GABRIELA USA Denounces US-Philippine Collusion in the Acquittal of a High-Profile Military Rape Case

For Immediate Release
April 23, 2009

Reference: Raquel Redondiez, Chair, GABRIELA USA, 415-244-9734

GABRIELA USA Denounces US-Philippine Collusion in the Acquittal of a High-Profile Military Rape Case

Filipina-Americans in the United States express our disgust and anger at the news that the Court of Appeals in the Philippines has acquitted Lance Corporal Smith in the 2005 rape case of “Nicole.” Lcpl. Smith was convicted of raping “Nicole” on December 4, 2006, and legalities around custody and sentencing has been ongoing for the past three years. Due to the highly contentious Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Smith has been in the custody of the U.S. Embassy instead of a Philippine prison. However, on March 12 of this year, a questionable recantation by “Nicole” was released while in the same month, monetary compensation and the termination of her legal counsel casted doubt on who prepared the content of the affidavit.

In this long and dirty case, US and Philippines collusion through loopholes in the VFA have demonstrated that in the Philippines, the rule of law and justice are commanded by American interests and corrupt politicians. The Court of Appeals has failed Filipino women worldwide. Instead of holding Smith accountable of rape, the appellate court has repealed the justice that was already rightfully won by “Nicole” and her family. After years of struggling and fighting with huge and broad support from Filipino organizations like GABRIELA in the Philippines and worldwide, Smith’s acquittal from his legitimate conviction in 2006 is a betrayal to both Nicole and her loved ones, but also to all of the Filipino women, children and men who have been victims of sexual assault and crimes by US military servicemen.

SMITH ACQUITTAL A COLLABORATIVE MANEUVER BY ARROYO & US GOV’T TO PROTECT VFA

RP court acquits US Marine convicted of raping Filipina

MANILA, Philippines – Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, the American who was earlier convicted by a lower court of raping a Filipina in Subic, was acquitted by the Court of Appeals (CA).

The Philippines has many ‘Nicoles’

The Philippines has many “Nicoles,” but only Suzette Nicolas was served justice when the Makati Regional Trial Court convicted Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith of rape on December 4, 2006.

From 1981 to 1988, when the US military bases were in the Philippines, 3,274 cases of abuse of women and children were filed against US servicemen in Subic and Clark. However, not one of the US servicemen was convicted.

Data from the Olongapo City prosecutor’s office showed that during the same period, cases of rape and sexual abuse involving children ages 11 to 16 were filed against US servicemen. Another 82 cases of sexual abuse involving young women were also recorded. All of these cases were dismissed.

Ninety-seven of these cases, in which 15 children were involved, were filed by the non-government Bikolana Gabriela against American soldiers in Clark and Subic.

Smith was the first-ever American military personnel who was convicted of committing a crime on Philippine soil since the establishment of the US military bases at the Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales province and Clark Air Base in Angeles, Pampanga and the passage of the Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999. – GMANews.TV

News Release
April 23, 2009

Reference: Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

SMITH ACQUITTAL A COLLABORATIVE MANEUVER BY ARROYO & US GOV’T TO PROTECT VFA– BAYAN USA

BAYAN-USA, an alliance of Filipino organizations in the United States, declared the recent court acquittal of US Marine Daniel Smith of a rape conviction back in 2006 as a collaborative move by the US and Arroyo governments to protect the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

The controversial decision comes right after a Philippine Supreme Court (SC) ruling to probe into the circumstances surrounding the affidavit issued by rape victim Nicole and the leakage of a draft Court of Appeals (CA) ruling of acquittal for Smith last week, prompting CA officials to act fast.

The 2005 rape of 22 year-old Filipina Nicole leading to the 2006 trial and conviction US Lance Corporal Smith was a landmark case that marked the first time in the 100+ history of US military presence in the country that a US military personnel was actually convicted under the Philippine judicial system for a crime committed in the Philippines. But the events following the celebrated conviction, beginning with Smith’s transfer of custody from Philippine jurisdiction to the US Embassy drew such outrage and condemnation from the streets that it sparked a burgeoning patriotic movement inside Philippine Congress to abrogate the 10 year-old VFA military agreement, which allows for the “temporary basing” of US military troops in over 20 ports throughout the Philippine archipelago.

Happy Birthday FiRE- NYC!!!

Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment- New York City

http://firenyc.org/

Statement of Solidarity from LFS- SFSU on the Occasion of the 2nd Anniversary of the Founding of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment- NYC

April 14, 2009

The League of Filipino Students- San Francisco State University Chapter would like to express our most heartfelt solidarity and congratulations to Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment- NYC on the 2nd Anniversary of their founding. Its establishment and continued work to organize Filipinas in the New York City area is a testament to the rich and revolutionary history of our movement, as well as the determination of its members to address the root problems of Filipinas in the Homeland and the Belly of the Beast.

Founding Assembly of Gabriela USA, First Overseas Chapter of Gabriela Philippines, Marks Milestone in the Progressive Women’s Alliance 25 year History

 

Gabriella USA 1st Founding Assembly

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2009
Reference: Raquel Redondiez, GABRIELA-USA, Chairwoman, (415) 244-9734, email: amihan33@gmail.com

 FOUNDING ASSEMBLY OF GABRIELA-USA, FIRST OVERSEAS CHAPTER OF GABRIELA-PHILIPPINES,  MARKS MILESTONE IN THE PROGRESSIVE WOMEN’S ALLIANCE 25 YEAR HISTORY

Los Angeles, CA–On March 29, 2009, over one hundred Filipinos from across the U,S. came together to celebrate 25 glorious years of women’s resistance led by GABRIELA, an alliance of Filipino women’s organizations in the Philippines. At this special event, scores of women representing 4 different organizations came together to formally establish GABRIELA-USA, the first overseas chapter of the progressive and world-renowned Philippine women’s alliance.

