Migrante Europe

Author: MigranteEurope

Open letter of MIGRANTE to President-elect Rodrigo Duterte: The change OFWs want to see

May 13, 2016

Dear President Duterte,

We congratulate you on your overwhelming victory in the May 2016 polls. The Filipino people have spoken, and they chose change.

You sweeping victory is testament to how Filipinos, wherever we are in the world, thirst for a new leadership that is not corrupt and cacique. We want a new government that will depart from all the failures and empty promises of the so-called ‘tuwid na daan’. We want accountability for all the crimes committed by the Aquino government against the Filipino people.

For these elections, despite and against all odds, a record-breaking 407,000 overseas Filipino voters exercised their right to vote and fulfilled their duty to the nation. This big increase is proof of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs’) stake in the outcome of the May 2016 elections. It disproved all claims that there had been a growing apathy among our OFWs. We have once again proven how significant the OFW vote is.

We are one with the Filipino nation in hoping that your presidency will immediately address fundamental problems that beset the country – widespread unemployment, lowest wages, contractualization, landlessness, lack of basic social services, corruption, violations of human rights and national sovereignty – the root causes of forced migration.

We are one with all OFWs in hoping that your presidency will scrap the labor export policy that exploits our cheap labor and remittances but offers us nothing in return, especially in times of need. We will hold you to your promise to make OFWs your top-most priority in your labor agenda. We want new leaders who will be nurturing to OFWs and their families. We want a new government that will uphold and protect our rights and welfare.

We specifically call to your urgent attention the case of Mary Jane Veloso who remains on death row in Indonesia and others like her who have received no legal assistance from the previous administration; the immediate recall of notorious abusive and erring embassy officials, as well as accountability of high-level government officials responsible for the tanim-bala extortion scheme and other unresolved anomalies in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA); the urgent and full audit of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) funds and its immediate release to rightful OFW beneficiaries; the quick resolution of illegal recruitment and trafficking cases filed by countless OFW victims at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC); and, the scrapping of unnecessary fees that are viewed by our kababayans as nothing but ‘legalized kotong’, such as the abolition of the rubbish Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), among others.

We are very much open to hold a dialogue with you to further discuss urgent and fundamental OFW concerns, especially as the nation is set to commemorate Filipino Migrants’ Day on June 7.

We dream of a society where families will need not be broken by the need to survive. We wish to come home to a country where there are opportunities for everyone to live decent and humane lives.

Mr. President, these are the changes we want to see in your administration. ###

For reference:
Garry Martinez
Chairperson, Migrante International
0939-3914418

—
Website: http://migranteinternational.org
Office Address: #45 Cambridge St, Cubao, Quezon City
Telefax: 911491

13 May 2016
Migrante-Milan matagumpay na inilunsad

Migrante-Milan
Communique

02 Mayo 2016
Milan, Italy
Unang Kongreso – Mayo 1, 2016

Matagumpay na naidaos sa unang pagkakataon ang makasaysayang kongreso ng Migrante-Milan chapter nitong nakaraang Mayo uno, kasabay ng pagdiriwang ng pandaigdigang araw ng paggawa. Ito ay inilunsad sa viale Monza 40 Milan, Italy na nilahukan ng humigit-kumulang sa 60 katao na kung saan 56 ang nagpahayag ng kusang-loob na pagsapi.

Sa ilalim ng temang “Pahigpitin ang Pagkakaisa, Isulong AngDemokratikong Interes Ng Ating Sektor, Itatag Ang Tunay na Organisayon Ng Migrante”, nilinaw sa mga migrantengmanggagawa dito sa Milan ang napapanahong pangangailangan nito na maitatag ang isang organisasyong tunay na magsisilbi at magsusulong ng interes at kagalingan ng sektor ng migrante kasabay ang pagsusulong ng interes ng sambayanang Pilipino. Naniniwala ito na ang paglutas sa ugat ng suliranin sa lipunangPilipino ang s’yang papawi sa suliranin sa migrasyon ng Pilipinas,
kung kaya’t wastong manawagan ng ibayong pagkakaisa sa hanay ng migrante.

Nagkaruon ng maikli ngunit makabuluhang paglalahad ng kasaysayan ng migrasyon sa Pilipinas at sa mga obhetibong kundisyon na nagtulak sa pagkakatatag ng Migrante International nuong 1994. Kabilang din sa kasaysayang ito kung paano ang naging pag-iral ng Migrante-Milan bago pa man idaos ang pormal na kongresong ito.

Matapos ang paglalahad ng kasaysayan, nagkaruon ng payak ngunit makabuluhang parangal sa pumanaw na si kasamang Sol Pillas, tumayong Pangkalahatang Kalihim ng Migrante International (2014-2016). Taas kamaong kinanta ng buong asembliya ang “Bayan Ko” bilang munting alay sa kasama at bukal sa pusong nag-ambag ang bawat isa ng kaunting halaga bilang tulong pinansyal sa kanyang naiwang pamilya.

Bago talakayin at aprubahan ang saligang batas ng organisasyon ay ipinakita at binasa ang mga video at sulat ng pahayag nang pakikiisa mula sa iba’t ibang balangay at alyadong organisasyon tulad ng Migrante-Europe, Umangat-Migrante Roma, KanlunganConsortium-UK, OFW Watch-Italy at ang mismong Migrante International sa pamamagitan ng mensaheng video ni ka Gary
Martinez, tagapangulo. Sinundan din ito ng isang presentasyon na video ng isang anak ng kasapi na kung saan kinanta ang “Tatsulok” ng dating grupong Buklod.

Naging masigla at buhay ang talakayan sa pag-apruba ng binalangkas na Saligang Batas ng organisasyon kung saan nagkaruon ng ilang pagsusog at pag-amyenda, kabilang na rito ang pagtatakda ng sapi at butaw sa organisasyon at ang dalas ng pulong ng asembliya. Sa huli’y pinagtibay at sinang-ayunan ng lahat ang Saligang Batas. Ipinakita rin ng mga dumalo ang kanilang pagsang-ayon sa pamamagitan ng kusang loob napagpapasa ng kani-kanilang mga membership form at ang ilan ay nagbayad na kaagad ng kanilang sapi at butaw.

Nagkaruon din ng masiglang pagbabahagi sa ilang mga dumalo ng kanilang mga karanasang nagpapatotoo sa mga suliraning kinakaharap nating mga migrante tulad na lamang ng mga namamatay na migranteng kailangan ng tulong pinansyal ngunit hindi miyembro ng OWWA. Halimbawa ito ng ilan lamang sa mga usaping kagyat na haharapin ng organisasyon.

Ang halalan ng pamunuan nito ay masaya, masigla at aktibong nilahukan ng lahat kung saan nahalal sina Ed Turingan bilang taga-pangulo, Cecil Morales bilang pangalawang taga-pangulo,
Franklin Irabon bilang pangkalahatang kalihim, Lea Gulle bilang pangalawang pangkalahatang kalihim at si Alma Panis bilang ingat-yaman. Binuo din sa asembliyang ito ang mga komite sa organisasyon, edukasyon at propaganda, kultura, tulong serbisyoat pinansya.

