PLEASE REPOST: LFS calls for the immediate release of 3 UP students illegally arrested in Cebu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AUGUST 29, 2011

 

LFS calls for the immediate release of 3 UP students illegally arrested in Cebu

 

Reference:

Jed Bautista, 09329138187

 

 

The League of Filipino Students calls for the immediate release of 3 University of the Philippines Cebu students who were illegally arrested and are currently detained in Philippine National Police Precincts in Toledo City and Pinamongajan.

 

Melanie Montano, a member of the League of Filipino Students UP Cebu chapter; Remy Jade Manzon, a member of KARATULA UP Cebu chapter, and Januelle Rontos of the Nagkakaisang Kusog ng mga Estudyante, a political party in UP Cebu were arrested while elements of the Philippine National Police violently dispersed a protest camp of peasants in Sitio Camarin, Brgy Bonbon, Aloguinsan, Cebu. The students were there for an immersion program, joining the campaign against land grabbing allegedly led by the powerful corporate family of the Aboitizes, to convert the 168 HA of land into a shipyard and a special economic zone.

 

At around 5:30 in the morning, a 300-strong group of PNP units and SWAT elements coming from 5 municipalities in the area, including Aloguinsan, roused the sleeping camp saying they have an order to arrest everyone who was staying at the camp. By 10 am, the 3 students, with peasants and youth, were arrested and brought to the custody of Toleda City Jail and Pinamongajan Municipal precinct.

 

The League of Filipino Students is fuming over this recent blatant violation of the people’s human right, another manifestation of whose interest the government is serving. The peasants of Sitio Camarin have all the right to defend their land, more so continue to till it, but elements of the government’s defense, the Philippine National Police became the principal ushers of the ruling few in stepping on the right of the peasants to the land and their right to peaceably assemble for redress of grievances.

 

This incident soundly fit the framework of the Aquino regime, putting first the few’s interest for more profit, in this case the filthy rich Aboitizes, over the land and lives of the 200 families whose ancestors have tilled the land.

 

All over the country, hundreds of thousands of peasant families experience the same fate, to be betrayed by their own government in pursuit of greater profit for the ruling elite and foreign corporations. This mirrors Aquino’s skewed agrarian reform policy or the CARPER.

 

While the Aquino government and its whole machinery continue to use force and the people’s money to quash the rights and interests of the people, thousands upon thousands of youth and students will continue to join the peasant’s fight for genuine land reform and the people’s fight for a government that will truly serve its interests.

 

IMMEDIATELY RELEASE MELANIE MONTANIO, REMY JADE MANZON, JANUELLE RONTOS!

 

GENUINE LAND REFORM, NOW!

 

FIGHT THE FASCIST AND ANTI-PEOPLE AQUINO REGIME AND ITS COHORTS!###

For Immediate Release: Fil-Am Students in the U.S. Condemn Police Brutality Against Anti-Budget Cut Demonstrators in the Philippines

 

August 28, 2011
Reference: League of Filipino Students at San Francisco State University
lfs.sfsu@gmail.com

For Immediate Release: Fil-Am Students in the U.S. Condemn Police Brutality Against Anti-Budget Cut Demonstrators in the Philippines

On August 25, 2011, thousands of students, youth, educators, health workers, overseas workers (OFWs), and community members under the multi-sectoral alliance of Kilos na Laban sa Budget Cuts (Act Now Against the Budget Cuts) peacefully rallied in front of the Philippine House of Representatives, decrying the Aquino administration’s proposed 2012 National Budget. The newly proposed budget would disproportionately cut funds for basic social services in the Philippines, such as healthcare, education, and housing, and instead allocate aid for military and intelligence operations.

The proposed national budget would cut another daunting P500 million in 2012 to fifty state universities and colleges in the Philippines, on top of the P1 billion cut to higher education in 2011. Hundreds of youth and students were present at the rally, denouncing the government’s budget cuts to education.

The rally was carried out peacefully, up until the third to last speaker of the program, when the Philippine National Police (PNP) and House of Representatives security personnel began violently attacking demonstrators near the gates of the Congress building with batons, wooden rods, and rocks. The police then proceeded to fire water cannons at the crowd, even after demonstrators had backed up and peacefully resisted the beatings.

Five were reportedly severely injured at the scene, two of which were committee members of youth organization, ANAKBAYAN. Aki Merced, spokesperson of the League of Filipino Students, stated that “some were poked in the eyes with blunt objects, some got seriously hurt because the police hit them with wooden rods that had metal inside. Ironically, among our demands is to augment the health budget, we probably won’t be able to afford getting medical attention as most public hospital services are privatized now”.

