Category: Statements

  • ICHRP Urges International Labor Organization (ILO) to Further Probe Violations of Workers’ Rights in the Philippines

    ICHRP Urges International Labor Organization (ILO) to Further Probe Violations of Workers’ Rights in the Philippines

    Statement

    January 26, 2023

    The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) urges the International Labor Organization (ILO) to probe further the violations of labor rights of workers in the Philippines through its High Level Tripartite Mission (HLTM). The ongoing Mission started on January 23 in the Philippines and will conclude on January 27.

    “The ongoing Mission of the ILO is in line with one of INVESTIGATE PH’s key recommendations in all its three reports submitted to the UN OCHR, the ICC and the ILO. It is high time that the Philippine government is made accountable for its gross violations of workers’ rights, which heightened during President Duterte’s term,” said Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson.

    Formalized in June 1948, the ILO Convention Nos. 87 and 98 unequivocally declares the “freedom of association and right to organize” of all workers in the world, which the Philippines ratified in 1953. These rights are also stated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights where the Philippine government is a party to these conventions.

    Despite having it ratified in 1953, the Philippines has a poor record of implementing the ILO Convention No. 87. Under President Duterte’s administration alone, 56 labor leaders and organizers were killed, while hundreds were victims of various cases of red-tagging, harassment, union-busting, and arrests due to trumped-up charges. Among these incidents is the Bloody Sunday Massacre on March 7, 2021, which killed 9 activists in Southern Tagalog. One of the victims was labor leader Emmanuel “Manny” Asuncion, who was then in the office of Cavite Workers’ Assistance Center, Inc. (WAC) when state armed forces forcibly entered the office, tortured and killed him. The Department of Justice in a Resolution recently dismissed the criminal complaint filed by Asuncion’s wife against Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel for “insufficiency of evidence”, concluding that there is no probable cause to prosecute them for the killing of Manny Asuncion. This further exacerbates the climate of impunity and the continued delay in giving justice for victims of state violence.

    “Equally alarming is the practice of the Philippine government in repressing the right of workers to organize and form trade unions. The creation of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has aggravated the disrespect of this right by the government,” added Murphy. They red-tag, threaten, file trumped-up charges, arrest and detain, and kill union leaders and organizers. The Alliance for Industrial Peace Program formerly known as Joint Industrial Peace Concerns Office (JIPCO) sees workers’ collective action as ‘terrorism’ and makes organizing of workers into trade unions very difficult especially in export processing zone areas. 

    The workers’ situation has not improved since July 2022 under Marcos Jr. The Minimum Wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) remains at a measly P570 (US$10.44) per day, while other provinces like Bicol have it significantly lower at P335 (US$6.14) per day. Meanwhile, the real wage of workers in NCR is at P488 (US$8.94) per day, a far cry from the family living wage of P1,117 (US$20.47) per day, based on August 2022 data. Coupled with the fast-rising inflation and the continued crackdown of labor rights in the country, the problems faced by Filipino workers seem to have no end in sight.

    As the ILO Mission concludes on January 27, ICHRP implores the ILO to urgently come up with the necessary recommendations to put a stop to the killings and repression of workers in the Philippines. “ICHRP reiterates its call to have the Philippine government abide by international labor laws and to be held accountable for its blatant disregard and violations of workers rights,” concluded Murphy.

    Further comment: Peter Murphy, ICHRP Chairperson, +61418312301

    [email protected]

  • Murdered Kuwait OFWs deserve decisive gov’t action

    Murdered Kuwait OFWs deserve decisive gov’t action

    PRESS STATEMENT

    January 25, 2023

    Migrante International condoles with the family and friends of Jullebee Ranara, the 35-year old Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) and domestic worker whose burned body was found buried in a Kuwaiti desert on Sunday and who is suspected to have been murdered by the son of her employer.

    We condemn this yet another murder of our kababayan, another Filipina, in Kuwait. Jullebee’s murder is the latest in a controversial series that includes Joanna Daniela Demafelis (2018), Constancia Lago Dayag (2019), and Jeanelyn Villavende (2019). There are also more than 400 distressed OFWs staying in cramped Philippine government facilities in Kuwait.

