Roxas' Surfacing A Victory of the People's Struggle, Surface Carabeo & Handoc Now!

News Statement
May 24, 2009

Reference: Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary-General, BAYAN USA, email: secgen@bayanusa.org

MELISSA ROXAS' SURFACING A VICTORY OF THE PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE, BUT THE SEARCH CONTINUES FOR CARABEO & HANDOC-- BAYAN USA

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino social justice organizations across the United States, is elated to confirm that Filipina-American activist Melissa Roxas, 32, surfaced hours ago in Manila as of Sunday, May 24th. BAYAN USA confirmed this report with the human rights group Karapatan. A detailed account about the circumstances of her surfacing is still forthcoming.

"We are happy to hear about Melissa's surfacing, but we are still concerned about the whereabouts of her two companions, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc, who were abducted along with Melissa on May 19th and are still missing to this day," states BAYAN USA Chair Bernadette Ellorin. "We fully intend to pursue the demand for the surfacing of Carabeo and Handoc, as well as justice for Melissa. This abduction should never have taken place."

Roxas, Carabeo, and Handoc, all members of a medical mission team in La Paz, Tarlac, were reportedly abducted at gunpoint by at least eight masked men in the middle of the night last week. Upon learning of Roxas, Carabeo, and Handoc's enforced disappearance, BAYAN USA, along with BAYAN Philippines and Karapatan, exerted strong efforts calling for their immediate surfacing, including releasing an online petition addressed to US elected officials that gathered hundreds of signatures in a matter of hours.

"Because more than five days had passed since their abduction, we believe Melissa's surfacing is a direct result of rapid community response and international pressure exerted from the Philippines and the United States first and foremost," Ellorin continued. BAYAN USA in Southern California has also been working closely with Roxas' family in Los Angeles in their campaign efforts to surface Roxas and her companions in the Philippines.

Roxas, a founding member of the cultural organization Habi-Arts in Los Angeles and founding Southern California Representative for BAYAN USA, went to the Philippines in 2007 to pursue human rights advocacy full-time. Her move was set amidst an acute human rights crisis in the Philippines that includes reports of rampant extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, illegal arrest, torture, and summary executions. In 2005, Roxas participated in an international fact-finding mission investigating human rights violations throughout the Philippines under the Arroyo administration.

On Wednesday, May 27th, BAYAN USA member organizations across the United States will be launching actions denouncing the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a military pact that allows for the basing of US military troops in over 20 ports throughout the Philippines. Included in these actions will be the call for justice for Melissa Roxas and for the immediate surfacing of Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc. BAYAN USA firmly believes the continuing, unabated human rights violations committed by the Philippine military and death squads are generously funded by US military aid to the Arroyo government. BAYAN USA also ultimately holds the Arroyo government accountable for the pattern of killings and abductions against civilians critical of the regime since 2001.

"As we continue to campaign for justice for Melissa, Juanito, and John Edward, we are consciously raising awareness of the role of US tax dollars in funding these abductions and other human rights violations. There are hundreds more victims of politically-motivated abductions in the Philippines that are still missing to this day," Ellorin ended. ###

Dear Friends:

Last May 19th, 2009, one of our members, Melissa Roxas, was abducted at gunpoint by masked men along with two others, Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Handoc, in the Philippine province of Tarlac. Melissa, a US citizen, had been living in the Philippines pursuing full-time human rights work. At the time of her abduction, she, Carabeo, and Handoc were part of a volunteer health mission providing free health services to a farming community. 

Please visit and sign the petition demanding for the surfacing of Melissa Roxas, Carabeo and Handoc at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html

Melissa, age 32, was a founding member of Habi Ng Kalinangan, or Habi-Arts, a Filipino cultural organization based in Los Angeles. She is also the founding Southern California Representative of BAYAN USA, an alliance of 14 Filipino social justice organizations across the United States. In addition to her social justice activism and human rights advocacy, Melissa was an accomplished writer-poet. She was a recipient of the 2004 PEN USA Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellowship, and was a 2005 & 2006 Kundiman Fellow. 

We believe Melissa, Juanito, and John Edward were abducted for politically-motivated reasons. While conducting community service as health workers, they are also critics of the policies of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government in the Philippines. The Arroyo government is internationally-notorious for going after its known critics with political repression. In fact, even in Los Angeles, Melissa devoted much of her time to human rights advocacy work to oppose the alarming state of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and summary executions in the Philippines as early as 2005, when she participated in an international fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in the Philippines. 

The human rights crisis in the Philippines under the Arroyo administration and the culpability of the Philippine military in perpetrating the killings and abductions would later be pointed out by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston in his 2007 report on the Philippines. 2007 was also the year Melissa decided to move to the Philippines to serve the cause of human rights for the Filipino people. 

We in BAYAN USA are working closely with BAYAN Philippines and Karapatan: Alliance for the Advancement of People Rights in the campaign to surface Melissa Roxas. Because she is a US citizen, we are appealing to US elected officials and the US Embassy in Manila to take immediate action to ensure Melissa's surfacing and safety.