Inaprubahan ng pangkalahatang asembliya ang pang isang taon Pangkalahatang Programa ng Pagkilos nito na sasaklaw mula 01 ng Mayo 2016 hanggang 30 Abril 2017. Binibigyang diin ng naturang programa ng pagkilos ang pag-oorganisa sa hanay ng migrante, pagbibigay ng mga pag-aaral at pagsasanay para sa higit pang sandata sa kritikal na pagsusuri ng kanilang sariling kalagayan bilang sektor, paglulunsad ng mga pagkilos para sa kongkretong pagsasakatuparan ng pagsusulong ng interes at kagalingan ng migrante at sambayanang Pilipino at ang pakikipagkaisa nito sa malawak pang bilang ng iba’t ibang demokratiko at makabayang sektor at mamamayan ng ibang nasyon.

Umaasa ang lahat na ang kongresong naganap ay umpisa pa lang nang tuloy-tuloy na pagpapalakas, pagpapalawak at pagkilos ng Migrante-Milan para sa pagtataguyod ng mga demokratikong karapatan at kagalingan ng mga ofw at ng kanilang pamilya.

Mabuhay ang manggagawang Pilipino !
Mabuhay ang Migrante-Milan !

Ed Turingan
Tagapangulo
Migrante-Milan

1 May 2016
Let the pictures break not only hearts, but also barriers to rights

A spectre is haunting Europe and it’s the spectre of refugees fleeing from their war-torn homes only to find death on the sea and not safety on the land.

The picture 4391of three-year old Syrian child, Aylan Kurdi, face down and lifeless after trying to cross to Greece has been making the rounds of alternative and mainstream media. It moved people, as it must. It called for change, as it should.

For weeks, countries in Europe have been besieged with criticisms from its own people as governments either take hardline stance against or dilly-dally in taking in refugees and providing them the protection, services and haven that international and even EU agreements mandate them to give.

The capsizing of the boat carrying Aylan, and another one carrying other refugees, was the latest proof of the vulnerabilities of displaced people. A few weeks ago, two boats from Libya carrying 500 people trying to get to Europe also capsized in the Mediterranean Sea and reportedly killed 400. This year alone, the United Nations estimated that 2,400 already died trying to get past the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, who can forget the Rohingyas and Bangladeshis from Myanmar who were also stranded at sea and refused entry by countries in Southeast Asia?

Closing borders and heightened restriction in the entry of foreign nationals – be they refugees fleeing from wars and hunger or migrants displaced by economic hardships and also political strife – is a trend that is slowly creeping not only into Europe but also in other countries that are destinations of those forcibly displaced from their country of birth.

States use the phantoms of jobs scarcity and scramble for dwindling resources and services to justify clamping down on refugee and migration flows. As economic and other crises rage with so-called recovery sluggish or is reserved for corporations and the business sector, refugees and migrants are still being used as convenient scapegoats to blur, if not totally skip over, the reality that skewed economic policies are at the root of problems faced by people in countries hosting refugees and migrants.

The same neoliberal-driven economics that uphold labor expert, coupled by wars and political strife, is what also drives millions of people from their own homeland to seek a more safe and secure life.

This month, the United Nations General Assembly is set to meet and chart the path to development for the next 15 years. It cannot be emphasized enough that the displacement of people due to economic or political causes – the 232 million migrants and 19.5 million refugees – is an issue of holistic development that should respect the comprehensive rights of the people.

When the two boats from Libya capsized, Amb. Macharia Kamau of Kenya who co-chaired the post-2015 development agenda negotiations said that how the migrants crisis is being handled is not the way “to transform the world towards 2030.” It definitely is not.

The post-2015 development agenda promises to leave no one behind. If governments are sincere about this, there should be no more Aylans left behind to suffer hardships or wash up lifeless in foreign shores.

Let the tragic pictures of the death of children not only break our hearts, but also the walls of exclusion and inhumane migration and refugee policies that do not respect the fundamental rights of people already forcibly displaced by economic want and wars.

Eni Lestari
International Migrants Alliance (IMA)/ Campaign for People’s Goals for Sustainable Development (CPGSD)

7 September 2015
Attacks on Mindanao Lumad schools and communities intensify as Aquino’s military goes berserk for Oplan Bayanihan
By SAVE OUR SCHOOLS-MINDANAO NETWORK

The last year of the Benigno S. Aquino presidency has meant a bloodbath for indigenous peoples and for Lumad education, two months after his State of the Nation Address where he gloated of figures that have purportedly addressed classroom shortages and increased the quality of Philippine education.

Emerito ‘Tatay Emok’ Samarca, executive director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agriculture and Development, Inc. (ALCADEV) and a convenor of the Save Our Schools Network was killed by government-backed indigenous paramilitary forces. His body was found lying in a pool of blood, with stab wounds on his neck, and his throat slit. While Dionel Campos, chairperson of MAPASU (Persevering Struggle for Future Manobo Generations), and his cousin Aurelio “Bello” Sinzo, were strafed dead before the
terrified community of Han-ayan, Lianga town, Surigao del Sur province.

The paramilitary group Magahat— armed, controlled, and commanded by the 36^th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army— burned down the school cooperative building and threatened to massacre the entire community if they would not leave the area two days before
the killing of the Samarca, Campos, and Sinzo in the morning of September 1, 2015.

The dastardly crime which was perpetrated at dawn and later carried out in broad daylight, terrified the erstwhile peaceful Manobo school and community. As of this writing, the number of evacuees in Caraga has swelled to 3,000 individuals or more than
500 families coming from the municipalities of San Miguel and Lianga, with some 70 families still lost in nearby forests.

The Philippine military’s attack on ALCADEV using indigenous paramilitaries is by far the gravest and most vicious violation of indigenous peoples’ right to education and constitutes a wholesale violation of children’s rights.

Moreover, as schools are an integral part of communities, the attack is an open declaration of the Philippine state’s war of annihilation against people’s organizations and communities resisting foreign largescale plunder of ancestral domains.

The 36^th IB Philippine Army-Magahat rampage at the ALCADEV School shows that the Aquino government has dropped all pretenses of adhering to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments. It also demonstrates the irrefutable crimes of the Philippine Army against indigenous children which the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and the Armed Conflict has continually glossed over, understated, or consistently concealed
in its annual reports.

The Philippine government’s attacks on the ALCADEV School clearly shows its contempt towards self-determined development asserted by indigenous communities. Alternative Lumad schools are pushing for their own culturally-relevant pedagogy that liberates indigenous peoples from the yoke of institutionalized discrimination and corporate plunder of ancestral lands.

