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.

Filipino American Youth March on International Workers’ Day to Demand Education and Legalization for All

Press Statement
May 1, 2009
Reference: Melissa Reyes, Vice Chair, LFS-SFSU, email: lfs.sfsu@gmail.com

Photo: Darah Macaraeg

Photo: Darah Macaraeg

Filipino American Youth March on International Workers’ Day to Demand Education and Legalization for All

San Francisco—The League of Filipino Students-SFSU Chapter proudly recognizes this powerful day as youth and students march in heart and breath through the streets alongside the toiling immigrants and workers of the world. We march to staunchly condemn the criminalization and separation of immigrant families and demand genuine immigration reform from the new Obama administration.

This past election year, we saw the collective strength youth had in deciding the future of this country. Youth, coast to coast, demanded change from the horrid policies of the past eight years. Bush’s “War on Terror” and broken immigration policy created a climate of fear and intimidation towards this country’s immigrant community. With the new Obama administration, we are determined to turn our “hope” into action and ensure that genuine “change” comes in the form of a revamped immigration system.

As the mounting California fiscal deficit continues to make education unaffordable through tuition fee increases, undocumented youth and students face a limited if not completely inaccessible education merely because of their citizenship status. There have been attempts to pass the DREAM Act, which would ensure undocumented students access to higher education. However, various stipulations have hijacked the original intent of the bill by including military recruitment. This only supports the argument that our government desires to see poor and immigrant students holding guns overseas rather than pencils in the classroom.

We, as Filipino American students, are in a position to be vocal about social justice and demand immigrant rights. As children of or immigrants ourselves, we know immigrants are not to blame for the economic chaos we see today. The government continues to spend billions on war and Wall Street bailouts while conditions for workers worsen due to job loss and the rolling back of basic services. Day-to-day, we bare witness to the economic and social hardships that plague immigrant communities, all in the name of an “American Dream” that places blame on our families for its own inherit shortcomings.

This International Workers’ Day, we remind everyone that legality doesn’t determine one’s contribution to this country and that true change comes from mass action of the people.

PASS THE DREAM ACT WITHOUT MILITARY TIES!
EDUCATION FOR ALL!
CREATE A JUST AND HUMANE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM NOW!
NO HUMAN BEING IS ILLEGAL!
###

Photo: Darah Macaraeg

The Struggle Continues | BAYAN-USA Statement on May Day 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2009
Reference: Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary-General, BAYAN-USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

The Struggle Continues… Even in the Age of Obama, Filipino-Americans Must Fight for Genuine Immigration Reform

Statement of BAYAN-USA on May Day 2009

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN-USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino organizations across the United States, calls on all Filipino-Americans to commemorate May 1st, 2009 by joining the people’s continuing struggle for genuine immigration reform in the United States, and systemic change to the exploitative labor export structures in the Philippines.

On May 1st, 2006, Filipinos in the United States under the banner of BAYAN-USA were amongst the millions across the country who revived the militant spirit of May Day, an international workers holiday celebrated around the world but whose significance is suppressed and systemically erased by the US ruling elite and government. As exploitation and oppression against immigrants in the US grows worse– even in the age of the new Obama administration, which reaches its 100th day in office on May 1– it is paramount that Filipinos, coming from one of the world’s largest labor exporting countries and the poorest in Asia, express solidarity with all immigrant workers by fighting for dignity, justice, and human rights. This May 1st, BAYAN-USA remains at the forefront of the May Day rallies and street mobilizations in several US cities, and appeals to the broader Filipino-American community to join us in this righteous fight.

MAY 1st :: 1ero de MAYO

join the immigrant & worker rights march

work not war! legalization now!

may 1st  .  international worker’s day

1:30pm . dolores park [19^th & dolores]

the government continues to spend billions on the war while conditions for workers worsen due to job loss, service cuts and increased repression. this international worker’s day let’s take the streets to demand respect for our sanctuary city, equal rights for immigrants, no cuts to any services, and peace with justice in iraq, afghanistan, palestine and beyond.

deporten a la migra coalition . may 1st alliance . sf immigrant rights defense committee

for more information: 415.487.9203

únase a la marcha pro-migrante y trabajadores

¡trabajo sí! ¡guerra no! ¡legalización ahora!

1ero de mayo  .  día internacional del trabajador

1:30pm . parque dolores [19^th y dolores]

el gobierno sigue gastando billones en la guerra mientras que las condiciones para los trabajadores empeoran por la perdida de sus trabajos, los recortes en servicios e incremento a la represión. este día internacional del trabajador, tomeremos las calles para exigir respeto a nuestra ciudad santuario, derechos iguales para los inmigrantes, ¡no! al recorte de ningún servicio, y paz con justicia en irak, afganistán, palestina y más alla.

coalición deporten a la migra . alianza 1ero de mayo . sf immigrant rights defense committee

para más información: 415.487.9203

REMOVE SISON FROM TERRORIST LIST! RESUME GRP-NDFP PEACE TALKS NOW!

News Release
April 14, 2009

Reference: Peter Arvin Jabido, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, email: nychrp@gmail.com

REMOVE SISON FROM TERRORIST LIST! RESUME GRP-NDFP PEACE TALKS NOW!

