Media release

Overseas Filipinos in Canada and their supporters condemn Philippine government's killing spree and campaign of terror

For immediate release: April 7, 2005

(VANCOUVER, B.C., Canada) -- Filipino-Canadians and their supporters in Vancouver, Canada stood firmly in solidarity today with justice-seeking people of the world to denounce the senseless killings of human rights activists and the repressive campaign of open terror against the Filipino people orchestrated by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Carrying placards bearing the faces of recent victims of human rights violations, protesters declared in unison, "Stop the killings in the Philippines! Martial Law, never again!" These statements were in protest against the most recent wave of killings of political activists across the country. Since the beginning of this year alone, 32 people affiliated with progressive political parties and organizations were murdered under the hands of the U.S.-backed Arroyo administration. More still were abducted or suffered assassination attempts at the hands of state agents.

"As progressive Canadians, we have a historical and current responsibility to expose the unjust, undemocratic, and increasingly fascist character of the Philippine government," asserted Barbara Waldern, Chairperson of the B.C. Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (BCCHRP). "Not only must we send our message to the Philippine government, as we do today by rallying here in front of the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver; we must also send our message to our Canadian government in Ottawa that is responsible for diplomatic and aid relations with the Philippine government," continued Waldern. The group called for Canada to stop aid to the Philippine government due to its persistent record of human rights violations.

The demonstration was part of internationally-coordinated actions in numerous countries including the Philippines, Hong Kong and U.S. to protest the spate of killings of activists and progressive individuals.

The protest action in the Philippines was marked by further political repression as 13 people, including priests and two photojournalists were injured by police attempting to disperse the legitimate protest rally. Fr. Allan Arcebuche, the spokesperson of the Promotion of Church People's Response was also arrested.

In a live radio interview from the Philippines on April 6, 2005, /Bayan Muna/ (People First) Party-list Member of the Philippines House of Representatives Teddy Casino stated, "As the figures themselves now reveal, this is not just a systematic killing of political activists, but a major crackdown on the legal left."

At the Vancouver demonstration, speaker after speaker expressed solidarity with the Filipino people as they resist these state attacks. "I know how it feels to be displaced, removed from your homelands, your livelihood, because of governments, military, police forces, and corporations," stated Honey Desjarlais from the Native Youth Movement. "The Canadian people should know of the injustice currently happening in the Philippines, because it is a Canadian company, Placer Dome, that is doing the mining in these lands, who by their economic exploits continue and condone the killings and abductions of the people," she explained to fellow protesters and onlookers.

A number of passers-by sympathized with the rally participants' clear message and joined the demonstration. This was in stark contrast to the opposite reaction of Philippine Consul General Rabago, who was unavailable to meet with the rallyists as she was conveniently out doing "outtake work." Despite her absence, the rallyists delivered a letter requesting the Philippine government to immediately address the outrageous human rights situation in the Philippines. They challenged the Philippine Consulate by crying out "Rabago, Rabago open your eyes, your government is taking lives!"

"We condemn Canada's continuing support of the Philippine government through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and bilateral relations, also being party to creating conditions of poverty and underdevelopment that force people to migrate, " affirmed Fillipa Ryan of Grassroots Women. She further explained, "An example of the collusion between the Canadian and Philippine governments is the rape and pillage of indigenous territory without benefit to the indigenous people and without taking responsibility to clean up afterwards."

A statement read on behalf of 16 Filipino-Canadian and Canadian solidarity organizations from 5 major cities highlighted, "As overseas Filipino workers toil abroad to help our families and loved ones in the Philippines survive, we are angered by Arroyo's pretenses to democracy and 'fighting terrorism' while she herself uses her state machinery to repress and terrorize those striving to bring genuine freedom and democracy to the Philippines."

The statement concludes, "With the dark days of Marcos Martial Law still fresh in our collective memory, we are determined to heighten our work among the Filipino community abroad and among progressive and peace-loving Canadians to expose Arroyo and strengthen our solidarity with the Filipino people and guard against the return of open fascism and martial law."

By the end of the protest, demonstrators agreed that while the puppet U.S.- Arroyo regime uses its military and police forces to intensify fascist campaigns of repression to intimidate the Filipino people and stifle their resistance, the people's worsening situation and suffering only make them more eager to struggle for fundamental change to achieve their social and national liberation.

They vowed to continue their campaign to raise awareness amongst overseas Filipinos in Canada and amongst Canadians about the worsening human rights situation. They also called on progressive and peace-loving people everywhere to express their support and solidarity with the Filipino people by signing an on-line petition available at www.petitiononline.com/nohrv05/petition.html -- 30 --