These Ethnocidal attacks on indigenous education, indigenous leaders and their staunch advocates and supporters are but the latest in a string of Aquino’s orders to tighten the noose on Lumad schools:
1. Since April of 2014 up to present, 25 Lumad schools and community schools were forced to halt operations for the entire month of June due to harassment by the AFP and sanctioned by the Department of Education (DepEd).
2. At least 84 cases of attacks on 57 community schools have displaced and disrupted the education of over 3, 000 Lumad children.
3. Three minors were brutally killed by the elements of 3^rd Company of the1^st Special Forces Battalion under the ground commander Capt. Balatbat with Col. Nasser Lidasan as Battalion Commander on August 19, 2015 in Pangatukan town, Bukidnon province. They were part of 5 Manobo tribals strafed and killed on suspicion of being NPA combatants.
4. The schooling of Lumad children under the Tribal Filipino Program of Surigao del Sur (TRIFPSS) was disrupted when residents of Brgy. Siagao, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur were displaced. The victims were killed by an armed group led by Hasmin and elements
  of the 36^th IBPA.
5. A Lumad child was among 14 farmers in White Culaman, Kitaotao, Bukidnon who were illegally detained and arrested by elements of 8^th IB ug 23rd IB headed by Nicolas Rivera and an official named Tocmo. All were accused as members of the New People’s Army in contrast to the fact that they are members of organizations Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Barangay White Culaman ( NAMABAW) and Tinananon Kulamanon Lumadnong Panaghiusa sa Arakan (TIKULPA). The Army threatened to burn down the MISFI-run (Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Incorporated) school which offers 7^th and
  8^th grade education in Sitio Dao, Bukidnon.
6. Adding to these abuses is the ongoing mass evacuation of the Talaingod Manobo people in Davao City since April of this year due to intensified military operations and threats from the terrorist paramilitary group ALAMARA. Around 1, 000 individuals from San
  Fernando Bukidnon, Kapalong and Talaingod, Davao del Norte have sought sanctuary at UCCP Haran, Davao City. Learners from Salugpungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center Inc (STTILCI) in Talaingod have been holding their classes at the refugee camp since the evacuation started. Worse, three soldiers of the 1003^rd Infantry Brigade raped a 14-year old Manobo grade 4 student of the Butay elementary school while conducting military operations in the area.
7. Last month, the Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao schools in Agusan del Sur and Bukidnon have earlier reported harassments and threats from suspected state forces in the form of anonymous text messages, private message via facebook, and surveillances. In March 18, 2014, an RMP-NMR school grounds in Binikalan, San Luis, Agusan del Sur was strafed by 26^th IB troops disrupting the graduation practice of the school. In Sarangani province, administrators and faculty of the Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services (CLANS) which provides education to indigenous Blaan children have been filed with false criminal charges of serious illegal detention of evacuees and inciting to sedition.
The Aquino government should be held accountable for all these violations. It is responsible for the formation and arming of the paramilitary groups, the paving the way for the enty of largescale destructive projects in the ancestral domains, the sowing of disunity among IPs, and the killings that have claimed the lives of many.

The Save Our Schools Network demands Justice for Samarca, Campos, Sinzo and all victims of human rights abuses! End all forms of attacks on schools and communities!

Reference:
Prof. Mae Fe Templa, MSW
Convenor, Save Our Schools Network
09256682458
3 September 2015
Mga migrante sa Roma kinondena ang panghihimasok at pagyurak ng US at China sa ating soberenya

Roma, Italya. June 14, 2015

Sa kasagsagan ng pagdaraos ng araw ng kalayaan sa Piazza Ankara, ay nagsama-sama ang mga Migrante sa Roma, Italya para kondenahin ang ginawang panghihimasok ng US at CHINA sa ating karagatan at pagyurak sa ating Pambansang Soberanya. Pinangunahan ito ng mga organisasyon gaya ng UMANGAT-MIGRANTE, OFW WATCH ROME, FEDERATION OF WOMEN IN ITALY, MAKABAYANG ATAS NG SUPREMO ANDRES BONIFACIO, BIKERS IN ROME at iba pang mga Liders at indibiwal. Namahagi din ang Umangat-Migrante sa nasabing pagdiriwang ng polyeto na naglalaman ng pagsusuri at paninindigan sa pagdaraos ng araw ng ating kalayaan.

Sa pangunguna ng Bantay West Phil. Sea, Rome ay nagsagwa rin ng pag-ikot sa mga booth ng mga filipino community at organization na nakikiiisa sa pagdiriwang upang hingin ang suporta para makiisa sa mga pagkilos upang tutulan ang panghihimasok ng Bansang Tsina sa ating nasasakupang bahagi ng karagatan. Kasama sa isinagawang pag-ikot na ito ang mga organisasyon gaya ng Umangat-Migrante, Ofw Watch-Rome, Federation of Women at iba pang makabayang organisasyon. Isinisigaw din ang panawagang “ATING ANG PINAS, CHINA LAYAS” habang umiikot ang mga nasabing organisasyon at mahigpit naman itong sinuportahan ng ating mga kababayan na nadaraanan.

Nagkaisa ang mga nasabing organisasyon na magsagawa pa ng panibagong pagkilos para tuloy-tuloy na ipanawagan ang pagpapatigil sa panghihimasok ng bansang US at CHINA sa ating karagatan at pambansang soberanya.

TUTULAN, LABANAN ANG PANGHIHIMASOK SA ATING BAYAN!
ATIN ANG PINAS, US-CHINA LAYAS!
DEFEND OUR SOVEREIGNTY, HANDS OFF US-CHINA IN THE PHILS.!
LABOR EXPORT POLICY IBASURA!

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Ipaglaban ang tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya

Ngayong Hunyo 12, 2015, Araw ng Kalayaan, buhayin natin ang diwa ng ating mga dakilang bayani – sina Bonifacio, Rizal, Jacinto, Mabini at marami pang iba – na naglunsad ng rebolusyonaryong pakikibaka at nag-alay ng kanilang buhay para makamit ang kalayaan mula sa mananakop na Kastila. Nananatiling makabuluhan ang kanilang magiting na halimbawa sa harap ng nagpapatuloy na katiwalian at pagpapakatuta sa dayuhang interes ng rehimeng US-Aquino.

Kalayaan sa gubyernong korap

Talamak ang korapsyon sa sistema ng pulitika sa ating bansa. Ang Napoles P10 bilyong pork barrel scam ay isa lamang sa mga nabibistong katiwalian sa bulok na sistema. Kitang-kita ang pagtatakip ni Pres. Aquino sa kanyang mga alipores. Hindi isinasama ng Commission on Audit, Department of Justice at Ombudsman sa kanilang mga imbestigasyon ang mga anomalya sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino. Kabilang dito ang pandarambong sa Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), Malampaya Fund at Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) mula 2010-2013.

