Category: Statements

May 29, 2016

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Free All Political Prisoners

The Filipino communities abroad welcome the incoming President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte with the demand to release ALL political prisoners detained by the past regimes and to drop all the false criminal charges filed against them.

As the peace talks between National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and Government of the Philippines (GPH) resume by June 2016, the Left and progressive groups demand the release of the PP’s before the start of the talks. Eighteen of the 543 political prisoners scattered around the archipelago are NDFP peace consultants, including Benito Tiamzon and Wilma Austria. At least 88 need proper medical attention while 48 are elderly. Last year, Andrea Rosal, daughter of Rogelio “Ka Roger” Rosal gave birth inside prison that led to the death of her child. Later that year Eddie Serrano, NDFP peace consultant from Camarines Sur died in the hospital due to a heart attack. Most of the said political prisoners are poor peasants fighting for their land.

A breach of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) and the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) has been committed by the GPH. The trumped-up criminal charges against the political prisoners are a complete violation of their rights under the said agreements. The CARHRIHL and JASIG also state that the peace consultants are immune from any criminal charges while the peace negotiation is ongoing, as well as the obligation of the GPH for their release without any pre-conditions.

The imprisonment of the political activists does not only violate their rights, it is also a death to free speech and the right to resist the oppressive forces. The false criminal charges such as arson, kidnapping and murder show how the government is so desperate to silence the activists in a futile attempt to cover up the atrocities and corruption of its officials.

The detention of the NDFP peace consultants does not only reflects Aquino regime’s derision to address the root causes of un-peace in the country and poverty but as well as the ongoing civil war. Their detention is one of the main reasons for the stalled peace talks between the two political forces in the Philippines.

In country like Philippines where oppression by the government and foreign power is visible, the forces of the human rights defenders to ensure and protect the ordinary Filipino families are needed. They have been serving as the voices and armours of the marginalized sectors of the society for decades now. While they are being locked inside their four-walled prison cells, the real criminals — perpetrators of the human rights violations — are still at large.

Anakbayan-Europe will echo the call of other progressive forces inside and outside of the country for the General Unconditional and Omnibus amnesty of the political prisoners and the imprisonment of Aquino and his officials for the 318 extra-judicial killings, 583 cases of frustrated murders, 38 enforced disappearances and the hundreds of thousands victims of forced evacuation under the Aquino regime We also demand the prosecution of Jovito Palparan who masterminded the disappearances of Karen Empeño, Sherly Capadapn and Jonas Burgos.

Free our defenders!

Free all political prisoners!

Drop all the false charges filed against our defenders!

Jail Aquino!

Prosecute Palparan!

Resume Peace Talks!###

Anakabayan-Europe

May 29, 2016

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Stop the K to 12

The clamour of the youth groups and teachers associations in the Philippines to STOP K to 12 reached Europe. Together with the youth International Solidarity movement, Revolutionaire Eenhied (Revolutionary Unity), Anakbayan-Europe took up President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to STOP K to 12 or Kinder to Grade 12 educational system being introduced in the Philippines.

Being the only country in Asia and one of the three countries in the world that has ten years pre-university cycle, the Department of Education or DepEd in the Philippines finds it justifiable to adapt the educational system globally recognized by students and professionals.

The glitch- Twelve years of pre-university cycle does not secure the employment of the youth, in poverty stricken countries like the Philippines; two more years of secondary education would only mean two more years of financial burden for the Filipinos. Needless to say, this educational reform will be used as a tool to heighten contractualization and intensify the labour export policy in the country ever since the Marcos regime. This educational reform will only benefit the capitalists that see the ordinary Filipino family as milking cow. With at least 60,000 pesos additional per annum, clearly the educational system in the Philippines becomes more a big business rather the basic right of the youth. K to 12 is not only a burden for the students and their family but also for the educators. Filipino and Philippine History are just few subjects that will be removed in the curriculum with the implementation of K to 12, and what will happen to almost 500,000 school teachers once the courses that they are teaching have been removed? They might be lucky enough to find contractual jobs at home, or be part of the 10% of the Philippine population, that find jobs abroad and be called economic heroes by the government.

According to the progressive organizations in the Philippines, there is a dramatic increase in the number of out-of- school youth for this academic year. According to DepEd, only 1.1 million of the 2 million incoming senior high school students can be accommodated in public schools due to budget issues. This would lead for the remaining percentage of the Filipino students to enrol in private schools. The capitalists in the Philippines ensure that they would spare no family when it comes to the crimes they are committing against the ordinary Filipino people. President-elect Duterte should be reminded that most of his supporters opposed K to 12. He should also be reminded that five students took their lives in the country because of the unaffordable education.

The solution- Anakbayan-Europe states that the Philippines does not need educational reform but economic reforms. Schools and universities in the country are nothing but diploma mills that sell tickets to enter the labour market. Without said diplomas, one could be seen as incompetent or under-skilled by the capitalists, hence the contractualization and overseas work. The plight of the students is no different from the plight of the workers — what will a student do with the diploma when there are no stable or regular jobs available in the labour market? The K to 12 is a training programme of the students by businessmen to prepare them for what the labour market demands — cheap labour. A training provided by the Philippine government and capitalists in order to export cheap labour and make a killing from the remittances sent by overseas Filipino workers.

Stop K to 12!

Junk the educational reform that burdens the ordinary Filipino families!

Economic reform and not educational reform!#