some noteworthy themes of the work.
US arms Infusion boost to RP troops (tags)
THE United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie A. Kenney has assured the Philippines that the US will continue providing the Armed Forces of the Philippines with military hardware to strengthen its capability to fight terrorism and insurgency. At a roundtable at The Manila Times, Kenney said the AFP would also receive technical assistance to boost its firepower.
Community Radio station set aflame in the Philippines: staff injured, military blamed (tags)
In the latest attack over free media in the Philippines, Radyo Cagavano, a community radio station run by farmers and supported by the left-wing Bayan Muna party, was burned down and its staff member injured and robbed at gun-point. The radio station employees suspect the Philippine Army. Since Gloria Macapagal became President in Feburary 2001, 42 journalists have been murdered. AMARC, the World Association of Community Radio Stations, is organizing a campaign to demand justice for the people of Radyo Cagayano. (includes pictures provided by Kodao Productions from Quezon City, Philippines. Kodao Productions, another AMARC member, is spearheading the national campaign in the Philippines.)
Gunmen in Bulacan abduct 3 left-wing activists (tags)
Pesante-USA reprinted a report that said three left-wing activists were abducted by masked gunmen in the northern Philippines, a human rights group said Friday. The military commander in the area denied involvement while claiming the missing people were communist rebels. Two women student activists from the University of the Philippines and a male companion were seized before dawn Monday from a farming village outside Hagonoy town, said Marie Hilao-Enriquez, secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan.
Human rights in RP alarming — Oslo (tags)
A ranking Norwegian Foreign Ministry official has expressed alarm over the rise in political killings in the Philippines, describing the human rights situation in the country as “very difficult.” Speaking before a conflict and development seminar on the Philippines last June 20 in Oslo, Tore Hattrem, director general of the Section of Peace and Reconciliation of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noted that the situation has stalled peace negotiations between the Arroyo administration and local communist rebels.
Sison expulsion easier with death repeal - Palace (tags)
The true intentions of the US-Arroyo regime is coming out. Executve Secretary Ermita has let the cat out of the bag--WITH the abolition of the death penalty Malacañang sees better chances of persuading The Netherlands to deport exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Ma. Sison. Executive Eduardo Ermita made the statement as communist guerrillas urged the government to respect the civil rights of their comrades targeted by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's revitalized two-year counter-insurgency campaign. Citing conversations with an official of the Dutch embassy here, who he did not name, Ermita said the only real stumbling block to Sison’s expulsion from The Netherlands was the death penalty. Meanwhile, Luis Jalandoni, chairman of the National Democratic Front peace panel, called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and “all organizations which uphold human rights and international humanitarian law” to “hold the Arroyo regime accountable” for the alleged abduction by government troops of an NDF consultant and his son earlier this month. Jalandoni accused the government of “crimes against humanity,” claiming it was responsible for “more than 180 enforced disappearances, more than 690 extra-judicial killings of unarmed civilians and frustrated killings of more than 200 civilian victims.”
AJLPP 1st National Congress (tags)
International solidarity against the worldwide US-led “war on terror” is more necessary than ever. In particular, with the US-backed Arroyo clique pushing an all-out militarist solution and with the alarming rise in political killings and militarization in the Philippines, forging solidarity with the Filipino people’s clamor for a just and lasting peace is more urgent than ever. Communiqué on the 1st National Congress of the Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) – U.S.A.
nternational peace conference connects struggles and unites in opposition to imperialist w (tags)
Over 150 participants from ten countries around the world shared and connected their struggles in the second day of a unique and historic international progressive peace conference. Participants of the “Towards a Just and Lasting Peace” conference heard first-hand yesterday the impacts of imperialist war, plunder and exploitation on peoples of the South and North. They also united in the need to support all forms of struggles for national and social liberation against imperialism in order to achieve a genuine, just and lasting peace.
Killing season in the Philippines (tags)
The escalating repression taking place now in the Philippines is no coincidence. Twenty years since the end of the dictatorship and three "people's power" uprisings later, Philippine society is hugely polarized.