Sa totoo lang ang sistemang pork barrel ay bahagi lamang ng mas malawak at organisadong sistema ng pagnanakaw ng mga opisyal ng gobyerno, mula pa nang itayo ang Republika ng Pilipinas. Ang korapsyon ay talamak sa gubyerno pero ang pinakamalalang pandarambong ay nagaganap sa tanggapan ng Pangulo, ng mga iba’t ibang ahensya ng gubyerno, ng Konggreso’t mga malalaking lokal na pamahalaan. May tawag dito – BURUKRATA KAPITALISMO – sistema ng pagkamal ng yaman ng mga opisyal sa gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng pagnanakaw sa kaban ng bayan at pagsunod sa utos ng mga amo nilang malalaking asendero, malalaking negosyante at mga dayuhang bansa at korporasyong multinasyunal. Sa ilalim ng burukrata kapitalismo, ginagawang isang malaking negosyo ang paggugubyerno, negosyong nagsisilbi sa iilang naghaharing uri at mga dayuhang monopolyo kapitalista habang nagpapahirap sa sambayanan, lalu na sa masang manggagawa at magsasaka. Hangga’t hindi tayo lumalaya sa bulok na sistema ng burukrata kapitalismo marami pang Napoles at mga korap na pulitiko ang mamamayagpag sa kanilang pagnanakaw at pagpapahirap sa bayan.

Kalayaan sa dayuhang paghahari

Hindi rin tayo malaya sa paghahari ng mga dayuhan, pangunahin na ang imperyalistang Estados Unidos, na dati nang sumakop sa ating bansa pagkatapos makipagkutsabahan sa kolanyalistang Espanya. Sa katunayan, ibabalik pa nga ang mga base militar ng Kano (na sinipa na mula sa Pilipinas noong 1991) sa pamamagitan ng bagong kasunduang Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Gagamitin din ng imperyalismong Kano ang kapangyarihang militar upang pwersahin ang iba’t-ibang bansa tulad ng Pilipinas na sumunod sa kanilang mga dikta. Kabilang rito ay ang higit pang pagbukas ng ekonomiya ng mga bansang ito upang gawing tambakan ng kanilang mga produkto at kapital; ang pagpapababa ng sweldo at benepisyo ng mga manggagawa sa kapakinabangan ng mga dayuhang kapitalista’t mga kasosyo nila; ang pagkontrol ng mga dayuhang dambuhalang korporasyon sa industriya ng tubig, kuryente, langis at komunikasyon; ang pag-amyenda ng Konstitusyon at pagbasura sa iba pang mga batas para payagan silang magmay-ari ng lupa at mga negosyong nakareserba sa mga Pilipino tulad ng niraratsadang “Chacha” sa Konggreso sa kasalukuyan.

Samakatuwid, pinatitindi ng gobyernong Aquino ang nagpapatuloy na dominasyon ng US sa Pilipinas sa ilalim ng umiiral na huwad na kalayaan . Ito ang IMPERYALISMO o NEOKOLONYALSIMO – sistema kung saan ang mga mahirap at atrasadong bansa ay di-tuwirang pinaghaharian ng mga abanteng kapitalistang bansa upang dambungin ang kanilang likas yaman, pagkakitaan ang murang lakas-paggawa at pigain ang pambansang ekonomya. Ang malala pa ngayon, ang dambuhalang kapitalistang bansang Tsina ay nagiging mas agresibo sa pagtatangkang saklawin ang halos buong West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) kasama na ang bahagi ng exclusive economic zone (EEZ) ng Pilipinas dahil na rin sa udyok ng malakas na presensyang militar at panghihimasok ng imperyalismong US.

Laban para sa tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya

Ang tatlong salot sa lipunang Pilipino – imperyalismo, pyudalismo at burukrata kapitalismo — ay nagsasadlak sa ating bansa sa kumunoy ng malapyudal at malakolonyal na pagsasamantala’t pang-aapi. Kailangan ibagsak ang sistemang ito at patalsikin ang anumang rehimeng nagtataguyod nito, tulad ng rehimengUS-Aquino.

Kailangan isulong ang laban upang wakasan ang pang-aalipin, pandarambong at panggigyera ng mga imperyalistang bansa, lalu na ng imperyalistang US at TSINA.

Laban sa pagpapaalipin sa ibang Bansa

Kabilang tayong mga migrante sa inaaping sektor sa ating Lipunan, dahil sa kawalan ng trabaho para mapagkunan ng ikabubuhay ay napipilitan tayong makipagsapalaran at iwanan and ating mga mahal sa buhay para magtrabaho sa ibang bansa. Subalit dahil sa kapabayaan ng ating pamahalaan marami sa ating kapwa migrante ang naging biktima ng Human Trafficking at illegal recruiter. Halimbawa na lamang dito si Mary Jane Veloso na magpahanggang sa ngayon ay nakakulong sa bansang Indonesia at may naka-ambang hatol na kamatayan at ang mahigit na 300 ofws pang nakakulong sa ibang-ibang bansa na karamihan ay may hatol na kamatayan. Tinatayang nasa mahigit sampung porsyento ng ating populasyon ang bilang nating mga migrante at patuloy pa ang pagdami dahil na rin sa Labor Export Policy na pinatutupad ng ating pamahalaan, na sa halip na lumikha ng trabaho sa ating bansa ay ginagawa pa tayong kalakal at gatasang baka. Kung magiging malaya sana tayo sa tatlong salot na ugat ng ating kahirapan at kawalan ng trabaho ay hindi na natin kailangan pang mangibang bayan para mabuhay tayo at ang ating pamilya.

Kailangan nating ipagpatuloy ang dakilang laban ng ating mga bayani para sa isang bansang malaya, maunlad at demokratiko, at sa tapat, makabayan at makamamayang sistema ng pamamahala. Kailangang makipagkaisa tayong mga OFWs sa lahat ng aping sektor sa ating lipunan upang matagumpay nating mapalaya ang ating Bansa sa tatlong salot na nagpapahirap sa ating Mamamayang Pilipino.

Mga Migrante at Mamamayang Pilipino Magkaisa!
Tutulan at Labanan ang Panghihimasok sa ating Bayan!
Tunay na Soberenya at Kalayaan Ipaglaban!
Panagutin ang lahat ng sangkot sa Korupsyon!
Labor Export Policy Ibasura!
Komite sa propaganda – Umangat-Migrante

15 June 2015
PARTICIPATE: Stand Up for Human Rights! Join the #EndImpunity Photo Challenge!

The #EndImpunity Photo Challenge is a social media campaign in support of the IPT’s call for truth, accountability, and justice as a public opinion tribunal.HOW IT WORKS

On June 16, to mark the ONE MONTH COUNTDOWN to the IPT, supporters are called to take a photo that represents the pain suffered by victims of human rights abuses under the Aquino administration.

