Top 10 Reasons Filipinos in the US Should Say No to Arroyo’s Cha-Cha!
By BAYAN USA

10.  It would allow foreign entities, including multi-national corporations, to own residential, commercial, and industrial lands without any restrictions.

 9. It would allow foreign entities, including multi-national corporations, to exploit and plunder the Philippines rich natural resources, including gold, oil, nickel, and copper.

 8. It would allow foreign entities, including multi-national corporations, to control and/or operate all public utilities, such as water, electricity, and communications.

 7. All profits from these foreign entities will not go back to the Filipino people for development, but instead towards debt payments that ensure the Philippine government can borrow more international loans and create more debt.

 6. After leading a major corruption rampage in the past 3 years, including $329 million in the ZTE-National Broadband Network deal, $503 million for the Northrail Project and P728 million in the Fertilizer Fund scam, the Arroyo administration will lead the Philippine economy further down and will increase poverty.

 5. After almost 1000 extra-judicial killings and 300 enforced disappearances of Filipino civilians since 2001, Cha-cha will worsen the human rights situation in the Philippines and Arroyo’s crimes will be left unpunished and there will be no justice to the victims and their families.

 4. As poverty deepens in the Philippines, lack of jobs will force more Filipinos to leave the country as a means to survive. At present, a minimum of 3000 Filipinos leave the Philippines for this reason every day.

 3. It will lift critical and hard-won provisions in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that currently prohibits foreign troops, such as the US military, to set up permanent military bases and engage in direct combat on Philippine soil.

 2. It will lift critical and hard-won provisions in the 1987 Philippine Constitution that currently prohibits the declaration of martial rule such as the one imposed by the Marcos dictatorship for more than a decade.

 1. It will scrap the democratic practice of elections and extend the Arroyo administration’s term indefinitely past 2010.

* Cha-Cha is short for Charter Change, proposed amendments to the standing Main Charter of the Philippine nation– the 1987 Constitution, authored by the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As the one of the international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S. Contact: info@bayanusa.org Website: http://www.bayanusa.org. ##

Press Release

Reference: Jeff  Rice, Finance Chair, BAYAN-USA  phone: 206.291.8078

Seattle Filipinos Call for an End to the VFA and Justice for Melissa Roxas
June 2, 2009 – Seattle, WA –BAYAN-USA, an alliance of progressive Filipino American organizations along with other members of the community, held a vigil on May 27 at the Filipino Community Center of Seattle to demand justice for Melissa Roxas, the first Filipina American to be abducted & tortured while engaged in health care and humanitarian work in the Philippines.

Melissa Roxas, an American citizen from Los Angeles, was abducted by suspected Philippine military agents on May 19 in the city of La Paz in the Tarlac province along with her companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc.  They were abducted after providing humanitarian relief to impoverished communities.  Melissa’s abductors severely beat and starved her, while accusing her of being a rebel.  “I thought I was going to die there.” Melissa Roxas said as she recounts her ordeal. “They held my feet and my hands down and doubled-up plastic bags were pulled down on my head and face and closed on my neck and I started to suffocate and I could not breathe anymore and I was seeing white and thinking I was going to die.” 

Before the vigil, community members had a discussion on the Visiting Forces Agreement, ratified ten years ago, which enables U.S. forces to utilize the Philippines as a military outpost in the Pacific and continue the U.S. War on Terror by linking with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, providing substantial military aid, weapons and training.  During the vigil, members of the Filipino community of Seattle expressed their disapproval of the VFA by wearing black t-shirts with a logo that read “Junk the VFA!”  Placards surrounded the room honoring Melissa Roxas and her two companions, John Edward Handoc and Juanito Carabeo. 

Donna Denina, member of Pinay sa Seattle states, “It’s a shame that Obama and his administration use the VFA as a means to protect their political and economic interests over the Philippines at the expense of the dignity of our people, and in particular our women.  It’s obvious that the VFA was used as leverage to acquit Lance Corporal Smith nearly 4 years after he was found guilty of raping Nicole.”  Denina goes on to state that “we see that the VFA was successful in protecting the rights of U.S. military servicemen, but what about Melissa? As a Filipina American working to serve the people of the Philippines, myself and many others like me are at risk and I have no faith in our U.S. government to protect my rights as an American citizen if I were to ever travel back home.”

BAYAN-USA’s online petition against the VFA can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow.  The online petition to demand justice for Roxas, Carabeo, and Handoc can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html.  To find out more information on these campaigns, you can find members of BAYAN-USA at the Pagdiriwang Festival at Seattle Center June 6-7, hosting a series of films and performing on stage.  Also, Pinay sa Seattle will host an education discussion on the “Women of the Philippine Revolution” at the Filipino Community Center 5740 MLK Way on June 20^th, 11am-2pm. 

BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As an international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S.###

 

News Release
29 May 2009

Reference: Jonna Baldres, BAYAN USA North East Co-Coordinator, jonnabebeh@gmail.com


FILIPINO-AMERICANS IN NY SAY "10 YEARS IS ENOUGH! JUNK VFA!"


NEW YORK - BAYAN USA, with its member organizations and allies in the New York/New Jersey area, gathered on May 27 in front of the Philippine Consulate in 5th Avenue to call for an end to the 10-year-long Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a treaty between the Philippine and the United States governments believed by the said alliance to have been detrimental to the Filipino people.

"May 27 marks 10 years of institutionalized atrocities against our people. But in fact, it's not only 10 years, but more than a hundred years, that we have been suffering in the hands of the US imperialist. The Philippine-American war of 1899 had been the blueprint of the US war of aggression, and the human rights violations inflicted upon our people are much worse than ever to this day," Gary Labao of the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) said.  

BAYAN USA also lambasted the Philippine government and demanded its accountability for the abduction of Melissa Roxas, a Filipino-American activist and a member of Habi Arts, a cultural organization and a member organization of BAYAN USA in Los Angeles. Melissa came back to the Philippines in 2007 to work as a full-time health worker and was abducted by who were suspected to be military elements last May 19 in Tarlac with two other companions. Days later, Melissa and her companions were surfaced, but BAYAN USA remains firm in its stand to demand justice for the abducted.

"I personally know Melissa, and I know very well that she does not deserve these acts of monstrosity carried upon her by the Philippine government. This abduction of Melissa and her companions is part of the Philippine government's anti-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya II, to serve its own economic and political interests. And as binded by the VFA, the US also takes part in this crime by funding the military activities and exercises of the Philippine government through the US tax dollars! And the US, now under the leadership of Obama, had just put one of its citizens in danger by letting Melissa get in the hands of these bloody perpetrators!" Bernadette Ellorin, BAYAN USA Chairperson, exclaimed in outrage.

Aside from the abduction of Melissa and countless other activists and civilians, the VFA has also resulted to the rape of Filipino women by US military elements. "Vanessa", a 22-year-old Filipina, was victimized by "John Jones," a US Marine and a member of the Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) operating in the Philippines under the guise of the Balikatan (translated as "shoulder-to-shoulder") exercises.

"The VFA paved the way for the US to exploit the bodies and the dignity of our fellow Filipinas. After Nicole, another rape victim, Vanessa, has come out but decided not to file a case because she was scared that the Philippine government would only favor the US, just like what happened in the case of Daniel Smith, who was acquitted from charges of raping Nicole. This is a clear indicator that the Filipino people has totally lost its trust in the Philippine government, as it only serves the whims of its master, the US imperialist," said Melanie Dulfo of the New York-based Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE).

Valerie Francisco, Vice Chair of GABRIELA-USA, also added that aside from women, children are also directly being victimized by the VFA, "On February 19, Rafaela Polborido, a 16-month old girl was killed in a province in Bicol, after government soldiers bombed her home with grenades in preparation for the Balikatan exercises. These acts of terrorism against the people, especially children, must be condemned and should not be allowed to continue and prosper!"

Representatives of indigenous organizations who attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) in New York City from May 18-29 also joined the protest action. Windel Bolinget of Cordillera People's Alliance (CPA) and Dulphing Ogan of KALUMARAN, also shared stories of cruelty that they have experienced under the Visiting Forces Agreement. From North to South, militarization has been rampant in their communities and their self-determination as indigenous peoples has been disrespected in many circumstances.

Yves Nibungco, Deputy Secretary General of Anakbayan New York/New Jersey, also criticized the Philippine government for spending too much on militarization and the Balikatan exercises instead of providing the Filipino youth with the much-needed books and classrooms.

Allies from International Action Center (IAC), Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST) and May 1st Coalition were also present and delivered solidarity messages.

After the action at the Philippine Consulate, the Filipino contingent marched towards the US Armed Forces Recruitment Station in 42nd Street in Times Square while chanting anti-VFA slogans. The whole BAYAN USA and GABRIELA USA contingents staged a die-in right in the middle of the famous New York tourist spot to deliver the message that the Filipino people want the US troops out of the Philippines and that they want the VFA scrapped.

Protest actions led by BAYAN USA were also held in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and teach-ins on the VFA were held in Seattle & San Diego.

For more information: http://www.bayanusa.org

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More pictures here: http://photobucket.com/junkVFA_27may2009