Anti-Cha-cha protests mark Independence Day (tags)
AJLPP reprinted the news on the mass actions in Manila and the rest of the Philippines against Charter Change and the escalating human rights violations and attacks against personages and members of the people's organizations and party-list leaders and members in the Philippines. Several thousands of protesters joined the protests against Charter change, June 12. In Manila, about 10,000 protesters participated in an Inter-Faith prayer rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio. Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) and its allied organizations marched from two assembly points – Welcome Rotunda and Quirino avenue corner Taft avenue --toward the Liwasang Bonifacio, 4 pm. Former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera, Senator Jamby Madrigal, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, San Juan Mayor JV Ejercito, Manila Vice Mayor Danny Lacuña were among the personalities who attended the rites.
When People Become Commodities (tags)
By Jonathan Rowe
US, EU "Terror Lists" Promote Political Killings In The Philippines – Jalandoni (tags)
The Negotiating Panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines took another swipe today at governments maintaining "terrorist lists", saying that the inclusion of the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People's Army and NDFP Chief Political Consultant Jose Maria Sison in such lists emboldens the government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to continue on its rampage of extrajudicial killings of civilians, enforced disappearances and other human rights violatio
ROF. SISON EXPOSES BEFORE EUROPEAN COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE (tags)
How the State of Education Has Changed Over Time in (tags)
I think, when the school opens this June, it’s high time to send our officials back to school so that they would learn first hand the real sad state of our educational system. #
Statement of the all-women US lawyers' legal mission, (tags)
Pesante-USA printed the statement of the all-women US lawyers legal mission to the Philippines from the Gabriela website. This is to inform the US public of the human rights situation in the Philippines. We, the all-women US lawyers' legal mission, came to the Philippines in response to growing international concern over the extrajudicial killings and political persecution of women's rights activists, political leaders, members of the opposition and the Batasan 6. Our presence in the Philippines is an affirmation of international sisterhood and the imperative for women to help each other amid worldwide growing repression and political persecution. In this country, such deliberate constriction of public space for women is symbolized by the persecution of women's organizations and their leaders, such as GABRIELA and Gabriela Women's Party, and Congresswoman Liza Maza, the representative of the women's sector in Congress.
NDFP condemns cowardly murder of Ka Teroy Llamas (tags)
The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) strongly condemned Monday the cowardly murder of Sotero "Ka Teroy" Llamas and the almost daily killings of leaders and members of the left movement, political party lists, the media and the church, which it said is perpetrated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's deat squads. In a statement issued by Luis Jalandoni, chairperson of the negotiating panel of the NDFP, he stated that Ka Teroy served as adviser to the negotiating panel of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). As adviser to the NDFP, Ka Teroy was covered by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) signed by both the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. As holder of JASIG, Ka Teroy should be protected by the JASIG.
PHILIPPINES: Local governor belies PDSP claims of communist atrocities in Bukidnon (tags)
The Pesante-USA published the article of Tonyo Cruz to dispute the anti-communist and anti-people propaganda of the soc-dem pro US-Arroyo regime PDSP- a social democratic party of National Security adviser Norberto Gonzales, a clerico-fascist stooge of US Imperialism anf fascists in the Philippines.
PHILIPPINES: NPA carnage in Bukidnon bared (tags)
THE military has unearthed more atrocities committed by New People’s Army rebels in the countryside, the latest of which were the mass execution of rebels and civilians alike, the recruitment of child warriors and the abduction and rape of a teenager by a rebel commander.
THE FILIPINO PEASANT IMAGINATION VERSUS AMERICAN LEFTISM (tags)
The following remarks are intended to supplement the author's paper "Blueprint for a Bulosan Project" posted in the online journal OUR OWN VOICE. This essay critiques the position of "leftists" in the elite U.S. academies who claim a "manifest destiny" to civilize colonized subalterns and peasant radicals like the Filipino writer Carlos Bulosan who (they claim) have failed to take "America" out of a transnationalizing U.S. Studies. Are we seeing a replay of the "Thomasites" who produced generations of neocolonized "little brown brothers" now serving U.S. imperialist aggression in Iraq, Aghanistan, Palestine, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and in the Philippines, its former direct colony? "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea...."