BAYAN USA will be forwarding the said online petition to the members of US Congress, the US State Department, as well as US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie A. Kenney. A detailed fact sheet on the abduction compiled by human rights group Karapatan is attached for public reference.

Please help us pursue justice for our beloved friend and kasama.

SURFACE MELISSA ROXAS, JUANITO CARABEO, & JOHN EDWARD HANDOC NOW!

For the BAYAN USA Executive Committee,

Bernadette Ellorin
Chairperson
BAYAN USA
www.bayanusa.org

THANK YOU "KAMAYAN-ers!"

On behalf of Anakbayan New York/ New Jersey, we would like to thank all of you friends and kasamas, or should we call "KAMAYAN-ers" from now on, for coming to our monthly event. You made KAMAYAN a success. 

We thank all of you who dared dip their clean hands in the food, those who braved all the obstacles to make new friends and of course, to those who are courageous enough to answer thought-provoking questions (example: which Disney cartoon, etc)

We hope that you enjoyed the event, learned something about the Filipino culture, and made new and long-lasting friendships. We will be looking forward to working together with you, hopefully side-by-side in further serving our community, whether it's in the local Filipino restaurant eating or in the streets demanding justice and freedom for our people and our motherland, Philippines.

 

Again, keep serving the people and thank you thank you thank you! :)

 

Anyways, please contact us for your suggestions, comments and questions at anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com or call/text us at (201)6213156 and look for Yves Nibungco

 *upcoming dates

• May 22. -Anakbayan NY/NJ general membership meeting @ Fiesta Grill. 12nn. 
• May 27. -National Day of Action against the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA)
• May 31. -Youth and Student Assembly, People's Economic Summit 
• June 7.  -PIDC Parade at Manhattan.(Join us and be part of ANAKBAYAN contingent, together with other Filipino organizations)

Progressive Filipino Youth Group Holds 3rdKAMAYAN at Sinugba

Progressive Filipino Youth Group Holds 3^rdKAMAYAN at Sinugba

Jersey City, NJ –First, wash your hands for hygienic purposes. Use your dominant hand to handle your food and keep the other hand clean to get the bowl of rice or answer your phone. Using the tips of your five fingers in your dominant hand, gather the rice and the viand (i.e. salted dried fish) in one mound and pick it all up. Put your hand close to your mouth and with the use of your thumb, push the food inside your mouth. This is the traditional Filipino way of eating with bare hands and this is the manner in which Filipino-American and immigrant Filipino youth ate their sumptuous lunch during the KAMAYAN last May 16, 2009 at Sinugba Restaurant in Jersey city.

KAMAYAN means “to eat with your bare hands”. KAMAYAN was organized by Anakbayan New York/ New Jersey to promote Filipino culture by eating in a traditionally Filipino way, which is to eat with your bare hands and by introducing the Filipino and Filipino-American youth to local Filipino restaurants in Jersey city. Kamayan also means “to shake hands,” which is why Kamayan is also the perfect venue to meet and get to know new friends.

“The purpose of Kamayan is to bring the Filipino and Filipino-American youth together to promote a sense of Filipino community and unity. Growing up in the Philippines, eating with my bare hands always meant that I was enjoying my food thoroughly. And so our organization thought that it would be great to teach US-raised Filipino youth the pleasure there is to be found in eating with bare hands while laughing with friends in a casual Saturday afternoon,” said Jules Diez, member of Anakbayan NY/NJ.

Anakbayan encourages the Filipino youth to get involved in collective actions with regards to issues affecting our community here in the US and, most especially back home. In a time of financial crisis wherein many businesses are closing, including Filipino businesses, KAMAYAN is also a small way of helping and giving back to the community. In KAMAYAN’s case, this act of collective eating also helps out by promoting and supporting local Filipino restaurants to the Filipino youth.

Organizations and youth groups came and supported the event. Organizations such as Philippine Forum and Lakas Diwa and youth groups such as Kapatirang Filipino, Kappa Pi fraternity and Unified came along with others.“Anakbayan believes that through events like this, we, together with other Filipino youth can create a culturally aware, strong and unified Filipino community that is ready to face issues affecting them, may it be the lack of community or the global financial crisis” said Kathleen Dy, a member of Anakbayan New York/New Jersey.

Anakbayan New York/New Jersey is a member of the progressive alliance BAYAN-USA and is also one of the US chapters of Anakbayan Philippines, a progressive Filipino youth organization fighting for the rights, welfare and basic needs of the Filipino youth around theworld. Other US chapters include Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, and East Bay.

Filipino-Americans in New York City March for Legalization on May Day

For Immediate Release
May 3, 2009

Reference: Christina Hilo, Bayan NE Coordinator, cshilo@gmail.com

Filipino-Americans in New York City March for Legalization on May Day

NEW YORK-- Despite heavy thunderstorms, Filipino-Americans joined other immigrant communities at Union Square in New York to rally and march for immigrant rights in the United States this past Friday, May 1. The 50+ strong NYC May Day Filipino contingent, consisting of members from the Philippine Forum, Sandiwa, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), Anakbayan NY/NJ, New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), and BAYAN USA, marched two miles together from Union Square to Foley Square in the pouring rain. The overall May Day march and rally at Union Square was organized by the NY May 1st Coalition, of which BAYAN USA and NAFCON founding members since 2006, when nearly 1 million New Yorkers were mobilized against the Sensenbrenner Bill (HR 4437), which called for the criminalization of undocumented immigrants, in the largest outdoor demonstration in New York City history.

