𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑲𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒇 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔 𝑨𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒕, 𝒁𝒂𝒓𝒂 𝑨𝒍𝒗𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒛

 

We are heartbroken and outraged by the heinous murder of our dear friend and colleague in the Philippines. On the night of August 17, amidst a heavy downpour, Zara Alvarez, 39, a single mother of an 11-year-old, was mercilessly gunned down by an unidentified assailant on a motorcycle while she was on her way home in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. This is only days after the senseless killing of Randy Echanis, a prominent land reform and peace advocate. Their assassinations are just the latest string of ruthless attacks linked to the Philippine government’s crackdown on dissent.

According to KARAPATAN, a human rights non-governmental organization in the Philippines, at least 134 human rights defenders have been killed under the Duterte administration.

Born to a poor family, Alvarez graduated with a BS in Education at the Philippines Normal College, Cadiz City. As a student, she was active in the local church communities. Instead of employing as a teacher upon graduation, she chose to work fulltime to empower the marginalized. A petite woman with a huge heart, she tirelessly organized farmers, peasants, jeepney drivers, health workers, teachers, and church people. Abroad, she shared her people’s struggle for justice. Her hometown, Negros Philippines, has been a hotbed of violent conflict stemming from festering issues of land rights, poverty, and injustice. The workers are held chained in the exploitative semi-feudal hacienda system, and the oligarchic families perpetuate their power through force. The government has been less than sympathetic to the impoverished peasants facing the threat of starvation or landlord violence. Despite the constant vilification and death threats by vicious state agents, rights activists like Zara Alvarez carry on their work to defend the oppressed.

Sheryl Anne Montano, our HOPE coordinator, witnessed her fierce bravery during her short time in Negros. “Ate Zara had a small frame but had a great spirit. She had a deep love for the people she helped. I witnessed it firsthand when we organized a medical mission in a remote community, and when we took to the streets to fight for them. She was a real-life heroine,” she said.

Zara Alvarez was not the first and will not be the last to shed blood fighting for justice and genuine democracy. As long as this oppression continues, there will be resistance.

Justice for Zara Alvarez!

Justice for the landless peasants of Negros whom Zara defended!

Justice for all the victims of extrajudicial killings!

𝑶𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒐 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒍𝒂

Democracy is under siege in the Philippines. The arrest of peasant leaders, trade unionists, human rights defenders, cultural workers, journalists, women’s rights activists as well as minors over the past few days in Negros and Metro Manila represents an escalation of repression and impunity in the country. We vehemently condemn these outrageous attempts to eliminate critics of the Duterte regime and curb the peaceful struggles of the marginalized groups.

On the night of October 31, like thieves in the night, state forces barged into the homes of activists disrupting their peaceful remembrance of All Saint’s Day. The offices of people’s organizations, including the partylist Bayan Muna, the local chapter of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW), and women’s rights group Gabriela, were also raided. The groups targeted have been critical of the anti-people policies and the human rights violations of the Duterte administration including the government’s ongoing “war on drugs”. According to a BPO Industry Employees Network representative, “the arrests of the unionists in Negros is a desperate tyrannical move of the Duterte government to silence groups that have been airing legitimate demands of the workers for secure jobs, higher wages and workers rights”. Amnesty International expressed concern about the use of malicious tactics like “red-tagging” by security officials to “discredit the groups and undermine the credibility of their claims”.

Among those arrested are Romulo Bito-on Jr of Bayan Muna and his wife Mermalyn; John Milton Lozande secretary general of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NFSW); Noli Rosales of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU); Anne Krueger of Paghimutad; Proceso Quiatchon of Karapatan; Aldrin Dela Cerna of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Danny Tabura of NFSW. Others include 6 minors who are members of Teatro Obrero.

Many of the activists, whose résumés include helping workers to unionize, speaking out against landlords’ abuses and promoting the rights of marginalized and under-represented Filipino women, work with constant threats hanging over them. Despite the climate of fear instilled by Duterte’s oppressive regime, they continue to organize the masses. As long as the workers in Negros are held chained in the exploitative semi-feudal hacienda system and the oligarchic families perpetuate their power through force, inequality and injustices will continue to push them to resist and assert their rights.

Many members of the Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP-CPC) who have visited Negros Island have witnessed firsthand the perilous struggle of peasant leaders and trade unionists. “To quell their resistance, they are often branded as terrorists or dangerous criminals by the state and slapped with trumped-up charges. They relentlessly fight for the rights and welfare of the oppressed despite receiving death threats every day,” said Sheryl Anne Montano, CAP-CPC member who visited Negros in early 2018 as part of an internship on community-based health program.

Another CAP-CPC member, Sherilyn Recinto, recounted her 2016 visit with political prisoners in Negros. “They were incarcerated on various trumped-up charges by the Philippine government,” Recinto said. “Their age ranged from late teens to late 50s. They had spent from a few months to, in some cases, a few years without any hope of bail. In the vast majority of cases, almost all were found not guilty due to trumped-up charges. Activists and leaders of various grassroots organizations in the Philippines representing youth, women, farmers, and indigenous communities are being arrested for the fine work they do in those sectoral communities,” she concluded.