The founding assembly of GABRIELA-USA was aptly named “Sulong GABRIELA: Celebrating the Advances of the Filipino Women’s Struggle! Twenty Five Years and Onward!” During the all-day event, members of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE) in New York, Pinay Sa Seattle, Babae in San Francisco and Sisters of GABRIELA Awaken (SiGAw) in Los Angeles affirmed their commitment to GABRIELA’s principles, approved chapter bylaws and adopted a two-year plan on developing and building an alliance of Filipino women’s organizations that have localized grassroots approaches.
Proud of their long lineage of strong Filipino women’s leaders, the four women’s organizations that comprise the national women’s alliance were elated to extend GABRIELA’s vision and mission to the U.S. Along with taking up the local issues and concerns of Filipinas in their  respective regions, GABRIELA-USA also places prime importance to supporting the women’s and struggle in the Philippines.
Emmi De Jesus, Secretary-General of GABRIELA Philippines, was the keynote speaker of the US chapter’s founding assembly where she shared the rich and full history of victories of the women’s movement in the Philippines in which GABRIELA is an integral force.

Fil-Am Women Urge Obama to Revoke Support for VFA and Pledge to Prevent a Thousand “Nicoles”

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow/

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20 March 2009

Reference: Joanne Alcantara, GABRIELA-USA, National Coordinator (206)
859-7525, email gabrielawomen@gmail.com

*Filipino-American Women Urge Obama to Revoke Support for Visiting Forces
Agreement and Pledge to Prevent a Thousand “Nicoles” *

United States–Filipino American women urge President Obama to look
thoroughly into the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) as it clearly justifies
violence against Filipino women at the hands of US military service and at
the expense of US tax payer dollars. The long standing notoriety of abuses
against Filipino women through direct military prostitution and trafficking
have been legitimated by policies such as the VFA.

Three years have passed since the sexual assault on “Nicole”, and Daniel
Smith, although convicted in 2006 for rape and sentenced to 40 years, has
not served a day of sentence in a Filipino jail. Through the Visiting
Forces Agreement, the U.S. insists that he should stay in U.S. custody
despite a Philippine Supreme Court decision that he should be under
Philippine custody.

Filipino-American women expressed disappointment with reports this week of
Obama’s phone call to Philippine President Arroyo expressing his support for
the Bush-era Visiting Forces Agreement, amidst heightened public opinion for
abrogating the VFA. Members of GABRIELA-USA, BABAE, Pinay sa Seattle, and
Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FIRE), criticized Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo for failing to negotiate with Obama over the rightful
transfer of the convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith from U.S. to
Philippine custody. “Arroyo has proven once again that she cares not for the
sovereignty of our nation and the dignity of our people, especially for the
justice of a Filipino woman dragged dragged through the contradictions in
the VFA,” says Marisa Mariano, Chairwoman of Babae in San Francisco.

Nicole’s Settlement and Obama’s support won’t stop the Filipino People’s will to terminate the VFA–BAYAN USA

News Release
March 19, 2009

Reference: Berna Ellorin, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email:secgen@bayanusa.org

Please visit: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow/

NICOLE’S SETTLEMENT AND OBAMA’S SUPPORT WON’T STOP THE FILIPINO PEOPLE’S WILL TO TERMINATE THE VFA– BAYAN USA

After launching an international petition campaign last week, Filipino-Americans under the banner of the US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino organizations in the United States, pledged to heighten their campaign to abrogate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), despite reports of  22 year old Filipina Nicole’s leaving for the United States and a submission filed before the Court of Appeals  by the lawyer of convicted rapist Lance Corporal Daniel Smith declaring that the former US Marine has settled with “Nicole,” who received P100,000  for compensatory and P50,000 for moral damages.

The news of Nicole’s settlement with Smith and release of a statement immediately followed President Barack Obama’s phone call to Philippine Head of State Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo supporting the joint military agreement between the US and Philippine governments.  It was with this phone call that Arroyo was widely criticized for failing to negotiate for the transfer of Smith to Philippine custody as per the Philippines Supreme Court’s decision.  Now, with reports of Nicole settling with Smith and going to the U.S. for good, it is highly suspect  that  the reported settlement and statement which attempt to undermine  the guilty verdict against Smith, is part of the two government’s efforts to preserve their “strategic interests.”

Sulong GABRIELA! Cultural/Solidarity Night. Sat., March 28

Sorry for the lack of updates everyone (midterms). We promise to get better at this.

-LFS-SFSU

Sulong Gabriela:
Celebrating the Advances of the Filipino Women’s Struggle!
25 Years and Onward!

BAYAN USA/GABRIELA USA Cultural Solidarity Night

Saturday, March 28, 2009
6:30 PM – 10:30 PM

UCLA Downtown Labor Center
675 S Park View Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057
(between Wilshire Blvd and W 7th St
on the west end of Macarthur Park)

For more info, email info@habi-arts.org
$10 (no one turned away for lack of funds)
Tickets available online at Brown Paper Tickets
(Specify “Cultural Night Only”)