Plot to Torture FNB Activists in Philippines (tags)
In Remembrance of the 91st Year of the Armenian Genocide by Turkish Authorities, April 24, (tags)
Every April 24, the Armenian community all over the world remembers the Turkish genocide of the Armenian people which began with the arrest of 250 prime leaders and intellectuals of the Armenian community in Turkey and their subsequent massacre in the hands of Turkish rulers on April 24, 1915 at the height of the First World War.
Filipino Social Democrats assure extreme leftist BAYAN solons case agains them very strong (tags)
Jesuit priest Fr. Romeo J. Intengan, one of the founding leaders of the Partido Demokratiko-Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP) and author of the Ateneo study asserting that party-list lawmakers belonging to the extreme left channeled millions of pork barrel funds to communist rebels, slammed anew the party-list solons. “The details that BAYAN MUNA party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo and his colleagues (Rafael Mariano, and Teodoro Casiño of BAYAN MUNA; Liza Maza of GABRIELA; Joel Virador Crispin Beltran of ANAKPAWIS) want, regarding the diversion of their pork barrel funds to abet communist insurgency, are now part of the evidence in the rebellion charges being filed by government against them,” Intengan said.
All out for April 10 National Mobilization (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), an alliance of veterans, community, youth and students organizations in southern California, commemorates the 64th year of the Fall of Bataan, April 9, 1942. It also calls for total and all out support for the April 10 national mobilization for full immigrants rights on April 10 and May 1.
Remember Bataan, Fight for Recognition, Justice and Equity! (tags)
The Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), an alliance of veterans, community, youth and students organizations in southern California, commemorates the 64th year of the Fall of Bataan, April 9, 1942 Today, we mark the Bataan Day. Why is it important to us? April 9 is a national holiday in the Philippines. Bataan became a byword in the United States because the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFFE) resisted the Japanese conquest of the Philippines and held their lines from December 10, 1942 until they were forced to surrender on April 9, 1942.
Thaksin of Thailand is Out, The Taksil in Malacañang is Next – Pesante (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA is happy to express our greetings of solidarity for the people of Thailand especially to the Thai-Americans who lived in ThaiTown in Los Angeles for their victory in forcing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra out of office. The people of Thailand did not let up their protest and boycotted the elections that Thaksin maneuvered to save his political career.
FILIPINOS IN THE U.S.A. AND AROUND THE WORLD: WHENCE AND WHITHER? (tags)
About ten million Filipinos are now scattered in the U.S. and around the world, chiefly as exploited migrant labor. Meanwhile, 85 million Filipinos--with the exception of a tiny privileged minority--are sufffering and resisting the current repressive regime in a rapidly deteriorating neocolonized social order. The Philippines has one of the most durable and vibrant revolutionary traditions in the whole world--the first Asian people to revolt against Western colonialism. 4.1 million Filipinos died opposing U.S. domination in the Filipino-American War at the turn of the last century. Today Filipinos are engaged in a popular democratic revolutionary process against U.S. imperialism and its local agents. Can overseas Filipinos contribute to the radical transformation of a world afflicted by the atrocities and terrors of global capitalism?
CPP-NDF-Philippines Greet Comrade Kim Jong Il On His Birthday (tags)
The Communist Party of the Philippines extends its warmest greetings to Comrade Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and respected leader of the Korean people on his birthday on 16 February.
CRISIS AND DISINTEGRATION OF THE ARROYO FASCIST REGIME IN THE PHIIPPINES (tags)
A critical analysis of the inherent contradictions in the current regime in the Philippines would reveal the logic of irreversible fascist decay. While objective conditions have polarized and sharpened the divisions within the ruling bloc, the subjective forces of national democracy and anti-imperialism have not fully organized and united to deliver the decisive blow. Meanwhile, the U.S. and its agents are working behind the scenes to pick a successor to Arroyo and re-consolidate its neocolonial stranglehold. But will millions of concerned Filipinos allow the U.S. and its "guns, goons and gold" to determine again our collective fate and national destiny? Filipinos in the Philippines and around the world will have to decide as the Arroyo cabal, convulved with death-pangs, lashes out at everyone within reach.
