Michelle Smith defends her thesis successfully

Congratulations go out to our dear colleague and friend and long-time CAP-CPC member and supporter, Michelle Smith, who successfully defended her Master of Communications Thesis at Concordia University on Tuesday, April 6, 2010.

Her thesis, "I'm Métis because I say that I am: Constructing Collaborative Autoethnographies" was the result of over two years research and work, and part of Michelle's own exploration of her Métis roots. The multi-disciplinary thesis, which included an experimental film, a written dissertation, and a youth video creation workshop resulting in a series of short films by Métis students, is groundbreaking in both form and content. Her thesis committee was enthusiastic in accepting it.

Hearty congratulations to Michelle from your friends at the Centre for Philippine Concerns!

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Michelle Smith réussi sa défense de mémoire

Félicitations à notre chère collègue et amie Michelle Smith, qui vient de réussir la défense de son mémoire pour la Maitrise en Communications à l'Université Concordia le mardi, le 6 avril 2010!

Son mémoire, intitulé "I'm Métis because I say that I am: Constructing Collaborative Autoethnographies"(Je suis Métis parce que je le dit: La construction d'une autoenthnographie collaborative) est le résultat de deux années de recherche et de travail. Il est aussi le résultat d'une démarche personnelle de Michelle pour explorer ses propres racines de Métis. Le mémoire multi-disciplinaire incluait un court métrage vidéo expérimental, une dissertation écrite, et un atelier de formation video donné par Michelle à un groupe de jeunes Métis de Winnipeg, aboutissant en une collection de courts métrages.

Son mémoire est innovateur tant dans sa forme que dans son contenue. Le Comité d'examen l'a accueilli avec enthousiasme.

Toutes nos félicitations à Michelle de tes ami-e-s au Centre d’appui aux Philippines!

Canada to send 22 observers for Philippine elections in May

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 8, 2010

Twenty-two Canadian citizens, including representatives from churches, labour unions, academics, lawyers and a sitting Member of Parliament, Don Davies, are preparing to head to the Philippines as part of an international observers mission during that country's upcoming Presidential elections.

On election day, scheduled for May 10, 2010, more than 17,000 offices will be contested across the country including the key posts of President, Vice President along with representatives to the House of Representatives, the Senate, and a range of provincial, municipal, and local offices.

The election will mark the end of the Presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whose nine years in power have been marked by hundreds of politically motivated killings and enforced disappearances, along with a climate of impunity for those guilty of the crimes, as revealed by Philip Alston in his April 2008 Report of the United Nations-Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

The People's International Observers Mission (PIOM), to take place May 7 to 15, 2010, will monitor and investigate electoral fraud and violence, particularly since this is the first nationwide automated election in the Philippines.  The goal is to assure that voters are protected and free to vote according to their conscience and that democratic processes are fully respected.

The Mission is organized by civil society groups in the Philippines, including churches, human rights advocates, lawyers and other non-governmental organizations.

Randall Garrison, an elected City Councillor from Esquimalt, B.C. and Mission member said, "The way Canadians have answered the call for this mission shows our strong concern for the deterioration of democracy and human rights in the Philippines.”

“The Philippines has a long history of election fraud, manipulation and violence, exemplified by the horrific massacre near the town of Ampatuan on the island of Mindanao late last year in which 52 people were killed in cold blood, including a record 30 journalists,” he said.

Garrison concluded, "The role of the Mission is to help ensure and to assess whether the conditions exist for the conduct of a free, fair and credible election in which Philippine citizens fully exercise their right to vote."

The eight-member delegation from British Columbia also includes Professor Valerie Raoul and health worker Ron Jeffries. Six delegates from five provinces are active with the United Church of Canada (UCC), including Omega Bula, Executive Minister of the UCC-Justice, Global and Ecumenical Relations Unit and Shaun E. Fryday, ordained Minister at Beaconsfield United Church in Quebec. Priscillia Lefebvre will attend as a member of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, local 4600 in Ottawa.

For further information and interviews contact Beth Dollaga in Vancouver at +1 604 320-0285

Pour plus d'informations et entrevues in français contacter Malcolm Guy à Montreal au +1 514 574-9906.

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Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines statement on the continued detention of the Morong 43

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 fact that the necessary defense against torture and human rights abuses has been rendered null by Court of Appeals (CA) elevates the concerns of the Church on the delivery of justice for the accused. Even assuming the legal correctness of the “Ilagan Doctrine” invoked by CA in denying the writ of habeas corpus to the detainees, we are still troubled by the reality that the Court has just, in effect, sanitized and legitimized the violations committed by the military against the health workers.
However, CA’s decision in itself does not remove the taint of an unlawful arrest and detention. The three ruling justices failed to recognize the nature of the arrest, which is deemed illegal because of a defective search warrant and the glaring contradictions in the military officers’ statements.

Similarly, the credibility of the inquest proceedings and the subsequent filing of charges are in doubt because the accused were denied counsel during interrogation, and the fact that statements or confession obtained during an illegal arrest are not admissible.