Since Duterte came into power, Negros Island alone witnessed 85 victims of extrajudicial killings, mostly farm workers and their families who have been fighting for their land. The island has consistently made headlines for a spate of bloody attacks against farmers, human rights defenders, lawyers, doctors, and politicians as state security forces implement the government’s counter-insurgency campaign. We demand an immediate stop to the regime’s attacks against community activists, farmers, trade unionists and human rights workers in Negros. Canada must pull its support from this rising dictatorship. We call on Centre for Philippine members and allies along with concerned citizens everywhere to protest in front of Philippine embassies and consulate.

Need to conduct high-level mission to Philippines to uncover brutal truth of Duterte dictatorship --KMU

Media Release 

13 March 2019

KMU to EU, UN and other international organizations

The Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) labor center condemned the latest press briefing conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO). The press briefing opened with a video of the recent tour conducted by the Philippine government to meet with officials of the European Union (EU), European Parliament and European Commission. PCOO undersecretary Lorraine Badoy gave the introduction while AFP deputy chief of staff for civil military operations Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. led the press briefing. 

“We urge the EU, UN, Belgian government and all international organizations to conduct a high-level mission to the Philippines. It is the only way to verify the claims of Duterte’s black information team led by Gen. Parlade. What you will find is that the so-called “muddled human rights narrative” that mass organizations have “internationalized,” to use the military official’s words, is the actual brutality of the Duterte government,” said Jerome Adonis, KMU secretary-general. “Pres. Duterte is a dictator. The facts can speak for themselves,” he added.

Parlade also mentioned KMU as an example of a communist-terrorist organization. “Unionists are not terrorists. Our members and families know that we are struggling for workers’ rights, social justice, democracy and lasting peace,” he said.   

“The military’s list of communist-terrorist organizations is actually a death list. It points out which organizations are actual targets of military operations. Naming KMU as an example means Pres. Duterte and the military have darker plans for its leaders and members,” he said.

“For the past months, the military has been forcing KMU union members in Mindanao to surrender as rebels. As if it is not enough that workers have to do eight hours and more of hard labor for meager wages, they are now being forced to falsely state that they are armed rebels. The military issued threats of imprisonment and violence against families if the unionists refuse to sign the fake surrenderee statement,” Adonis said. 

“At the same time the unionists in Mindanao are being forced to sign that they are disaffiliating from KMU. The result is the dissolution of the union and the end of all activities related to the campaign for wage increase and regularization of contractual workers,” he added.  

The press briefing also mentioned that the international solidarity work of Filipino mass organizations is a scam. It downloaded the list of organizations which attended the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) 5^th International Assembly to show that the international network of leftist organizations is wide.

“KMU is a founding member of ILPS. Workers organizations will testify that what was discussed during the 5^th International Assembly and in all gatherings of ILPS were about people’s issues. The only scam here is Duterte’s terrorist campaign. The forced surrender campaign among unionists is just one of the money-making activities of the military,” he said.

KMU also lambasted Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) undersecretary Lorraine Badoy for the role of her office during the European tour and the press briefing. “Badoy and the rest of the government team are trying to malign internationally and locally mass organizations that have a good track record of serving the Filipino people. KMU as a national labor center and other people’s organizations are not traitors to the country,” Adonis said.

“If there is anyone betraying the Filipinos, it is President Duterte. All attempts to cover-up the crimes he committed against the Filipino people are bound to fail,” he said.

“The information that the PCOO has given out in Europe and during today’s press briefing are information from a state terrorist. They contain the list of the state targets of massacre and extra-judicial killings. The communist-terrorist list is a dictator’s death list,” he said.

KMU is set to conduct a protest action in front of the Department of National Defense on March 15 at 10:00 AM to denounce the red-tagging activities of Armed Forces of Philippines (AFP) in accordance with the Whole of Nation Approach, an order issued by the President.

Reference: Jerome Adonis, secretary-general, KMU

A Statement of the Centre for Philippine Concerns on the killing of Human Rights Defender Atty. Benjamin Ramos

The Centre d’appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP/CPC) denounces the slaying of Atty. Benjamin Ramos, the Secretary General of the National Union of Peoples Lawyers (NUPL) chapter in Negros, Philippines, who was shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen on November 6, 2018.  Atty Ramos, 56, had recently been representing the families and survivors of the massacre of nine farmworkers, members of the National Federation of Sugarcane Workers (NFSW) who were shot while they were preparing to cultivate land in Hacienda Nene in Sagay City, Negros Occidental last October 20.

Known to many, Atty. Ramos was also a champion of numerous human rights cases of political prisoners, and that of the enforced disappearances and killings of peasants and activists.

Prior to the shooting incident, Atty Ramos was a victim of red-tagging, with public posters identifying him as a member of the New People’s Army. “These beastly attacks by treacherous cowards cannot go on. Not a few of our members have been attacked and killed before while literally practicing their profession and advocacies in the courts, in rallies, in picket lines, in urban poor communities, and in fact-finding missions,” the NUPL said in a statement.

