Rage

I have just read the news item about Nicole recanting her previous statements, and the so-called "sworn statement" she released only now, more than two years after the bitter battle for justice began.

Profanities race through my mind as I try to rationalize this sudden turn of events. For the statement, it seems, was tailor-fitted to strengthen the defense of accused Cpl. Daniel Smith. As I read through it (or at least the citations), I can't help but think how incriminating and contradictory it was to what Nicole has been stating ever since the case began. It would definitely remove Nicole's credibility, in the eyes of the many who would believe anything they hear or read in the news without any sort of critical analysis.

And the more suspicious part is that, it all happened after Barack Obama called the highly-contested President of this republic to commend her for her moves against terrorism and to say that the US will uphold the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) on their end.

How Nicole was manipulated and maneuvered to recant, we can only guess. We could not blame her for reaching this decision (if she was not coerced into it), for the case has gone on for too long and still, justice has not been served.

In the anti-VFA rally held earlier ended on a dramatic note, with Nicole terminating her contract with her legal counsel, and her mother saying that there is no justice in the Philippines.

Add two and two together, and what do we get?

This event only proves the extent to which the government would go to protect the interests of its closest ally, the US—even at the expense of its own citizens.

Such a sorry state of government is more than enough for us Filipinos to be enraged.

Let there be no more excuses. Nicole's case should be more than enough reason for us to call for the junking of the VFA.

Crossroads (or depression, again)

I don't get this. I really don't get it. The feeling that everything you do is pretty pointless — be it academics or be it Kule. It's not like I deliberately think about it; it just comes on its own accord. This empty feeling, this alienation, this strange disturbance that I hope will go away really, really soon.

Lately, I've been thinking of doing something more than I already am (and I know it's near suicide, what I'm considering). That's why right now I'm thinking about joining another org outside of Kule (UP SILIP to be precise).

The thing is, I'm really confused about what I truly want to do.

My impending graduation, one year from now (that is if I finish on time), seems like a dead-end; a deadline to make decisions. Decisions which I have put off for as long as I could. I have options aplenty, but in the end I know that somehow I have already chosen, I just still haven't gotten around to accepting which options seem most viable to me.

Existential? Maybe; most of the time I just chalk it off as chronic depression that eventually goes away. Manic-depressive? Possibly. World-weary? Isn't that too early at this point in my life? I mean, I'm barely 18, it's not like I'm supposed to experience some midlife crisis now. I'm supposed to be at the height of my youth. I'm not supposed to be like this.

But then, and the more important question is, why? Everything's going well in my life. It's not like I'm failing my classes or anything. It's not like I'm having problems again with my working relations with the people I work with.

Problem is, it's beginning to come more frequently lately that I'm afraid it might be something more serious.

Moreover, I have no freaking idea how to get around this.

I need a diversion badly. I know as much. I feel removed (detached, I think, is the more apt word) from the height of things, like when other people are around me, I just simply fade quietly into the background, choosing not to mingle, choosing to be alone, wrapped up in my thoughts (or lack thereof).

Maybe I need to write more, since I have long since recognized that writing is my form of therapy. Like now.

Or maybe I just need to stop for a moment, and breathe.

Random Facts

Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than all of the Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.

There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.#

Return to Sender

Sa mga fans ni Chris S. Agrava:

Return to Sender

Hamon sa USC 2009-2010

Hati ang konseho ng Diliman sa susunod na taon. Ayaw ko mang pangunahan ang mga bagay-bagay, natitiyak kong lalong mahihirapang makamit ang consensus ng USC sa bawat isyung pagpupulungan. Kung nitong nakaraang taon na dalawang partido lang ang mayorya at lamang pa ang isa, nakita na ang pagkakahati ng konseho, paano pa ngayong tatlo na silang nagkakagulo?

Hindi ko naman sinasabing may dominasyon dapat ng isang partido lamang. Marami marahil ang magsasabing "balanse" ang susunod na USC. Subalit kung itutumbas ang pagiging "balanse" sa pagiging neutral, palagay ko'y may malaking problema ang UP sa susunod na taon.

Wala namang magiging kaso ang pagkakahati nito kung hindi hahayaan ng mga niluklok sa posisyon na magkaroon ng personalan at partisan politics sa loob ng konseho.

Ang mahirap lang, iba-iba rin kasi sila ng interpretasyon sa kung ano ang makabubuti sa mga mag-aaral. Galing sila sa iba't ibang sulok ng lipunan at may iba't ibang interes na isusulong. Ang dapat lang sigurong laging isaisip ng mga nasa posisyon ngayon, isulong nila ang interes ng mga mag-aaral at magdesisyon batay dito. Sana, ito ang unahin nilang isulong kaysa interes ng kani-kanilang mga partido, sapagkat sa puntong ito, kinakatawan na nila ang konseho at hindi ang kanilang partido.

Wala naman akong problema sa hatian ng konseho kung lahat ng ipinangako noong kampanya ay matutupad. Kung mapapatunayan ng ilang niluklok na karapat-dapat sila sa posisyong inihalal sila, at hindi sila maglalahong parang bula makalipas ang eleksyon.

Siguro, sa oras na ito, tapos na akong manlumo sa resulta ng eleksyon. Wala na rin kasi itong magagawa sa puntong ito; sa huli, ang magagawa ko lang ay umasa. At kung biguin ako ng mga taong tinutukoy ko, ang magiging sagot ko ay walang pagpapaumanhing pagtatasa at pagtuligsa sa kung anumang maling hakbanging piliin nila.#

On classes

Got home from dokyu shoot. Nakakapagod, pero ok lang.