The issue is no longer about the Morong 43’s involvement or noninvolvement with the NPA nor about the veracity of torture claims of the detainees. The issue is a fundamental one about the importance of government institutions maintaining an objective distance and observing the rule of law in its operations.

Instead of calling for an end to CHR’s inquiry on human rights violations committed against the Morong 43, the AFP should support the initiative as concerned groups are only trying to shed light on the unlawful activities taking place in military operations.

The Church acknowledges the armed forces’ efforts and difficulties in putting an end to communist resistance, but under no circumstances can state agencies deal with citizens in any manner as they please.

Most of the Church’s development programs and ministries are community-based. Our clergy and laity work in rural areas and empower far-flung communities. Now, we could not help but fear that one day our efforts to help the poor and the marginalized will be perceived as threats, and that we may also be branded as insurgents.

This is the moment to press for answers and to demonstrate that there is a growing public demand, including from the Church, to restore the integrity of the government institutions—the military, the police, the civil courts, and the Department of Justice—and remind them of their mandate and fundamental principle, which is to impartially protect and defend the human rights.

For the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines,
+NEREO P. ODCHIMAR, D.D.
Bishop of Tandag
CBCP President
7 April, 2010

Résistance: an evening of art and poetry!

You are invited to an evening of art and poetry.

Resistance / La résistance!

featuring the paintings of CAP-CPC member Eileen Young,
and poems of resistance by Montreal poets, Ehab Lotayef, Claudia Morrison, and James Joyce.

Thursday, March 11, from 6 to 8 p.m.
Cafe Frejus
Verdun, Québec

5810 rue de Verdun, corner Manning (Verdun metro, take 107 bus west)
Tel: +1514-768-2134 (Cafe Frejus)

Eileen Young is a Montreal activist and artist, whose paintings are concerned with social, environmental, and political issues, and people's resistance to oppression. Ehab Lotayef (www.lotayef.com) is a poet, songwriter, photographer and engineer) whose poetry reflects his work in support of social and political justice. Ehab's poetry book "To Love a Palestinian Woman" is due in April 2010. Claudia Morrison is the author of a novel, a collection of short stories, and a memoir. Her collected poems will be appearing shortly. James Joyce has published poems in various journals over the years. He recently retired from John Abbott College.

Please join us for an evening celebrating resistance to political and social oppression!

Eileen Young
tel # +1 514-768-1868

Philippines: Les aventures d'Émile

Les aventures d'Émile, un Montréalais de 20 ans, nous tiennent en haleine depuis qu'il est parti en voyage de solidarité internationale aux Philippines au début de février 2010. Faites de surprises, de découvertes du pays et de ses habitants, et de découverte de soi, ses lettres éloquentes nous font revivre nos propres expériences et renouvellent nos attaches à ce pays du sud-est asiatique. Le Centre d'appui aux Philippines a facilité son séjour.

LETTRE NO. 1
Bye-bye "confort occidental"

Le 14 février 2010

Lettre à mon père,

J'ai eu une première journée à Manille assez "rock'n roll"! En arrivant à l'aéroport, je disposais d'une feuille avec une adresse écrite dessus, celle du "Bayan office". Bayan est une organisation progressiste qui s'occupe de coordonner les efforts et actions de plusieurs groupes d'activistes, c'est "the umbrella organisation" comme ils disent ici. J'étais supposé m'y rendre pour rencontrer Rita, la femme qui s'occupe des relations internationales. J'ai donc pris un taxi pour m'y rendre. En chemin, j'ai pu constater le chaos absolu qui règne dans cette ville de Manille. Evidemment, comme bien des pays en Asie, la circulation se fait de manière un peu aléatoire, les voies de circulations ont l'air d'être là pour décorer.

Cliquez ici pour lire la suite des Aventures d'Émile

Philippines: the adventures of Emile

We look forward to reading the latest letters from Emile, 20, a Montrealer on his first visit to the Philippines. He has kept us smiling and occasionally in stitches since he left for Manila in early February 2010 and we asked if we could share his letters with you, which he has gladly accepted to do. His "exposure" to the realities of the country and its inhabitants are filled with surprises, discoveries... and plenty of self-discovery, as you will see. They allow us to relive some of our own past experiences as first time visitors to this amazing country, and to renew our ties to its wonderful people. We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have. The Centre for Philippine Concerns facilitated Emile's trip to this South East Asian country.

For short excerpts in English of the original letters in French click here

To read the letters in the original French please click here

On-line petition to request permanent residence status for Prof. Jose Maria Sison

To the International Coordinating Committee and Member-Organizations of the International League of Peoples' Struggle

Dear Friends,

We, the International Committee DEFEND, are requesting you to sign the online petition addressed to the Dutch government for the granting of permanent residence to Prof. Jose Maria Sison, chairperson of the ILPS.

We also request you to urge your friends and allies who are respected individuals or officers and members of other organizations to sign the petition.

For the purpose of signing the petition, please visit either the following websites/url:

http://www.josemariasison.org/ (this carries articles related to the petition) http://www.petitiononline.com/JSdefens/petition.html

Thank you for your cooperation.

Yours in solidarity,

Ruth de Leon

International Coordinator

International Committee DEFEND