“Ben is the 34th lawyer killed under the two-year administration of President [Rodrigo] Duterte.” NUPL said.

Atty. Ramos was also the lawyer for six young activists accused and arrested of being New People’s Army fighters last year in Mabinay town in neighboring Negros Oriental. The father of three was also a peasant advocate and had founded the farmers’ organization Paghiliusa Development Group.

Targeting human rights lawyers by killing and listing them as enemies of the state makes it evident that the Duterte administration is going on an all-out war against human rights defenders who dare to fight against rights violations and the prevalent culture of impunity in the Philippines.

We stand in solidarity with his friends and colleagues, and the communities he served. His fellow lawyers at the NUPL describe him as a “passionate, dedicated and articulate yet amiable and jolly” person who was, for the longest time, “the run-to pro-bono lawyer of peasants, environmentalists, activists, political prisoners and mass organizations in Negros.”

As a solidarity organization for the Philippines advocating various battles at the national and international levels, we call on the other Human Rights groups in Canada and in other parts of the world to join in the clamor for justice for Atty. Ramos and other human rights defenders in the Philippines who have been killed by police or military authorities while doing their service to the people.

The CAP/CPC joins with the other Canadian members of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP-Canada) in calling on the Duterte government to:

· Order an immediate and independent investigation in to the assassination of Atty. Ben Ramos and prosecute the perpetrator of this heinous crime;

· Prosecute the military and police perpetrators of human rights crimes;

· Stop the counter insurgency program and the campaign of terror and impunity that have resulted in the killings of farmers, indigenous leaders, anti-mining activists, human rights defenders and other social activists;

· Implement genuine land reform and eliminate one of the fundamental bases of social conflict in the Philippines;

· Restart the Peace Process with the National Democratic Front.

We call on the Canadian Government to end support for the Duterte regime and:

· Issue a public statement condemning the assassination of Atty. Ben Ramos and calling on President Rodrigo Duterte to take immediate action to end the killings and Human Rights violations against Human Rights Defenders;

· Stop all military and police cooperation and assistance;

· Stop ongoing support for the Philippine government’s counter-insurgency program including socio-economic programming;

· Stop all arms sales to the Duterte regime.

In the Land of Blood and Sugar, Negros Island

 The Centre for Philippine Concerns (CPC) vehemently condemns the brutal killings of nine sugar farm workers in Hacienda Nene, Sagay City, Negros Occidental. We stand in solidarity with the peasant masses and land rights defenders of Negros Island at this time of crisis.

On the night of October 20th, while having dinner inside their tents, the farmers were brutally shot to death by several gunmen. Their bodies were then doused with gasoline and set on fire.

Before the massacre, the victims were peacefully engaging in “bungkalan” activities or the  preparation and cultivation of idle land where they can grow crops to ward off hunger during the "tiempo muerto" or the dead season of the sugar industry. All nine members which include 3 women and 2 minors were members of the National Federation of Sugar Workers (NSFW). The group assertively occupy idle lands as a "response to resonate their campaign for genuine agrarian reform and free land distribution”. This practice also reflects “the failure of the government's land reform program and the landlords’ refusal to distribute land to the tillers”.

Sagay City Police identified the victims as:
• Eglicerio Villegas, 36, from Barangay Bulanon
• Angelipe Arsenal, from Barangay Bulanon
• Alias Pater, from Barangay Plaridel
• Dodong Laurencio, from Barangay Plaridel
• Morena Mendoza, female, from Barangay Bulanon
• Neknek Dumaguit, female
• Bingbing Bantigue, from Barangay Plaridel
• Joemarie Ughayon Jr., 17, from Barangay Rafaela Barrera
• Marchtel Sumicad, 17, from Barangay Bulanon

This heinous act highlights the continuous injustice faced by landless farm workers in the Philippines. As long as the peasants are held chained in the exploitative semi-feudal hacienda system and the oligarchic families perpetuate their power through force, the Sagay 9 victims will not be the last farmers to shed their blood fighting for survival and genuine agrarian reform. Inequality and injustices will continue to push workers to resist and find ways to sustain themselves.

Many of our members who have visited Negros Island have witnessed first-hand the struggles of  the farm workers in these sugar plantations. Earning a meager salary while working in slave-like conditions, many families in sugar plantations suffer from severe malnutrition and hunger especially during tiempo muerto. “While I was there, I was shocked to see workers out in the sugarcane fields even under scorching heat or torrential thunderstorms. Despite working from dawn to dusk, it still wasn’t enough to feed the whole family. Children are forced to stay at home and learn how to wield a cane knife early in their lives so that they can help contribute to the household income. In demonstrations, I saw young and old  side by side demanding basic rights to a government who remains blind to their plight. Due to their unbearable situation, farm workers resort to conducting agrarian reform activities on their own, without the government's assistance, putting their lives at risk,” said Sheryl Anne Montano, a member of CAP-CPC who went to Negros early in 2018 for her internship on community-based health program.

