Police violence against peaceful protesters and by-standers is an attack on human rights!

Statement
8 May 2009

Police violence against peaceful protesters and by-standers is an attack on human rights!

Migrante Ontario Youth condemns the police violence against Adrienne Lee, Myk Miranda and Jeffrey Miranda at approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 2, 2009 near the peaceful Tamil protest on University Avenue.  The police actions against them were a display of unnecessary use of force and an indication of the growing repression of Canadian law enforcers of people’s right to freedom of assembly.

Adrienne Lee, along with Myk Miranda and Jeffrey Miranda were observing the protestors at Armoury Street and University Avenue when they were approached by a contingent of the Toronto police present.  At first the police used intimidation tactics – yelling at and motioning aggressively – with the intention of moving them off the public sidewalk.  Despite their compliance, they were soon being pushed away by one officer.

The officer, who was much larger than all three, singled out Adrienne (the smallest of the group), who was walking with her bike.  The officer pushed her along with one hand on her and the other on her bike.  As she was following his order, she became rightfully upset and told the officer “Get your hands off of me and my bike, I can walk it myself!” At that point the police officer threw the bike down and grabbed Adrienne Lee and forcefully threw her to the ground.

The officer is described as White, at least 250 lbs., 6’4”, heavy built, while Adrienne is a 100-lb., Chinese-Canadian university student, and her companions were both Filipino.

“My girlfriend was trembling.  We were all saddened, flabbergasted, disgusted, and terrified,” recalls Myk of the event.  Myk protested Adrienne’s treatment and repeatedly requested the officer’s name and badge number which he at first refused to give and only later reluctantly acquiesced.  Even then, he quickly and incoherently gave the information and refused further requests to repeat it.  Another officer joined in and threatened Myk with arrest if he persisted with questioning the initial officer.

Migrante Ontario Youth would like to point out that all officers are by law required to give this information freely, clearly, and without hesitation.  This attempt to avoid compliance is worrying and shows a disregard and disrespect of both the citizenry and the rule of law.

Myk further comments, “It makes me lose confidence in the character of some of these police officers who did not serve and protect, but harassed, provoked and abused. While there are honest cops with discipline and a strong sense of morality, what was exemplified and exposed was horribly the opposite.  I couldn’t even get a record of his name.  We all felt very violated. It was a dehumanizing experience.”

The assault on Adrienne, Myk and Jeffrey was not an isolated incident at that protest – Migrante Ontario Youth has also learned of the assaults the police made on Tamil and non-Tamil protesters on May 2, and of the arrests of two non-Tamil protesters.  Despite the police chief William Blair’s statement that he would not interfere with the protest as long as it remained peaceful, there have been increasing hostile acts by the police towards the Tamil protesters, supporters, and now even mere observers.  This behaviour is part of a systemic attack on people’s rights to freedom of assembly, and in particular, to demonstrate support for the Tamil people’s struggle for human rights and liberation.

We at Migrante Ontario Youth denounce this specific incident of police violence and the increasingly more frequent acts of unjustified force perpetrated by the Toronto Police.  The use of force against lawful citizens is not only against the mission of the police, but is contrary to the values held by the Canadian people.  Furthermore, we stand in solidarity with the Tamil people in their struggle for peace, justice and national liberation.

Reference:  Mithi Esguerra, (647) 239-6553

Mensahe ng Migrante Ontario Youth sa burol ni Juana Tejada, Marso 15, 2009

(English translation provided below.)

Mensahe ng Migrante Ontario Youth sa burol ni Juana Tejada
Marso 15, 2009

Si Juana Tejada sa salu-salo para ipagdiwang ang tagumpay ng kampanya para sa kanyang permanent resident status.

Ngayong gabi, nais ipaabot ng Migrante Ontario Youth  ang aming taos-pusong pakikiramay kay Kuya Noli Azada – asawa ni Juana – at sa pamilya ni Juana.  Ikinalulungkot namin ang kanyang pagpanaw, ngunit ipinagpupugay namin ang kanyang buhay.

Bilang bahagi ng Migrante Ontario, nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataong makilahok sa pakikipaglaban ni Juana para sa kanyang permanent resident status sa Canada.  Nagsilbi siyang malaking inspirasyon sa amin dahil sa kanyang tapang na tumindig, hindi lamang para sa sarili niyang karapatan, kundi para rin sa mga ibang caregiver na tulad niya.

Nakita namin kay Juana ang larawan ng mga nanay ng mga kabataang migrante, na lumabas ng bansa para mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang kanilang mga anak; ng mga ate, na nangibang-bayan upang tulungan ang mga kapatid; at ng aming mga kapwa kabataan, tulad ng mga bagong gradweyt pa lamang, na walang mahanap na trabaho sa atin kaya pumunta na lang sa ibang bansa. Nakita namin sa katauhan niya ang tiyaga at tapang ng maraming caregiver na nakikipagsapalaran sa ibang bansa alang-alang sa mga mahal sa buhay.

Para sa mga kabataang anak ng mga migranteng nasa Live-in Caregiver Program, marami ring hirap ang kailangang harapin tulad ng matagal na pagkakahiwalay sa kanilang mga magulang, pagsasanay sa bagong sitwasyon pagdating dito, at mga sistemikong problema tulad ng rasismo sa paaralan, trabaho at sa kanilang mga komunidad.

Kaya nauunawaan namin sa Migrante Ontario Youth na ang pakikibaka ng mga kabataang migrante ay hindi kaiba sa pakikibaka ng mga migranteng manggagawa.  Ito ay ang pakikibaka ng mga Pilipinong napipilitang lumuwas ng bansa dahil hindi tayo kayang suportahan ng ating sariling gubyerno, at siya namang pinakikinabangan ng mga mayayamang bansa tulad ng Canada na nangangailangan ng murang paggawa.

