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x Filipino activists on road for
peace
LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki
Daily News
Last updated 05:00 08/11/2010
Two leading figures in the fight for peace in the Philippines have been
in New Plymouth to talk about their struggles.
Luis Jalandoni and his wife, Coni Ledesma, talked to a group at the
Govett-Brewster Art Gallery during Mr Jalandoni's national speaking tour
"Justice and Liberation: The Road to Peace in the Philippines".
The international representative of the National Democratic Front of
the Philippines said the aim of the tour was to get support to resume
peace talks, which were suspended by the government in 2005 when members
of the NDF coalition, including the Communist Party and New People's Army,
were put on a terrorist watch list by the United States.
"International support is crucial," he said.
The small audience of about 12 people was typical of the couple's
experience in New Zealand, but they were not deterred.
"We've not had big crowds but they've been interested people with lots
of questions."
The NDF has been waging a war of liberation throughout the Philippines
for 41 years – one of the longest armed struggles in the world.
Mr Jalandoni remains positive that peace can be achieved, despite
numerous barriers, including the interests of big business being protected
by the government.
"We think that if both sides are determined and have the political
will, it could be achieved within six months – if they come to a
realisation that carrying out the negotiated settlement is much better
than continuing with the armed conflict," he said.
"About 85 per cent of people are living below the poverty line in a
country that's very rich in natural resources. There's so much greed for
super profits."
Mr Jalandoni, a former Catholic priest, and his wife, a former nun,
went underground when then president Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law
in 1972. Mr Jalandoni and Ms Ledesma were arrested and have served time as
political prisoners.
They left the clergy and married in 1974, moving to the Netherlands in
1976. They both hold Dutch passports and travel extensively as NDF
representatives
------------------------------------
JUSTICE AND LIBERATION: THE ROAD TO PEACE
FILIPINO PROGRESSIVE LEADERS TO TOUR NZ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Luis Jalandoni (who previously toured New Zealand in 1987) is undertaking
a national speaking tour between October 24 and November 14. His tour is
being collectively organised and hosted by the Philippines Solidarity
Network of Aotearoa, Auckland Philippines Solidarity and Wellington Kiwi
Pinoy. His topic will be: Justice And Liberation: The Road To Peace In The
Philippines. He will visit: Christchurch, Blenheim, Wellington, Palmerston
North, New Plymouth,
Hamilton, Auckland and Whangarei.
Luis is accompanied by his wife Coni Ledesma, who will also be speaking.
She is a member of the NDF Negotiating Panel for peace talks; and is the
International Spokesperson of MAKIBAKA, a revolutionary women’s group
which belongs to the NDF.
Luis and Coni are both veteran leading figures in the Philippine
revolutionary Left. He was a Catholic priest in the 1960s and she was a
nun. Both were founders of Christians for National Liberation, a member
group of the NDF. When Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law in
1972, both went underground. They were both arrested and spent time as
political prisoners. They left the clergy, and got married in 1974. They
have lived in The Netherlands since 1976; they were the first Filipinos to
apply for and receive political asylum there. They hold
Dutch passports and travel extensively as NDF representatives.
ITINERARY
Tuesday October 26 – Christchurch
Public Meeting - 7.30 p.m. Knox Presbyterian Church Lounge, 28 Bealey
Avenue.
Contact: Murray Horton, 0274 307742 cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
Wednesday October 27 – Blenheim
Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m., Nativity Centre Lounge, cnr Alfred & Henry
Streets
Contact: Steffan Browning, 021 725655 greeny25@xtra.co.nz
Thursday October 28 & Friday 29 – Wellington
Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m. Thursday 28, St John’s Hall, corner Willis
& Dixon Streets
Contact: Rod Prosser 021 0744992 communitymedia@paradise.net.nz
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Monday November 1 – Palmerston North
Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m., Catholic Diocesan Centre (t Rau Aroha), 33
Amesbury Street
Contact: Dion Martin (06) 3569658 (w), 021 776029 Dion.Martin@ndu.org.nz
Tuesday November 2 & Wednesday 3 – New Plymouth
Public Meeting – 6 p.m. Wednesday 3rd, Govett Brewster Art Gallery, 42
Queen Street
Contact: Fiona Clark (06) 7547014; fionaclark@clear.net.nz
Thursday November 4 – Hamilton
Public Meeting – 7.30 p.m., Waikato Trade Union Centre, 34 Harwood Street.
