Follow PIOM updates on Philippine elections via new blog

The People's International Observers Mission (PIOM) monitoring the Philippine elections, including 28 delegates from Canada (5 from Québec), has created a new blogspot:

http://piom2010.wordpress.com/

Please visit and subscribe to be updated on what the delegates from the areas have reported  so far.

For the PIOM Secretariat,
Norma Dollaga

Climate Change in the Philippines: From Environment to Justice

Oyé Oyé Vous êtes invités-invitées à rencontrer Ricarido Saturay du Center for Environmental Concerns des Philippines

Comme vous le savez peut-être, les Philippines ont tenu des élections présidentielles le 10 mai. Le climat est tendu mais aussi propice aux changements! Nous aurons la chance d’accueillir un des partenaires de Développement et Paix aux Philippines qui pourra nous parler à la fois du climat politique mais aussi environnemental du pays!

Quand: Mardi 11 mai à partir de 18h30
Où: Centre pour les travailleurs et travailleuses immigrants 4755 Van Horne, Bureau 110

Au programme: Courte présentation, discussion, échange et beaucoup de plaisir !

Nous espérons vous voir en grand nombre!

Bonne journée!

****

Development and Peace invites all to a rare opportunity of learning and discussion on the subject of Climate Change in the Philippines from Environment to Justice. Ricarido Saturay, a Philippine Geologist, will share his experience on the subject.

When: Tuesday, 11 May, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
Where: Immigrant Working Center, 4755 Van Horne, Suite 110

On the menu: Short presentation, exchange, discussion and fun!!!

Hope to see you there.
Maraming salamat!

Geneviève Talbot
Chargée de programmes Asie / Program Officer Asia
Développement et Paix / Development and Peace

1425 Boulevard René-Lévesque Ouest, 3e étage
Montréal (Québec) H3G 1T7
Téléphone: +1 514-257-8711 (ext 567)
Télécopieur: +1 514-257-8557

Updates from Montreal-based election observers in the Philippines

Reverend Shaun E. Fryday, from the Beaconsfield United Church in west-end Montreal, is in the Philippines as part of the People’s International Observers Mission (PIOM) for the crucial May 10, 2010, elections. He is in Abra in the mountainous Cordillera region of northern Philippines and is putting up his thoughts and photos on a blog : http://web.me.com/roc9/Shaun_in_the_Philippines/Rev._Shaun_Fryday/Rev._Shaun_Fryday.html

Rev. Fryday reports from Philippines as elections get underway:
It's ten minutes to six morning of May 10th as I write this note to you. We were to have departed for our area site visits at five but the driver of the jeepney (ed --Philippine public vehicle) was threatened last evening when we were visiting the congresswoman’s home. We are making new arrangements and hope to set off in the next hour. Again, I'm not concerned and our being here is to document this type of activity.

Also, Stefan Christoff, a Montreal-based journalist, musician and community organizer who is well-known to many CAP-CPC members, is observing the elections in the huge urban poor town of Payatas on the outskirts of Manila. He is sending regular updates on the elections via Twitter : http://www.twitter.com/spirodon

Stefan’s latest addition (7:08 am, May 10) : “at payatas elementary school, some voting machines not working just as voting is to start #piom @ancalerts”

28 Canadians in Philippines to observe Presidential election on Monday, May 10

                   International observers hold press conference in Manila on May 8, 2010.
                   Eighty-six foreign delegates from 11 countries will observe the conduct
                   of automated elections in the country’s nine regions.

Twenty eight Canadians, including a Member of Parliament, Don Davies (NDP-Vancouver Kingsway) are in the Philippines to take part in an international observers' mission for the country's presidential elections on Monday, May 10, 2010. (Photo by Raymund Villanueva)

Deeply fed up with massive corruption involving high level officials, government inaction on the chronic economic crisis and the escalation of violence and human rights abuses, Filipinos are looking for change at next week's election. Since 2001 when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed power, close to a thousand activists and government critics have been killed and forcibly abducted.

The Canadians and 58 other members of the People's International Observers Mission (PIOM) will monitor and investigate electoral fraud and violence. 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.

The international observers will also pay particular attention to the first-time nationwide use of automation in this election. There have been warnings that a "failure of election" could be declared due to the failure of the automated machines, which will allow President Arroyo to extend her term or for the military to take power.

The May 10 election will end the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whose election in 2005 was marred by allegations of her involvement in the manipulation of election results. Public fear about such eventually has been heightened this week, just days before the election, with the failure of many automated machines to read votes accurately in field tests conducted around the country.

Members of the Canadian delegation may be contacted for email and phone interviews.Please contact: 

Stefan Christoff: christoff@resist.ca; Phone/text: +63 921 598-2008

Please note that the Philippines is 12 hours ahead of the Eastern Time Zone in Canada

Solidarity party for People's International Observers Mission (IOM) in the Philippines - Montréal

Montreal to Manila - Bayan Muna!