Many workers have been killed asserting their rights to land they have tilled for decades. Between 2000 to 2004, under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s government, 15 agrarian reform beneficiaries were killed and 57 wounded due to land conflicts in Negros Occidental.

The killing of the nine farmers in Sagay City brings to 45 the number of farmers and farm workers killed in Negros island under President Rodrigo Duterte’s two-year term, according to the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and the NFSW.

We echo the call of human rights defenders in the Philippines for:

• An independent and thorough investigation by the Commission on Human Rights;
• Justice for the victims of extrajudicial killings and an end to impunity;
• Resumption of the Peace Talks between the Government of the Philippines and the
National Democratic Front of the Philippines;
• Genuine land reform and redistribution;

We further request that the Canadian Government halt funding and cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police and other organizations who have been linked to human rights violations.

Sheryl Anne Montano

The Philippine Independent Church: Surviving and thriving for 116 years

Members of the IFI from Toronto join IFI members from Montreal, and solidarity friends, at the Monthly Migrant's Mass, to celebrate the 116th anniversary of the IFI, Sunday, August 19, 2019 at St Paul's Anglican Church, Montréal.

Solidarity message from Marie Boti on behalf of the CAP/CPC (Sunday, August 19, 2019)

Le Centre d’appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP/CPC) joins you to celebrate the 116th anniversary of the IFI - Iglesia Filipina Independiente.

CAP/CPC is a solidarity group active since 1983 and is made up of Filipinos and non-Filipinos here in Montreal. We are connected to many people’s organizations in the Philippines and in the migrants’ community in Canada. We have long admired the courage and the work of the IFI in providing an alternative place of faith and spirituality that is based on social justice and human dignity.

Born out of the struggle against Spanish colonialism and American imperialism, progressive nationalist priests rose up against the collusion and participation of the Roman Catholic church in colonial domination.  The Roman Catholic clergy and friars were some of the largest landowners in the colonial Philippines, and participated in the plunder of the country, committing all kinds of abuses against the local population and Filipino priests.

The formal establishment of the IFI was prevented by the intrusion of the United States of America in the revolutionary war against Spain in 1899.

It was during this period, when the institutional and missionary churches were cooperating with the colonial government, and patriotic Filipinos continued to sustain the struggle for national democracy, that the Iglesia Filipina Independiente was born in 1902.

The Roman Catholic Church hierarchy and even Reformation churches did everything they could to try to stop Fr Gregorio Anglipay and his progressive nationalist church from surviving and thriving.

The traditional churches have the monuments, wealth, land, institutions and resources gleaned in large part during the colonial plunder of the Philippines.

But the IFI, despite the adversity, has managed to set itself apart and thrive. It is the church of the poor and the oppressed, of those who thirst for justice and for the respect of human dignity. It has formed alliances with other progressive churches around the world.

The Iglesia Filipina Independiente has played a key role in the national democratic movement in the Philippines over the years. The church was with the people in their struggle against the Japanese occupation in 1940’s and during the Marcos dictatorship of the 1970’s. The IFI has had many martyrs in this struggle over the years

I remember the morning of October 3, 2006 when my partner Malcolm and I were living in the Philippines and we were taking Tagalog lesson from a church worker, Agong, and she received an urgent text message. Her face crumpled in tears when she read the news that Bishop Alberto Ramento, a bishop of her church in San Sebastian, Tarlac City, had been slain.

Faceless assassins had broken into the rectory and stabbed the Bishop in his sleep. The police initially said it was a mere case of robbery with homicide. But there was nothing to steal at his home, which was a simple house with no objects of wealth whatsoever. The brutal killing was clearly politically motivated; Bishop Ramento was an advocate of a just peace, and part of the Monitoring Group in the Peace Talks between the Government and the National Democratic Front. His killing was the consequence of his principled engagement with the people and their struggle for the fullness of life.

Today, the IFI bravely takes a stand against the growing tyranny of the Rodrigo Duterte government.

It advocates actively in favour of the peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines.

The lack of material wealth and resources means IFI priests have to support themselves, and are often worker-priests, like our own Fr Art. This makes it difficult to build a congregation, but on the other hand, means that this church experiences first-hand the lives - the oppression, exploitation and struggle - of ordinary working people in the Philippines and the diaspora.

The IFI has over two million members and thousands abroad who carry on the rituals; the church is a beacon of comfort and spiritual support to the thousands of migrants abroad.

It is a church which has distinguished itself as the church of the migrants... and their struggles. Members of le Centre d’appui aux Philippines – Centre for Philippine Concerns are proud to be here to celebrate the IFI’s mission and history and wish it a bright future.

Participants at the community dinner held after the Migrant's Mass at St Paul's Anglican Church, Côte de Neiges, Montréal, Sunday, August 19, 2018. The Migrant's Mass is held monthly.