Ngayon ko lang natanto na totoo palang kahit saang relihiyon, nahahati pa rin sila sa uri o social class.

Bakit? Kitang-kita ang pagkakaiba sa mga taong naninirahan sa dalawang lugar na pinuntahan namin.One community focused on their hand-to-mouth existence, the other asked our credentials and all things that reeked middle class.Iba rin ang practice nila ng relihiyon nila.

Wala lang. Na-agit lang ako.#

Wala lang

May naalala lang ako from UP Fair's last night (Feb 14), mula sa Giniling Festival, isang version ng kanilang kantang "Holdap."

ORIGINAL:
What do holdapers do?
They take your money and run as fast as they can!
(Run as fast as they can)
Ispel holdaper
Holdaper, G-A-G-O, holdaper

UP FAIR VERSION:
What do holdapers do?
They take your money and then they run for president!
Ispel holdaper
Holdaper, G-M-A, holdaper

Crowd: (LOL).

At ang winner na line:

Pare-pareho lang naman tayong walang pera...

Pero mas winner pa sa Holdap ang "Astig."

Like, here are some of the lyrics (di lang kumpleto, sori):

Uso ang pa-cute, bibili ako ng cute (?)
Usong maangas, lalabas kong aking ahas
Usong malungkot, malungkot pati utot
Uso ang ___(?)___, magugunaw ang mundo

Usong maputi, glutathione glutathione
Usong maputi glutathione
Uso ang sosyal, frappucino frappucino
Uso ang sosyal frappucino
Uso ang tsinelas, havaianas havaianas
Uso ang tsinelas havaianas
Gagawin ko ang lahat, gagawin ko ang lahat
Pag meron kapitbahay ko, bibili rin ako
Para lang ako'y maging astig
Gonna be astig for life

Di ko na-gets yung medyo dulong line, pero kung tama ang rinig ko, it's "Tsong tol pare man dude" na inulit ulit.

Tapos may skit. With some lines here:
That is so astig man! Ako naman, yesterday I was using my laptop. And I was drinking frappucino. And my havaianas, with so many colors... (I lost all sense and laughed like crazy)

Ayun. Astig at Holdap. Buo na ang gabi ko. Sumama pa ang "Wala" ng Kamikazee. Para raw sa presidente...ng Malaysia (with the disclaimer: "mahirap na..."). Hahaha. Sabaw na talaga ako.

Sabi ko sa'yo, wala lang ang post na ito. Hehe.

Wala lang

May naalala lang ako from UP Fair's last night (Feb 14), mula sa Giniling Festival, isang version ng kanilang kantang "Holdap."

ORIGINAL:
What do holdapers do?
They take your money and run as fast as they can!
(Run as fast as they can)
Ispel holdaper
Holdaper, G-A-G-O, holdaper

UP FAIR VERSION:
What do holdapers do?
They take your money and then they run for president!
Ispel holdaper
Holdaper, G-M-A, holdaper

Crowd: (LOL).

Sabi ko sa'yo, wala lang ang post na ito. Hehe.

Babangon ako't dudurugin kita: A 2009 USC elections debate

Magkakaalaman na. Magpapahuli ka ba?

The Philippine Collegian, official student publication of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Solidaridad, Systemwide Alliance of Student Publications and Writers' Organizations in UP, bring you Babangon Ako't Dudurugin Kita: Debate ng Mga Partido sa 2009 USC Elections, a two-hour debate program for USC electoral candidates this coming Friday, February 20.

Slated to participate in the debate are five candidates each from Alyansa, Kaisa, Stand-UP, and two independent candidates for USC councilorship.

Date: Friday, February 20, 2009
Time: 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Venue: Palma Hall, PH 400

Punta na!

Sa Lumba Ranao: Anekdota ng diskriminasyon

Kanina, nagtungo kami sa dalawang magkahiwalay na komunidad ng mga Muslim dito sa Metro Manila para sa ginagawa naming dokyu. Yung isa, yung Lumba Ranao sa may Pasay (dapat gagawan ng artikulo ng feats last year, pero di na natuloy), at yung isa, malapit sa simbahan ng Quiapo. Walang masyadong kwento ang huli, maliban sa pinatakpan ang buhok namin bago pumasok sa mosque nila.

Iba ang kaso ng Lumba Ranao. Kinakailangan mong dumaan sa gilid ng creek sa may Roxas Blvd. Malayu-layo ang kailangan mong lakarin bago marating ang komunidad na nakaumpok na sa gilid ng mosque nila. Tagpi-tagpi ang mga bahay; hindi rin uso ang pagsusuot ng scarf o shawl ng mga kababaihan. At kinahaharap nila ang isang demolisyon dahil sa pagtatayo umano ng casino roon ng pamahalaan.

Isa pa, may nakabantay na guwardiya sa pinakadulo ng nilalakaran sa gilid ng creek. Sabi niya sa amin, sigurado raw ba kaming tutuloy kami (apat kaming babae lahat sa grupo). Nang tanungin namin kung bakit, ang sagot lang niya, "Muslim ang mga nandoon."

Na para bang sapat na dahilan na iyon upang matakot kami at huwag nang magtuloy. Na para bang ang salitang "Muslim" ay dapat iugnay sa mga negatibong bagay, na parang hindi mga tao ang tinutukoy niya.

Nakakalungkot. Nakakagalit. Pero ito ang tingin ng karamihang mga Kristiyanong Pilipino sa mga kababayan nating Muslim.#

Campus Politics: An anecdote

Election's here again. We should have seen it coming, with the CRSRS referendum coming to pass, when individuals who couldn't care less about UP suddenly bombarded cyberspace with their comments and "active participation" on the SR issue.