    The recent deaths and abuse suffered by our kababayans in Kuwait are not isolated incidents and point to conditions in Kuwait and other countries that make our OFWs vulnerable to abuse and even murder.

    In light of the successive deaths and abuse of our kababayans in Kuwait, Migrante-International calls on the Philippine government to: 
    (1) Seek justice for Jullebee. Her murderers must be brought to court and imprisoned. 
    (2) Order the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait to be more alert and attentive to OFWs’ complaints and cries for help. Expand repatriation and other services for distressed OFWs there.
    (3) Probe and punish possible neglect of duty among Philippine officials in Kuwait, as shown by the deplorable conditions suffered by distressed OFWs in the country.
    (4) Push for measures that will alleviate the working and living conditions of Filipino domestic workers and OFWs in Kuwait.
    (5) In particular, push for reforms in, if not the abolition of, the kafala system, which has meant total employer control over domestic workers and OFWs.

    These are all, however, band-aid solutions; they can only do so much to protect our OFWs. Foreign domestic work and labor migration are highly unequal setups that bring with them great risks of abuse for migrant workers, especially those coming from countries with uncaring labor brokerage governments. 

    As long as the Philippine government and economy remain highly-dependent on migrant Filipinos’ remittances, cases of abuse and even murder of our kababayans will not end. The real solution is an end to the government’s Labor Export Program and the generation of decent jobs within the country which, we believe, are only possible through genuine land reform and national industrialization.

    It is clear that President Rodrigo Duterte’s OFW ban to Kuwait in 2018 and his appeal to Arab countries to treat OFWs with dignity and respect are failures. New contracts stipulating one day-off for OFWs per week and their working and sleeping hours are not enough. The Department of Migrant Workers’ thrust of promoting labor export is totally misguided. 

    It’s time that the Philippine government undertake both immediate measures to protect our domestic workers and OFWs abroad and long-term measures to generate decent jobs in the Philippines.###

  • Tulfo OFW proposal, heartless

    Tulfo OFW proposal, heartless

    Migrante International condemns Sen. Raffy Tulfo’s proposal that the government deny legal support to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who are facing cases abroad that are related to illegal drugs, such as drug trafficking or serving as drug mules.

    Tulfo’s proposal is woefully ignorant of the conditions faced by OFWs that land them in drug-related charges. It shows a mindset that is heartless not only towards OFWs in said situations, but all OFWs. 

    The overwhelming majority of OFWs facing drug-related charges are innocent of the crimes and are in fact victims of wealthy and well-connected drug syndicates. They do not at all deserve the death penalty, which is the punishment for drug-related offenses in many countries. 

    A clear illustration is the case of Mary Jane Veloso, who was tricked into carrying a suitcase containing illegal drugs to Indonesia. Like many OFWs facing drug-related cases, she was denied a competent lawyer and translator, a violation of her right to fair trial, and was sentenced to death. It was only the widespread protest that pushed the Philippine government to protect her, resulting in the stay of her execution.

    To deny legal support to OFWs in Mary Jane’s and others’ situation is to turn a blind eye to the drug syndicates, condone the mistreatment suffered by Filipinos facing drug charges in foreign lands, and consign our kababayans in these situations to the death penalty or long jail terms. 

    OFWs facing drug-related cases abroad are also victims of poverty and joblessness in the Philippines. It is not them who are a kahihiyan or embarrassment to Filipinos, but the Philippine government. The government has become so dependent on labor export that it has failed to generate jobs and development in the Philippines — even as it has always been uncaring towards OFWs. 

    The Philippine government has been so smugly dependent on migrant Filipinos’ remittances that it sees no compulsion in solving the problems faced by many Filipinos in the Philippines — soaring food prices, high power rates, horrendous public transportation and heavy traffic, among others.

    The truth is that government assistance to OFWs facing drug-related cases and OFWs in general has been so meager. While pretending to be a remedy, Tulfo’s proposal is a continuation of the government’s heartless denial of support and protection to OFWs. 