The elusive justice in the Philippine Peace Process - information session

Wednesday, June 20, 6pm - 8 pm

Immigrant Workers Centre (CTI-IWC)

4755 Van Horne, #110, Montréal (Metro Plamondon)

Free event (donations welcome)

The fast changing situation in the peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front requires peace activists to take stock and understand the unfolding events. The Centre d'appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP-CPC) is hosting an information session on the current situation of the peace process in the Philippines with speaker Joey Calugay. 

Joey is a member of the CAP-CPC and a longtime human rights advocate. He has interviewed members of the NDFP peace panel based in the Netherlands and researched the peace process under various Filipino administrations since he was a student activist. With the Montreal Coalition of Filipino Students, Joey helped organize a Canada-wide tour for NDFP peace negotiators in the early part of the 1990s. This started his long commitment and activism for peace based on justice in the Philippines.

-- Joyce Valbuena, CAP-CPC

 

 

Pourparlers de paix aux Philippines - séance d’information

Mercredi 20 juin, 18:00-20:00

Centre des travailleuses et travailleurs immigrants (CTI-IWC)

4755 Van Horne, #110, Montréal (métro Plamondon)

Événement gratuit (dons bienvenus)

L’évolution rapide de la situation des pourparlers de paix entre le gouvernement philippin et le Front national démocratique (FNDP) exige que des militants en faveur de la paix fassent le point pour comprendre les évènements qui se déroulent. Le Centre d’appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP-CPC) organise une séance d’information sur la situation actuelle du processus de paix aux Philippines avec le conférencier Joey Calugay.

Joey est membre du CAP-CPC et un défenseur de longue date des droits humains. Il a interviewé des membres du Panel des négotiations de paix du FNDP basée aux Pays-Bas et a fait des recherches sur le processus de paix sous différentes administrations philippine depuis qu’il était militant étudiant. Avec la Coalition des étudiants philippins de Montréal, Joey a aidé à organiser une tournée pancanadienne des négociateurs de paix FNDP au début des années 1990. C’était le début de son long engagement et son militantisme pour la paix fondée sur la justice aux Philippines. 

-- Joyce Valbuena, CAP-CPC

CAP-CPC in solidarity with the evacuees from Camansi, Banglay, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental

The Centre d'appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns (CAP-CPC) is in solidarity with the communities of the Higaonon Lumad in Sitio Camansi in Banglay, Lagonglong, Misamis Oriental. We sympathize with the 35 Higaonon Lumad families (158 individuals) who were forced to flee their homes—for the sixth time since 2015—due to harassment from soldiers from the 58^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (IBPA) who have encamped in their communities.

We condemn this affront to basic civil and human rights among the indigenous people. We are in cognizant that these Higaonon Lumad families were repeatedly subjected to threats, harassment and intimidation by the soldiers, maliciously accusing them as members or supporters of the armed group New People’s Army (NPA).

We condemn the military for its repressive tactics to harass the evacuees that even after their escape to seek refuge in another village and seek help from non-government organizations, the military followed them and make their struggle more miserable. One Lumad girl was even nearly raped because there is no safety in the area where they built plastic tents outside of the provincial Capitol building for temporary shelter. Many of them got sick because of their exposure to the urban environment they are not accustomed to.

We are concerned that the consequences of the government’s development projects is destroying the sacred grounds of the indigenous people and consequently forcing them to leave their communities.

We support the demand of the community to pull out from their village and cease the construction of the military’s detachment in their ancestral territory.  We are in support of the evacuees’ demand to demilitarize their community, to obtain their consent on whatever development plans the government is planning for their community, and to respect their right to a self-determined development.

Karapatan condemns threats harassment vs fact-finding mission in Mindanao

Press Release | April 9, 2018

Reference: Cristina Palabay, Secretary General, 0917-3162831

Karapatan Public Information Desk, 0918-9790580

 As the three-day International Fact Finding and Solidarity Mission in three regions in Mindanao is concluded today, Karapatan scored the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police for the numerous cases of threats and harassment faced by participants to the said mission.

"Either these are proof of the State forces' paranoia overdrive or it is clear evidence that the Duterte administration has much to hide and cover up in its continuing implementation of martial law and counterinsurgency program Oplan Kapayapaan in Mindanao," said Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay.

Karapatan also stressed that "the widespread presence of soldiers in the streets and communities, suspicious-looking men on motorcycles and vehicles taking pictures and intimidating participants brazenly, and the endless military checkpoints all prove that civilian authority is severely undermined by the military in the Mindanao."

"The Duterte regime is spinning a narrative that military presence is normal and for peace and order. The cases of extrajudicial killings, torture, illegal arrests and detention, forced and fake surrenders documented by the fact-finding mission all show the contrary - that there is widespread unpeace and insecurity precisely because of the presence and combat operations of the military against civilians, who they perceive are all enemies of the state," Palabay commented.

"Congratulations, AFP, PNP and Malacañang! Your dirty tricks against human rights defenders and peace advocates who joined the factfinding mission have all the more exposed the lies underneath your 'no human rights violations in Mindanao under martial law' mantra. You never fail to prove that the real terrorists are those in uniform and those in power," she added.