Yeah. UP is once again officially divided by colors: red, blue, and yellow.

I know that as a member of the campus publication, I'm supposed to be nonpartisan, an "objective" observer. But then, I have always held that objectivity is a stupid myth, so...Well, I believe that as a student, I am entitled to my opinion. But, hey. No name-dropping here or there, of course. I'd just like to share some stories. Here's one:

I remember an interesting conversation I had with a supporter of the party (CENSORED) about their party's brand of activism. It was interesting, the way he said that activism isn't just about protest actions. Activism is when you study hard, when you throw garbage in proper areas of disposal, when you follow rules and all that jazz...when you're pretty much a model student with perfect grades (but a too-clean slate of grades isn't an indicator of leadership capabilities, don't you think?).

Why did I mention that? Nothing. I just thought that if that were the standard of activism we are aspiring for, then majority of the students can be called activists.

Just one conversation. It said a lot about why UP is what it is today.#

Tracking the Ballot

Tracking the Ballot

The Philippine Collegian coverage of the

University and College Student Council elections

Bisitahin lamang ang www.collegiannews. multply.com para sa mga pinakahuling ulat, video, podcast at litrato hinggil sa dalawang linggong kampanya at sa gaganaping halalan sa Pebrero 25.

Untitled

It is ironic that many set their sights on working themselves to death so that they can live more comfortably.#

Re: MYTHBUSTERS (on the SR REFERENDUM)

I received this message from a classmate through a class ygroup, and I replied to clear up some "myths" they apparently "busted". I just want to question some things they mentioned here and help explain things to you if you have received a similar email.

Here is the complete excerpt, and my reply follows each "myth".

Just to be clear, I am not doing this because I am favoring any political ticket. I think it should be made clear that the SR Referendum is a STUDENT ISSUE. It has nothing to do with what political party we are supporting. There shouldn't be a divide among us, not when student representation on the highest policy making body of the university is at stake. (I know the election's drawing near and everything, but you [and the authors of this mythbusters thingy] should realize that the SR referendum hasn't anything to do with that)

MYTHBUSTERS

Myth # 1: The question in the upcoming referendum is "Do you still want student representation in the Board of Regents?".
Observation: The Student Regent herself, in a statement released last January 16, stated that the one and only question in the upcoming referendum will be: "Do you approve of the existing Codified Rules on Student Regent Selection (CRSRS) as rules and qualifications to govern the selection of our student regent to the UP Board of Regents?" [Yes] or [No]
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 1: I never knew that there were rumors circulating about what the question will be, but right now, I think the question is pretty much final. And there is a rationale why it is the question decided upon by the OSR.

Myth #2: The Office of the Student Regent will be abolished if the NO vote wins in the upcoming referendum.
Observation: The upcoming referendum may only have an effect on the rules that we use in selecting the Student Regent. In no way may a vote of NO by us in the referendum abolish the said office – a position created by law and which may only be abolished by a subsequent law.
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 2: Yes, the OSR will not be abolished. But the question is, will there be a regent to hold office? So, what will we do when the referendum fails? Do we ask Shan to stay until we can draft a new set of rules? She can only possibly hold office as SR as long as she's a student, but what happens when she's no longer a student and the rules are still not final?

Myth #3: The students will never have a CRSRS (Codified Rules on Student Regent Selection) if the NO vote wins.
Observation: The UP Charter (sec. 12 [1.g.]) specifically states that the Student Regent shall be chosen by the students in accordance with the rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students. Nothing in the law states that a vote of NO will bar any rules for selecting the SR from being set. A NO vote is a edict by the students that they reject the old CRSRS as the rules in selecting the SR, and therefore is a command that a new one must be proposed before them for their approval.
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 3: There was never a claim that there will be no CRSRS if "NO" wins. However, it certainly puts a lot of uncertainty to the selection process itself. For one, the proposal of certain parties for "NO with amendments" is practically impossible. Why? If students already reject the old set of rules by saying no, how can they move to amend it? What will probably happen if "NO" wins is that, we will draft a new CRSRS which will, again, be subject to a new referendum. There can be no new student regent until this new set of rules are approved. If "YES" wins, meanwhile, the student regent selection will take place this year and we will elect a new regent. Then, by October, the General Assembly of Student Councils (GASC) may propose the very amendments that they are requesting in their call for "NO with amendments." Isn't it more logical to say yes now and propose amendments afterward, instead of saying no with all the uncertainties of what may happen if no wins (e.g., new rules subject to referendum, admin intervention, no student regent)?

Myth #4: There will no longer be any Student Regent if the NO vote wins.
Observation: We again look at the law. The UP Charter (sec. 12 [1]) states that the Board of Regents shall be composed of, among others, one Student Regent. By law (Lecaroz v. Sandiganbayan) a public officer is entitled to stay in office until his (or her) successor is chosen and has qualified. In other words, the current Student Regent may temporarily hold over her position until her successor is selected through a legitimate set of rules.
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 4: As I've already said, yes, the current SR may indeed hold over the position. But what if she's no longer legible for the position [i.e. she's no longer a student]? Who will take over while the rules are still being drafted? And that's where the danger comes in, since the whole process of drafting a new set of rules will invariably be time-consuming (it will, again, be subject to a referendum), that we are not sure if Shan will still be around by the time a new set of rules are established. And without the CRSRS (new or not), we have no official mechanism to select a new regent.