Contact: Bob Anderson, (07) 8297882, 021 776023; ban@xtra.co.nz
Friday November 5 - Whangarei
Public Meeting – 7 p.m., Manaia PHO Rooms, Rust Ave, central Whangarei.
Contact: Tim Howard 027 3089216 the-farm@ihug.co.nz
Tuesday November 9 – Auckland
Public Meeting – 7 p.m. Trades Hall, 147 Great North Road, Grey Lynn
Wednesday 10 – 9a.m. - 12 noon, Auckland University, Maori Studies,
Women’s Forum with Coni Ledesma. RSVP to Helen Te Hira (09) 2803372
(w); 0272 888894 helent@nzctu.org.nz
Friday 12 – 7 p.m. Solidarity Dinner, Civic Building, Strata 17,
Mayoral Drive, Auckland. Tickets $30 (dinner, entertainment, cash
bar). Contact Luke Coxon for tickets
Contact: Luke Coxon (09) 8276059, 028 25893203 luke_coxon@yahoo.com
This tour is collectively organised by Philippines Solidarity Network
of Aotearoa (PSNA),
Auckland Philippines Solidarity and Wellington Kiwi-Pinoy.
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Chief Reporter
Aquino urged: Negotiate for peace without
preconditions, not for Trans-Pacific Partnership entry
A group of New Zealanders is calling on the Philippine president to push
for resumption of peace talks without preconditions instead of pushing for
another unfair trade deal with the US.
Speaking at the 26th October kick-off public meeting of a national
speaking tour to promote international support for peace process in the
Philippines, Murray Horton, Secretary of Philippines Solidarity Network of
Aotearoa (PSNA) highlighted the challenge for the Aquino administration to
“make principled peace negotiations a priority instead of negotiations for
another unfair trade deal with the US.”
PSNA is hosting MR. LUIS JALANDONI and MS CONI LEDESMA, representatives of
the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating
Panel on their speaking tour “Justice and Liberation: The Road to Peace in
the Philippines” between 24 October – 12 November around NZ.
"We are aware that Pres. Benigno Simeon Aquino III courted the support of
the United States for Philippines' bid to become a member of the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) during his recent meeting with US Pres.
Barack Obama. Just like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade – World
Trade Organisation (GATT-WTO) and other US-designed trade deals, TPP
spells more profits for big business and nothing but losses for ordinary
people in the Philippines, New Zealand and other countries.
If Aquino is serious about making lives better for
ordinary Filipinos, negotiating for TPP and other unfair economic deals
with the US should be junked altogether. It would be better for Filipinos
if formal peace negotiations on the agenda of urgent social and economic
reforms will be pushed by the Aquino administration instead of
Philippines' entry to the TPP," Horton stated.
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Horton, who is also the Spokesperson of 'New
Zealand Not for Sale' campaign, concluded, "Filipinos and New Zealanders
have had enough of unrestrained trade liberalisation that destroyed local
agriculture and industries. Thus the TPP issue is a common ground for us
to oppose what is essentially a back door way of achieving another free
trade agreement that will mainly benefit the US.
Murray Horton
Secretary
Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA)
cafca@chch.planet.org.nz <mailto:cafca@chch.planet.org.nz>
www.converge.org.nz/psna
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS REPORTS
Taranaki Daily News
http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/4318260/Filipino-activists-o
n-road-for-peace#share
Pacific Scoop
Filipino resistance movement looks to NZ as partner in long-needed peace
process
FrogBlog
Latest terrorist designations undermine New Zealand’s role as a peacemaker
Peace in our homeland
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16 November 2010
NDFP Met with NZ Parliamentarians, Peace Advocates to Support Peace
Process, Address Continuing Killings in Philippines
Auckland, New Zealand - As two more Filipino activists, public union
president Caloy Rodriguez and peasant activist Rene Rodriguez were
brutally murdered last week, 75 human rights and peace advocates including
Keith Locke and Su'a William Sio, Members of NZ Parliament, Maori
activists, trade unionists, clergy and community leaders in New Zealand
reiterated calls for the Aquino government to resume formal peace talks
without preconditions, and to put an end to the wave of extra-judicial
killings, enforced disappearances and illegal detention of political
activists in the Philippines.