To participate:

1.     TAKE A PHOTO of yourself BLINDFOLDED and GAGGED holding up a sign that reads:

#EndImpunity
#PeoplesTribunal
tinyurl.com/2015ipt

2.   POST your photo on social media.

●      for FB– make FB profile pic and/or post on wall
●      for twitter– time TBD, twitter rally (retweet initial photo or tweet photo of yourself), since Wed is better for social media
●      post on instagram, tumblr, and other social media platforms

3. Visit the International Peoples Tribunal Facebook Page<https://www.facebook.com/events/1579657442313012/> for info and instructions on upcoming #EndImpunity Facebook and Twitter rally dates during the 1-month countdown.

Hashtags:

#EndImpunity
#PeoplesTribunal
#BeTheJudge
#AquinObama

IPT url:
tinyurl.com/2015ipt

Sample posts:

twitter: Countdown to #PeoplesTribunal Intl community crying to #EndImpunity by prosecuting #AquinObama
FB: Let’s put #AquinObama on trial and #EndImpunity. Justice for all victims of human rights abuses in the Philippines! #PeoplesTribunal

For more information, please visit: internationalpeoplestribunal.org
In solidarity (and on behalf of the conveners),Angie M. Gonzales
Coordinator
International Coalition for Human Rights in the PhilippinesPaul Quintos
IBON International
IPT 2015 Philippines Coordinating Secretariat

Call for support_IPT_2015

2015_IPT_Brochure

IPT Endorsement Request

IPT Sponsorship Form

IPT 2015.Summary.Final

14 June 2015
Neither the claws of the Dragon nor the Eagle: we stand for a truly independent Philippines

Press Statement
June 12, 2015

On the occasion of June 12, Bayan calls on the Filipino people to stand in defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity against the foreign powers that seek to tear the Philippines apart. Today we are reminded that the Philippines is not truly free.

We denounce in the strongest terms the aggressive actions and incursions of China in the West Philippine Sea, in blatant violation of the UNCLOS. China’s imperialist agenda is behind the grabbing of our seas and islands. We vow to resist such actions and call on the people to fight back through the various political and diplomatic means available to us.

We likewise reject the increasing US intervention in the maritime dispute with China. The US cares not for Philippine sovereignty and territorial claims and is merely concerned with freedom of navigation in international waters. The US is more interested in reestablishing is bases and increasing its troop presence in the Philippines as part of its pivot to Asia. Decades of US military presence in our country has brought us never-ending woes and has severely and shamefully undermined our sovereignty.

Both the US and China connive to exploit the Philippine economy, including our workforce and our natural resources. Both have economic interests in the Philippines. Both stand to gain from the ongoing efforts to change the economic provisions of the PH Constitution.

We will not be caught in the claws of the Dragon nor the Eagle. We stand for a truly free, independent and self-reliant Philippines. We stand for an independent foreign policy based on our national interest and respect for our sovereignty.

We assail the puppetry of the Aquino regime who up to now has no strategic plan for developing the domestic economy and our capacity for external defense. As with the economy and everything else, Aquino relies on foreign interests to boost our external defense vs China. This is precisely what keeps us weak. Aquino has failed to lay the foundation for an effective external defense not reliant and dictated on by the US.

We are not helpless in the face of the big powers. Our people are our greatest strength. A patriotic movement is now developing to counter China’s incursions and US intervention.

In the coming days we vow to:

1.       Continue holding protest actions against the imperialist designs of the US and China.

2.       Conduct a wide-scale education campaign on the matter of Philippine sovereignty and territorial integrity and mobilize the people for their defense

3.       Press the Philippine government to undertake the necessary steps to defend Philippine sovereignty in our waters and islands while rejecting one-sided pacts such as the US EDCA

4.       Press the PH government to nationalize the industries and enterprises of the countries that commit hostile acts against the Philippines

5.       Fight for national industrialization and genuine agrarian reform as the main requisite for developing and strengthening the economy so that we can have a basis for an effective defense capability.

We reiterate our solidarity with the working people of China and the US, that they too oppose the imperialist agenda of their governments and promote peace instead of imperialist aggression.

To Filipino people, it is time to rise up. Tindig, Pinas! Tindig Pilipino! Ipagtanggol ang soberanya at integridad sa teritoryo ng ating Inang Bayan! ###

12 June 2015
The International Peoples’ Tribunal on Crimes of Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the US Government as Represented by Pres. Barack Obama Against the Filipino People

The International Peoples’ Tribunal on the Crimes of the Philippine and US Governments Against the Filipino People (IPT 2015) is being convened at the behest mainly of victims1 of human rights violations and other crimes committed under the Presidency of Benigno S. Aquino III in the Philippines and President Barack Obama in the United States.

These entities shall be brought before a court of public opinion where concrete evidence shall be presented of their violations of the Filipino people’s individual and collective rights under international law. They will be brought for judgment before the broadest possible international audience.

The IPT 2015 embodies the right of peoples to hold states to account. It stems from the failure of the Philippine State and international institutions to uphold standards as embodied in Philippine as well as international laws and instruments under International Human Rights Law including the core human rights conventions and the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed in 1998 by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

The IPT 2015 derives its legitimacy from the people as the ultimate source of the authority of all national and international laws. Its verdict shall be based on a thorough and fair assessment of the evidence by leading public figures of recognised achievement and high moral stature, in accordance with applicable legal standards.

The Peoples’ Tribunal draws inspiration and builds on the gains of previous peoples tribunals convened to condemn similar crimes by previous regimes in the Philippines. These include, among others, the:

• Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (First Session on the Philippines) [PPT1] of 1980 in Antwerp, Belgium (“Repression and Resistance, “ against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos at the suit by NDFP and the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF)

• International Solidarity Mission- International People’s Tribunal [ISM-IPT] of 2005 in Manila (“In Defense of a People Fighting Repression; against human rights violations by

1 The victims and their relatives — belonging to a wide spectrum of social classes and sectors in Philippine society – are represented by the Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (EcuVoice), KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of the People’s Rights), Hustisya! (Victims United for Justice), DESAPARECIDOS (Families of the Disappeared for Justice), SELDA (Society of Ex-Detainees Against Detention and Arrest), BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance), Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philippines) among others.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo);

Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (Second Session on the Philippines) [PPT2] of March 2007 in The Hague, The Netherlands (The Filipino People vs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, George W. Bush, et.al: indicting the US-backed Arroyo regime for human rights violations, economic plunder and transgression of Philippine sovereignty); and

International Migrants Tribunal [IMT] of November 2012 in Manila (In Defense of Migrant Workers’ Rights: counterpoint to the Global Forum on Migration and Development)

The verdicts of these tribunals delivered strong moral and persuasive force. Their conclusions and recommendations were transmitted to the United Nations, various Parliaments and governments, as well as broad international organizations to add pressure on the Philippine government to stop the killings and other gross human rights violations in the country.

The resulting international uproar against the spate of extra-judicial killings under the term of President Arroyo, for instance, contributed to a decrease in the incidence of such killings in the latter part of 2007. The temporary decline was a very welcome respite for the Filipino people under siege.

Holding the hearings and gathering support especially from the peoples of the US are particularly strategic because of the US government’s historical and decisive influence in Philippine affairs.