    The government has been trying to remove sections of Filipinos from its protection: the Philippine consulate in Dubai for example once told distressed OFWs that OFWs who entered the country outside of the regular process will not receive support from the Philippine government in the face of abusive employers. 

    The cases faced by OFWs abroad are not as simple as the “justice” dished out by the Tulfo brothers’ talkshows. The accused is presumed to be innocent before proven guilty and therefore has the right to legal protection from the Philippine government. If the Philippine government denies legal assistance to its people facing drug-related cases, it has thereby acted as the prosecutor and the judge. Kawawa ang mga Pilipino sa ganitong gobyerno.

    We likewise condemn this attempt to exclude segments of the Filipino population from Filipinos deemed by the government as “deserving” of protection and rights. This is an abominable legacy of Rodrigo Duterte, whose war on drugs depicted drug addicts as “less than animals” and caused the death of tens of thousands of Filipinos — thereby displaying who is the “less than animal,” the fascist scum, in this issue. ###

  • PARANGAL KAY KASAMANG MANUEL SARMIENTO, BAYANING PILIPINO AT KADRE NG URING MANGGAGAWA

    Ni Jose Maria Sison, Tagapangulong Emeritus International League of Peoples’ Struggle

    Disyembre 19, 2020

    Mga mahal na kababayan,Nagpapaabot ako ng pakikidalamhati sa pamilya at lahat ng mga malapit na kasama at kaibigan ni Kasamang Manuel Sarmiento sa kanyang pagpanaw noong Disyembre 11 sa Vienna, Austria. Dama natin lahat ang bigat nito tulad ng Sierra Madre. Subalit nasisiyahan tayo lahat na matagal at mabunga siyang naglingkod sa uring manggagawa at sambayanang Pilipino.Pagkakataon ngayon na magbigay tayo sa kanya ng Pulang saludo at pinakamataas na parangal sa kanya bilang bayaning Pilipino at kadre ng uring manggagawa dahil sa kanyang maningning, uliran at matagumpay na pagkilos at pamumuno sa kilusang paggawa sa maraming pakikutunggali sa mga dayuhang monopolyo at mga lokal na reaksyonaryo, magmula sa panahon ng pasistang diktadura ni Marcos hanggang sa panibagong pasismo ng tiranonbg Duterte.Mula sa pundasyon ng Kilusang Mayo Uno noong Mayo 1, 1980, kumilos siya bilang matatag at militanteng kadre ng KMU alinsunod sa pangkalahatang linya ng demokrating rebolusyon ng bayan at sa perspetkibang sosyalista. Naging ikatlong pangkalahatang kalihim siya ng KMU, kasunod nina Ka Rolando Olalia at Crispin Beltran. Sa batayang antas, organisador at tagapagtatatg ng FILIPRO-Nestle Philippines at naging presidente siya ng Drug, Food, and Allied Workers’ Federation, isa sa mga organisasyong tagapagtatag ng KMU. Siya ay isang accountant at mataas ang kanyang potensyal na maging opisyal ng management ng Nestle. Subalit pinili niyang manungkulan bilang kadre ng mga mangaggawa.Personal na nakasama ko si Ka Manny nang siya ay nagpostgrad studies sa Institute of Social Studies sa The Hague at nang siya ay lumalahok sa mga aktibidad ng komunidad ng mga Pilipino. Nang itinalaga siya sa Europa sa ilalim ng Migrante International, itinayo niya ang PINAS FIRST sa Vienna Austria at lalo pang nakasama ko sa mga pulong ng Migrante at ng International League of Peoples’ Struggle.Napansin ko ang mga katangian ni Ka Manny bilang kadre. Matatag, matalino at magiting laban sa kaaway subalit mapagpakumbaba sa paglilingkod sa uring manggagawa at sambayanang Pilipino. Tahimik magtrabaho, masipag at disiplinado. Nakatuon sa proseso at direksyon ng trabaho at mga miting. Mabait, matulungin at matiyagang magpaliwanag sa kapwa. Simple at matipid ang pamumuhay.Dahil sa mga bayani at manggawang kadre tulad ni Ka Manny, patuloy na lumalaki at lumalakas ang kilusang paggawa at demokratikong rebolusyon ng bayan sa panmumuno ng uring manggagawa. Pumanaw man sila sa anumang dahilan, nanatilii silang buhay sa ating diwa at damdamin, laging inspirasyon sila at laging buhay sila sa rebolusyonaryong kilusan dahil sa kanilang mga kongkretong ambag at halimbawa.Mabuhay ang alaa-ala ni Ka Manny! Mabuhay ang Kilusang Mayo Uno! Mabuhay ang Migrante International! Mabuhay ang kilusang paggawa! Mabuhay ang sambayanang Pilipino!