At the dinner gathering on 12th November hosted by Auckland Philippines
Solidarity, Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma, international representatives
of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) conveyed their
gratitude to the people of New Zealand who have supported the Philippines'
quest for just and lasting peace since the dark years of the Marcos
dictatorship.
Keith Locke, Green Party Member of Parliament, says, "We understand that
the quest for peace in the Philippines is a struggle for social justice.
There was renewed hope for resumption of peace talks and improvement of
human rights situation under Aquino. But the last time I checked, the
Human Rights Watch monitored 20 cases of extra-judicial killings under the
new government. We are aware of the serious risks faced by political
activists who become targets of extra-judicial killings when they stand up
for human rights and social justice.”
According to Ledesma, “Under Aquino, the killings continue. Until now,
justice has not been obtained for the journalists and civilians killed in
the Ampatuan massacre. Activists and journalists especially those who
expose corruption in government continue to face death threats," Ledesma
noted. Four months ago, Aquino declared his administration's priority in a
press conference, "Cases of extra-judicial killings need to be solved, not
just identify the perpetrators but have them captured and sent to jail."
“Under the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and
International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the NDFP had been calling for
the meeting and operationalization of the Joint Monitoring Committee to
address persistent human rights abuses such as the killings of two
Rodriguez activists that brought to 22 the record of killings under Aquino.
But the previous Arroyo government, faced with hundreds of complaints on
extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances and illegal arrests,
resorted to submission of hundreds of false and invalid complaints with
the obvious intent of inflating the number of incidents against the forces
of the NDFP,” Ledesma explained.
“We would like New Zealand to play the role of a peacemaker just like
Norway. It is unfortunate that just a few days before Luis Jalandoni and
Coni Ledesma arrived, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and New
People's Army (NPA) have been designated as 'terrorist groups' by the New
Zealand government," Locke noted as he welcomed Jalandoni and Ledesma to
the Solidarity Dinner for Justice and Peace in the Philippines.
At the dinner gathering, Jalandoni gave a brief speech and read a poem
entitled "If the land could speak" to underscore that the Filipino people
are waging different forms of struggle to attain social justice especially
genuine land reform as a central demand in the quest for lasting peace in
the Philippines.
Today marks 6 years of the massacre in the Cojuangco-Aquino owned Hacienda
Luisita that claimed the lives of 7 striking agricultural workers.
Ledesma adds, "We have been living as political exiles in The Netherlands
since the Marcos dictatorship. Today around 10% of the Philippine
population are also forced to be 'economic exiles' because there are not
enough jobs and vast tracts of land remain in the hands of multinationals
and traditional elite in the Philippines." Ledesma read the poem
"Sometimes the Heart Yearns for Mangoes" written by fellow political exile
Prof. Jose Maria Sison which spoke of the sentiments of Filipinos forced
to work and live away from their homeland.
"We are very grateful for New Zealanders' support to Philippines' quest
for justice and peace just as we admire your support to the historic fight
to end apartheid in South Africa, the struggle against US aggression in
Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the US-backed Israeli occupation
of Palestine," Jalandoni stated.
The dinner gathering featured traditional Maori cultural presentations
from Kapa Haka of Iwi Have Influence (IHI) action group as well as songs
from Filipino quartet. A statement of support for peace process in the
Philippines was signed and will be sent to the Aquino government and NZ
Prime Minister John Key.
While peace advocates in the Philippines and abroad have been looking
forward to the revival of peace talks between the NDFP and Aquino
government, Key announced on 12th October that New Zealand included the
CPP and NPA in its terror list.
“This is disappointing given that the US-led designation of the CPP-NPA in
2002 has become a major hurdle in the peace negotiations under Arroyo. The
US-led terrorist designation of the CPP-NPA virtually justified the
thousands of extra-judicial killings, abduction and arrests of Filipino
activists wrongly accused of being CPP-NPA members or supporters. We were
hoping that Key would personally raise concern on the Philippine human
rights situation with Mr Aquino as Helen Clark did in 2007 with former
president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” Luke Coxon, APS Spokesperson stated.
“With the New Zealand government designating the CPP-NPA as terrorists,
this is tantamount to supporting militarisation and repression against
ordinary civilians and political activists labeled as ‘terrorists’ or
‘enemies of the state’ because of their advocacy for change and stance
against government corruption and human rights abuses," the group noted.