In 2007, US Senator Barbara Boxer, Chair of the Sub-Committee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, acknowledged in a U.S. Senate hearing, “It is important we (Americans) do not have blood on our hands. . . . If we are training the (Philippine) military with our hard-earned tax dollars, our concern about the military cannot be discounted . . . the war on terror cannot be used as an excuse to kill innocent civilians.”

The International Peoples’ Tribunal (IPT) in 2015 shall help raise national and international public visibility of the ongoing violation of people’s rights in the Philippines, exercise moral suasion and help generate further political pressure on the governments of the Philippines and the US to end impunity.

OBJECTIVES:

The overall objective of the IPT 2015 is to expose the crimes not only of the current Philippine government as represented by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III against the Filipino people but also those of the US government, under the watch of President Barack Obama.

Specifically, the IPT aims to:

− Exert greater international pressure on the Philippine and US governments to stop human rights violations in the Philippines, including extrajudicial killings and disappearances;

− Establish by sufficient credible evidence according to international norms and standards that these violations are part of state policy which is being perpetrated with impunity by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and paramilitary and armed groups under their command and control;

− Establish the complicity of the Commander-in-Chief Aquino and the top military and police officials in the killings, disappearances and other gross human rights abuses;

− Show the various systematic and systemic violations of economic, social and cultural rights of the Filipino people through the imposition of exploitative policies and programs;

The complaints and presentations shall consist of the following:

Violations of human rights, particularly civil and political rights, with focus on extrajudicial killings, disappearances, massacres, torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions as well as other vicious, brutal and systematic abuses and attacks on the basic democratic rights of the people.

Violations of human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights of the Filipino people through the imposition of imperialist globalization to exploit the people; transgression of their economic sovereignty and national patrimony; various forms of economic plunder and attacks on the livelihoods of the people and the destruction of the environment.

Violations of the rights of the people to national self-determination and liberation through the imposition of the US war of terror; US military intervention; as well as the perpetration of crimes against humanity and war crimes; misrepresentations of the people’s right to national liberation and self-determination as “terrorism” and the baseless “terrorist” listing of individuals, organizations and other entities by the US and other governments.

July 16 to 17, 2015: Hearings
July 18, 2015: Deliberation and Presentation of the Verdict July 20, 2015: Service of the Verdict

Washington D.C.

Oral Presentation of Evidence under oath (either by affidavits or depositions) by victims and experts

on very select illustrative cases for each issue (either in person or through web though other cases can be submitted through documentary evidence)

Issues and Charges (Initial)

Violation of Civil and Political Rights

Human Rights Violations and Impunity

Political prisoners

Marcos victims’ compensation beneficiaries (delisted victims)

Violations of International Humanitarian Law

Violation of Socio, Economic and Cultural Rights

Hacienda Luisita

Yolanda, Pablo and Sendong typhoons

Labor contractualization

Urban poor demolitions

Power rate hikes and other basic services

Migrants/OFW cases

Privatization of public hospitals

Environmental

Mining

Corruption

Onerous trade agreements; neoliberal globalization, economic plunder

Charter change to open up of economy to increased foreign exploitation

Violation of the Right to Self-Determination and the Right to Resist

Oplan Bayanihan

EDCA and US military intervention (case of Jennifer Laude)

GPH-NDFP Peace Negotiations

Some Cases carried over from the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

EJK

Enforced Disappearance

Torture

Legal Bases

National and International Instruments including 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966 International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention against Torture and related instruments, Convention against Enforced and Involuntary Disappearance, 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1977 Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, 1976 Universal Declaration of the Rights of Peoples (Algiers Declaration), 1949 Geneva Conventions, 1977 Protocols 1 and 2, 1992 Hague Joint Declaration, 1995 Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG), 1998 Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and

International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, among others.

Organization of the Tribunal:

Conveners:

 International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP)  International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL)
 National Lawyers Guild
 IBON International

Concerned international organizations and networks who have come together to organize and convene the International Peoples’ Tribunal on Crimes of the US-Aquino Government Against the Filipino People.

Endorsers, Partners and Sponsors:

Personages and representatives of institutions and organizations who are interested in the issues of peoples’ rights, human rights and international law, and who wish to extend moral support and concrete assistance to the Tribunal, shall be invited to become Endorsers, Partners and Sponsors to the Tribunal. They will also endorse the Tribunal to their existing contacts and assist the organizers in reaching out further to the international community.

Plaintiffs/Complainants:

Representatives of the Filipino people: victims of the crimes of the US-Aquino regime; HR groups, various people’s organizations and their contituencies

Ecu Voice (Ecumenical Voice for Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines)

Karapatan (Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights)

Hustisya (Pagkakaisa Ng Mga Biktima Para Sa Hustisya Inc. or Unity of Victims for Justice)

Selda (Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto or Society of Ex-Detainees

Against Detention and Arrest)

Desaparecidos (Families of the Disappeared for Justice)

Bayan (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or New Patriotic Alliance)

KMU (Kilusang Mayo Uno or May 1st Movement)

KMP (Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas or Philippine Peasant Movement)

Gabriela – Alliance of Filipino Women

KADAMAY (Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap or National Alliance of Filipino Urban

Poor)

other mass organizations and individual victims in the Philippines and abroad

Defendants:

Philippine President Benigno Simeon S. Aquino III

US Government as represented by President Barrack Obama

International Monetary Fund

World Bank

World Trade Organization

Multinational Corporations

Judge/s:
1- 3 international personages or eminent person/s with at least 1 with a legal background

Jurors:
9 – 11 individuals of diverse backgrounds and different disciplines, with at least 3 with a legal background; representing the peoples of the world

Judges and Jurors composed of internationally distinguished personages will sit in the Tribunal. They shall formulate the verdict and pass a judgement at the end of the Tribunal. They shall also discuss these at a press conference.

Prosecutors/Legal counsels to victims and witnesses:

National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL)

Public Interest Law Center (PILC)

Individual (international) lawyers

Defense Lawyers (will be assigned by the Tribunal if no appearance from Defendants)

Clerk of Court and Deputy Clerks of Court

IPT 2015 Secretariats: Two secretariats have been constituted to assist the conveners: The Philippines Coordinating Secretariat which shall perform the staff work for the Tribunal preparations in the Philippines and the International Coordinating Secretariat to serve as the center of communications for all entities involved in the project and to coordinate the technical and other preparations for holding the tribunal, including financial and political support. These 2 secretariats are headed by Paul Quintos of IBON International and Dr. Angie M. Gonzales of the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines respectively.

For more information and updates: www.internationalpeoplestribunal.org

—
==========================
Mr. Ramon Bultron
Managing Director
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)

President
World Association for Christian Communications – Asia Region (WACC-AR)

Office Address: G/F, No. 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Telephone: +852-2723-7536
Fax: +852-2735-4559
Email: [email protected], [email protected]
Website: www.apmigrants.or

23 May 2015
On the Kentex Factory Fire – Statement of the fact-finding team

Dear friends,

Karapatan shares with you this statement of a member organization Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) on the results of their fact finding mission on the fire incident at the factory of Kentex Manufacturing Incorporated which killed more than 72 workers.

