Coming on October 8th to June Jordan School of Equity in San Francisco: The Bay Area Premiere of
Dukot (Disappeared)
Starring: Allen Dizon, Iza Calzado, Snooky Serna, and Gina Alajar
Written by: Bonifacio P. Ilagan Directed by: Joel Lamangan
From the director of Mano Po and Pacquiao the Movie comes a landmark film for independent Philippine cinema. Dukot dares to tell the story of families who have lost their loved ones to alleged military abductions under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime.
“Most other films that attempted to tackle ‘serious political issues’ were dubbed as poor renditions or pale in substance. Dukot, however, is different.” - Boy Villasanta, ABS-CBN
“… a fearless movie”- Crispina Martinez-Belen, Manila Bulletin
“… a timely and courageous political thriller as a protest against forced disappearances and human rights violations in the Philippines.”- Fidel Antonio Medel, Philippine Entertainment Portal
“FANTASTIC, Sad, Timely, Gripping Great story-telling Tour de force performances” – Karl Ramirez, TatayK
APEX Express This week's Apex Express features an exclusive interview with Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas, who was abducted and tortured for 6 days while on a medical mission in the Philippines in 2009. She will share her experience, talk about the progress of her case, and what is currently being done to address the human rights crisis in the Philippines.
This is also Apex's once-a-month hip hop program, featuring songs from Asian & Pacific Islander hip hop artists, as well as an interview with local Bay Area rapper Jern Eye.
Hosted by Kiwi Illafonte.
You can listen to the full streaming audio by going to Archive section of KPFA.org. The program will be available for download for 14 days. http://kpfa.org/archive/id/63400
The surfacing of graphic footage of a naked, prostrate man being physically tortured by police officers has brought attention to the rampant human rights violations in the Philippines. Melissa Roxas, Filipino-American activist, poet, and health worker, speaks about her experience of abduction and torture at the hands of suspected military agents in the Philippines. Read the full transcipt.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and its member organizations in Northern California--San Francisco State University’s League of Filipino Students (LFS), Filipino Community Support (FOCUS) of Silicon Valley, Filipino Community Center (FCC), Liwanag Kultural Center (LKC), and San Francisco Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (SF CHRP)—are pleased to invite you to the NAFCON-Northern California Regional Summit. NAFCON is an alliance committed to advancing the rights and welfare of Filipinos, celebrating our culture and history, and building unity amongst those living and working in the United States.
Our conference will be held on August 28, 2010 at the Local 2 Hiring Hall at 209 Golden Gate Ave, San Francisco, CA from 9:30 AM-6:00 PM. The day-long Summit will bring together various Filipino organizations, ally organizations, and individuals concerned about pressing issues affecting Filipinos and other immigrant/marginalized groups.
The objectives of the conference are as follows:
a. To engage in dialogue with the Filipino community in Northern California regarding current issues in the Philippines and in the United States that affect the daily lives of our community members;
b. To strengthen bonds amongst NAFCON-Northern California’s member organizations;
c. To provide a space for networking and building alliances with other Filipino organizations for future cooperation; and
d. To socialize and celebrate Filipino heritage and culture.
The regional summit will also feature a book launch and signing for Peter Chua's Ating Kalagayan. Translating to "Our Situation," Chua's book is thus far the most comprehensive demographic analysis of the social and economic conditions of Filipinos in the United States. His work will allow Filipino organizations and individuals throughout the country to streamline research on the Filipino American community.
SF-CHRP invites you to a month-long action leading to honor Desaparecidos from the international community:
One struggle, many fronts. Communities on the international level have experienced the lack of basic human rights that their state fails to provide. They demand for their rights and in response their government has used their military to oppress the people by threats, intimidation, forced disappearances and political killings.
Monday, August 16th, 2010 Kite‐Making Workshop & Potluck Social 6:30 - 9:30 PM @ Bayanihan Community Center Map & Directions
This workshop is FREE with materials provided. Please bring a light snack to share with the group.
