National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC)
Media Release

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PHILIPPINE WOMEN IN CANADA SALUTES WOMEN’S CARAVAN CALLING FOR U.S. TROOPS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE PHILIPPINES

January 18, 2006

A Canadian alliance of Filipino women’s groups sent its congratulations and solidarity to the militant women's group GABRIELA in the Philippines who are taking on the United States military.

The women’s group in the Philippines completed a two-day people's caravan in  Mindanao (Southern Philippines) to demand the stop to the United States-Philippines military exercises slated on the island on January 17.

The bold protest action is part of a growing national campaign that will launch heightened protests on the expected upcoming entry of 5,000 more US troops who will participate in the “Balikatan” joint-military exercises in Central Luzon (Northern Philippines) next month.

The National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) commended the women-led protest action supporting GABRIELA’s argument that U.S. troops should never be allowed to enter the Philippine soil even at the height of the Subic rape case.

On November 1 2005, a young Filipina women was gang raped by U.S. soldiers who were taking part in joint-military exercises in Subic under the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

“Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be ashamed of herself, "comments Cecilia Diocson, Chairperson of the NAPWC, “Arroyo has made no position on the Subic rape case, she has proven herself to be anti-woman and anti-national by inviting more US troops in the Philippines to run free on our women and Philippine sovereignty,” adds Diocson.

In November, Filipino women’s organizations under the NAPWC in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver participated in international actions calling for the immediate justice of the young Filipina raped by the U.S. servicemen and the junking of the VFA.

The national alliance of Filipino women’s organizations maintains that as long as the U.S. continues to control the Philippines, there will be more and more Filipino women leaving the country and migrating to places like Canada in search for better opportunities. Therefore, the NAPWC argues that is it is essential that Canadians and the Filipino community in Canada be aware of the situation in the Philippines and foreign intervention.

Currently, there are over half a million Filipinos in Canada – the majority of whom are women who have entered Canada as live-in domestic workers under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP).

 
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