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News Release
October 25, 2007
Reference: Jamie Mapa, NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines,
email: nychrp@yahoo.com
HR Advocates Protest Ermita's Visit to NYC as Arroyo's Lead Spin Doctor
for HR Situation
New York-- The NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP),
Anakbayan NY/NJ, and Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment
staged a solemn prayer vigil outside the Philippine Consulate last
night during a public forum between Malacanang's Executive Secretary
Eduardo Ermita and the Filipino-American community.
Ermita, along with members of the Presidential Commission on Human Rights
Purificacion Quisumbing and Coco Quisumbing, was deployed to New York to
answer serious queries made by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)
after a disturbing and implicating report drafted by UN Special Rapporteur
for Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston after conducting a deep
fact-finding mission with communities and various victims of human rights
violations in the Philippines earlier this year.
From the very beginning of the Q & A session, it was clear the audience
members were highly critical of Ermita's sanitized "spin" of what is
happening in their homeland. He regarded extrajudicial killings as simply
"unexplained" killings where the Arroyo government is doing all that it
possibly could to catch the perpetrators.
NYCHRP's Jamie Mapa and her mother, Malu T. Mapa, asked particularly
pointed questions regarding the competency of the Philippine government
and refuted Ermita's earlier claim that oftentimes the killings remain
unexplained because the families of victims do not cooperate in the
investigation. Both mother and daughter are the cousin and aunt of Jonas
Burgos, son of the late press freedom fighter Joe Burgos, and a peasant
organizer abducted by military forces last April, and who remains missing
until this day.
Other critical questions came from Christina Hilo of Anakbayan, who asked
Ermita what that Philippine government's stand was on the recent ruling of
the prestigious Permanent People's Tribunal in the Hague, which found the
Arroyo regime guilty of the killings and various other crimes against
humanity. Valerie Francisco of Filipinas for Rights and Empowerment echoed
the position of Gabriela Philippines, in that the Philippines has become a
dangerous country for women and children. Finally, Berna Ellorin,
Secretary-General of BAYAN USA, and also a member of the NY Committee for
Human Rights in the Philippines, pointedly confronted the panel on why she
was included in controversial blacklist issued by the Department of
Justice of over 500 names of individuals overseas who have ties to
Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
"Is it because I have participated in fact-finding missions with Karapatan?"
Ellorin stated point blank to the panel. "I can assure you Mr. Ermita, I
am not a member of Al-Qaeda or the Taliban, nor do I know anyone from
those organizations. Most of the people on that list are people I highly
respect and have spoken out against the killings and abductions in the
Philippines. How can we trust that your National Security Advisor Bert
Gonzalez knows what he's doing with fabrications like that?" ►►►
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UPDATE ON THE SENTOSA CASE
News Release
October 25, 2007
For reference: Maita Santiago, Secretary-General (0916-513-4366)
During picket-dialogue at POEA:
Migrants group, OFW families slam Sentosa Agency
An alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipinos and their
families today slammed anew the Sentosa Recruitment Agency (SRA) with a
picket-dialogue at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The
dialogue delegation was led by Gabriela Women's Partylist Rep. Liza Maza
and along with Migrante, the relatives of the victims of the SRA and the
Alliance of Health Workers participated in the protest.
""The Sentosa Recruitment Agency is clearly guilty of large-scale illegal
recruitment. Its operations should be suspended immediately and its
license revoked permanently. We demand no less from POEA Admin. Rosalinda
Baldoz,"" says Maita Santiago, Migrante International Secretary-General.
The Migrant Workers Act (section 6) deems that illegal recruitment is
committed in large scale if it is committed against three or more persons.
Large scale illegal recruitment is considered an offense involving
economic sabotage. The Act (section 7) further states that the penalty for
economic sabotage is life imprisonment and a fine of not less than
P500,000 and not more than P1 million.
""We also call on Admin. Baldoz to divulge the full extent of the
political interventions at play which resulted in the grossly biased
actions by the POEA against victims,"" she added, citing the letters by US
Senator Schumer to POEA Admin. Baldoz, then-Labor Sec. Patricia Sto.
Tomas, NY Consul General Ceclia Rebong and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
in behalf of the SRA – and the subsequent phone call reportedly made by
then. Sec. Admin. Baldoz just prior to the POEA's lifting of the
preventive suspension order against the SRA on June 8 last year.
""We wouldn't be surprised kung may suholan sa Malacanang, mayroon din sa
DOLE o sa POEA. Since the political interference by the powers that be
into this case has already been admitted, the full extent of it must be
exposed, investigated and the relevant charges filed against those guilty
of this shameless abuse of power,"" remarked Santiago, citing the recent
bribery expose at the Palace.