Sunday, August 29th, 2010 Desaparecidos Kite-Flying Action @ Xicano Moratorium 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM @ Dolores Park Map & Directions
Monday, August 30th, 2010 International Day of the Disappeared Candlelight Procession & Vigil Gather 6:00 PM @ intersection of Powell & Market Streets
We will be marching to to the Philippine Consulate. Wear black in memory of victims of enforced disappearances.
Join Filipinos and APIs in the Bay Area today in the National Day of Action against SB 1070 in Arizona.
Saturday Afternoon, May 29th, 2010 4:00 pm Protest March and Rally From Justin Herman Plaza to the Arizona Diamondbacks/SF Giants Game with the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns in Northern California (NAFCON-NorCal), BAYAN-USA, and the Chinese Progressive Association
(Meet before 4pm in front of the Hyatt Entrance closest to Justin Herman Plaza - less than 2 blocks down Market from the Embarcadero Bart)
On Saturday, May 29th, 2010, Filipinos in the Bay Area and across California will express their Opposition to the State Repression and Racial Profiling sanctioned by the State Government of Arizona in SB 1070. Groups from LA and San Diego will be joining contingents converging right now from around the country, expressing their outrage and solidarity with the impacted communities working on the ground in Arizona.
With the passage of SB 1070, state lawmakers have empowered local law enforcement to stop and ask for documentation from suspected undocumented immigrants and even made it possible for citizens of Arizona to SUE their local government officials for failing to enforce immigration laws. This takes police-ICE collaboration to a whole new level, essentially requiring the deputization of local police as immigration enforcement agents.
The president of the Arizona Diamondbacks has been a major supporter of the passage of SB 1070 with both funding and direct political support, so it is timely that in SF, we protest his team's presence in our city on this National Day of Action.
On Tuesday, four NAFCON-NorCal organizations joined a protest of hundreds when President Obama visited San Francisco, because the Obama administration has done nothing so far to overhaul and improve our broken, security-focused immigration system. Under his administration, the Dept of Homeland Security's new "Secure Communities" program does the exact opposite of securing our communities, because the new, nationally mandated, policy requires counties to share fingerprint and other information with ICE, even without due process.
Filipinos in San Francisco and San Jose will be marching with other API communities, including the Chinese Progressive Association, to show our solidarity with API and all immigrant communities affected by SB 1070, to prevent the spread of these kinds of racist laws, and to demand its immediate repeal and all forms of local police-ICE collaboration, including "Secure Communities." We need comprehensive immigration reform now, including Legalization for All Now, the Unity and Protection of Families, and Worker Rights for All!
* Repeal SB1070 and No to Racial Profiling! * Stop Police-ICE collaboration in SF and around the country! * Stop the Deportation and Separation of Hardworking Families! * Dignity, Respect, and Due Process for All!
Corruption, Violence, Fraud and People Power: A report back from delegates of the People's International Observers' Mission to the Philippine Elections 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010 6-8 PM at the opening reception of the "Fact Sheet" political poster exhibit of the Asian Resource Gallery 310 - 8th Street (cross street Harrison Street) Oakland, Chinatown
86 delegates from 11 countries of the People's International Observers' Mission went to the Philippines to monitor, observe and document the elections on May 10 in an attempt to support the Filipino people's right to fair elections. What they witnessed included widespread fraud, bribery, violence and intimidation by state elements and private armies, extremely long lines, confusion and disorganization--and millions of courageous individual voters, who braved 110-degree heat, death threats, and 12-hour waiting times in order to cast their votes in the Philippines' first automated election.
Please join BAYAN-USA Northern California and the Asian Resource Gallery at this report-back, where local Bay Area delegates of the People's International Observers' Mission will share eye-witness accounts, video, photos, and their analysis of Election Day 2010 in the Philippines.
A Unity Statement of the Filipino Community on Immigrant Rights
Together, We Have
Worked the fields and in the canneries
Nursed the ill and the elderly
Taught the young and tomorrow’s leaders
Fought for freedom and defeated tyranny
Invented new technologies and perfected the old
Ministered to congregations celebrating life and coping with grief
Together, We Are
The doctors and nurses who heal the sick and tend the wounded
The engineers who build skyscrapers and roads
The accountants who keep businesses running, small and large
The custodians and room cleaners, clerks and dock hands who do thankless jobs with dignity and pride
The veterans who braved world wars to defend democracy
The farm workers, cooks and waiters, who put food on America’s table
The playwrights and poets, painters and musicians who awaken our dreams and inspire our actions
Four million people who are your neighbors, friends, co-workers, employees, partners and community members
Together, We Will
Continue to cherish the American values of equality and freedom, and oppose misguided policies that undermine them.