Public Information Desk
Karapatan

16 May 2015
http://ctuhr.org/on-the-kentex-factory-fire/
Seventy-two (72) workers, many of whom were women, were burned to death and 20 more are still missing in the biggest factory fire that hit the Philippines – the fire that gutted the factory of Kentex Manufacturing Incorporated last May 13, 2015. The company, located along Tatalon Street in Barangay Ugong in Valenzuela City, manufactures rubber slippers for sale and distribution in various parts of the Philippines.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz claimed that the factory passed an inspection on compliance with general labor standards and occupational health and safety standards that was conducted by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on September 2014. The Bureau of Fire Protection reportedly also gave the factory a fire safety inspection certification.

However, the fact-finding team which was composed of labor NGOs namely, the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), the Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), and the Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development (IOHSAD), and the national labor center of Kilusang Mayo Uno, which visited the area on May 14, found glaring violations of standards pertaining to general labor conditions and to occupational health and safety. It is most likely that these violations caused the tragic and massive loss of lives in the recent fire.

These violations include:

→ Mishandling of the chemical Super Seal, which is used as a rubber emulsifier. Survivors of the fire whom the Team interviewed said that the fire started on the ground floor of the two-storey building when the welding spatter from roll up door being repaired by an outside contractor reacted with the chemical that wasunsafely placed on the factory’s floor and was not kept in a separate and safe stockroom.

This clearly violates Rule 1943.07 on storage of the Occupational Safety and Health Standards of 1989. The Rule provides that “(1) Significant quantities of commodities with fire hazards greater than ordinary combustible commodities shall be separated from the main bulk by fire walls.”

→ Absence of proper labeling and awareness of the nature of the said chemical. Workers, including the welder who was fixing the gate of the factory compound, were not aware that the chemical is highly flammable as it was not properly labeled. Survivors also said that when smoke started to rise from the sacks of the chemical where the welding spatter fell, there were workers who poured water, which only caused the fire to become bigger. The fire was already huge when the workers attempted to put it off by using the fire extinguisher. Immediately after using the fire extinguisher, they were immediately engulfed by black smoke.

Absence of proper labeling violates Rule 1093.04 on Marking of Containers which requires “All containers with hazardous substances shall be properly labelled. No employer … shall accept any container of hazardous substances for use, handling or storage unless such containers are labelled.”
→ Absence of proper smoke and fire alarm and apparent absence of fire and safety drill among the workers. Survivors also noted that even when the ground floor was already filled with smoke, workers in the assembly line and the office staff at the second floor still continued working. They said the fire spread so quickly that they were trapped inside and there was no other way for them to go out except through the main door. They also recounted that they heard no fire alarm. They also claimed that workers in the second floor of the building were trapped as it was impossible for them to go through the door with such a strong fire coming from the building entrance. Workers who had been working for years in Kentex have not experienced any fire and safety drill conducted by the management. When asked about the Safety Officer, workers interviewed did not know if there was one.

These are clear violations of Rules on alarm and fire drills. Rule 1948.01 states that “(1) All buildings having two or more stories in height shall be equipped with fire alarm system and signals of distinctive quality and pitch clearly audible to all persons inside the building.” Rule on 1948.03 requires that “(1) Fire-exit drills shall be conducted at least twice a year to maintain an orderly evacuation of buildings, unless the local fire department requires a higher frequency of fire drills.”

→ Absence of fire exits. The factory compound had NO fire exits and there were only two gates, one is for people and the other is for delivery trucks. The factory windows are covered with steel grills and chicken wire which could not easily be destroyed even during emergencies. Witnesses said that workers at the second floor attempted to break the windows open until they could no longer be seen from the outside. Workers who were able to escape the compound even had to climb the walls at the back as the gate for delivery trucks was locked. Out of the more than 70 workers on the second floor, only four workers escaped by squeezing themselves through an opening and jumping out of the building.

Rule 1943.03 requires “(1) At least two exits shall be provided in every floor and basement of every workplace capable of clearing the work area in five (5) minutes,” and “(6) On every floor, except the ground floor, one of the exits shall lead to an inside stairway or a smokeproof tower, while the other exits shall lead to inside stairways, smoke-proof towers or horizontal exits.”

With all these glaring and clear OHS violations of Kentex Manufacturing, how did the Department of Labor and Employment release an OHS compliance certificate to Kentex in year 2014? How can the lack of fire exits inside the workplace premise pass the evaluation conducted by DOLE inspectors? If these were pointed out during that inspection, corrective measures could have been implemented to ensure occupational safety of workers in Kentex and evade the loss of lives. The issuance of DOLE to Kentex Manufacturing, an OHS standards violator, as complying to OHS standards, makes DOLE primarily accountable to the deaths of the 72 workers in this tragedy. DOLE failed its role in ensuring that workers are protected and their lives are safe and secure inside the workplace.

Working conditions

Kentex Manufacturing Corporation is owned by Mr. Beato Ang and Mr. Ong King Guan. Apart from the clear violations of occupational health and safety standards, worker survivors in Kentex also reported violations of general labor standards, contrary to the claims made by the Labor Department.

Only workers who served for 20-25 years in the company are considered “regular” workers, while those who have been working for an average of 10 years are considered “casual” workers. These regular and casual workers comprise a minority of the workforce and receive only the minimum wage despite having worked for the company for many years. Workers say that the union is a “company union” with around 30 members.

There are more than 100 workers out of the less than 200 workers who were hired by the CGC agency and were receiving only a daily wage of P202 plus P187 to P220 daily allowance, depending on the number of years of service. Agency workers also complain that they discovered that the CGC agency did not remit their SSS, Philhealth and PAG-IBIG contributions and that whenever they complain, the agency would only return their contributions instead of enrolling them in the said mandatory social benefits.

Workers also complain that they have to bear the heat inside the factory during work hours as there is no proper ventilation in the factory. They claim that they get tired of work not because of the heavy workload but because of the heat inside the factory premises.

Apart from the daily-paid casual workers who were hired by the manpower agency, there were also workers who were hired on “pakyawan” or piece-rate basis. These workers work for 12 hours a day without formal contract. Mary Ann Tenis, 30 years old and a single parent of three children, was one of the victims. Her youngest was just nine-month old, according to a friend who was waiting for news about her friend. Tenis had worked for Kentex for five months and was hired as a piece-rate worker.

Almost an entire family was burned to death, with both parents working for Kentex and their three high-school children taking a summer job in the factory. The tragedy orphaned a child enrolled in primary school.

The victims’ families say that they lost their loved ones and their bread winners in the fire. They are pained by their relatives’ death and they are pained by the difficulty in identifying the bodies of their loved ones and giving them a proper burial. They are anxious about what the future holds, thinking of how they can support family members who were left behind.