  • WE’LL KEEP SERVING THE PEOPLE

    WE’LL KEEP SERVING THE PEOPLE

    Migrante Europe, Gabriela-Europe, PCPR-Europe and other cause-oriented groups based in Europe have been organizing relief assistance campaigns for the thousand of families affected by Typhoon Rolly in the Bicol region and of the Typhoon Ulysses in Luzon; as a collective act of solidarity for fellow Filipinos. But recently, these groups being included in the list of ‘reg-tagged’ organizations from NTF-ELCAC are receiving negative reactions due to the black propaganda peddled by the NTF-ELCAC, military social media posts and even by the personal facebook account of Lorraine Marie T. Badoy herself.

    The damaging impacts by Typhoon Rolly and Typhoon Ulysses call for massive aid response from civil society organizations as counter to the glaring ineptness of the Duterte government on disaster response. There is no place for red-tagging in this season of disasters, instead our government must find ways to integrally address the plight of more than a million families displaced by the typhoons and flooding.

    Migrante Europe, Gabriela-Europe, PCPR-Europe and other Europe-based mass organizations are consistent with their social initiatives even during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe; providing food aid, and psycho-social assistance to migrant Filipinos affected during the lockdown in European cities.

    The Duterte government has no right to stop us from conducting our relief assistance to our fellow Filipinos in need of immediate help as they face homelessness and hunger brought about by the recent disasters.

    Likewise, we demand accountability from our national government for failing in disaster preparedness, tolerating projected damages on people’s lives in many events of natural calamities. The government response should be ‘beyond resilience’, our Filipino people have suffered long enough from the gross negligence of our government officials, from the President down to the local officials!

    The ancillary causes of the damaging impacts of the typhoons are ecological destruction of our forests and mountains areas (from mining and logging); the release of water from the dams; the absence of zoning policies; the clogging of our creeks and sewerage systems. Our government continues to fail us.

    But, we still commit to help our affected countrymen. We continue sending our contributions and assistance, even by the continued intimidation of the NTF-ELCAC. We will keep serving the people.

    We are urging our Congress then, to defund the NTF-ELCAC, that this government agency masquerading of helping our government is engaged in costly militarization of the rural communities and of character assassinations of party-list representatives, activists, church-people and local leaders. The agency’s Php 19-billion proposed budget should not be approved, but instead channel this budget for relief and rehabilitation.

  • Collective Statement on the Red-Tagging of Filipino Activists in Europe

    Collective Statement on the Red-Tagging of Filipino Activists in Europe

    We condemn the red-tagging of our activists: Bishop Antonio Ablon, IFI Chaplain in Europe, Marlon Lacsamana, Migrante – Europe (Secretary General), and Fatima Sarah Rico, Anakbayan-Europa.

    Our fellow activists have dedicated their lives in the service of Filipino migrant communities in Europe, as well as bringing Philippine concerns in Europe related to state-sanctioned killings and human rights violations in their home country.

    The deliberate red-tagging implies harassment on our activists while dedicating their lives in the nationalist struggle in their host country.

    The irony of the malicious red-tagging is, Rodrigo Duterte’s state-forces are bent on maximizing the Filipino taxpayers money in pursuit of imploring character and violent assassinations on dedicated activists and organizations, both in the Philippines and abroad. On top of this, the recent proposed budget worth Php 16.44 billion for National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to be used in pseudo counter-insurgency program, yet tainted with violence and corruption.

    Our activists and people’s organizations in Europe remain resolute to pursue a consistent condemnation on the US-Duterte regime and the black propaganda machinery of the NTF-ELCAC.