Dahil dito, ipagpapatuloy namin at lalo pang paiigtingin ang pag-oorganisa para sa kabutihan at kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan at para sa ganap na pagbabago sa sariling nating bansa.  Sa partikular, makikilahok kami sa kampanya para sa pagpapatupad ng Juana Tejada Law.

Wala man sa ating mga kamay ang pagkakasakit at pagkamatay ni Juana, nasa atin ang pasya na sundin ang kanyang halimbawa at ilaan ang natitirang mga araw ng ating buhay sa isang makabuluhang tunguhin – ang pakikipaglaban para sa isang lipunang nagbibigay-halaga sa mga mamamayang lumulikha ng yaman nito, isang lipunan kung saan hindi na kailangang magkahiwa-hiwalay ang mga pamilya para lamang mabuhay.

Mabuhay ang alaala ni Juana Tejada!  Mabuhay ang mga caregiver!  Mabuhay ang migranteng manggagawang Pilipino!
* * *

Migrante Ontario Youth’s message delivered at the wake of Juana Tejada
March 15, 2009

Migrante Ontario Youth member at the rally demanding permanent resident status for Juana, held in front of the Citizenship and Immigration office in Etobicoke on June 27, 2008, Juana's 39th birthday

Tonight, Migrante Ontario Youth extends our heartfelt sympathies to Kuya Noli Azada – husband of Juana – and to Juana’s family.  We grieve her passing, but we also celebrate her life.

As part of Migrante Ontario, we had the chance to participate in Juana’s struggle to obtain permanent resident status in Canada.  She was a huge inspiration to us because of her courage, not only to stand up for her own rights, but for those of other caregivers like her.

We saw in Juana the image of many mothers of migrant youth, who left the Philippines to give their children a better future; of older sisters who went abroad to help their younger siblings; and of our fellow youth, like recent graduates, who cannot find work in the Philippines and therefore decide to go to other countries.  We saw in Juana the perseverance and courage of many caregivers who take risks in other countries for the sake of their loved ones.

For youth who are children of migrants under the Live-in Caregiver Program, there are also many challenges to face, such as years of separation from their parents, adjusting to a new situation once they arrive here, and systemic problems like racism in schools, work or in their communities.

This is why we in Migrante Ontario Youth understand the the struggle of migrant youth is one with the struggle of migrant workers. It is the struggle of Filipinos who are forced to leave their homeland because our own government cannot support us, and on the other hand it is we who are taken advantage of by wealthy countries like Canada which need cheap labour.

Because of this, we will continue and intensify our organizing work for the rights and welfare of our fellow Filipinos and for genuine change in our motherland.  In particular, we will participate in the campaign for the passage of the Juana Tejada Law.

The illness and subsequent death of Juana may have been beyond our control, but we have the power to decide to follow Juana’s example and dedicate the rest of our lives to a worthy cause – the struggle for a society that values the people who create its wealth, a society where families no longer need to be torn apart in order to survive.

Long live the memory of Juana Tejada!  Long live caregivers!  Long live Filipino migrant workers!

* * *

Above photos taken from Migrante Ontario photo gallery:
http://picasaweb.google.com/migrante.ontario/

More photos of the Juana Tejada campaign by Alex Felipe:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alex_felipe/sets/72157605729778847/

Migrante Ontario Youth statement on the abduction, torture and murder of Rebelyn Pitao

Migrante Youth Statement
March 8, 2009

ABDUCTION, TORTURE AND MURDER OF REBELYN PITAO

Rebelyn Pitao, 20 years old, teacher at St. Peter College, Toril, Davao City. Abducted, tortured and murdered March 4, 2009.

Migrante Youth, member organization of Migrante Ontario, strongly condemns the grotesque killing of Rebelyn Pitao, 20, a teacher in Davao City, Philippines and daughter of Leoncio Pitao, a commander of the New People’s Army (NPA).

Rebelyn was abducted by suspected military agents near her family home in Davao City , while she was on her way home from school around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 4.  The next day her underwear clad body was found floating in an irrigation ditch in Davao del Norte with signs of torture.  Her body sustained blunt force injuries to her face, rope marks on her neck, five stab wounds to her body which pierced her lungs and liver, and lacerations on her genitals.

This latest human rights violation by the Arroyo regime is in direct violation of International Humanitarian Law and clearly shows the government’s unwillingness to distinguish between civilians and combatants in their U.S.-backed “war on terror” against the NPA. Since Arroyo took power in 2001 close to 1000 extra-judicial killings have claimed the lives of journalists, clergy, union leaders, students and other civilians who have been critical of the government, while roughly 200 individuals have been subjected to enforced disappearance.

The abductions of youth leaders Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño on June 26, 2006 are still fresh in our minds.  Sherlyn was a member of the youth organization ANAKBAYAN and was pregnant, while Karen was with the League of Filipino Students and one month shy of celebrating her 23rd birthday at the time of their abduction.

We hold the de facto president of the Philippines and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines , Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo responsible for this heinous violation of Rebelyn Pitao’s right to life, and that of the many others.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, and Arbitrary Executions, Philip Alston, issued a report in 2008 linking the extrajudicial execution of activists to the government’s counterinsurgency operations.

We urge our fellow youth to join us in the international campaign to stop the political killings, abductions and other human rights violations in the Philippines.

For more information:  Diwa Marcelino – migranteON.youth@gmail.com,(416) 809-3492