Myth #5: Assuming that the NO vote wins, if the current Student Regent graduates or resigns from her post, it will be the administration who will select her successor. Our independent representation in the BOR is in danger from attacks through admin-intervention.
Observation: Let us quote Section 12 (1 [g]) of the UP Charter: "One Student Regent, to serve for a term of one (1) year, chosen by the students from their ranks in accordance with rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students;" There is no question that the law mandates that only the students may choose the Student Regent. Any act by the administration to appoint the SR will surely be annulled by the court due to it being contrary to law.
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 5: "One Student Regent, to serve for a term of one (1) year, chosen by the students from their ranks in accordance with rules and qualifications approved in a referendum by the students;" the charter says. But since the rules will be discarded if "NO" wins, who could say what would happen? We might say that the chances of the administration appointing a regent is pretty slim, but there is still a possibility that there will be no regent until the new rules are finalized if the "NO" vote wins.

Myth #6: We will have no Student Regent to represent us if the NO vote wins and the current Student Regent eventually graduates or resigns because the process to select the SR has been rejected by the students. No rules = no process = no Student Regent shall be selected.
Observation: The UP Charter has also given us a remedy for this situation. Section 12, paragraph 2 of the said Charter states that in case of vacancy, such shall be filled in the same manner as provided for her predecessor. In as much as the current Student Regent may temporarily hold-over her post until her successor has been selected through a valid set of rules, the current CRSRS may also be temporarily retained as the rules to select a temporary Student Regent until an official one has been selected through a legal set of rules.
Status: Busted.

On "Myth" # 6: Sure, you can do that. But isn't that hypocritical—using a set of rules which have already been rejected by the students (if, again, NO wins)? So what's the point of rejecting a set of rules you are willing to use in case of emergency? Why not just say yes and move for amendments later?

Myth #7: The councils failed to recommend their amendments on time. The deadline for filing amendments is set by the CRSRS on the first day of October. No proposals were given to the OSR before such date.
Observation: It may be true that the first day of October is indeed the deadline for submitting proposed amendments under the old CRSRS. However, we must also take the following into consideration:
a. The practice for the past ten years is for the GASC to convene twice annually: once in October to approve the CRSRS (and any amendments proposed thereto) and again in December to select the SR by implementing the rules approved during the October session. The wisdom behind setting the October 1 deadline, therefore, must have been to ensure that all proposals are submitted before the October GASC session. For everyone's information, the October 2008 GASC was unilaterally cancelled by the SR due to the upcoming referendum.
b. The Student Regent circulated letters to the local student councils indicating her intention to visit each one of them from October until December, to consult on what must be done in the referendum. It is not difficult to imagine that any rational student council at that point believed that the SR's agenda at that time, among others, must have been to seek suggestions on the probable referendum question. Considering that the at the SR's scheduled consultations with the said councils the October 1 deadline would have already lapsed, one may logical infer that the October 1 deadline must have been also suspended together with the October GASC session.
c. Article V, section 1 of the CRSRS mandates the SR to inform all student councils, through official memo, of all pertinent information vital to the process of selecting the Regent. A new law was passed commanding that the rules for selecting the SR must be passed in a referendum. A rational SR must have concluded then that the councils are in a state of limbo on how to go about selecting the said rules. The presumption of regularity has been shattered. Yet, despite this state, the SR still failed to inform the student councils that the October 1 deadline still stands.
Status: Plausible.

On "Myth" # 7: I don't think the SR alone should be blamed for the fact that the GASC meet in October failed to materialize. The new Charter has indeed thrown student institutions in limbo. But had the meeting/deadline for amendments happened, would it have made any difference? (As far as I know, the amendments being proposed by several groups now has been presented over and over again in the GASC in the past, but they never were approved.) Does this justify your decision to vote no and try to railroad the amendments you have failed to enact in the past (I won't even dwell on the ludicrity of the amendments being proposed)?

UPCAT 2009 Results

UPCAT results out now at http://upcat.up.edu.ph/cgi-bin/results.cgi.

Yes! For the Student Regent

Go out and vote. Participate in the systemwide referendum for the Office of the Student Regent on January 19-23, 2009.

Defend Student Rights. Defend Student Representation.

Vote YES and Defend the Office of the Student Regent.

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---

In Defense of Student Representation

An Open Letter from the Office of the Student Regent

Warm greetings!

As the university heads to the final days of its year-long centennial celebration, I have observed that one historical landmark of the students’ democratic struggle inside the academe remains largely ignored- the creation of the Office of the Student Regent (OSR).

Now that the university looks back on its 100 years of existence, the significance of the OSR must not be ignored or forgotten. For the office is a concrete product of the UP Students’ sustained efforts for the representation in the Board of Regents (BOR), the highest policy-making body in the University. The BOR was once dominated by personalities appointed by Marcos. And although the students formed the largest sector in the university, there was no student representative in the body.

The students, however, fearlessly pushed for their democratic rights. Even during Martial Law, they held massive student demonstrations inside and outside the academe, determined in the face of repression from both Malacanang and the UP Administration. As the students’ campaign reached its peak, the administration relented. Pres. Corazon Aquino approved Executive Order No. 204, which led to the inauguration of the OSR. Since then, the office has become a symbol of victory for the UP studentry in asserting their democratic demands to the BOR.

Historically, the office has spearheaded the fight for greater state subsidy by initiating lobbying efforts in Congress and student actions. It has also stood up against discrimination on the basis of class, gender, race and religion. For this is the mandate of the OSR- to safeguard the interests of the students at all times.

