National Statement of Filipino-Canadian Youth

Filipino Youth in Canada Condemn the Politically Motivated Murder of Another Student Activist, Assert Education as a Basic Human Right

August 1, 2006

Filipino youth in Canada strongly condemn yesterday’s killing of 21 year old Rie Mon “Ambo” Guran, chapter spokeperson of the League of Filipino Students (LFS) in Aquinas University, Albay Province, Philippines. Guran was shot to death on the morning of July 31, at a bus terminal in Bulan, Sorsogon on his way to his school. He suffered four gunshot wounds—one in the head and three in the body.

Guran, a fourth year Political Science student, is already the second student leader of LFS slain this year in the Bicol region. Cris Hugo, a 21-year old student of Bicol University and was a regional spokeperson of the LFS, was killed on March 19 this year.

The LFS is a nationwide alliance of student organization formed in 1977 in the Philippines. It has chapters in prominent universities, colleges and high schools accross the regions. It fights for students’ democratic rights for better quality of education and against tuition fee increases and other forms of oppression.

As progressive Filipino youth in Canada, we believe the killings of Guran and Hugo were politically motivated, as they were both actively involved in youth and student organizing. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s launching of counter-insurgency campaign, “Oplan Bantay Laya” (Operation Guarding Freedom) has given license for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to target leaders or members of legal national democratic progressive organizations and innocent civilians, under the guise of “all-out war” against so-called terrorism.

In her recent State of the Nation Address, Arroyo has promised to "get things right" by putting more efforts into education and opportunities for youth. Yet just two months prior to this promise, an additional P1 billion budget was issued to military spending. Arroyo’s actions clearly expose her anti-people agenda. Rather than investing on basic services like education, Arroyo would rather finance the military—the suspected perpetrators in the killings of trade unionists, journalists, church workers, women and children, and fellow youth.

As of July 31, KARAPATAN, a human rights alliance in the Philippines, has documented 717 extra-judicial killings and over 181 forced disappearances in the Philippines since 2001 when Arroyo came to power. These political killings and gruesome human rights violations under the Arroyo administration has turned the Philippines into the second most dangerous place for trade unionists after Colombia and the second most dangerous place for journalists after Iraq, based on a report by the International Federation of Jounalists (IFJ).

The worsening economic crisis, ongoing political repression and continuing state violence against activists, organizers, and innocent civilians continue to worsen the already horrible conditions of the Filipino people in the Philippines. It is of no wonder why 3,000 Filipinos continue to be forced to leave the Philippines everyday to find better opportunities in countries such as Canada.

Once in Canada, our community is exploited and oppressed through racist government policies such as Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP). The LCP relegates highly-educated Filipino professionals to dirty, difficult, and dangerous jobs with little to no chances to advance in Canadian society, resulting in the further marginalization of our community. With no genuine support and services for our youth—a growing number of whom are children of domestic workers-Filipino youth have the second highest drop-out rates in the Vancouver secondary school system, and one of the lowest grade-point averages.

Like LFS, Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA) campaigns for better access to quality education for Filipino youth in Canada, and the right to genuine development. Since 1996, we have had an ongoing and evolving anti-racism campaign. We have challenged various levels of government and institutions such as school boards and CIC to critically look at racist policies like the LCP, and provide genuine support and services for newly-arrived Filipino and other immigrant youth who are marginalized within the school and justice systems.

We recognize that our issues as a community in Canada are directly connected to the ongoing political and economic instability in the Philippines. It is due to the chronic economic crisis which has forced our community to migrate to Canada.

As young progressive and peace-loving Filipinos in Canada, we recognize the crucial need to oust the fascist US-Arroyo regime. We are appalled and outraged by the deaths of  Rie Mon “Ambo” Guran, Cris Hugo and our other fellow youth activists like us who are fighting for access to education and better future for the Filipino youth. We vow to militantly continue the heritage of struggle of the Filipino people for genuine change in the Philippines. Guran and Hugo stand among others as martyrs, a source of inspiration for us to always dare to struggle and dare to win until there is genuine freedom and democracy in the Philippines!

Justice for Rie Mon Guran and Cris Hugo!

Education, Not Militarization!

Stop the Killings Now! No to Arroyo’s “all-out-war”!

Oust the US-puppet Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo!

Genuine support and services for Filipino and other immigrant youth!

Eskolar ng Bayan, Ngayon ay Lumalaban!