Media release
Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance

Filipino-Canadian Youth Pay Tribute to Filipino Victims of Human Rights Violations

April 14, 2005

VANCOUVER, B.C. - On Saturday May 21, 2005, at Vancouver's own Western Front Artist-Run Centre, the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance/Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada (FCYA/UKPC) will pay tribute to the recent victims of human rights violations at the seventh annual Roots, Rhymes and Resistance (RRR) cultural evening.

This year's theme, Ipagpatuloy: Living the Storm, will feature young poets, singers, spoken word and hip hop artists from the Filipino community whose performances will articulate the issues of the Filipino community including the recent killings of the human rights activists and organizers in the Philippines.

The victims include Rev. Fr. William Tadena and 67-year old peasant organizer, Victor Concepcion. "32 people have been killed just in the first quarter of this year alone," said Charlene Sayo of FCYA/UKPC. "It has historically been the role of youth and students to not only expose this type of the tyranny and fascism but to dismantle it right to its core," said Sayo.

Two years before the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines in 1972, thousands of youth and students joined the progressive Filipino people's movement. For three straight months during the first quarter of 1970, Filipino youth and students marched in rallies and daily mobilizations to protest against the skyrocketing tuition fees, government corruption, U.S. foreign policy in the Philippines and the U.S.-led war of aggression against the people of Vietnam. Many were abducted and have never been found, many more were killed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Many political analysts and progressive Congressmen and women in the Philippines have reported that the number of human rights violations under the current presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo(GMA) has surpassed that of former Dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

In fact, the current rate of three deaths per week is worse than the dark days of the Martial Law era of the 1970's and 1980's. In a live radio interview from the Philippines on April 6, 2005, Bayan Muna (People First) Party-list Member of the Philippines House of Representative, Teodoro Casi?o 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".

The deteriorating conditions in the Philippines not only recalls the violence of Martial Law, but recalls as well the climactic economic and political situation that intensified the forced migration of Filipinos to more than 186 countries. The implementation of the Labour Export Policy (LEP), where the systemic export of the Filipino people as a source of cheap labour in the early 1970's answered the need to pay the Philippines' rising foreign debt and attempted to silence the growing Filipino people's movement for national industrialization and genuine employment amongst other demands.

The labour power of the Filipino people remains the number one source of income for the Philippines and the remittances of migrant workers continues to pay off the interest of the country's foreign debt and towards military enhancement and power. "GMA has committed more than 500 human rights violations in 2001, her first year as president," said Sayo. "The high death toll will only strengthen the Filipino people's progressive movement," said Sayo. "Marcos fell because of the Filipino people's united struggle," said Silva.

"As Filipino-Canadian we must stand in solidarity with our fellow Filipinos who are continuing the struggle for national democracy and a just and lasting peace." Since its formation in 1995, FCYA/UKPC has been organizing Filipino youth across the Lower Mainland around the issues of systemic racism, gender oppression, unemployment, and immigration. FCYA/UKPC also educates the community and supporters of the Filipino community about situation in the Philippines.

For tickets and information please contact Charlene or Niki of the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance at 604-215-1103 or e-mail at ukpc_fcya@kalayaancentre.net