"Unless repressive policies are revoked, any change in the leadership of the AFP or PNP or DOJ will have no real effect in making the human rights situation on the ground any better," Palabay said.

The said mission was led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and the Mindanao for Civil Liberties. Makabayan legislators led by former Rep. Satur Ocampo and Mindanaoans Rep. Ariel Casilao and Rep. Carlos Zarate, former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, peasant leaders and rights groups like Karapatan participated in the mission.

————————————————

Incidents of threats and harassment against members of the International Fact Finding and Solidarity Mission in Mindanao

Compiled from updates by Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas

April 6: Upon arrival at the Bancasi Airport in Butuan City and the Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City, delegates of the FFM noticed banners with threatening texts: "Welcome members of international fact finding and solidarity mission. Just do it right!".

In Butuan, at least five military intelligence agents held the said banner. Unidentified and suspicious looking men were taking pictures and videos of FFM participants. Two men onboard a black Toyota Hi- Lux van with plate number ABF1165 followed the delegates from the airport to the

Butuan City Highway. Men onboard two motorcycles also tailed the convoy from the highway.

In Misamis Oriental, soldiers held the FFM team led by formerAgrarian Reform Secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano at a checkpoint in Brgy. Molugan, El Salvador, Misamis Oriental at 6:26am. Participants were required to get off their vehicles and present their IDs. At 6:38am, FFM delegates in another vehicle were held at a checkpoint im Brgy. Luyong Bunbun, Opol, Misamis Oriental, where the driver was asked to show his license and the vehicle’s certificate of registration. In less

than 30 minutes at Brgy. Igpit, the delegation was again held by AFP Scout Rangers who required them again to show their IDs, while their driver was questioned and threatened with some traffic violation.

April 6: FFM delegates in Southern Mindanao saw banners with threatening texts "Out International Fact Finding and solidarity mission teams. We want peace" en route to mission areas in Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

April 6: FFM delegates were harassed in at least eight checkpoints from the airport. They were tailed by men onboard motorcycles and their pictures were taken.

April 6-8: men in plainclothes onboard a motorcycle and unknown men on board a heavily tinted Toyota intermittently tailed FFM in Caraga.

April 6: FFM delegates en route to Malaybalay, Bukidnon have been harassed at least 5 times.

10:15am, Baloi, Cagayan de Oro: The team led by Amihan Secretary General Cathy Estavillo was stopped by the Regional Public Safety Battalion. The armed personnel asked their driver to show the vehicle’s Official Receipt of Certificate of Registration (OR-CR),  then instructed all passengers to

get off the vehicle and to show their identification cards. They were also told to sign the Scout Rangers’ logbook.

11:15am, Alae, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon: The team led by former Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano was stopped by the PNP Highway Patrol Group and held for over 30 minutes without explanation. As in the last checkpoints, the HPG officers asked the driver to show his license and vehicle’s OR-CR. Before being let go, the delegates were asked to leave the vehicle and go through quarantine. The same HPG officers also held the local delegates and asked to show a permit to travel before they could proceed.

11:55am, Manolo Fortich Central, Bukidnon: The delegates were briefly stopped by armed special police forces, at which point the delegates also noticed they were being tailed by two motorcycle riders.

12:30pm, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon: FFM teams were stopped by the 8th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and asked to get off their vehicles to show their IDs. The policemen disallowed the delegates from taking photos.

12:50pm, Dalwangan, Malaybalay, Bukidnon: The Bukidnon Provincial Public Safety Company stopped both teams and demanded that they write their names in their logbook.

The teams finally arrived at their destination at Brgy. Patpat, Malaybalay, Bukidnon at 1pm. All three contingents of the FFM were tailed hereon till they made it to the city proper.

4:30pm, Brgy. Sumpong, Malaybalay City, Bukidnon: A small contingent of the team en route to IFI Church was asked by the Bukidnon Provincial Public Safety Company to get off theirvehicles and show their IDs. Thirty minutes later, the Bukidnon Provincial Public Safety Company held the team ledby ACT Rep. Antonio Tinio. They were asked to show their IDs, and their names were listed down by the police.

April 7: A rally was staged by soldiers of the 71st IBPA and police in Brgy. Anibongan, Maco, Compostela Valley calling for the continuation of martial law in Mindanao and for the FFM teams to leave. They also took pictures of the FFM delegates. Since April 2, they have been encamped in the village, purportedly for "clearing operations." The 71st IBPA is responsible for the frustrated EJK, torture and illegal detentionof two youth peasants in Maco last November 2017.

April 7: Some 15 farmers from  Surigao del Sur who participated in the FFM focus group discussions were accosted by the police in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. They were brought to the Lianga police station, where their pictures were taken and they were made to sign on the police logbook. The license of their van's driver was confiscated. They were released after.

