Anakbayan Los Angeles

(For the full video of the press conference visit http://www.vimeo.com/5361640)

Melissa Roxas, a United States citizen of Filipino descent, narrates the story of her abduction and torture by alleged members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on May 19-25, 2009. At the Los Angeles press conference (Saturday, June 27, 2009), Ms. Roxas describes the human rights abuses she endured while being held for six days in an alleged military camp. The press conference, which was held at the Echo Park United Methodist Church in Los Angeles, California was streamed live over the internet where Ms. Roxas detailed her experience at her first public appearance.

Ms. Roxas, an American human rights advocate, is the first known American citizen to have become a victim of abduction and torture in the Philippines, a country which has drawn international condemnation for state-sponsored human rights atrocities. She is a member of BAYAN USA and HABI ARTS, a cultural group also based in the United States.

For more information please visit bayanusa.org or bayan.ph

June 29, 2009

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
United States Senate
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111

Dear Senator Boxer,

We as young Filipinos and allies are writing to you on behalf of our organization AnakBayan, a Filipino youth group dedicated to the cause of social justice. Since its founding in 2005, AnakBayan has been tirelessly serving the community of Los Angeles to ensure that youth have a voice in our communities and partake in the improvement of the larger society around us. Thus it is with great urgency that we deliver this message to you that Filipino youth do not want one cent of US tax dollars allocated towards military aid to the Philippines.

Your key role in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last year helped deter the US funding of the Philippine’s military contingent upon its cleaning up of its human rights record and sent a clear message to the Philippine government that such abuses must stop. We ask that you continue taking a stand with humanity by demanding that the US Senate, and especially the Senate Appropriations Committee, not allow any US tax dollars to be spent on the Philippine military, and that the Philippine government must put an end to its human rights violations and bring justice to all those who have suffered at the hand of human rights abuses incurred by the Philippine military.

One of these human rights violations is the first case of abduction of a US citizen of Filipino descent, human rights advocate Melissa Roxas, by armed men. It is not by coincidence that her case is amongst thousands of documented cases of kidnappings, torture, assassinations, and other abuses that have not been investigated by the Philippine government and thus the culprits continue to run free without punishment. Cases like these are well documented such as in the 2007 report on extrajudicial killings by United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, which confirms the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the main perpetrators and holds the Philippine government accountable for attempting to cover up these violations and perpetuating a culture of impunity.

In calling for justice for all human rights victims in the Philippines, we also ask that you demand that the Philippine military fully cooperate with the Writ of Amparo proceedings as well any investigation by the Commission on Human Rights in the case of Melissa Roxas.

We hope for your continued support of the Filipino people’s right to live free from fear and repression.

Best regards,

Members of AnakBayan Los Angeles

Now, Boxer’s office is asking for one more thing: letters.  Lots of them.  from as many ORGANIZATIONS as possible.  The letters will help them argue for cutting off military aid to the Philippines and requiring the Phil government’s compliance with human rights law and the investigation into Melissa Roxas’ case before any aid goes to the Phils.

Here’s what we need to do:

1. Write and send letters from our organizations.  Use the template below (it has been updated since the one sent on Friday 6/19).  Print letter on your letterhead if you have letterhead (or at least show that you have a mailing address in the state of California).  Send the letters to:
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
United States Senate
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240
San Francisco, CA 94111

2. Get Filipino organizations, provincial groups, church groups, businesses, and others you know to write and send letters.

3. Get non-Filipino organizations, labor unions, churches, businesses, and high-profile individuals to write and send letters.

URGENT ACTION ALERT!
for California residents who care about human rights

EMAIL, FAX, AND/OR MAIL LETTERS TO SENATOR BARBARA BOXER TO ASK HER TO CUT US MILITARY AID TO THE PHILIPPINES AND REQUIRE THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT TO FULLY COMPLY WITH INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CASE OF MELISSA ROXAS!

HELP ENSURE JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED FOR MELISSA ROXAS & ALL VICTIMS OF ABDUCTIONS AND TORTURE IN THE PHILIPPINES

The recent abduction, detention, and torture of a US citizen of Filipino descent, Melissa Roxas, is part of a violent epidemic of  human rights violations plaguing the Philippines. There are thousands of documented cases of assassinations, kidnappings, torture, and other forms of human rights violations that have gone uninvestigated and therefore unresolved in the Philippines. As reported by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston, in his 2007 report, evidence points to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the main culprits behind these human rights violations, but they are protected by the Philippine government’s culture of impunity that allows them to roam free. The Philippine government denies any responsibility for and frequently attempts to cover up these human rights violations, as they are also attempting to do in the case of Melissa Roxas despite her sworn testimony about her experience.