    AnakBayan Europa

    Europe Network for Justice & Peace in the Philippines

    GABRIELA Europe

    Migrante Europe

    Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR) Europe

  • Collective Statement on the European Parliament’s resolution on the situation in the Philippines

    Collective Statement on the European Parliament’s resolution on the situation in the Philippines

    The European Parliament resolution clearly affirmed the continuing solidarity and condemnations calls of our network against the Duterte administration related to human rights abuses, bloody drug-related and activists killings, the gross intimidation of media and journalists, the signing of the anti-terror law, relentless military attacks in the mountain areas, and the alarming corruption of Duterte-appointed officials.

    The resolution issued clear calls targeting the ills committed by the Duterte regime, namely, condemning the following:

    • The extrajudicial killings and human rights violations related to ‘war-on-drugs’ and calling the government to disband private and state-backed paramilitary groups ; and address the drug-problem as a health issue, stating “that the fight against illicit drugs must be pursued in full compliance with due process of law, in accordance with national and international law, and with emphasis on public health…”
    • The systemic character and violent assassinations of human rights and environmental activists, trade unionists and journalists as a way to silence critical and fearless voices in the country.
    • The direct act of killing of notable activists and human rights defenders: Jory Porquia, Randall ‘Randy’ Echanis and Zara Alvarez.
    • The end of violence against women and LBTQI people, clearly identifying the repeated misogynist and sexist statements of Rodrigo Duterte—all constituting a direct act of serious violation of their human rights and dignity.
    • The alarming levels of corruption of the Duterte regime.
    • The opportunist use of the COVID pandemic “as a pretext to limit democratic and civic space, fundamental freedoms, and the respect of the rule of law.”

    On the other hand, the resolution failed to mention the militarist-induced appointments of former generals and police officers in the Cabinet and other key government offices. Such appointments are enablers of the violence-tainted governance of the Duterte regime, fomenting more human rights abuses.

    As the resolution cited recent cases, specifically those of the martyred activists (Zara Alvarez, Randall Echanis and Jorry Porquia); it should not also fail to mention the inability of our Congress and the Supreme Court of their mandate to condemn the glaring acts of the desecration of human rights and dignity of Filipinos.

    The European Parliament resolution assured us of their constant monitoring; giving us hope to continue denouncing the despotic President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Likewise, our continued vigilance, protests and fora; allowing even representatives from the international bodies, from the UN and among the members of the European Parliament are positively amplifying our calls from the ground—from the END of State Terrorism, thru Justice for All, and ultimately OUST Duterte.

    Migrante Europe
    Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines (ENJPP)
    Promotion of Church Peoples’ Response (PCPR) – Europe
    GABRIELA Europe

  • Hands Off Anakbayan-Europe!

    Hands Off Anakbayan-Europe!

    Migrante-Europe and allied organizations condemn in the highest form the attack of General Parlade against Anakbayan-Europe.

    General Antonio Parlade’s irresponsible statement of accusing Anakbayan as front of the CPP NPA NDF which according to him is responsible for the death of thousands of Filipino youth is baseless! His statement is a failed try to cover-up the more than 30,000 lives that fell victim by his president’s war on drugs and against activists, members and leaders of peoples’ organizations, human rights defenders.

    General Parlade’s boast of the Anti-Terror Law as an effective tool to combat the CPP NPA NDF belies the claim of President Duterte and his minions that the government is winning the hearts and minds of the people in its armed anti-insurgency campaign. Despite the claims of success of its military campaign against the CPP NPA NDF, the increasing military budget and the rushed enactment of the Anti-Terror Law of 2020 of the government prove otherwise. The truth is, the militarist approach has bleed the nation its resources. Every year, billions of pesos are allocated to military personnel and equipment, but most of the chunk of the fund only end up into the pockets of corrupt officials. The rampant fake surrender-scheme of the government has become an income generating projects of the officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

    Why General Parlade is afraid of Anakbayan-Europe? Why General Parlade considered an obstruction of the law when Anakbayan-Europe raised questions about Anti-Terror Law 2020? Why General Parlade considered an obstruction of the law when Anakbayan-Europe asserted that the Anti-Terror Law 2020 violates the rights of every person to be detained for 24 days without charges in court as provided in the Philippine 1987 Constitution?