Despite several attempts to render the OSR impotent in its duty to serve the students and the people, it has struggled to remain loyal to its function by pushing for measures to ensure the quality and accessibility of UP education and to realign the thrust of the university along the democratic interests of the people. At the locus of the campaign for student rights and welfare across UP units is the sole student representative to the BOR.

Ironically, the OSR is hounded by uncertainties, even as the whole university looks confidently to another 100 years. Traditionally, the General Assembly of Student Councils approves the Codified Rules for Student Regent Selection. The new UP Charter, however, obliges a referendum of students in order to approve the selection process for the Student Regent. The mandatory referendum is a move by the state and administration to invalidate the student-crafted selection process which exhibits student autonomy and self-governance.

A referendum is a logistical difficulty. The process requires more than half of the entire population of UP students nationwide to cast their votes in favor of the OSR. There are two possible scenarios, should the students fail to clinch the majority vote: the office may be left vacant, leaving the students without representation in the BOR, or the office may still be occupied, but by a Malacanang-appointe d student regent. Either way, the institutional autonomy of the OSR is undermined. This presents dangerous implications for the office, whose commitment to democratic rights is ensured, in part, by its independence from Malacanang and administration intervention.

Sadly, these bleak scenarios come at a time when student representation in the BOR is much needed. Today, the rightful role of students in the development of the university and country is being challenged at all fronts, from the reduction of state subsidy to the militarization of campuses. It is worth noting that year after year, the state has slashed added income. Meanwhile, legitimate student institutions and formations at the forefront of campaigns against commercialization are met with suppression.

At this landmark moment in history, there is no other way to succeed over threats against our rights to representation than to collectively rise up to the challenge of a referendum. At a time of crisis, we are tasked to protect, defend, and uphold our sole voice in the BOR, in the same way that we are tasked to advance our democratic struggle against commercialization of education and campus repression, not just for ourselves but for the future generations. Now that the office is in peril, let us continue the spirit of vigilance and persistence that led to the founding of the OSR.

With the firm resolve demonstrated by those who fought for the OSR, I call on the broadest number of UP students across the entire university system to support the campaign to defend the OSR and prove, once and for all, that measures meant to impede our democratic rights shall fail against the collective militancy of the students. By defending our basic rights to be represented, we concretely reaffirm our democratic struggle for greater state subsidy, for tambayans, and for our right to organize.

Once more, history demands that students register the potency of collective action in the fight for freedom and democracy inside and outside the university. We will respond to this challenge, valiant and united.

SHAHANA ABDULWAHID

University of the Philippines Student Regent

FIGHT FOR STUDENT RIGHTS AND REPRESENTATION!

BE PART OF OUR CAMPAIGN TO DEFEND THE OSR!

Join the OSR Volunteer Corps

Contact 0916-26351-43 (UP Diliman)

Related Article:

Represent and Struggle

The Office of the Student Regent and KASAMA sa UP

by JPaul Manzanilla

Please circulate among your yahoogroups and repost on the internet.

No Justice! No Peace! Stop US-Israeli Aggression and Terrorism in the Middle East*

BAYAN Statement on the Protest Action Condemning Israel's Siege of Gaza

January 6, 2009

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan joins the people of the world in condemning the brutal armed aggression of Israel against the Palestinian people in the Gaza. The 8-day airstrikes followed by the ground invasion of Gaza is the latest in the long list of atrocities committed by Israel against the Palestinians under the Occupation.

Israel justifies its armed aggression by saying it is a response to the rocket attacks of Hamas on Israel. This view is also supported by Israel's # 1 ally, the United States. What Israel refuses to acknowledge is the broader context wherein this violence is happening. The actions of Hamas should be seen in the context of the brutal, more than half-century occupation of Palestinian territory by Israel. In the case of Gaza, while Israel has pulled out its troops and settlements over the past three years, Israel has effectively set up an economic blockade that systematically and collectively punishes, starves and kills the Palestinian people.

The residents of Gaza have been denied any meaningful economic activity as a result of the blockade. For months now, Israel has prevented food, medicine, and fuel from reaching Gazans. Even during the time of the airstrikes, Israel has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza as it has prevented Gazans from seeking refuge and hospital treatment outside.

It is the brutal occupation which has pushed the Palestinian people to armed resistance. It is the occupation that is the main stumbling block to a meaningful peace. It is Israel's refusal to recognize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian State which is the root cause of violence in that region.

In light of the historical circumstances of Israeli occupation, the current offensive against the Palestinian people can never be justified.

We condemn in the strongest terms the US government for its political and military support for Israel. For decades now, US government has encouraged and supported Israel's occupation of Palestine and its armed aggression against the Palestinian people. The US government not only provides billions of dollars of military aid to Israel, it also uses its veto power in the United Nations to support the cause of Israel. Recently, the US government even rejected a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution, a clear indication that the US supports the attacks on Gaza.

We call for an end to the siege of Gaza and for immediate relief for the Palestinian people ravaged by the Israeli armed offensives. We call for an end to the inhumane blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza and for allowing much-needed aid to be brought to Gazans.

We call for an end to the Israeli occupation as the only long-term and viable path to peace. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their fight of genuine self-determination and freedom from oppression.

STOP THE SIEGE! STOP US-ISRAELI AGGRESSION AND TERRORISM!
END THE OCCUPATION! FREE PALESTINE!

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The Israeli military is doing the US government’s dirty work!

Stop the ongoing massacres in Gaza now!