"We ask Mr Key to stop parroting the US designation of national liberation
movements as terrorists. We believe New Zealand can play a more
constructive role in the peace talks that are about to be revived in the
Philippines by joining the global community in asking the Aquino
government to end the impunity in human rights violations and uphold the
important agreements so far reached in the formal peace negotiations,”
Coxon concluded.
Jalandoni and Ledesma were invited by the Philippines Solidarity Network
of Aotearoa (PSNA), Auckland Philippines Solidarity (APS) and Wellington
Kiwi Pinoy (WKP) to speak around the theme "Justice and Liberation: The
Road to Peace in the Philippines" from 28th October to 12th November
around NZ. They are now in Australia for another two-week speaking tour on
the status and prospects of peace talks under Aquino. #
Reference: Luke Coxon
Auckland Philippines Solidarity phsolidarity@gmail.com, (09) 8276059,
028 25803203
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Luis Jalandoni's Interview
With Chris Laidlaw, Radio NZ National, 14/11/10
Luis Jalandoni - Peace in the Phillipines (duration: 17′37″)
One
of the most longstanding conflicts in the world is the war that has been
fought, on and off, between national liberationists and the ruling
authorities in the Phillipines. Luis Jalandoni has been at the centre of
the conflict since the 1970s, as chair of the National Democratic Front of
the Phillipines negotiating panel for peace talks with the government.
Audio from Sunday Morning on 14 Nov 2010 |
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Visitors support attack on spy base
BLAIR ENSOR - The Marlborough Express
Last updated 12:00 28/10/2010
The activists who deflated one of the Waihopai spy base domes by slashing
it with a sickle are "courageous", visiting leaders of a political
movement in the Philippines say.
National Democratic Front of the Philippines international representative
Luis Jalandoni and his wife Coni Ledesma are travelling New Zealand
speaking about establishing peace in the Philippines.
The couple spoke at the Nativity Church in Blenheim last night.
The National Democratic Front is a coalition of underground groups which
have been "waging a war of liberation" in the Philippines for more than 40
years.
Mr Jalandoni told The Marlborough Express the deflating of one of the
domes in 2008 was an "act of solidarity for victims of United States wars
of aggression".
"We admire their courage," he said. "It deserves the appreciation of
people who are fighting against the US."
Dominican friar Peter Murnane, teacher Adrian Leason and Sam Land cut
through electric fences without setting off any alarms and slashed the
inflatable dome covering one of the satellite dishes.
They were found not guilty in April on charges of burglary and wilful
damage of the Government Communications Security Bureau base.
The trio said they were saving lives in Iraq by disrupting satellite
transmissions and were acting for the greater good.
The Waihopai Spy Base was part of the network, used by the United States
to spy on countries like the Philippines, said Mr Jalandoni.
"We support the struggle to have this closed down."
Green Party spokesman for the Kaikoura electorate Steffan Browning said it
was good that Marlborough people were finding out the base was linked to
places of struggle like the Philippines.
"We have a pretty good life here in Marlborough."
He described the situation in countries like the Philippines as
"horrendous".
cafca@chch.planet.org.nz
www.converge.org.nz/psna |
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Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma with host, PSNA
Secretary Murray Horton |
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PRESS RELEASE
29 October 2010
Not just Spratly Islands dispute
ASEAN leaders dared to raise issue of unwanted US military troops, bases
in ASEAN Summit
 "Philippine
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III's call for peaceful sharing of Spratly
Islands' resources is important, but the unwanted presence of US military
troops and facilities in Asia-Pacific must also be raised by Aquino and
other heads of state at the on-going ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. The
hundreds of US troops in the Philippines under the unconstitutional US-RP
Visiting Forces Agreement, the US military bases and its 47,000 troops in
Okinawa, thousands of troops in Korea, and the Waihopai spybase on New
Zealand soil are equally important issues affecting territorial
sovereignty, peace and security in the region that must be
challenged. The rape and prostitution of women, death of civilians and
destruction of environment where US war games and exercises are being held
must be stopped."
This was the challenge issued by peace advocates and anti-bases activist
groups in New Zealand as they host Luis Jalandoni and Coni Ledesma of the
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating
Panel in a series of public meetings around NZ to
promote support for peace process the Philippines.