    Migrante-Europe and its allied organizations believe that the militarist approach only results to various forms of human rights violations such as: illegal searches and raids of homes of activists and offices of people’s organizations; arbitrary arrests; and extrajudicial killings with common justification from the police military that the subjects of the arrest “fought back” and massacres of civilians. The fascist hands of Duterte and its minions are guilty of the murders of Jory Porqia, Carlito Badion, Randall Enchanis, Zara Alvarez to name a few.

    General Parlade and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict must be reminded that brutal and ruthless response from the government to the people defending their rights to life, land and livelihood highlights its cruelty to people at home and abroad demanding public accountability of Duterte and are struggling for justice, peace and social transformation. Migrante-Europe and its allied organizations believe that;

    State repression and killings will never be an answer to farmers demanding genuine agrarian reform;

    State repression and killings will never be an answer to workers struggling for just wage and security of tenure;

    State repression and killings will never be an answer to indigenous peoples communities struggling for self-determined development of their communities;

    State repression and killings will never be an answer to urban poor communities longing for decent housing and social services;

    State repression and killings will never be an answer to the 10 million overseas Filipinos in diaspora , longing for their families and the motherland that is now struggling to the repercussions on their jobs and well being by the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Migrante-Europe and its allied organizations believe on the noble cause of Anakbayan-Europe of serving the poor, deprived and oppressed sectors of the Philippine society

    Migrante-Europe and its allied organizations call on all Filipino communities in Europe and around the world to denounce the anti-poor policy and reject the Anti-Terror Law of President Duterte.

    Migrante-Europe and its allied organizations affirm our commitment to continue to struggle with the economically and politically marginalized sectors of Philippine society and around the world.

    Pasismo ng Estado Durugin! Duterte Patalsikin!

    Migrante Europe Europe Wide
    Campaign for the Human Rights in the Philippines-United Kingdom
    Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines
    Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) – Europe
    Filipino Ecumenical Migrants Ministry – IFI/Europe
    Federation of Domestic Workers Association (FDWA)-United Kingdom
    FOA-Au Pair-Denmark
    Gabriela-Germany
    Gabriela-London,UK
    Gabriela-Rome,Italy
    Gabriela-Switzerland
    Kanlungan Filipino Consortium-United Kingdom
    Kasama Ko-Greece
    Makabayang Samahang Pilipino (MkSP)-The Netherlands
    Migrante-Austria
    Migrante-Bologna
    Migrante-Como
    Migrante-Cyprus
    Migrante-Denmark
    Migrante-Firenze,Italy
    Migrante-Iceland
    Migrante-Ireland
    Migrante-Mantova, Italy
    Migrante-Milano, Italy
    Migrante-Amsterdam, The Netherlands
    Migrante-Den Haag, The Netherlands
    Migrante-Utrecht,The Netherlands
    Migrante Sectoral Partylist (MSP) Europe
    Migrante-Zurich,Switzerland
    Milan OFW Kapitbisig-Italy
    Nagkakaisang Pilipino sa Pransya (NPSP)-France
    Pinay sa Holland – Gabriela-The Netherlands
    Samahan ng mga Kabataan sa Netherlands (SAMAKA-NL)-The Netherlands
    Ugnayang Pilipino sa Belgium (UPB)-Belgium
    Umangat Migrante-Italy

  • PCPR-Europe Statement on the Killing of Zara Alvarez

    PCPR-Europe Statement on the Killing of Zara Alvarez

    We strongly condemn the killing of Zara Alvarez, human rights activist, peasant organizer and ecumenical church worker. The full force of the Anti-Terror Law are now effecting despotic cleansing on human rights defenders and peace advocates.

    The state forces under Duterte’s command assassinated ‘Ka Zara’ in cold blood last night in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Philippines in the evening of August 17, 2020.