April 7 - Elements of Task Force Tagum, in full battle gear, flagged down, boarded and inspected the vehicles of FFM delegates in Purok Durian, Brgy. Apokon, Tagum City, Davao del Norte, while the participated were en route to Compostela Valley. Soldiers told the delegates that they will be barred

from passing through unless they subject themselves to the said checkpoint. Lt. Cricensio refused to let the delegation proceed without presenting the IDs of all the participants.

April 7 - FFM delegates in Northern Mindanao were stopped in two checkpoints from Malaybalay City on the way to the mission area in Quezon, Bukidnon. The contingent was tailed by men onboard three motorcycles, two of which do not have plates. Unidentified masked men also took pictures of delegates and their vehicle at the checkpoints in Brgy. Aglayan, Malaybalay City and Brgy. Lumbo, Valencia City.

Members of the Regional Public Safety Battalion asked if the participants were with former DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano.

Plus jamais de Loi martiale ! - Centre d'appui aux Philippines

Communiqué 28 mai 2017                                                              capcpc@gmail.com

Le Centre d'appui aux Philippines (CPC-CAP) condamne fermement l'imposition de la loi martiale à Mindanao, proclamée par le président Rodrigo Duterte le 23 mai 2017.

Le prétexte était un affrontement armé entre les forces armées des Philippines (AFP), la police nationale dans la ville de Marawi et le groupe Maute, un groupe affilié aux militants de l'État islamique (IS) selon le gouvernement philippin.

Immédiatement après, l'administration de Duterte a déclaré la loi martiale sur toute l'île de Mindanao, la deuxième plus grande de cette nation insulaire de 100 millions d’habitants. Ce sont les habitants de Marawi qui ont été confrontés à la violence et aux déplacements. Il y aura sûrement des victimes civiles,  dommages collatéraux causés par l’intensification des opérations militaires.

Déjà dans les jours qui ont suivi la déclaration de la loi martiale, on rapporte des incidents où de nombreux groupes de personnes ont été détenus sans mandat, comme les 250 personnes «d'intérêt» à Davao, la capitale de Mindanao et les 30 participants du Forum œcuménique des femmes à Sultan Kudarat, une autre grande ville. La liberté de circulation est entravée, les médias et les médias sociaux sont censurés et les personnes soupçonnées de troubler la sécurité publique par leurs activités dans les médias et les médias sociaux sont menacées d'arrestation. Cela sans mentionner l’interdiction de se joindre à des manifestations publiques et sont menacés d'arrestations massives en vertu de la loi martiale, ce qui musèle les militants des droits sociaux et des droits de l'homme et leur enlève la liberté d'expression pour s'opposer à une telle règle.

Nous ne pouvons que nous rappeler les décennies de la loi martiale sous l'ancien dictateur Ferdinand Marcos dans les années 70 et 80, lorsque notre Centre d’appui aux Philippines a été formé. Nous avons été nombreux à nous mobiliser pour alerter nos concitoyens canadiens à la violation systématique des droits de l'homme, aux milliers de disparitions, aux exécutions extrajudiciaires et à la décimation d'une génération entière de jeunes et de forces progressistes au cours de ces terribles années. Nous avons organisé des activités pour soutenir ceux qui résistaient courageusement à la dictature aux Philippines. C’est ainsi que beaucoup d'entre nous ont été initiés au monde de la solidarité internationale.

L'histoire a démontré que la loi martiale ne mènera jamais à la paix, ni à Mindanao ni aux Philippines dans l'ensemble. Au lieu de cela, une présence militaire accrue aggravera encore l'insécurité dans la région. Elle renforce également le pouvoir des militaristes au sein du gouvernement du président Duterte, qui sont totalement inféodés à l'impérialisme américain, qui a d'énormes intérêts économiques à Mindanao, y compris les investissements dans l'extraction des ressources naturelles.

La paix ne peut venir qu'en traitant les causes profondes du conflit armé - la pauvreté, l’absence de développement, les droits ancestraux des Bangsamoro (minorité musulman) et les autres peuples indigènes.

Le processus de paix actuel entre le Gouvernement de la République des Philippines et le Front national démocratique des Philippines vise à s’attaquer aux racines du conflit armé. Le Centre d’appui aux Philippines soutient pleinement ce processus et croit qu'il est infiniment plus dans l'intérêt du peuple philippin que la loi martiale!

JAMAIS PLUS La LOI MARTIALE!

POUR UNE PAIX JUSTE ET DURABLE AUX PHILIPPINES!

SOUTENIR LES POURPARLERS DE PAIX MAINTENANT!

Never Again to Martial Law! -- Centre for Philippine Concerns

Communiqué May 28, 2017   capcpc@gmail.com

The Centre for Philippine Concerns/Centre d’appui aux Philippines (CPC-CAP) strongly condemns the imposition of Martial Law in Mindanao, as proclaimed by President Rodrigo Duterte on May 23, 2017.

The pretext was a firefight between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the National police in the town of Marawi, and the Maute group, a small group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), according to the Philippine government.

Immediately afterwards, the Duterte administration declared martial law on the whole island of Mindanao, the second largest in this island nation of 100 million people. The people of Marawi have faced the brunt of violence and displacement. Civilians are sure to be victims of collateral damage from increased military operations.