BAYAN USA

The US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, an alliance of 12 Filipino organizations in the US, vehemently condemns the US government-sponsored bloodshed that is currently ongoing in the city of Gaza, in the Palestinian territories. As of the writing of this statement, the Israeli military air strikes in Gaza have killed over 300 Palestinians, and nearly 1000 more are critically wounded, including women and children. The death toll from the last 72 hours alone in Gaza marks the highest in the decades-long so-called “Israeli-Palestinian conflict”. Israeli state officials claim the siege on Gaza is a response to the Hamas government’s continued “violent retaliation” in the form of rocket barrages.

To understand the so-called “Israeli-Palestinian conflict” more comprehensively, one must see it in the context of US imperialism’s role in dividing and plundering the Middle East to serve its economic and political interests. The state of “Israel” still serves as a strategic access point for US-imperialism to plunder the entire region’s most profitable resources– black gold and oil.The state of “Israel” is a US surrogate state that has long been funded by Washington DC to do its dirty work and uphold its interests in the region. This includes the ethnic cleansing of millions of Palestinian families who were violently forced to flee from their ancestral lands beginning in 1948 with the forceful and violent Zionist occupation of Palestine and the establishment of the state of “Israel”. The establishment of Israel and its systemic massacre and displacement of the Palestinian people is one of the greatest offensives of the US government in the Middle East, that duly serves the interests of US imperialism to control the region.

Israel-US government relations remain tight and intimate in this campaign. Israel is the largest recipient of direct economic and military aid from the US government since World War II. This means the Israeli military’s continuing offensives on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are made possible with generous funding from the US government. The hard-earned tax dollars of the people of the US are fueling these continuing attacks of the US surrogate government of Israel against the Palestinian people. At the same time, the global economic crisis is hitting the people of the US hard with massive job lay-offs, foreclosures, evictions, and budget cuts to health care and education.

In light of their historical oppression, the oppressed Palestinian people have every right to resist and determine their form of resistance in the interest of their national liberation. It is understandable that this heroic resistance includes armed struggle. The Palestinian people have suffered the most horrific crimes of war and massacre from US imperialism at the hands of the Israeli government.

In the same light, the Filipino people are suffering from attacks from the same enemy. If the state of “Israel” is considered US-imperialism’s front door to the rest of the Middle East and Asia, then the Philippines would be the back door. For almost 110 years, the US has forcefully imposed its control over the Philippines, directly and indirectly, for the sake of maintaining this strategic geo-political and economic post in the Asia Pacific region. One of the first colonies of US-imperialism at the turn of the 20th century, the Filipino people suffered great losses. More than one-sixth of the Filipino people were massacred with the first few years of US occupation.

Like the US surrogate government in Israel, the US surrogate government of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is also performing the same dirty work in the Philippines to advance US imperialism’s control over the country. While Israel is the largest annual recipient of US economic and military aid in the world, the Philippines is the largest recipient in Asia. But US economic aid to the Philippine government is not used for economic development of a very poor nation. Instead the Arroyo administration directs US economic aid towards beefing up the Philippine military, which has been responsible for the gravest human rights crisis in the country since the period of the US-backed Marcos dictatorship, and deepening corruption by buying the loyalty of corrupt Philippine politicians. The Philippine military is also responsible for the massive displacement of millions of Filipinos from their lands, especially the Muslim and indigenous communities.

Here in the United States, oppressed and working people have the responsibility to cripple the state terrorist machinaries of the Israeli and Philippine governments by demanding the withdrawal of US direct economic and military aid to both countries. As the global economic crisis continues to awaken the people in the US to the rotten character of US imperialism, we must strengthen our solidarity ties to national liberation struggles abroad, including Palestine and the Philippines. By intensifying our struggles and resistance against US imperialism in all parts of the globe, we can weaken our common enemy.

Furthermore, President-Elect Barack Obama’s swift appointment of Rahm Emanuel as his Chief-of-Staff foreshadows continued Zionist oppression of the Palestinian people. His father, Benjamin Emanuel, is an ardent Zionist militant who has been infamously quoted as bragging that his son will ensure the incoming Obama administration’s pro-Israel agenda, and offensively remarked that Arabs in the White House are usually relegated to cleaning floors. We must therefore remain vigilant and maintain no illusion that the incoming US presidential administration can effectively or even has the intention to restore peace in the region.

In condemning the attacks on Gaza, we demand justice for the Palestinian people. This means we demand the US-Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people’s ancestral land end, and that the right of the Palestinian people to return to their homeland be globally respected and recognized. Without justice, neither peace nor democracy can be realized or practiced in the Middle East or the Philippines.

STOP THE ATTACKS ON GAZA!
JUSTICE FOR THE PALESTINIAN VICTIMS OF THE US-ISRAELI ATTACKS!
FREE PALESTINE!
WITHDRAW US ECONOMIC AID TO ISRAEL!
WITHDRAW US ECONOMIC AID TO THE PHILIPPINES!
LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY!

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Worldwide actions protest Israeli massacre in Gaza

International Action Center

Beirut

Dec. 31, 2008. The genocidal U.S.-backed Israeli bombardment of the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip has had at least one unintended consequence. It has mobilized the anti-imperialist movement and other anti-war forces around the world.

The Washington-Tel Aviv axis might not yet see this as an obstacle to their war crimes. But it is a work in progress, coming as the workers' movements are beginning to get in motion to fight the consequences of the capitalist economic collapse. Even in vast parts of the world where the winter holidays often drain the strength of a social movement, people reacted quickly, angrily and in some places massively to oppose the new Israeli assault.