Women in US Launch Sustained Protests Against De Facto Martial Law in the Philippines (tags)
GABRIELA Network USA, a Philippine-US women's solidarity mass organization, launches rolling national mobilization that will see daily protest actions in major cities in the US until the Philippine state of national emergency is lifted.
STATE of EMERGENCY has been imposed in the PHILIPPINES! (tags)
Several dozen demonstrators were arrested, mostly social movement activists and civil society leaders including Ronald Llamas, president of AKBAYAN and Professor Randy David, a well-known academic and vocal critique of the Arroyo government.
CPP-NDF (Philippines) Greet Comrade Kim Jong Il On His Birthday (tags)
The Communist Party of the Philippines extends its warmest greetings to Comrade Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and respected leader of the Korean people on his birthday on 16 February.
The anniversary of the death of the Philippines' national hero Jose Rizal this Dec. 30 affords us the occasion to reassess his work, particularly in the context of ongoing fierce class war in the Philippines between the oppressed, impoverished majority and the few privileged landlords and politicians bought by global capital. This is taking place at a time when the Philippines is being re-colonized by the U.S. as the world's imperialist hegemon. Would Rizal want the country partitioned to greedy transnational corporations and their national elites in the current terrorist war against peoples of color in particular? These reflections hope to provoke a re-thinking of what it means to be a Filipino with the Philippines in permanent crisis, using Rizal as a point of departure, especially in the light of its citizens becoming an embattled diaspora--more than ten million OFWs as exploited domestics and contract workers around the planet, while the country's rich natural resources, cultures and traditions are wasted by foreign profiteers of globalizing capital supported by local comprador parasites currently headed by the corrupt Arroyo regime. "O where is the hope of the motherland...."?
Building Bridges Radio:Assassination of Nestle Philippines Union Leader Mumia on Katrina (tags)
Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report presents this 28 minute radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON WEB LINK.
Self-educated at the Los Angeles Public Library in the Thirties, Carlos Bulosan, the militant Filipino writer and labor activist, died on September 11, 1956. His death anniversary last month provided the occasion for the Filipino community to celebrate his contribution to the revolutionary struggle of peoples everywhere for justice, dignity, and self-determination. Bulosan was part of the community of progressive Los Angeles-based intellectuals (Carey McWilliams, Sanora Babb, Louis Adamic, Ring Lardner Jr. and others) victimized by McCarthyism and fascist reaction. His example of resistance continues to inspire people of color everywhere.
Building Bridges Rad:Assassination of Nestle Philippines Union Leader & Mumia on Katrina (tags)
Building Bridges: Your Community and Labor Report presents this 26.5 minute radio program. TO LISTEN CLICK ON WEB LINK.
GABRIELA Network & Allies Across the U.S. Protest War "Of" Terror in the Philipp (tags)
GABRIELA Network, a US-Philippine women's solidarity mass organization est. 1989, leads first nationwide protest against human rights violations and political killings in the Philippines.
The War Against the People: US Scholars Denounce Killings and Calls for a World-Wide Actio (tags)
Northampton, MA - The Critical Filipina and Filipino Studies Collective (CFFSC) condemns the growing spate of killings and human rights violations of political activists, peasant rights advocates and sympathizers, lawyers and priests in the Philippines. The Philippine military is targeting and murdering leftist activists and civilians under the pretense of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo regime’s “War on Terror.” The U.S.-backed Arroyo regime’s campaign of surveillance, abduction, torture, and execution is a campaign of terror against the Filipino people.
BAYAN USA CONDEMNS KILLINGS & EXPRESS CONCERN FOR INT'L HUMAN RIGHTS JUSTICE CAPULONG (tags)
Threats against the Philippines’ premier human rights lawyer linked to Hacienda Luisita massacre, derailment of peace talks and U.S. “war on terror”
Walden Bello, Jose Maria Sison and Schisms in the Left (tags)
Despite efforts by many around the world to rise above sectarianism in the face of the USA's raw imperialism, Walden Bello, a prominent critic of neo-liberalism, has launched an international distancing campaign against the Communist Party of the Philippines and the democratic sectoral movements which draw political inspiration from them. Claiming that the CPP's military wing has targeted him with a “hit list,” which in fact is a mere diagram showing the international linkages of various Phillipino parties and individuals, Bello is playing a dangerous game. Included on the diagram is Bello's Akbayan parlimentary party.