ANAKBAYAN and Kilos na Alliance have jointly filed charges against the Commission of Human Rights against the Quezon City Police District and the Security Office of the House of Representatives.

The League of Filipino Students at San Francisco State University support the Filipino people’s right to assemble peacefully and demand higher budget allocations to healthcare, education, and housing. We denounce the Philippine government and the National Police for its violent dispersal against the demonstrators, and support the filing of the charges against the Quezon City Police and Security Office of House of Representatives.

Under this worsening economic crisis, the Aquino administration should be adequately serving the needs of Filipino people, not violently suppressing those who are critical of the government’s neglect and failure to do so. Coupled with economic unrest, these brutal police attacks on the people will only further intensify the resistance and militancy amongst the youth, students, and people of the Philippines.

###

ILPS: ON THE COUP D’ETAT IN HONDURAS

ON THE COUP D’ETAT IN HONDURAS
By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chairperson, International Coordinating Committee
International League of Peoples’ Struggle
08 July 2009

Honduras President Manuel Zelaya Rosales (UPI Photo/Monika Graff)

Riot police disperse supporters of ousted Honduras President Manuel Zelaya near the presidential residency in Tegucigalpa (Esteban Felix / Associated Press)

Before the dawn of June 28 in Honduras, some 200 heavily armed soldiers of
the Honduran army stormed the residence of elected President Jose Manuel
Zelaya, took him at gunpoint and drove him to an airplane that flew him to
Costa Rica. A few hours later, the National Congress comprised of the
country’s oligarchs quickly installed erstwhile Speaker of the House Don
Roberto Micheletti Bain as “interim president” who read a bogus letter of
resignation allegedly signed by Zelaya himself.  Later in the day, the
military arrested members of Zelaya’s cabinet, detained the ambassadors of
Venezuela and Cuba, began hunting down leaders of progressive mass
organizations and imposed a nationwide curfew.

This brazen takeover by the top brass of the Honduran Armed Forces and the
country’s traditional oligarchs has outraged the Honduran people who have
now taken to the streets to reject the putschists. Unions, students, women
and other social sectors have launched a general strike, setting up
barricades and defying the curfew imposed by the Micheletti government. The
army, headed by US-trained General Romeo Vasquez, has responded with
increasing violence which has so far resulted in at least two deaths, over a
hundred injured and hundreds more imprisoned.

The international community has roundly condemned the coup d’état and the
escalating violence of the army in Honduras. The General Assembly of the
United Nations has unanimously denounced the military takeover and demands
the restoration of Zelaya to the Honduran Presidency.  But the de facto
Micheletti government, with the support of the Army, the National Congress,
the Supreme Court and local mass media, continues to defy the Honduran
people and international opinion.

The coup d’état in Honduras is a desperate attempt by ultra-rightist forces
within the traditional pro-US Honduran elite to stem the rising tide of
change swelling from below.

Because the Power of the Youth Don’t Stop!!!

There have been numerous articles and statements written about the extra-judicial killings that have occurred in the Philippines since 2001 under the regime of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The Philippine-based human rights organization, Karapatan, has been at the forefront of documenting these crimes. But the investigations don’t come without roadblocks, especially from those who are the perpetrators of the abuses. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are supposed to protect the people from threats foreign and domestic, but several organizations have stated that they do the exact opposite. Human Rights Watch has issued reports (“Scared Silent” & “Universal Periodic Review of the Philippines” to name a couple) on the human rights situation and directs blame towards elements of the AFP. The PNP allows these acts to continue because of their lack of action and prosecution of the killers. UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings Philip Alston stated in his report that: “The AFP remains in a state of almost total denial”.

With all that said, it is important to remember those who came before us. During these past eight years, three members of LFS in the Philippines have been killed and one more kidnapped and still missing. We seek to remember them and their work. Though we are the only LFS chapter in the U.S., there is a special bond we have with the LFS chapters in the Philippines. Our conditions are different, but the reasons why we joined are similar. We struggle with being a student and organizer, balancing the work with our daily lives, connecting with our peers who seem to have the big picture no where within their vision. While we are thousands of miles apart, we are all members of the LFS, all youth and students, all apart of the National Democratic movement, all fighting for true liberation for all oppressed people around the world. We will continue to fight for peoples’ basic right to change their oppressive conditions.

L-F-L-F-S TUNAY PALABAN MAKABAYAN!

Cris Hugo

-20 years old
-A native of San Julian, Irosin, Sorsogon, Philippines
-Regional Coordinator & National Council member of LFS (Bicol University, College of Arts & Letters)
-4th year Journalism student
-Newly elected Grand Chancellor of the Alpha Phi Omega Chapter at BU
-Killed on March 19, 2006 from multiple gunshots by masked gunmen on motorcycles while walking with a professor from BU

Resources:

“A Small Guy with a Big Conviction”
“LFS-SFSU: Mabuhay si Cris Hugo at ang Kilusang Kabataan”
“Youth Leader Killed in Albay”

California State University system raises tuition…AGAIN!?