    Her work focused on the promotion of human rights and grassroots organizing of peasants and sugar workers. “Natatakot ako para sa sarili ko at sa anak ko. Pero hindi ako pwedeng huminto o magtago dahil hindi naman pwedeng huminto ang paghahanap ng hustisya,” these were her words when interviewed last year regarding the many threats of her life; so brave a woman, taking by word and example the pursuit of justice of the many victims of human rights violations and state-sponsored killings.

    Zara’s unwavering dedication to the people’s struggle moved many to participate in protest actions, lately in the call for the ouster of the U.S.-Duterte regime. As an active church worker, she was able to unite church voices among the Roman Catholic and IFI dioceses in Negros island on social justice and peace concerns; worked actively with the Church-Workers’ Solidarity.

    Lately, she organized relief response and distributed food aid to the peasants and sugarcane workers affected by the COVID pandemic in Cadiz City; facing both harassment and threats even while responding to the crisis.

    Zara lived and committed to “serve the people”, offering her life for others to attain justice and liberation.

    Justice for Zara Alvarez! Stop the senseless killings of human rights defenders and activists!
    Justice for all the victims of State Terrorism!

    Promotion of Church People’s Response – Europe

  • SOMAtotal, State of the Migrants Address in Europe (July 26, 2020)

    SOMAtotal, State of the Migrants Address in Europe (July 26, 2020)

    This online forum protest with coordinated outdoor demonstrations from various Filipino mass organizations in Europe, as also participated by the relevant voices of migrant Filipinos and foreign allies sharing the common call: OUST Duterte, amplifies the cry of the Filipino people. We may not be physical present in the Philippines, but we connect our lives from where we are now, to the lives of our people, of our families and especially of the suffering Filipinos – in the Philippines.

    In the history of the Filipino revolutionary struggles; the migrant Filipinos, dedicated their lives for our nation’s sake, we have important roles to play: in the awakening, in the strategic campaigns and in international solidarity support.

    As of late, our calls and campaigns to OUST Duterte must be amplified, especially of the emerging issues brought about by the COVID Pandemic.

    Our SOMAtotal common synthesis (contributed by Migrante-Europe, Grabiela-Europe, Anakbayan-Europe, Promotion of Church People’s Response, Europe Network for Justice and Peace in the Philippines, and April 28 Coalition):

    1. The Philippine government thru its embassies in Europe should lobby for immediate assistance of undocumented migrant Filipinos for regularization and full citizenship rights, they are among those greatly impacted by the COVID pandemic in their host countries.
    2. The Philippine government should assist in providing necessary assistance to migrant Filipinos in the Middle East, the struggles of our brothers and sisters there are so depressing, where our government should not be content of sending back home shattered lives of OFWs and worst in coffins, almost 400 Filipinos have died in the Middle East due to COVID. Accountability of host countries and companies must be pursued in the behalf of families and relatives who have died and are in hospitals.
    3. Migrant groups must demand accountability to our Philippine government with regard to the billion/s of loans and assistance from foreign entities and donors respectively, in aid to address the COVID-19 pandemic; and yet has failed to address the medical and economic needs of the Filipinos.
    4. We as migrants must speak boldly in the failed approaches of the Duterte government to address the COVID crisis; clearly manifested by haphazard solutions in the midst of national confusion, instead: signed the Terror Law; continued the war-on-drugs and war-on-drugs—with recorded 300 plus killings during the lockdown; curtailed press freedom by closing ABS-CBN and targeted journalists and publications; and militarized cities and the countryside.
    5. Collectively, we speak as one migrant’s community: End the Tyranny in the Philippines! Pursue a just and lasting peace, build a people’s authentic economic recovery, fix the dis-ordered education system, end the violent war-on-drugs and war-on-rights and provide realistic medical responses.

    Bring our message of disbelief during (and after) Duterte’s SONA,
    his failures sealed our commitment to oust him in power.

    SONAgkaisa tayong mga migrante sa Europa!
    SONAghimagsikan (at maghimagsikan) tayong mga migrante!

    In the name of Migrant voices,

    Br. Tagoy Jakosalem, OAR
    Promotion of Church People’s Response – Europe