At the meetings in Christchurch, Blenheim and Wellington, Jalandoni and
Ledesma talked about continuing US economic domination and military
intervention in the Philippines as major obstacles to peace in the
Philippines. "The Waihopai spybase in New Zealand is used by the US to spy
on countries like the Philippines. We support the struggle to have this
closed down. National
sovereignty must be upheld to
achieve lasting peace in the Philippines. Foreign troops and bases
must not be allowed on Philippine soil just as the Waihopai spybase in NZ
and US bases in Okinawa must be closed down," Jalandoni stated.
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According to Murray Horton, main host
of the peace tour and Secretary of Philippines Solidarity Network of
Aotearoa (PSNA), "Waihopai does not operate in the interests of New
Zealanders or our neighbours. Basically it is a foreign spybase on
NZ soil and directly involves us in US wars. Although officially a 'New
Zealand' facility, Waihopai is an American spybase in everything but
name."
The Waihopai spybase was subjected to unprecedented public attention by
the March 2010 trial and acquittal of the three Ploughshares peace
activists who penetrated its high security in 2008
and deflated one of the two domes concealing its satellite dishes from the
NZ public.
At the US-ASEAN leaders meeting last September 24, US Pres. Barack Obama
stated: "Through the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC)
forum and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), we're pursuing trade
relationships that benefit all our countries.The United States also wants
to focus on deepening its political and security cooperation with the
region."
"By all indications, the US is poised to strengthen military presence in
Asia-Pacific to protect its economic interests in the name of 'free trade'
that ensures massive profits for giant US corporations and local elite.
The US, which benefits from unrestricted trade in labour
and capital investment in Asia-Pacific, is actually causing massive social
inequities which are root causes of armed conflict in the Philippines.
''Free trade' fuels war," Rod Prosser, convenor of Wellington Kiwi Pinoy,
another group hosting the NDFP peace tour, added.
"We are aware that Mr. Aquino courted US support for Philippines' bid to
become a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership during his meeting with
Obama. Just like APEC, General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade - World
Trade Organisation (GATT-WTO) and other US-designed trade deals, TPP
spells more profits for big business and nothing but losses for
ordinary people in the Philippines, New Zealand and other countries,"
Horton noted.
Horton, who is also the Spokesperson of 'New Zealand Not for Sale'
campaign, concluded, "Filipinos and New Zealanders have had enough of
unrestrained trade liberalisation that destroyed local agriculture and
industries. Thus the TPP issue is a common ground for us to oppose
what is essentially a back door way of achieving another free trade
agreement that will mainly benefit the US. #
Reference:
Murray Horton
Secretary, Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA)
Contact: 0274 307742
cafca@chch.planet.org.nz |
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 Dear
Friends
On 5th November, Philippines Solidarity Network of Aotearoa (PSNA) will
hold a Free Morong 43 vigil in support of the 6th November international
day of actions to press the Aquino government to effect the immediate and
unconditional release of the 43 community health workers.
Media Release: 30 October 2010
Philippines Peace Advocates Visit Whangarei
Two high ranking Filipino peace advocates – Luis Jalandoni and Coni
Ledesma - are to visit Whangarei, New Zealand in the next days. Luis is
the Chair, and Coni a member, of the National Democratic Front’s
Negotiating Panel at the peace talks with the Philippines Government,
facilitated by Norway.
In New Zealand, little is known about the four-decade long war and peace
process in the Philippines. At a Public Meeting in Whangarei, Luis and
Coni will share first-hand knowledge about the peace negotiations they are
involved with. They were both arrested under the dictator Ferdinand
Marcos, spent time in jail as political prisoners, and lived in The
Netherlands since 1976.
The National Democratic Front (NDF) is the coalition of several
underground groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippines and
its New People's Army, which has been waging a war of liberation
throughout the Philippines for more than 40 years, making it one of the
longest running armed struggles in the world. The basis of the conflict
has is the huge social and economic injustices faced by the majority of
people in the Philippines.
“The Philippines desperately needs peace and security. Resolving the
people’s war by addressing the injustices that are at the root of this
conflict is central to achieving peace,” said Tim Howard, local convenor
of Luis and Coni’s hosts in Whangarei. “This is a great opportunity for us
to hear first-hand about the peace negotiations.”
The speaking tour is hosted jointly by Philippines Solidarity Network
Aotearoa, Auckland Philippines Solidarity, and Wellington Kiwi Pinoy.
