BC Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines
Press Release

Canadians join protest of Philippine VP de Castro’s visit to Vancouver; hold conference to call stop to killings

June 28, 2006

Vancouver, B.C. – Around 50 Filipino community activists and Canadian supporters rallied last week to expose the grave human rights situation in the Philippines and Canada’s role in the plunder of the country at Philippine Vice President Noli de Castro’s welcome dinner.  Many rallyists were young members of the local Filipino community alongside migrant workers outside a welcome dinner hosted by the Philippines Canada Trade Council and the Consul General Minerva Falcon.

With de Castro in Vancouver to attend the third session of the U.N. World Urban Forum, protesters at the June 19 rally sent a clear message to the Vice President of their discontent with the illegitimate administration he represents under Pres. Arroyo ridden with gross human rights violations, corruption, and other scandals.

“We are critical of Canada’s interests in the Philippines,” said Ted Alcuitas of the B.C. Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (BCCHRP).  “With Canada’s increasing economic interests in the form of development assistance, exporting of arms, direct investments, and mining permit applications, we question its role in supporting a corrupt and repressive Philippine government,” continued Alcuitas.  He denounced de Castro’s touting that the Philippine economy can be further boosted by mining, tourism, and labour agreements.

Since 2001, there have been 686 political killings in the Philippines, according to the human rights group Karapatan.  From January to May of this year alone, Karapatan has recorded over 75 extra-judicial killings. This amounts to an average of two people killed a week under Arroyo’s presidency.

BCCHRP urges the Canadian government to review its current relations with and to suspend all forms of foreign aid and development assistance to the Philippines while the political killings and other violations of human rights continue to occur.

“Our civil liberties and fundamental rights are threatened and violated with impunity,” said Elmer Labog, Chair of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement), the largest trade union central in the Philippines, in Vancouver to attend a recently concluded international anti-imperialist peace conference.  “We must resist the violent attacks on our rights and assert our hard-won liberties,” asserted Labog.

“Arroyo has declared an all-out war against the Communist Party of the Philippines, civilians, and activists who are brutally targeted as part of the anti-terrorism hysteria,” decried Dr. Carol Araullo, Chair of the Philippine-wide Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance), who also visited Vancouver.  She highlighted the urgency to resume the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), the revolutionary united front organization of the Filipino people fighting for national independence and for the democratic rights of the people.

Other speakers at the rally included First Nations communities, Bus Riders Union, the Committee for the Immediate Release of Philippine Congressman Crispin Beltran, and CEBRASPO (Brazilian Centre of Solidarity to the People).  Senator Rodolfo Biazon who was also at the dinner came out to greet the protesters.

The deteriorating human rights situation was tackled last Wednesday, June 21 at a one-day conference on the Philippines attended by over 70 members of Canadian and U.S. solidarity and human rights groups, academics, church people, trade unionists, and community activists.  Participants in the “Prospects for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy in the Philippines: Canadians answer the call of the Filipino people for support and solidarity” conference plan to organize North American coordinated political actions on July 24 for Pres. Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address and on the anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law on September 21.  Plans for fact-finding missions in the winter, lecture tours, and public education on the prospects for peace, human rights, and democracy in the Philippines were also discussed.

“We urge Canada to take action to stop the political killings and other human rights violations happening in the Philippines,” continued Alcuitas.  He explained that Canadians must understand these developments in the context of Pres. Arroyo’s current pre-occupation to stay in power in the face of massive calls for her administration’s removal or resignation.

Conference participants also called for the renewal of peace negotiations between the GRP and the NDFP.

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Please see attached photos for June 19 rally and visit website: http://www.kalayaancentre.net/assets/images/photos/2006/philcon/index.htm for June 21 conference.

For more information, please contact:
Ted or May at BCCHRP phone: 604-215-1905, e-mail: bcchrp@kalayaancentre.net or visit website: http://www.kalayaancentre.net