Groups all over the world made strikingly similar calls for action. There was complete solidarity with the Palestinians of Gaza, a besieged and occupied population that had every right to resist. Most saw the Israelis as the direct criminal, the local gendarme acting as an appendage of world imperialism, especially out of Washington but also out of Brussels.

The immediate demands were to stop the Israeli attacks, lift the blockade of Gaza and for the government involved to break relations with or stop aiding the Zionist state. In some mostly Arab countries—Egypt, for example—the protests also targeted the regime for collaborating with the U.S. and Israel.

People began to hit the streets and squares in protest the day of the first Israeli bombing, Dec. 27, and spread through the world in the next few days. There are still some important gaps in our reports. However, we will list time and place for those protests that we know of that are planned for Jan. 1 or later with enough detail that people can use this information to attend.

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North Africa and Asia

Tens of thousands of Lebanese, many supporters of Hezbollah, protested in the southern suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on Dec. 29 in the pouring rain. In Damascus, Syria, people held Hamas and Hezbollah and Palestinian flags aloft at an anti-Israeli rally. Protesters burned Israeli and U.S. flags in many Arab cities and demanded their governments react to Israeli aggression.

More than 50,000 demonstrated in Egyptian cities on Dec. 28 according to the AFP news agency. The biggest protest was in the southern city of Asyut, led by the Islamist opposition. Some 15,000 also attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Jordanian capital Amman, and there were rallies in many of Jordan's refugee camps that house thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Sudan

There were demonstrations throughout the West Bank and in Haifa, Jaffa and other towns within the 1967 Israeli borders, and also a protest of 1,000 anti-war people in Tel Aviv. There were also anti-Israeli protests inSudan and Yemen, where tens of thousands marched in Sanaa.

In Iraq, there were demonstrations in Baghdad, Mosul, Najaf and Kuffa. In Tehran, Iran, thousands of Iranians rallied Dec. 29. In India, there were demonstrations in Kolkata (Calcutta) and a number of other Indian cities. There was a protest of more than 1,000 people in Jakarta, Indonesia on Dec. 30, waving Palestinian and Indonesian flags, and in Tokyo, Japan that same day at the Israeli Embassy.

In South Africa a protest of the Gaza massacre is set for Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. at the U.S. Consulate in Killarney, in Johannesburg.

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Latin America

Caracus

In Argentina, a vigil of hundreds was held the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires after a march there on Dec. 29, called by different Argentine-Arab organizations to show solidarity with Palestine. In Puerto Rico, the Socialist Front held a mobilization in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to reject and condemn the crimes of the Israeli state, gathering at the Federal building in San Juan.

Starting at 10 in the morning on Dec. 29, some 200 people protested in front of the Israeli Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela in the second day of protests there. The Communist Party of Venezuela and other social organizations were present. On Dec. 30 people protested before the Israeli Embassy in Mexico City, D.F. There was also a protest in the Colón, Costa Rica on Dec. 30 at the Israeli Embassy.

In addition to these popular actions, statements from the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia condemned the Israeli killing of Palestinians.

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Europe

In Belgium, there have been local protest rallies in Ghent, Louvain, Brussels and Antwerp the days following the first attack, with a national protest rally on Dec. 31 at 2 pm at the Place de la Monnaie, and moving on to the Place des Martyrs. It is a joint effort of solidarity committees, NGOs, the Workers Party of Belgium and Arab organizations.

In Greece, where there have been youth protests against a police killing since early December, more than 3,000 demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans marched on the Israeli Embassy in Athens. Greek left-wing parties and Arab groups participated. Another demonstration of 1,000 took place in Thessalonika.

In England, Scotland and Wales, as reported by the Stop the War Committee, there have been demonstrations Dec. 28 in London of 700 people at the Israeli Embassy where protesters scuffled with police. Some protesters were seen attempting to climb the gate towards the embassy and also throwing red liquid - to symbolize blood - towards the gate. Respect MP George Galloway and former Labor MP Tony Benn were among those who addressed the crowd. Afterwards Galloway said: "We should treat Israel as we treated South Africa during apartheid. They should be shunned."

Demonstrations are continuing in London at 2 - 4 p.m. outside Israeli Embassy, and on Jan. 2, will move to the Egyptian Embassy 2 - 4 p.m. at 26 South Street, London, W1K 1DW, to call for Egypt to open the border immediately. Also in Bristol opposite the Hippodrome at 3-4 p.m. Jan. 3, and Portsmouth at 11 a.m. at Guildhall Square, and Hull, at 11 a.m. at Queen Victoria Square.

Protests are set for Glasgow, Scotland, on Jan. 3 at 12 noon outside Lloyds TSB St Vincent Street then assemble for demonstration at Blytheswood Square 2 p.m. In Edinburgh, the same time at Foot of the Mound, Princes Street.

There were actions also in Cardiff, Wales, in Nottingham and Southampton.

In Lisbon, Portugal, various organizations concerned about the massacre in Gaza, including mass union and women’s and anti-war organizations met Dec. 30 and decided to call a unified demonstration for Jan. 8, with the place and time to be announced later.

Madrid

In the Spanish state, on Dec. 28, 1,000 demonstrated before Israeli Embassy in Madrid; also demonstrations reported from Barcelona, Bilbao, Coruna and Seville. Further actions are planned in Madrid on Jan. 3 at 12 noon at the Foreign Affairs Ministry at Plaza de Sta. Cruz, and on Jan. 11 at noon at Puerta del Sol. If there is an Israeli land invasion of Gaza, there will be a protest the next day at 8 p.m. at Puerta del Sol. A march is also planned between the squares of Cibeles and Sol on Jan. 17. In Madrid people have initiated a campaign of international solidarity with the Palestinian people by hanging Palestinian flags and scarves from windows and balconies.

