PEACE IN OUR HOMELAND: How near or far?
published in Filipino Herald (October/November 2010)
by Dennis Maga
Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand
While millions of Filipinos opted to work abroad for better
opportunities, I believe that many of us who have been working and
living overseas still harbour the dream of coming back to the
Philippines.
We wish that our homeland would someday be freed from all-around
corruption, enjoy economic prosperity and lasting peace, don't we?
A Kiwi friend saw the photo and article in New Zealand Herald about a
violent demolition of shanties of residents in Baranggay San Roque,
Quezon City. He was curious how the new president was addressing the
problems of joblessness and landlessness in the rural areas that drive
people like the San Roque residents to flock to Manila. To me, it was
like asking how the new president was addressing the fundamental
problems why many Filipinos continue to desperately seek jobs abroad.
When Mr Benigno Simeon Aquino III was campaigning for presidency, he
declared:
"We must revive the peace process on the basis of a comprehensive
understanding of the root causes of the conflict".
Now that Pres. Aquino has been in power for over 100 days, isn't it
interesting to know about the current status and prospects of peace
negotiations with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines
(NDFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)?
After so much internationally-condemned incidents in the Philippines
such as the tragic August 23 Manila hostage incident wherein eight
Hong Kong tourists were killed, I believe that the Philippines' image
in the international community would greatly improve if the Aquino
administration will take positive steps to revive peace talks.
Human rights monitoring groups also continue to raise concern on the
lack of justice in the Ampatuan massacre, an incident under the
previous administration that made the Philippines the most dangerous
place for journalists, replacing Iraq. The New York-based organization
Human Rights Watch commented that Aquino failed to lay out a
"long-term measure" to address "persistent problems" of human rights
abuses, private armies and impunity in the country after more than
three months as president.
Thus, church and multi-sectoral groups in the Philippines are calling
on the government to seriously pursue peace negotiations that will
hopefully address festering economic problems at the root of forced
migration and human rights issues such as the Ampatuan massacre and
hundreds of cases of unresolved killings under Aquino's predecessor.
For Filipinos in New Zealand and Australia, here comes a rare
opportunity to hear first hand about the prospects of peace talks
between the Aquino government and the NDFP. From 24 October to
November 14, two senior international representatives of the NDFP Mr
Luis Jalandoni and Ms Coni Ledesma will be in Aotearoa hosted by local
solidarity organisations to speak under the theme "Justice and
Liberation: The Road to Peace in the Philippines."
Noting that our country "desperately needs peace with justice and
security," the Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA),
Auckland Philippines Solidarity and Wellington Kiwi Pinoy have
organised public meetings in Christchurch, Blenheim, Wellington,
Palmerston North, New Plymouth, Hamilton, Auckland and Whangarei.
Luis and Coni will also be in Australia for a 10-day peace speaking
tour hosted by the Action for Peace and Development in the Philippines
(APDP), Philippines-Australia Union Links (PAUL), International League
of People's Struggle (ILPS-Australia), Migrante-Australia and
Philippines Australia Solidarity Association (PASA).
I encourage all Filipinos in New Zealand, Australia and around the
world to help convey both to the Aquino government and the NDFP that
we would like them to pursue the peace negotiations especially on the
next substantive agenda of Social and Economic Reforms.
As we know, the landmark agreement on the first agenda, the
"Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International
Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) has been formally signed under the Estrada
presidency. Under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo government, the peace
talks did not move forward. There are three more substantive agenda to
be negotiated: Social and Economic Reforms, Political and
Constitutional Reforms, and Cessation of Hostilities.
Considering that migrants are stakeholders in the peace process,
Filipinos in New Zealand are invited to join the public meetings and
to endorse the following statement:
Resume Formal Peace Talks Without Preconditions. Pursue Negotiations
on Economic and Social Reforms for the Benefit of Filipino Migrants
and their Families
Declaration of Support for Peace Talks from Filipinos in Australia and
New Zealand * Open Letter to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, the
GRP and NDFP Peace Negotiating Panels
We, concerned Filipinos in Australia and New Zealand, join all
peace-loving Filipinos in urging the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines
(NDFP) to immediately resume formal peace talks without preconditions.
As stakeholders in the peace process, Filipino migrants look forward
to the resumption of GRP-NDFP negotiations on the second substantive
agenda of Social and Economic Reforms.