Already in the days following the declaration of Martial Law, there have been incident-reports where large groups of people have been detained without warrant, including 250 ¨persons of interest¨ in Davao, the capital of Mindanao and 30 participants of the Ecumenical Women’s Forum in the city of Sultan Kudarat.  Freedom of movement is hampered, media and social media is being censored and people deemed to violate public security through their activities in the media and social media are threatened with arrest.

This is not to mention that people are prohibited from joining public demonstrations and are threatened with mass arrest under Martial Law, effectively muzzling social and human rights activists and removing their freedom of expression to oppose such rule.

We cannot forget the decades of Martial Law under former dictator Ferdinand Marcos in the 70’s and 80’s, when our Centre for Philippine Concerns was formed. Many of us were mobilized to alert our fellow Canadians to the systematic violation of human rights, the thousands of disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and the decimation of an entire generation of youth and progressive forces in those terrible years. We held activities to support those bravely resisting the dictatorship in the Philippines. Many of us were initiated into the world of international solidarity through this movement.

History has shown that Martial Law will never lead to peace, neither in Mindanao or the Philippines overall. Instead, increased military presence will further aggravate the insecurity in the region. It also strengthens the hand of the militarists in President Duterte’s own government, who are notoriously beholden to US imperialism which has huge economic interests in Mindanao, including investments in natural resource extraction. And Canadian imperialism is also involved since Canadian mining companies like TVI are active on the island of Mindanao.

Peace can only come by addressing the root causes of the armed conflict - the poverty, lack of development and the ancestral rights of the Bangsamoro (Muslim minority) and other indigenous peoples.

The current peace process between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines aims to address the roots of armed conflict. The Centre for Philippine Concerns fully endorses this process in the face of roadblocks recently being placed in its path by the Duterte government, and believes it is infinitely more in the interests of the Filipino people than Martial Law!

NEVER AGAIN TO MARTIAL LAW!
FOR A JUST AND LASTING PEACE IN THE PHILIPPINES!
SUPPORT PEACE TALKS NOW!

Duterte and the People’s Agenda

DUTERTE AND THE PEOPLE'S AGENDA

EXPOSING THE ROOTS OF THE ARMED CONFLICT
SEEKING SOLUTIONS TOGETHER

Saturday, September 24, 2016

2 pm – 5 pm

7^th Floor, Student’s Lounge, Hall Building, Concordia University

1455 De Maisonneuve W, Montreal, QC H3G 1M8

Metro Guy-Concordia

Free admission, donations welcome

Organized by the Centre for Philippine Concerns and #JustPeacePH

- Platform for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (Montreal)

Featuring five Montrealers just back from the Philippines:

Zharmaine Ante (AnakBayan Montreal)

Evelyn Calugay (PINAY)

Renz Grospe (AB Montreal)

Sherilyn Recinto (AB Montreal)

Olga Ulanov (Women of Diverse Origins)

BACKGROUND

Peace talks are underway between the Government of Rodrigo Duterte (GRP) and the revolutionary forces of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). A six-point agreement was signed in Oslo, Norway this past August and the next crucial series of discussions are planned for October, also in Oslo.

On the table will be a Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms, or CASER, elements at the heart of a just and lasting peace. Meanwhile a ceasefire is holding between the government forces, composed of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on one side, and the New Peoples Army (NPA) on the other.

Why are there peace talks? It’s because a civil war has been raging in the Philippines since 1969. The daily, systematic and systemic injustice experienced by the majority of the people of the Philippines has driven them to seek fundamental changes in society through various means. Meanwhile, the tiny minority benefitting from the status quo uses all means at their disposal, including the instruments and violence of the state to defend it and prevent fundamental social change. As a result, many Filipinos have embraced armed struggle to overthrow the ruling system. That war continues throughout the country today.

The Canadian media have been full of stories about the controversial statements of the new Philippine President, about his war on drugs and his insults against the President of the US, among other things. But these headlines tell only a small part of what is going on in the Philippines, and have distorted reality to a large extent.

PEACE TALKS

Virtually no international media attention has been given to the peace talks which the Duterte government has agreed to restart, much less the comprehensive 15-point People’s Agenda for Change that was presented to President Duterte the day he was sworn in. This Program for Nationalist and Progressive Change and a more detailed Agenda for the First 100 Days covers five major areas: Economy, Social Policy, Governance, Peace and Human Rights, and National Sovereignty and Foreign Policy.

Five Montrealers who spent up to three months immersed in the people’s movements in the Philippines this past summer will be present September 24 at Concordia to give us the real story of what is going on. They spent time in Negros, Nueva Ecija, Cebu and Mindanao, including Davao, the home city of the new President. Their testimonials will be up close, uncensored and first hand. They will expose some of the roots of the armed conflict in the Philippines and how the 15-point agenda starts to address the underlying causes of rebellion.

Join us with your stories and your questions. It will be a fulfilling and exciting afternoon of exchanges, punctuated by cultural presentations.