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My Turnby Maileen Hamto |
 |
From The Asian Reporter, V17, #49 (December 4, 2007), page 6.
Speaking out
One of the best things about living in Portland is that many people take full advantage of their right to dissent by participating in the activist community.
Like others from former colonies of Spain, Filipinos have a long history of dissent and revolution. Our people rose up in arms during more than 300 years of Spanish rule, more than half a century of American occupation, and a quarter-century of the Marcos dictatorship. Growing up in Manila during the Marcos regime, everyday heroes were embodied by rogue journalists who put their lives on the line to challenge leadership, unveil corruption, and expose ugly realities about a society in decay. Eventually, the Marcoses were overthrown by the "People Power" uprising.
Here in the United States, the legacy of Black-American leaders of the Civil Rights Movement inspires generation after generation to demand fairness and equity, and expect nothing less. Foes of the United States’ military machine challenge the further expansion of America’s global influence through "peace keeping" missions that leave many dead.
In 2003, Portland was among the first cities across the country to organize protests against the Iraq war. Relocating from Houston, a city built from and running on oil and gas profits, it was unbelievably cathartic to stand among people with placards that read, "No blood for oil!"
On May Day 2006, it was invigorating to be among workers of all stripes, marching in downtown Portland to demand immigration reform. Other rallies to further the cause of communities of color followed, each bringing to light the importance of promoting social justice through organizing and civic engagement.
It was during a rally against immigration raids this year that I first heard Filipina American Claire Oliveros speak about the Portland Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (PCHRP). Oliveros, who was recently named among the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the U.S. by the national Filipina Women’s Network, is among few Asian Americans in the Portland activist/progressive scene.
Oliveros founded PCHRP two years ago after returning from a fact-finding trip to the Philippines convened by several national organizations promoting democracy and human rights. While there, Oliveros learned about how people who speak out against the establishment are murdered during and after organized protests. Those who oppose the government often go missing and are found dead.
Here in Portland, Oliveros leads a small group of committed allies raising awareness about the growing number of human-rights violations in the Philippines.
"To stop the killings in the Philippines, we’re launching an international campaign called GMA Watch, to put pressure on U.S. Congress and our state officials to stop federal funding to the Philippine government," said Oliveros. Through various media, GMA Watch reports on the actions of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA). Oliveros said that the Philippine military has been linked to more than 870 killings and 200 disappearances. "These human-rights violations have not been investigated. There is no justice for families of the victims."
Oliveros, who works full time as the coordinator of Portland Community College’s Sylvania Campus Multicultural Center, garners support for GMA Watch by educating the public about the entangled history of the United States and the Philippines. As Americans, she stresses that it’s important for us to be aware of how U.S. policies that have made a few corrupt officials rich and powerful are also driving Filipinos out of the Philippines to seek work elsewhere. Families are separated two or three continents at a time, as people are forced to migrate to find living-wage jobs. The Philippine economy is propped up by remittances from global Filipinos who work jobs beneath their education and skill sets so they can support their families back home.
"Filipino communities all over the world are directly affected by poverty, violence, and greed in the name of capitalism," Oliveros said. "Filipinos are not expendable. It’s not okay to exploit wage labor and brutally massacre people."
Here in the U.S., we have the resources to resist and speak out against political repression in the Philippines. As Filipino Americans, it’s important to speak out collectively against injustice. We have made it this far, and I hope we don’t forget to look back, be informed, and help out any way we can.
To learn more about PCHRP, e-mail <portlandchrp@gmail.com> or <portlandchrp@googlegroups.com>, or visit <www.myspace.com/pchrp>.