Call for justice, criminalization of violations that result in deaths

We mourn the death of scores of workers in Kentex and we express our deepest condolences to their families, friends and co-workers. We connect their unjust death with the tragedies that also claimed the lives of 11 construction workers in Bulacan, 8 female workers of AsiaTech in Pasay, 10 construction workers in Eton Towers, and 17 women workers at Novo in Butuan. Many had died but no one had been prosecuted or held criminally liable, constituting impunity in industrial safety.

Successive occupational accidents leading to deaths of workers only prove that existing policies and rules on occupational health and safety standards continue to fail in protecting workers and avoiding tragic accidents. Even the joint assessment and tripartite monitoring system mandated by DOLE Order No. 131-13 that superseded DO 57-04 – which was much-criticized as for promoting companies’ “self-assessment” with regard to occupational health and safety standards – apparently fall short in ensuring that factories and workplaces comply with occupational health and safety standards.

Workers’ safety and health cannot be left to the mercy of companies’ self-regulation or voluntary compliance. Workers’ basic rights to occupational health and safety should not be hinged on companies’ voluntarism but rather on strict enforcement by the government. From this perspective, it is justifiable to claim that DO 131-13 is in essence the same as DO 57-04, except that it uses the rhetoric of tripartism. It still still about the government’s abnegation of its regulatory responsibility. With the lack of genuine workers’ representation through a legitimate and independent union, and with the government working in cahoots with employers, tripartism from this end is nothing but hollow mechanism that masks employers’ sole power in the workplace.

Let not the tragedies in Kentex, Novo Jeans, Eton, among others happen again and claim the lives of more workers. Thus, we demand:

(1) Hold the DOLE and the Bureau of Fire Protection who gave the company compliance certification accountable for the factory fire and deaths of almost a hundred workers and employees. Investigate the process of inspection for the issuance of compliance certification of Kentex. Impose criminal and administrative penalties/charges (?) to key DOLE officials in-charge of the issuance of the compliance certificate.

(2) The imposition of criminal and administrative penalties on Veato Ang et al., owner of Kentex, and all owners of companies who have clearly violated occupational health and safety standards that resulted in the death of workers.

(3) Just compensation for the families of victims, proper benefits for workers who lost their jobs after the fire, and long-term support for orphaned children.

(4) Repeal of DO 131-13 and immediate passage House Bill 4635 or Workers’ SHIELD (Safety and Health Inspection and Employers’ Liability Decree) that will make violations of occupational health and safety standards both criminal and administrative offenses, while providing victims avenues for justice.
We call on the families of victims of Kentex accident to rise up and demand justice for their loved ones. We also call on the people to demand justice for Kentex workers and all other victims of occupational accidents by joining the national day of mourning on Monday, 18 May 2015.
Justice for Kentex workers and other victims of OHS Standards violations!
Strict Enforcement of Occupational Health and Safety Standards, not Joint Assessment or Self-Regulations!
Hold DOLE accountable for the Kentex Tragedy!
Penalize and criminalize the violators of Occupational Health and Safety Standards!
End impunity of OHS violations in the Philippines!
Repeal DO 131-13! Pass Workers SHIELD!
Struggle against Contractualization! Workers fight for Wages, Jobs and Rights!
Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Development
Center for Trade Union and Human Rights
Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research
Kilusang Mayo Uno
———————————————————————
PUBLIC INFORMATION DESK
[email protected]
———————————————————————
Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights
2nd Flr. Erythrina Bldg., #1 Maaralin corner Matatag Sts., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City, PHILIPPINES 1101
Telefax: (+63 2) 4354146
Web: http://www.karapatan.org

20 May 2015
Take action now! Save the lives of the trafficked victims at sea!

LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND!
Prosecute the traffickers!

This is the call of representatives from 120 grassroots people’s organizations, civil society groups and all human rights advocates and supporters attending the 2015 Asia Pacific CSO Forum on Sustainable Development in Bangkok, Thailand on 17-18 May 2015 as we express our deep and collective concern over the 6,000 to 8,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshi people currently stranded along the Malacca Strait as the Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine governments continue to disallow them from disembarking safely on their shores.

This humanitarian crisis needs to be immediately and collectively resolved by all governments before more innocent lives are lost. It will be such a shame to see them, stakeholders to the sustainable development goals that all States are crafting and finalizing now, die because we failed to take proactive measures to save them and resolve the situation.

To simply call them as boatpeople is degrading and demeaning. They are not criminals or illegals. They are victims of human trafficking. The people who left them at sea, who capitalized on their poverty or crisis situation are the perpetrators who should be arrested and tried in the court of law.

These people have been adrift for days and weeks now. They are exhausted. They are desperate. They will turn on each other – as had happened already – and make the situation worse. Do not make them resent each other more, be less tolerant and hateful of each other.

While the crisis is a very layered and complex regional problem, the most humane temporary solution is to allow the trafficked victims onshore, attend to their immediate medical and physical needs while a long-term and lasting solution is to be worked out.

Thus, we call:

1) For all the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines and all in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to show leadership and humanity by immediately providing humanitarian aid to all men, women and children found stranded on boats by accepting them on land, giving them temporary shelter and refuge, and providing them with food, water, sanitary facilities and medical attention;

2) Treat all of them as victims of trafficking. They are more than just Rohingyas or Bangladeshis. They are people whose human rights have been violated, their dignity taken away, their humanity stripped off them;

3) For all the governments in the ASEAN and especially the Bangladeshi government to take swift and decisive action to crackdown and arrest all traffickers, and ensure that no more innocent lives especially in Bangladesh will be imperiled by any trafficker or trafficking ring;

4) For all related country governments to attend the upcoming summit to identify an action plan to address this humanitarian crisis, including ensuring the restoration of dignity and temporary source of livelihood for the trafficked victims; and

5) For all ODA (Official Development Aid) donor country governments to prioritize support to enable immediate humanitarian response and take necessary measures to the relevant governments to resolve the crisis immediately. Likewise, they should incorporate as a precondition in their ODA that human rights are always and at all times upheld and protected.

All of us civil society organizations, people’s movements, and grassroots peoples present in this CSO forum will be with our Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Philippine and Bangladeshi brothers and sisters in pressuring their governments to continue exerting pressures until each and every innocent life stranded at sea is safely brought back to shore with their physical health back in the pink, their dignity restored. We call on the international community to join us in working together to address this humanitarian crisis, put pressures on the governments in the region to fulfill their commitment and responsibility.

The post-2015 SDGs are supposed to be guided by the motto to “leave no one behind”. Let us not leave them on the sea to perish and not leave them to their vulnerable condition as a people – this is the immediate goal that we want all governments to take and achieve.#

(Photo from CNN website)

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Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
Office Address: G/F, No.2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR

Tel. no.: (852) 2723-7536
Fax no.: (852) 2735-4559
General E-mail: [email protected]

18 May 2015