“This Public Meeting is also a chance for us to consider what role New
Zealand might play assisting the peace process,” said Tim Howard. Our
previous Prime Minister sent a strong message to the Philippines
President, indicating that New Zealand is concerned with the continued
reports of killings, disappearances, unjust detentions and more human
rights violations. There were 1100 assassinations under the previous
President Arroyo. Prime Minister John Key has so far taken one side of the
conflict, the Government’s, and labeled the opponents as ‘terrorists.’
Many of us look to New Zealand taking a more useful role in supporting
human rights and the peace process.”
The Meeting will consider a petition in support of the peace process, and
will hold a vigil as part of an international campaign in support of the
‘Morong 43,’ a large group of community health workers arrested 9 months
ago this Saturday at a professional development course. 26 of the
detainees are women, two having given birth since their arrest. They are
still imprisoned illegally, subject to torture, in a military camp.
Whangarei people interested in justice in our country and our region are
warmly welcomed to the Public Meeting at 7pm on Friday 5 November, at
Manaia PHO rooms in Rust Avenue in central Whangarei.
Contact: Tim Howard 027 3089 216 <the-farm@ihug.co.nz>
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Press Release
6 November 2010
Reference: Tim Howard 027 3089 216 <the-farm@ihug.co.nz>
New Zealanders Lit Candles for Freedom, Justice and Peace in the
Philippines
NDFP: No Short Cut to Peace Pact with Aquino Gov’t
Whangarei, New Zealand - In solidarity with the 6th November protest
actions marking 9th month of illegal arrest and detention of Filipino
health workers known as 'Morong 43,' peace and human rights advocates in
New Zealand lighted candles and signed Free Morong 43 international
petition during a public meeting to support the quest for justice and
lasting peace in the Philippines.
MR. LUIS JALANDONI and MS CONI LEDESMA, representatives of the National
Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Peace Negotiating Panel, spoke
at the public meeting in Whangarei organised by Philippines Solidarity
Network of Aotearoa (PSNA). They presented the 12-point NDFP program,
stressing, "Peace will be the fruit of social justice, when the small
landed elite and foreign multinationals will no longer monopolize land
ownership in the country. Land reform is a principal issue that must be
addressed to pave the way for just and lasting peace in the Philippines."
While Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda stated that Aquino’s
preference was for the NDFP leaders to visit Malacanang with a signed
peace agreement, Jalandoni declared, “There's no short cut to a peace
agreement, solving fundamental problems of landlessness and joblessness of
the vast majority is crucial to resolving the decades-old conflict. Pres.
Aquino promised change but he has yet to resolve the long disputed
Cojuangco-Aquino owned Hacienda Luisita covering 6,453-hectares of land
that could benefit thousands of poor families if redistributed justly.”
"We lit candles with the hope that Philippine President Benigno Aquino III
will end the darkness of injustice suffered by the 43 community health
workers and all political prisoners unjustly detained in the Philippines,"
Tim Howard, PSNA local organiser of the Whangerei peace forum stated.
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Noting that it has been nearly 6 years since
the 2004 Hacienda Luisita massacre, Howard says, "At this time we also
remember and demand justice for the 7 Hacienda Luisita massacre victims,
union president Ricardo Ramos, clerics Bishop Alberto Ramento, Fr. William
Tadena and all who have been brutally murdered in this decades-old land
dispute." Howard, one of the 5 New Zealanders who joined the August 2005
International Solidarity Mission to probe human rights abuses under the
Arroyo presidency, expressed disappointment that the Cojuangco-Aquino
family maintains the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) scheme instead of the
outright distribution of the vast sugar plantation to the 10,000 farm
workers.
According to Jalandoni, "The continuing detention of Morong 43 and the
killings related to the Hacienda Luisita dispute highlight the importance
of pursuing peace talks that address the problem of landlessness and
persistent human rights violations such as illegal arrest, torture,
enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings committed by state
forces against Filipinos who aspire for socio-economic reforms but are
unjustly labeled as 'enemies of the state' and 'terrorists.'”
“With the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and
International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) formally signed by both
principals of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and
the NDFP in 1998, Filipinos can file complaints on abuses and demand
justice based on this agreement and other existing human rights
instruments," Jalandoni noted.
While in Whangarei, Jalandoni and Ledesma were interviewed in a major
Radio NZ (national public radio) programme, 3 Maori regional radio
programmes, and a local community TV station's news (in Maori and English)
- to get the word out to large numbers of Maori and other New Zealanders
about land issues and other matters that Filipinos and Maori have in
common. #
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