The Philippines is one of the largest recipients of US military aid in Southeast Asia. This means US tax dollars are being used as resources by the AFP to continue to perpetrate these human rights violations against innocent civilians. As US taxpayers, we need to tell our government that we DO NOT want the blood of the Filipino people on our hands.

At present, the US Senate Appropriations Committee is in the process of shaping the next US military aid package to the Philippines, and could come out with a decision as early as mid-July. US Senator Barbara Boxer is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and has influence on how our tax dollars are spent abroad.  As our Senator, she has a responsibility to represent our concerns about how US military aid is being used to commit—and cover up—human rights atrocities in the Philippines, and to tell her colleagues in the Senate Appropriations Committee that we DO NOT WANT 1 CENT of our tax dollars going to the Philippine military.

On, June 19, a request was made of the office of Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the State & Foreign Operations Sub-Committee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, to include language into this year’s Senate Appropriations bill that would require the Philippine military to fully comply with the Writ of Amparo proceedings and any investigation into the case of Melissa Roxas.  In the past, Senator Barbara Boxer has been supportive of the Filipino American community’s call to end the human rights violations in the Philippines.  On June 22, Senator Boxer’s staff told concerned community members that Senator Boxer is very concerned, but would like to hear from more people in order to strengthen her case to the Senate.

We must write Senator Barbara Boxer TODAY and THIS WEEK, to tell her that we want her to make sure the Senate Appropriations Committee does not grant funds to the Philippine military and pressures the Philippine government to comply with investigations into Melissa Roxas’ case.

Below is sample text you can use for your letter to Senator Boxer. You can also draft your own language.

Thank you for responding to this action alert.  If you have questions or would like more information, contact Rhonda Ramiro, BAYAN-USA, at secgen@bayanusa.org.

*************************
(SAMPLE LETTER)

Dear Senator Boxer:

The recent abduction, detainment, and torture of an American, Melissa Roxas, in the Philippines last May has me extremely concerned about the US government’s financial allocations to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Roxas, 31, is US citizen of Filipino descent and human rights advocate who was in the middle of a medical relief mission in La Paz, Tarlac, when she and her two companions– Juanito Carabeo and John Edward Jandoc– were kidnapped on May 19th, 2009. In a sworn statement, Roxas describes being abducted by approximately 15 armed men, thrown in a van, handcuffed and blindfolded for six days, and dragged from jail cell to jail cell.  She recounts being subjected to torture via asphyxiation using a doubled-up plastic bag, repeated beatings to the face and body, and having her head banged repeatedly against the wall by her interrogators. She was denied legal counsel despite her persistent requests. Roxas was dropped off near her relative’s house around 6:30 AM on May 25 and warned not to go to Karapatan, the human rights alliance that handles cases like hers. Her captors left her with a SIM card and phone, which one of her interrogators used to contact her after she was released.

Today, fortunately, Roxas is back safe in her hometown of Los Angeles with her family. Credible sources, including Roxas herself, believe the detainment took place in nearby Fort Magsaysay, a military camp near the town Roxas and her companions were abducted.

As my US Senator and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I urge you to remember Melissa and all who have suffered the epidemic of torture, kidnappings, and unlawful detainment at the hands of the Philippine military.  Please call Senator Leahy’s office to express your support for including specific language on Melissa’s case in the Senate Appropriations Bill.  I am concerned that US military aid may be providing the “ammunition” (in both a literal and figurative sense) being used to pursue unarmed civilians whom the Arroyo administration has tagged as “Communists.”

I urge you to keep in mind my strong concerns regarding the lack of a full, impartial investigation into Melissa’s abduction and torture by the Philippine government.  I urge you to impress on the US Senate and especially the Senate Appropriations Committee that I do not want one cent of my tax dollars going to the Philippine military, and that the Philippine military must fully cooperate with the Writ of Amparo proceedings as well any investigation by the Commission on Human Rights into the case of Melissa Roxas.   I hope you will do everything in your power to ensure that the Philippine government cooperates to the fullest extent in resolving Melissa’s case and in stopping all human rights violations in the Philippines before any US aid is granted.

Senator Boxer, you are a leader in the Senate and a representative of the state where Melissa Roxas currently resides.  Please be a voice of conscience and human rights when helping the Senate decide on the next US military aid package to the Philippines. In these tough economic times, many government budget choices are hard. This one shouldn’t be.  Our hard-earned tax dollars should be used towards the betterment of society and for public service, not for human rights violations overseas. Please be the change America needs and help the Senate achieve this.

I hope to receive a response from you outlining your position on the human rights crisis in the Philippines and on the case of Melissa Roxas.

