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):
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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