NEW YORK, NY– A human rights advocacy group in New York City is calling for the delisting of Philippine political refugee Jose Maria Sison from the foreign terrorist lists of the US State Department and the European Union (EU). Sison, an author, poet, and founding chairperson of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), has been in self-exile in the Netherlands since 1987. He is also the current Chairperson of the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS), a global formation of grassroots people’s organizations around the world opposed to the US government’s economic, political, and military intervention worldwide.

“The continued foreign terrorist listing of Professor Jose Maria Sison, the CPP and the New People’s Army (NPA) must end in order for genuine peace in the Philippine to begin,” states Lolan Sevilla of the NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP). “We also cannot tolerate the continued pursuit of the Philippine government to repress Sison’s political and democratic rights.”

National Democratic Youth Join Forces in LA

National Filipino Youth Join Forces in LA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
02 April 2009

References:
Jonna Baldres, Secretary General, Anakbayan New York/New Jersey, jonnabebeh@gmail.com
Katie Joaquin, Secretary General, Anakbayan East Bay, kjoaquin@gmail.com
Maridel Andrada, Secretary General, Anakbayan San Diego, maridel.andrada@gmail.com
Jeff Rice, Secretary General, Anakbayan Seattle, edjop82@gmail.com
Kuusela Hilo, Organizer, Anakbayan Los Angeles, kuusela@gmail.com
Jaye Cho, Secretary General, League of Filipino Students-SFSU, chojaye@gmail.com

National Democratic Filipino Youth Join Forces in LA

LOS ANGELES, CA – The City of Angels had been a witness to the growing movement of Filipino youth in the United States. Last March 27 to 28, the BAYAN USA 3rd National Congress was held at the UCLA Downtown Labor Center in Los Angeles City, California with the theme “Strengthen our alliance and intensify our political struggle against the US-Arroyo clique and for the rights and welfare of Filipinos in the US”.

Among the participating youth and student organizations were chapters of Anakbayan from East Bay (EB), San Diego (SD), Seattle, Los Angeles (LA) and New York/New Jersey (NY/NJ) and the League of Filipino Students-San Francisco State University (LFS-SFSU). Also present were US representatives to the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) Youth Study Commission. Officers of Sandiwa National Alliance of Fil-Am Youth and members of Active Leadership for the Advancement of Youth (ALAY), a community-based youth organization in the Bay Area, San Francisco also attended as observers.

“Two years have passed since the last congress and here we are again — stronger, bigger and more united than ever,” Yancy Gandionco, Vice Chairperson of Anakbayan NY/NJ remarked as the congress had seen the largest number of delegates since the founding assembly of BAYAN USA in 2005.

On March 29, while the GABRIELA USA Founding Assembly was taking place, BAYAN USA member organizations broke out into sector caucuses, one of which is the youth and students sector, the biggest constituting BAYAN USA.

“Even though our sector represents the most number in the US chapter of the alliance, as Filipino youth fighting for national democracy overseas, the task and challenge is still for us to intensify and make known to our compatriots and other nationalities the fight for the rights of the majority of the Filipino people — the workers and the peasants. We believe that our fight is still connected to the fight of our people back home even if most of us grew here in the US,” Sincere Born, Chairperson of Anakbayan Seattle stated.

During the caucus, the youth and student organizations shared experiences and practices in educating, organizing, mobilizing, finance and alliance work among the youth in their respective regions.

ILPS Strength in Unity and Bay Area Grassroots Contingent Mobilized over 200 to Protest the U.S. Imperialist wars on Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan!

 

ILPS bay area grassroots and strength in unity contingent

Hundreds of protesters participated in an anti-war march in downtown San
Francisco demanding an end to the United States-led occupation of Iraq and
Afghanistan. Yesterday marked the sixth year of the invasion and colonial
subjugation of Iraq.

Organized by the International League of People’s Struggle – Bay Area
Organizing Committee, the *Strength in Unity* contingent assembled in a park
near the Embarcadero late in the morning before proceeding to the main
demonstration site at Justin Herman Plaza. Around noon, the group marched
with other formations towards the Civic Center.

The ILPS contingent was composed of 220 students, workers, professionals,
and human rights activities from around the Bay Area communities. The
Philippine delegation was led by BAYAN USA Northern California region and
member organizations Anakbayan East Bay, babae SF, Committee for Human
Rights in the Philippines SF, and League of Filipino Students – San
Francisco State University.  Other members of the contingent included Active
Leadership to Advance the Youth, Arab Resource and Organizing Committee,
Collision Course Video, Chinese Progressive Association, Malcolm X
Grassroots Movement, Bay Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, General Union of
Palestinian Students of San Francisco State University, Filipino Community
Center, and Viet Unity.

Carrying colorful and big placards recycled from balikbayan boxes,
protesters demanded the Obama administration to stop the criminal and
genocidal occupation of Iraq by removing U.S. troops stationed in the
war-ravaged country. They also criticized Obama’s recent decision to add at
least 17,000 more troops in Afghanistan. The illegal wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan have killed, displaced, and injured millions of innocent Iraqis
and Afghans.