In France, there were demonstrations called by a broad coalition of forces Dec. 29 and 30 in Paris, where 1,300 marched, and in Angers, Annecy, Besançon, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nîmes, Quimper, Rennes, Roubaix, Rouen, St.Etienne, St.Girons, Thionville and Toulouse.

Cologne

Denmark

In Italy, Red Link reports demonstrations at least in Rome and Pisa on Dec. 28 and in Naples and Bologna on Dec. 29. Soccorso Populare in Veneto reports a Dec. 28 protest of 100 in Padua, on Dec. 31 in Venice Mestre, on Jan. 2 in Treviso and on Jan. 3 in Vicenza at 2 p.m. before the Central Train Station. There were also protests in Florence and Genoa and in Cagliari in Sardinia.

A broad national demonstration has been called for Rome on Jan. 3 at 4:30 p.m. at Piazza della Repubblica marching to Piazza Barberini.

In Germany, on Dec. 28 some 50 people gathered downtown spontaneously near the big cathedral in Cologne to demand an immediate end to the massacre. The next day there were actions in Berlin and Dusseldorf.

In Austria there were vigils and protests in Vienna on Dec. 30, when 2,000 people marched through the downtown area. On Jan. 3, at 3 p.m., there will be a demonstration: Stop the Massacre in Gaza! at the Albertina, Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna. The Gaza Must Live group called further protests for Jan. 2 at 2:30 p.m. at Karlsplatz and on Jan. 9 In Switzerland there were protests in Basel and Geneva.

In Denmark, there were solidarity demonstrations in Copenhagen and Aarhus on Dec. 28, with 1,500 people in Copenhagen at the Israeli Embassy, in Odense on Dec. 29, and again in Copenhagen (Town Hall Square) and other cities on Dec. 30.

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New York City

Dearborn, Michigan Photo: Alan Pollock

United States

From inside the U.S., International Action Center and other activists have sent more detailed reports. In general, most demonstrators at first have come from the Palestinian and Arab/Muslim community. The IAC has helped with organizational and logistical support and outreach to other North Americans in the labor, anti-war and anti-racist movements.

The largest demonstrations reported so far have been in Dearborn, Mich., New York, San Francisco, and Anaheim, Calif., near Los Angeles, all numbering in the thousands.

In Dearborn on Dec. 30, some 5,000 people formed a human chain stretching for blocks in this city near Detroit that probably is home to the largest Arab community in the U.S. Some of the many youth stood on snow banks and waved Palestinian flags, of which there were hundreds of all sizes, and chanted, "1,2,3,4--stop the killing, stop the war; 5,6,7,8: Israel is a terrorist state." Passersby in cars—some also draped with Palestinian flags--honked loudly and repeatedly for the over hour-long action in cold windy weather.

A follow-up action, a candlelight vigil, will be held Jan. 2 at 5 p.m. at the City Hall in Dearborn.

In New York, some 5,000 people gathered in front of Rockefeller Center on 5th Avenue on a very busy shopping day Dec. 28. The demonstration was largely Palestinian, young and very militant, chanting, "From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free." It marched a mile to the Israeli Consulate. Majids in New Jersey towns sent five busloads of people on 24-hours notice. There were other protests on Dec. 29 and 30. A major unified demonstration is planned for Jan. 3 to start at Times Square at 2 p.m.

More than 1,500 people participated on Dec. 29 in Anaheim, just south of Los Angeles. A coalition made up of Al Awda, Muslim Student organizations and many others including the IAC, called the action. The next event was on Dec. 30 in front of the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles. There was also a demonstration in San Diego.

On Dec. 30, several thousand Palestinians and supporters held a loud and militant march through downtown San Francisco.

In Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30, ANSWER held a demonstration at the State Department.

In Boston, there was a march of 120 people on Dec. 28 from Park Street to Copley Square with strong Palestinian participation, rush hour distributions on Dec. 29 and a demonstration Dec. 30 at the Israeli Consulate. The next action in solidarity with Palestine will be on Saturday, at 12:00 noon at Copley Square, and will march through downtown Boston past the Israeli Consulate in Park Square, Downtown Crossing, the military recruiters on Tremont Street and back to Copley Square for a concluding rally. It is being organized by a broad ad hoc coalition.

Some 80 mostly young people attended an emergency demonstration inBaltimore on Dec. 30, at the War Memorial Plaza. Over 100 people came out for a protest outside the Israeli consulate in Philadelphia Dec. 28, called with less than 24-hours notice.

The Palestinian community in Houston had a huge demonstration Dec. 28 on all four corners of the busiest intersection in town, maybe 750 people. From infants to elders, Palestinians came out with their families, lots of students, and a number of elderly women in beautiful Palestinian traditional clothing. In typical Texas style, pickup trucks filled with Palestinian youth carrying giant Palestinian flags waving in the wind drove up and down the streets honking and yelling. There were other protests during the week with the next action on Jan. 2 at the Israeli consulate.

In Atlanta, Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine and Athens for Justice in Palestine (UGA) with help from the IAC pulled together an action in less than 18 hours for Dec. 28. More than 100 people came; mostly Palestinian, many college and high school age youth as well as children brought by their parents, with good representation of the anti-war movement.

With help from Hana al-Bayaty for the Middle East, Paola Manduca for Europe, Berta Joubert-Ceci for Latin America and dozens of militant activists around the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and Japan, John Catalinotto compiled this report