The phenomenon of forced migration is a state of UNPEACE for Filipinos
families torn apart as a result of the worsening unemployment in the
country. Everyday, the realities of unpeace affect the millions of
Filipinos working overseas and their dependent families in the
Philippines, manifested in:
Unabated increases in the price of basic commodities and services
while workers' wages and salaries remain stunted;
Neglect of state duty to protect migrants' rights and welfare,
including the latest budget cut in legal assistance for migrants amid
rising number of distressed Filipinos abroad;
Plunder of national patrimony through massive logging, mining and
other commercial projects that destroy people's livelihood and
environment;
Eviction, homelessness and landlessness of the urban and rural poor
while the rich few continue to lord it over vast tracts of land;
Accumulation of obscene profits by big foreign business and local
elite at the expense of the poor through unbridled trade
liberalisation, deregulation and privatisation;
Corruption in the government bureaucracy resulting to the squander of
public funds including hard-earned workers' and OFW contributions;
Ever worsening unemployment and underemployment that drive Filipinos
to seek jobs abroad.
We urge the GRP and NDFP panels to ensure that migrants' issues and
concerns would be among the priority agenda in the negotiations. We
ask both parties to actively lobby for the governments of Australia,
New Zealand and other migrants-receiving countries to immediately
ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and
Members of Their Families; and to forge specific agreements to protect
migrants from discrimination and abuse. In the immediate, we expect
urgent attention and action on the following migrants' demands:
.
Scrap all exorbitant and excessive state exactions and fees
including additional fees on passport.
.
Increase the annual Legal Assistance and Repatriation Fund for
migrant workers and OFWs in distress.
.
Stop the deployment of OFWs to high-risk destinations.
.
Ensure adequate livelihood assistance for returning OFWs including
those made redundant due to the global economic crisis.
.
Strictly monitor and permanently black-list recruitment agencies
with notorious record of placing OFWs in precarious situations.
.
Stop human and sex trafficking.
We fully support Migrante International's challenge to President
Benigno Aquino III to stop promoting labour export as a tool for
development. We believe there is no way to solve forced migration but
to aggressively pursue local job generation through improving our
local agriculture and industry by implementing genuine agrarian reform
and nationalist industrialization.
United in hope for the GRP and NDFP to resolve the fundamental causes
of unpeace and economic insecurity in the Philippines, we pledge our
solemn commitment to support the resumption of GRP-NDFP peace
negotiations and all accompanying efforts that will bring a better
future where Filipinos can truly enjoy the fruits of social justice,
enduring peace and security.
To add your name as endorser of this letter, you can email
migrante@xtra.co.nz or phsolidarity@gmail.com before 10th November
2010.
Catch Luis and Coni at the following events:
Christchurch: Tues, 26 Oct Public Meeting - 7.30 pm, Knox Presbyterian
Church Lounge, 28 Bealey Avenue. Contact: Murray Horton, 0274 307742,
cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
Blenheim: Wed, 27 Oct Public Meeting - 7.30 pm, Nativity Centre
Lounge, cnr Alfred & Henry Streets. Contact: Steffan Browning, 021
725655 greeny25@xtra.co.nz
Wellington: Thurs, 28 Oct Public Meeting - 7.30 pm, St John's Hall,
corner Willis
& Dixon Streets. Contact: Rod Prosser 021 0744992
communitymedia@paradise.net.nz
Palmerston North: Mon, 1 Nov 1 Public Meeting - 7.30 pm, Catholic
Diocesan Centre (Te Rau Aroha), 33 Amesbury Street. Contact: Dion
Martin (06) 3569658 (w), 021 776029 Dion.Martin@ndu.org.nz
New Plymouth: Wed, 3 Nov Public Meeting - 6 pm, Govett Brewster Art Gallery,
42
Queen Street. Contact: Fiona Clark (06) 7547014; fionaclark@clear.net.nz
Hamilton: Thurs, 4 Nov Public Meeting - 7.30 pm, Waikato Trade Union
Centre, 34 Harwood Street. Contact: Bob Anderson, (07) 8297882, 021
776023; ban@xtra.co.nz
Whangarei: Fri, 5 Nov Public Meeting - 7 pm, Manaia PHO Rooms, Rust
Ave, central Whangarei. Contact: Tim Howard 027 3089216
the-farm@ihug.co.nz
Auckland: Tues, 9 Nov Public Meeting - 7pm, Trades Hall, 147 Great North Rd,
Grey Lynn.
Auckland: Wed, 10 Nov "Wise Women Speak on the Liberation of Women and
Self-determination" 9am - 12pm - Forum with Coni Ledesma, Titewhai
Harawira and Annette Sykes, Auckland University, Maori Studies (RSVP
to Maori Studies)
Auckland: Fri, 12 Nov Solidarity Dinner for Justice and Peace in the
Philippines - 7 pm, Civic Building, Strata 17, Civic Building, Mayoral
Drive (Ticket: $30). Contact: Luke Coxon (09) 8276059, 028 25803203
luke_coxon@yahoo.com