Keep families and communities, workplaces and homes together, because dividing us weakens us all
Fight for immigrant rights that value our contributions to society and give us the opportunity to fulfill our potential to build a better world.
SIGNATORIES
BAYAN-USA * National Alliance for Filipino Concerns * GABRIELA-USA * SanDiwa National Alliance of Fil-Am Youth* Filipino Advocates for Justice * FOCUS (Filipino Community Support- Silicon Valley) * Fellowship for Filipino Migrants- Chicago * AnakBayan Chapters of East Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, New York/New Jersey * Babae SF *League of Filipino Students- SFSU * SiGAw (Sisters of Gabriela Awaken) * South of Market Community Action Network * Filipino Ministry - Diocese of San Bernardino * Filipino Migrant Center-Los Angeles* Filipinas for Rights & Empowerment- NY * Pinay sa Seattle * Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines—Portland, San Francisco, New York Chapters * Filipino Community Center-San Francisco
Our Principles and Demands:
Uphold the dignity and humanity of all individuals. Legalization now!
Civilized society embraces equality and upholds the humanity of all people. Labeling individuals “illegal” demeans them, and forces millions to endure dangerous jobs, and to toil in the shadows in slave-like conditions. Criminalizing people for being “undocumented” subjects millions to the exploitation of traffickers, to remain in abusive relationships, or to refrain from reporting crimes because the authorities may imprison the victim instead of the perpetrator. We need legalization now, to free our community from the indignity of being labeled as “illegal”, and the inhumane treatment which is sanctioned by it and endangers us all.
Unify and Protect Families
Families of all shapes and sizes—parents and children, siblings, cousins and grandparents, same sex couples--deserve to be together. Many Filipino families have been waiting over 20 years to have their petitions for loved ones approved. We must clear the Family Visa backlog to stabilize our communities, both in the U.S. and in our homeland. We must protect immigrant women and children escaping abuse, and refuse to allow them to be subjected to the further cruelty of deportation. Children of immigrants should be shielded from all harm, including separation from their families and the threat of deportation. Support services must be provided in our languages and with sensitivity to our cultural values and norms.
Value Our Labor-- Workers Rights for All!
The U.S. was built with the blood and sweat of working people. All workers must have the right to organize and to be free from exploitative contracts and working conditions. Having an underclass of workers drives down wages and protections for all of us. We must normalize the status of guest workers, because temporary contracts serve as a tool to undermine all workers. Law enforcement should punish illegal recruitment agencies and unscrupulous employers and lawyers, who maximize profits by preying on vulnerable and desperate workers—workers should not be penalized for the actions of their employers. The labor and contributions of all people, including immigrants and those who are undocumented, should be valued equally.
Dignity, Respect and Due Process for All!
The US government’s aggressive foreign policies of war and exploitation fuel economic and social instability worldwide. Immigrants should not be blamed for our national security concerns. Rampant raids, deportation, and inhumane conditions in detention centers jeopardize the safety of everyone. The billions of tax payer dollars contracted to build up and further militarize the U.S.-Mexico borders does not make us safer. We must build our immigration policies on the sound universality of human rights, not the volatility of criminalization and militarization.
Forced Migration is a Result of the Global Economic Crisis
One-sided and unfair trade agreements that have been designed to maximize profits for greedy corporations have destroyed the economy of the Philippines and many other countries, contributing to the ever-worsening economic crisis that has forced millions of Filipinos to seek jobs and means of survival elsewhere. U.S. political and military support to corrupt regimes who bankrupt their countries and repress their people also fuel worsening migrant and refugee conditions. We will link arms in solidarity with all migrant communities in the U.S. and internationally, until we have built a society where all people can thrive, families are not fragmented and separated by the urgent need for survival, and our homelands have the conditions in which all people can live a decent and humane life.