At least 32 nurses and a physical therapist have filed complaints at the
POEA against the SRA. Currently, a Motion to Appeal the POEA''s order to
dismiss the first batch of complaints (Order dismissal released 4
September 2007) and an illegal recruitment case filed by a second batch
(24 November 2006) are still pending.
During the dialogue, the families of the nurses submitted their Unity
Statement and demands to POEA Admin. Baldoz.
""Apart from this dialogue, we commit to intensifying global actions for
this campaign through our member organizations and networks. In the US ,
the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns continues to gather widespread
support for the nurses with the very influential NY State Nurses
Association being the latest to affirm their support,"" said Santiago .
This October 29th, the NAFCON will lead a picket in front of the NY
courthouse where ten of the nurses and their lawyer will face their first
hearing on the criminal charges baselessly filed against them by Sentosa.
For its part, Migrante International will also lead various actions to
highlight the continuing oppression of our kababayans at the hands of
Sentosa. #
* a detailed fact sheet is available upon request.
Kin of dismissed workers push for Sentosa suspension
Posted 11:57pm (Mla time) (Mla time)
By Jerome Aning
Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines -- An alliance of organizations representing
the welfare of overseas Filipino workers and their families held a picket
at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in Mandaluyong City
on Thursday to ask for the suspension of operations of the controversial
Sentosa Recruitment Agency.
[
Read more ]
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UNITY
STATEMENT
By the families of the victims of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency to the
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration
October 25, 2007
We, the families of the victims of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency (SRA),
unite to express our alarm and opposition to recent POEA decisions which
heighten the injustices committed against our loved ones by the SRA.
We believe that the SRA is clearly guilty of the illegal recruitment
charges filed by the 26 nurses and 1 physical therapist against it last
year 2006. The filing of similar charges by additional victims of the SRA
strengthens this fact.
As such, we demand that the POEA issue an immediate preventive suspension
order against the SRA at the minimum and at the maximum, their license
should be revoked and their operations shut down. Otherwise, we fear that
even more health professionals and their families will be victimized and
forced to endure the grief, anguish and hardship that we now live daily.
As with countless other Filipino families, we were filled with great pride
when our loved ones finally graduated as nurses and as a physical
therapist. Given the worsening economic conditions in our country, we were
also hopeful when they were given the opportunity to migrate to the United
States as health professionals.
But instead of a better life abroad, our relatives were forced to endure a
range of contract violations, discriminatory and unfair labor practices at
the hands of the SentosaCare Agency in New York . Unable to suffer in
silence and work under breached contracts any longer, they united and
resigned from their positions.
It is deplorable that in Sentosa's bid to intimidate and criminalize our
relatives, they retaliated by filing trumped-up criminal charges against
10 of the nurses and their lawyer. It is indeed a bitter reality that
while the SRA continues to operate in the Philippines and its owner
Francis Luyun remains scot-free – our relatives are being criminalized in
New York .
We salute the courage of our loved-ones to stand up and speak the truth.
We affirm our commitment to forward the campaign for justice for the
Sentosa 27++ and all Filipino migrant workers.
Together with the growing number of people's organizations, other
community-based groups and supporters of these health professionals from
around the world – including the more than 2,000 who have signed an online
internet petition for the victims of the SRA, we demand the following from
POEA Administrator Rosalinda Baldoz:
1. Immediate preventive suspension of the Sentosa Recruitment Agency;
2. Genuine investigation into the full extent of the SRA's illegal
recruitment activities;
3. Permanent revocation of the license of the SRA and shut down of its
operations; and
4. Investigation into Malacanang's intervention in the illegal recruitment
case through a phone call by then-Sec. Michael Defensor to POEA Admin.
Baldoz – which led to the swift lifting of the suspension order against
the SRA and the long-delayed release of decisions in the complaints filed
by the initial 27 health professionals and a subsequent batch of
complainants.
Justice for the Sentosa 27++!
Justice for all Filipino migrant workers!
Signed:
Francis Tulang
Step-father of nurse Noralyn Ortega
Elmer Gamiao
Father of nurse Claudine Gamiao
Maritess Delos Angeles
Sister of nurse Jennifer Lampa
Rhia Maulion
Sister of nurse Rizza Maulion
Mariano Morales
Father of nurse Juliet Anilao
Wilfreda Avila
Mother of nurse Harriet Avila
Mr. Garcia
Father of nurse Carlo Garcia
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