FARMERS, FISHERMEN, OTHERS WANT ARROYO OUT (tags)
Protesters carrying effigies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, US President Bush, former Philippines Agriculture Secretary Luisito Lorenzo and Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes blocked Quezon Avenue in Manila, causing a traffic jam Thursday afternoon. "Hunger is spreading like wildfire. There is massive corruption in all agencies of the government and genuine land reform has not been implemented," said Danilo Ramos of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.
Hunger Striker Ernest Barraquias Jr., now on his 36th day of fasting but still no actions (tags)
Hunger Strike announcement of the discoverer & whistle-blower of seized drugs distribution by high-ranking police generals & drug lords in the Philippines. They used his company. Assasination attempts on him. Richswaze, his nephew-dependent, now 10 held virtual hostage.
Philippines 2003: how 300 troops mutiny unmasked "war on terror" (tags)
[As you may notice, I’ve cut this part of the article because the question of peace talks between the left party RPMP-RPA-ABB and the Government has obviously nothing to do with the gangsters of GUAC. It's better to avoid any confusion. – Felix Zorba, October 7, 2003]
Remember the US-Philippine War (tags)
Filipino Youth & Students for Philippine Self-Determination recognizes the 105th Anniversary of the Philippine-U.S. War
CIA - Faked Terror Machine. (tags)
CIA AGENT MICHAEL MEIRING BLEW HIS OWN LEGS OFF WHILE PLANTING A TERRORIST BOMB American Treasure Hunter Michael Meiring is nearly killed in a fiery explosion in his hotel room in the Philippines! Arrest warrents have been issued for him and California based partners after his escape to USA.
Current U.S. Intervention in the Philippines* (tags)
Over the past century, the U.S. has been the leading interventionist power in the world often victimizing small independent countries and national liberation movements and using the military as its chief instrument. In many cases, U.S. interventionism leads to wars of aggression. Other methods used are: political and diplomatic pressures; economic pressures and trade sanctions; covert operations; media manipulation; and others.
The White Collar Migration - Part 1 (tags)
As Economy Gains, Outsourcing Surges
Philippines: 300 troops mutiny unmasks "war on terror" (tags)
A group of 296 soldiers - 70 junior officers and 226 enlisted men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)- staged on July 27 a siege of the Oakwood Premier luxury hotel at the Ayala Center in Makati.
US TROOPS TO FIGHT IN PHILIPPINES! (tags)
A U.S. Marine mans his machine gun near a cargo plane that landed at the Zamboanga airport in the southern Philippines on Feb. 20, 2003, carrying U.S. troops & equipment. (Stringer/Philippines/Reuters)
THE PHILIPPINES AND THE U.S. HEGEMONIC THRUST (tags)
"With the full backing and support by the US, President Arroyo as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has unleashed a most brutal war against progressive and militant forces. Even the unarmed, legal democratic movement is not spared. More than 20 members from my party, Bayan Muna, have been murdered in the past 18 months since Arroyo became President. One-hundred forty-eight (148) activists have been killed in this short period."
did CIA fake terror bombings i philippines? (tags)
remember lavon affair in 1954? Has US done something similar here?
Interview with Jose Maria Sison, target of the U.$. "war on terrorism" (tags)
Text of an interview with Philippine professor and activist Jose Maria Sison, alleged by the U.$. to be a "terrorist." Brief update on his situation, links to petitions and a longer audio interview.
This compares the Philipines with Colombia (tags)
Subject: Fw: [studentsnowar] Fwd: Peasant Movement Likens U.S. Intervention in Philippines to "Plan Colombia"
Take Action! Petition for the closure of the Angeles prostitution slave camps (tags)
This is a worldwide petition calling on the Philippine government to close the prostitution slave camps of Angeles, Philippines. We are counting on you to spread the word - please pass this notice on to friends, family, fellow activists, and post it on independent media centers, bulletin boards, and listservs!