National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada
SIKLAB – Canada (Advance and Uphold the Rights of Overseas Filipino Workers)

Filipinos across Canada set to rally in internationally-coordinated day of action; call for stop to killings in Philippines

September 21, 2006

Peace and democracy-loving Filipinos across Canada and their Canadian supporters will hold various protest rallies and vigils across Canada this Thursday, September 21, 2006 as part of the internationally-coordinated day of action to call for a stop to the killings in the Philippines.

In Vancouver, protesters will gather at 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. PST outside the offices of the Philippine Consulate at 700 West Pender at Granville St. They will light 752 candles to commemorate those killed in the Philippines.

In Toronto, Filipinos in Toronto will hold a vigil outside Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sherbourne and Wellesley (in front of No Frills) at 6:00 p.m. EST Representatives from different organizations will read monologues on the lives of some of the victims and light candles.

In Montreal, a candlelight vigil demonstration will take place at 5:00 p.m. in front of the honorary Philippine Consulate office, 6260 Avenue Victoria, Metro Plamondon.

“As Filipinos living in Canada, we will never forget the horrors the Filipino people faced under the iron-fisted rule of Marcos,” says Cecilia Diocson, Chairperson of the National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC). “Today, 34 years later we are appalled to see the return of undeclared martial law in our homeland with the rash of daily killings and human rights violations under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” she says.

Protesters say they will call to, “Uphold the dignity of life” and “Martial Law never again!”

Former dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on September 21, 1972 to quell social unrest and quash the communist insurgency. Human rights organizations documented at least 150,000 individuals arrested and 1,500 killed during the dictatorship while more than 700 others were declared missing. After 20 years in power, Marcos was eventually overthrown in a popular people’s uprising in 1986.

Currently, according to the human rights group Karapatan, there have been 752 extra-judicial killings and 184 enforced disappearances since 2001 under President Arroyo.

Amnesty International (AI) condemned the pattern of political executions in a recent report, saying the killings should be a source of “deep embarrassment” to the Philippine government. Asian Human Rights Watch, the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines and the World Council of Churches have also condemned the killings.

Various actions will also be taking place in the Philippines as well as in the United States, Hong Kong and various countries in Europe.

The Canadian actions are part of the build-up activities towards a Canadian Fact-Finding Mission to be conducted in the Philippines in November.

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For more information, please contact:

Toronto: Diwa Marcelino at: 416-995-3493
Montreal: ph: 514-678-3901
Vancouver: Sheila Farrales at: 604-215-1103