If you’re a CSU student, you probably heard about the CSU Board of Trustees approving a 10% increase in our tuition. Yet again, students are being forced to shoulder the burden of our underfunded education system. At the same time, classes are being cut and professors let go. So we’re paying more for less? Our tuition goes up as we give billions to Wall Street, the ones who are responsible for the current economic crisis, and millions to the Philippine military, who continue their illegal war against organizers, killing, abducting, and torturing normal, everyday people. THIS DOES NOT MAKE SENSE!!!

LFS is an organization which was born out of the struggle against rising tuition fees during the Martial Law era. As we wrap up this school year (oh, and it’s not a coincidence that they raise tuition while we’re in finals), we look forward to linking up with our allies and exposing the hypocrisy we currently face. We are disturbed that higher education is no longer a right for all people, rather it is now a privilege for those who can afford it.

Below is a message from SFSU President Robert Corrigan. While his words show a level of sympathy for students, it is a similar message that he has sent us over the past few years. Sympathy can only go so far with us, we need results. We really hope top administrators (include himself) have had their salaries frozen, along with other perks the school affords them. That would help rebuild long lost trust with students. If not, then we are not surprised. Empty words with empty actions. We must remember that the power is on OUR hands, not the administrators’.

The Only “Change” We See Is the Change Being Pocketed by the Philippine Government to Rape and Terrorize the Filipino People—BAYAN-USA

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CASE GO TO: Another ‘Nicole’: Filipina Accuses US Marine of Rape; Case Heightens Junk-VFA Call – Bulatlat

(Fact Sheet on the case at the bottom of statement)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rhonda Ramiro, secgen@bayanusa.org
May 14, 2009 www.bayanusa.org

Vanessa, her back to the cameras, narrates her plight during a press conference on Thursday. (Photo by Ayi Muallam/Bulatlat.com)

Gabriela’s Emmi de Jesus (left) and lawyer Evalyn Ursua both say Vanessa’s case strengthens the argument against the Visiting Forces Agreement. (Photo by Ayi Muallam/Bulatlat.com)

The Only “Change” We See Is the Change Being Pocketed by the Philippine Government to Rape and Terrorize the Filipino People—BAYAN-USA

Appalled by the double-news of the rape of another Filipina woman by a U.S. Marine and the increase in U.S. financial aid to the corrupt Philippine government, BAYAN-USA reiterated its call to terminate the U.S.-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (“VFA”), which the alliance of 14 Filipino American organizations in the U.S. sees as the red carpet used to usher in U.S. troops, supplies, and military training linked to thousands of human rights violations.

Under the auspices of the VFA, over 6,000 US troops were deployed to the Philippines this past April, to engage in so-called Balikatan (“shoulder-to-shoulder”) military exercises.  In a press conference today, the 22-year-old Filipina “Vanessa” (not her real name) told the story of how she was raped in a hotel room on April 19 by a U.S. Marine, registered in hotel records as “from Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group/Balikatan.”  According to the women’s group GABRIELA, Vanessa has decided not to file a case against her alleged rapist though there is evidence to support her claim.

“We are outraged that another Filipina has become the victim of U.S. troops, and that the VFA is blocking her from obtaining justice,” said BAYAN-USA Secretary General Rhonda Ramiro.  “Last month’s acquittal of convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith signals that U.S. military personnel can get away with the most heinous crimes on Philippine soil because they will be protected by the VFA.”

Alston’s New Report Gives Fil-Ams Justification to Ramp Up Pressure on Philippine Government

For Immediate Release

May 8, 2009

Reference: Katrina Abarcar, Katarungan: Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights in the Philippines katarungan@comcast.net

Professor Philip Alston

Justice for Rebelyn Pitao!

Alston’s Upcoming Report Gives Filipino-American Human Rights Advocates Justification to Ramp Up Pressure on Philippine Government

Washington, DC – Recent news that Philip Alston, UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions, believes the Philippine Government has failed to institute the substantive reforms he recommended to address extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses in the country is the evidence that US Congress needs to strengthen the past conditions it placed military aid to the Philippines.

According to Katrina Abarcar, Coordinator of Katarungan: Center for Peace, Justice, and Human Rights in the Philippines. “In fact, we have basis to demand all US military aid and training to the Philippines be cut until the widespread problems extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal arrests and politically motivated prosecutions of activists is indisputably solved.”