Sincerely,
Name
Organization (if any)
City, State

Los Angeles, CA. — On early Saturday morning, Filipino Americans launched a lightning rally to greet Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her mini-junket at the Sheraton Gateway near Los Angeles International Airport. The lightning rally was one of many demonstrations across the Philippines and around the world in recent days to protest the passage of the House Resolution 1109 to convene a Constituent Assembly (Con-Ass), considered the latest move of the US-Arroyo regime to change the Philippine Charter (Cha Cha) and further undermine democracy in the Philippines.

BAYAN-USA & GABRIELA USA’s member organizations began the lightning rally, marching to a rendition of Bayan Ko. Carrying “NO to Con-Ass” and “NO to Cha-Cha” signs, AnakBayan LA, Habi Arts & Sisters of Gabriela Awaken (SiGAw) members expressed their anger at the U.S.-Arroyo regime’s desperate Con-Ass maneuver to hold on to power. Fil-Ams were also demanding justice for fellow Habi Arts member, Melissa Roxas, a U.S. Citizen who was abducted and tortured by armed men last May while doing community health work in the Philippines. A street theater piece highlighting the on-going human rights violations was dedicated to Roxas, Jonas Burgos, Karen Empeno, Sherlyn Kadapan, James Balao, Juanito Carabeo, John Edward Jandoc and all other victims of the U.S.-Arroyo regime. With a thunderous outcry denouncing Arroyo, the protestors drowned out the cheers of U.S.-Arroyo supporters as Arroyo was escorted back to LAX. The morning rally was concluded with an “Arroyo, You’re A Jerk” hip hop dance circle led by AnakBayan Los Angeles.

“Con-Ass and Charter Change are lame attempts for Arroyo and her cronies to stay in power. They all hoped that the Filipino people would not care enough to notice, but the public outcry of our people in the Philippines, the US and all over the world prove that the people are wise and keen on her trickery,” declared Daya Mortel, BAYAN-USA Southern California Regional Coordinator and Habi Arts member. “She has tried every trick in the book short of declaring Martial Law. Wherever she may go, there will be people who will protest and criticize her abuse of power.”

“Con-Ass is the biggest threat to democracy and the Filipino people today,” stated Kuusela Hilo, Vice Chairperson of BAYAN-USA and member of AnakBayan LA. “The Filipino people have suffered under the US-Arroyo regime, and for Arroyo to position herself as Prime Minister or declare martial law would only mean more suffering and repression for our people.”

The rapes of “Nicole” and “Vanessa” and the devastation wrought on civilians by the annual Balikatan military exercises under the Visiting Forces Agreement have drawn increasing criticism from all sectors of Philippine society. “GMA has turned her back on Filipina women and all other Filipinos by railroading our Constitution and the democratic process. If Con-Ass and Cha-cha are pushed through, foreigners will be able to own the natural resources of the country and Filipinas will continue to be violated by U.S. troops in the Philippines,” said Terrie Cervas, Vice Chairperson of GABRIELA USA and founding member of SiGAw. Cervas concluded, “By rewriting the Philippine Constitution, the Philippines will be victim to 100% foreign ownership of industries and re-installation of permanent military U.S. presence, beyond supposed ‘temporary’ posts already in place under the Visiting Forces Agreement.” For the last 10 years, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) has paved the way for U.S. military advisers, troops and equipment to train and equip the Philippine military which has been implicated in 1,017 extra-judicial killings and 1,010 cases of torture.

“The fact that Arroyo tried to visit LA unnoticed is very telling,” said Mortel. “She knew she could not come to LA, the hometown of Melissa Roxas, without facing unanswered questions of why her government has not done a thorough probe into the abduction and torture of Roxas and her companions. Or why hundreds of others have been disappeared and why thousands of other victims have yet to receive justice.”

BAYAN-USA will continue to campaign against Con-Ass and Cha-Cha. BAYAN-USA will also be working with national alliances and human rights organizations in the United States to demand justice for Melissa Roxas and all other victims of human rights violations. “We do not want any of our hard-earned U.S. tax dollars funding Philippine death squads,” said Hilo. “Senator Barbara Boxer sponsored a hearing on the human rights crisis in the Philippines just two years ago in Washington D.C., and we will be asking Senator Boxer and other elected officials to take Melissa Roxas’ case seriously, to take a stand to defend a U.S. citizen that has survived abduction and torture, and to require that not one cent of U.S. taxes be used to fund human rights violations in the Philippines.”

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BAYAN-USA is an alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the U.S. representing organizations of students, scholars, women, workers, and youth. As an international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a campaign center for anti-imperialist Filipinos in the U.S. BAYAN-USA’s online petition against the VFA can be found at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/JunkVFAnow/. The online petition to demand justice for Roxas and her companions Juanito Carabeo, and John Edward Jandoc can be found at http://www.gopetition.com/online/28021.html.

Contact:

Rhonda Ramiro, Secretary General – BAYAN-USA

secgen@bayanusa.org