FRIDAY APRIL 30th 21h00 2010
'El 606' corner St. Laurent / Mount Royal
suggested donation $5-10
24 Mount Royal west
(entrance beside Ali Baba dépanneur)
Metro Mount Royal
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=116549488374299

featuring live DJs throughout the evening...
DJ Andy Williams
DJ Andy Williams is highly-respected deejay and radio host in Montreal with a growing international recognition, spinning regularly in Europe and the Caribbean. Andy's collaborations with various deejays and musicians reaches to and from many sources globally: Andy has had the opportunity to grace the turntables with many underground music-makers & curatorial peers who have the utmost respect for obscure rarities in dancefloor tracks. It wasn't easy at first playing mediums of ethnic backgrounds such as Cumbia Paseito, Mento, Avant-Garde Jazz, Funk and hard hitting Electro sounds in North America and Europe, but it's nothing new to intelligent avid listeners since the mid-century. http://ewola.com/andy.htm

DJ Julie D
Beats and breaks, fat bass, a pulsating rythmn that demand attention. Julie D. plays Electro, Dubstep, HardTek and Breakcore Ragga Jungle. She defenelty has her own styles and a good reserve of suprises. Based in her home town of Montreal for the last 7 years, Julie has in the pass collaborated in the studio with Zimo et Ataka of HardTek/Drum'n Bass outfit Zone-33. Julie is also part of various collectives that organizes parties across Montreal. As well as keeping them on the dance floor at home, Julie has made a name for herself in Venezuela. She started her dj career in Amsterdam 15 years ago with Radical Rehousing who became Zilch and continue to this day as Input Records, now based in Barcelona. She has travelled Europe in her 40 year old German army Hanomag truck and played et many parties, overground and underground for many years. So enjoy the musik!!! http://www.myspace.com/djulied

* DJ Jacob Cino

---
Montreal to Manila - Bayan Muna! is a benefit party for the Montreal delegation to participate in the upcoming People's International Observers Mission (IOM) in the Philippines bringing together grassroots election observers from around the world in the Philippines. People's International Observers Mission is being organized within the context of a systematic campaign of political killings in the Philippines. Hundreds of progressive activists in the Philippines killed according to Amnesty International including journalists, human rights workers, union organizers and student leaders have been systematically targeted by paramilitary and government-backed armed forces.

grassroots information on the Philippines at:
* Bulatlat  http://www.bulatlat.com/

* event sponsored by the Centre d'appui aux Philippines / Centre for Philippine Concerns  http://cap-cpc.blogspot.com/

Montreal vigil for the victims of political killings in the Philippines

* For Immediate Release
Sunday, April 25, 2010

In the lead-up to the much anticipated Presidential elections in the Philippines, taking place in May 2010, social justice activists gathered in front of St James United Church in downtown Montreal on Saturday, April 24, 2010, to highlight the over 1000 political killings in the Philippines occurring since 2001 under the administration of current President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Today, political organizers implicated in movements for social change in the Philippines are under the gun.

Amnesty International concluded in a recent report that “over recent years reports of an increased number of killings of political activists, predominately those associated with leftist or left-orientated groups, have caused increasing concern in the Philippines and internationally.”

Human rights activists held the vigil in Montreal to highlight the systemic political killings in the Philippines just two weeks before the crucial Presidential elections.

Saturday’s vigil also featured presentations from the five-person Quebec delegation traveling to the Philippines to observe May 10 Philippine elections with the Peoples’ International Observers Mission (IOM). The vigil led by Reverend Shaun E. Fryday, Minister at the Beasonsfield United Church and Fr Art Calaycay from the Philippine Independent Church (IFI).

PIOM Quebec delegate, Laura Cliche, also gave her testimony as a participant in the 2009 fact-finding mission for the Ampatuan massacre while doing an internship with the National Union of Journalists in the Philippines. Meanwhile, a street theatre paying tribute to some of the victims of political killings and enforced disappearances was also presented, along with the song Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa (Love of native land) by Bayan Canada members in Montreal.

As April 24 is also Cordillera day, the organizers of the event included a tribute to the victims of political killings among the members of the Cordillera people and played a recorded message by Dr. “Chandu” Claver, chairperson of Bayan Canada and member of the indigenous Bontoc tribe in Northern Philippines. Also present were some members of the BIBAK (Bontoc, Ifugao, Benget, Apayao, Kalinga) community in Montreal.

The event was organized to raise broad public support and awareness for the victims of the Philippine state’s Operational Plan Bantay Laya (operation “guard freedom” – a counter insurgency plan), election related violence and the important 25-person People’s International Observers Mission (PIOM) heading from Canada to the Philippines.

Event organized by :

Stop the Killings in the Philippines Campaign

BAYAN Canada (Montreal)

Centre d'appui aux Philippines - Centre for Philippine Concerns

Vigile pour les victimes d'assassinats politiques et les disparitions forcées aux Philippines

avec
Présentations des 5 Québécois qui iront en mission d'observation des éléctions du 10 mai aux Philippines

Quand: Samedi le 24 avril, 2010, 14 h à 16 h
Ou: l'Église unie Saint-James, coin Ste-Catherine et rue City Councillors, en face du Future Shop (Métro McGill) à Montréal

Vigile mené par le Révérand Shaun Fryday, Ministre à l'Église unie de Beaconsfield et Père Art Calaycay de l'Église indépendante philippine (IFI)

Bienvenue à tous et toutes.
Deux semaines avant la date des éléctions présidentielles aux Philippines, venez manifester votre solidarité avec les victimes des violations des droits humains aux Philippines, et apprendre comment l'importante Mission internationale d'observation participera au déroulement du processus électoral.

Pour plus d'information - appeler Malcolm Guy au + 1 514 574 9906.
Cet évènement est organisé par la Campagne pour faire cesser les assassinats politiques aux Philippines.