Noting that 100 days have already passed in President Obama's administration, and with Obama promising to discuss US immigration policy this month, community efforts on the demand for genuine comprehensive immigration reform, including legalization of the undocumented, are intensifying. Filipino contingents in New York City and across the US, under the banners of BAYAN USA and National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), took to the streets on May Day to urge President Obama to consider immigrant workers in these next 100 days, highlighting the importance of their work that keep the US alive and running.

With mock prison cells behind a "LEGALIZATION 4 ALL" banner, the Filipino Americans in Manhattan's Union Square brought awareness to the current situation of raids, detentions, and deportations of "illegal" immigrants. "With almost 1 million TNT (tago ng tago literally translated in Tagalog, meaning "hide and hide" in English, a phrase to describe "undocumented" immigrants) Filipinos in this country, many Filipinos are paralyzed by the fear of being deported and the possibility of people being separated from their families here in the US," stated Jonna Baldres, secretary general of Anakbayan New York/New Jersey, "Similarly, with the economic bloodlines of many families in the Philippines stemming from Pinoy immigrants working in the US, the worse fear is in abandoning transnational family responsibilities. As the Labor Export Policy of the Philippines continues to sell our people off, we march on May Day to make sure as Filipinos have served the US economy for decades, President Obama and his administration begin focusing on legalizing the undocumented."


Throughout the march the Filipino community chanted in English, Tagalog, and Spanish with their neighboring Latino community group, Jornaleros Unidos (United Day Laborers) from Woodside, Queens. In April, these two communities came together in another action in Queens to demand basic respect and human dignity from the New York Police Department and ICE who violently disrupt the lives of Mexican day laborers along with Filipino undocumented workers with harassment and abuse. The unity between the Mexican and Filipino communities who share the neighborhood gave new meaning to the chants they shouted, "We are people! We are not Illegal!" and "El Pueblo, Unido, Jamas Sera Vencido!" (The People, United, Will Never Be Defeated!, literally translated in Spanish). This great stride to connect communities of different ethnic backgrounds under the same call for immigrant and worker rights was a reality in the Woodside, Queens contingent.

Instead of focusing on the swine flu pandemic, marchers work masks that donned the phrase, "No to NAFTA flu!" This slogan point to the contradiction in the US' principal role in free trade agreements and their adverse reaction to immigrants that are driven to move across borders because of such policy.

May Day has been reclaimed by immigrant, workers and immigrant workers alike. The city-wide action drew hundreds of participants in the downpour and the long march because of the ever-important issues that immigrants in the US face. "Immigrant workers and their families never forget that we are in the midst of a crisis. We feel it in our bones, from the longer hours we must work everyday, from the lack of job security that keeps our anxiety high. We have come together to show this city that we cannot be forgotten and we will not be quiet until all undocumented immigrants are legalized!" said Anne Beryl Corotan from National Alliance for Filipino Concerns.

For more information:
http://www.nafconusa.org
http://www.bayanusa.org
###

Anakbayan NY/NJ in NY1 for the May Day Mobilization for Workers' & Immigrants' Rights

Link: Anakbayan NY/NJ in NY1 for the May Day Mobilization for Workers' & Immigrants' Rights


May Day Marchers Take Stand For Immigration Reform | NY1 News is Time Warner Cable's 24-hour newschannel in New York City, delivering breaking news and features about the five boroughs.

Photos by Jonna Baldres

Join the Filipino Community on May 1, Friday @ Union Square to March For Immigrant Rights!

Join the Filipino Community This Friday to March For Immigrant Rights!
Fil-Ams Call for Legalization NOW!

WHEN: May 1, 2009, 3:30pm; Rally Starts at 4pm, and March starts at 5pm.
WHERE: Union Square (14th St. and Broadway) across from Shoe Mania, Look for the Philippine Flag

Call the Bayanihan Filipino Community Center for more information 718-565-8862.


After 100 days have passed in Obama's administration, there have been no concrete steps or proposals for genuine immigration reform. As Filipino Americans we know that there is a need for legalization of our community, 1 million Filipinos are undocumented out of the 4 million total Filipinos in the United States. Because of their undocumented status, it leaves Filipinos living in fear of Gestapo-like raids by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), unlawful detentions without due process, and mass deportations. Because of these raids and deportations, families have been separated and torn apart. On this May 1, 2009, the Filipino community will come together and take a stand against these human rights violations and injustices.

Endorsed by Philippine Forum, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP), Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment (FiRE), Anakbayan NY/NJ, and BAYAN USA


Legalization for All!
Stop Breakin’ Our Families Apart, Reunite families!
No to Raids, Detentions, and Deportations!
SCRAP the Labor Export Policy!
No to Neoliberal Trade Policy!
Pass the DREAM Act!
Equal Rights for Immigrants in Same Sex Unions!


For more information:
http://www.bayanusa.org
http://www.nafconusa.org