One Imagination presents
Break the Silence! Open Mic

Thursday, August 26, 2010, 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Pizza Pi
649 E. Broadway
Long Beach, CA 90802

Sign-ups start at 6:30 PM

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One Imagination is truly blessed and honored this August Break the Silence Open Mic to feature two amazing and inspiring

Asian American women: Melissa Roxas and Connie Lim.

Melissa Roxas is a Filipina-American poet, writer, organizer, and human rights activist.
https://www.justiceformelissa.org

Connie Lim is a singer and songwriter, “I aim to write heartfelt, intelligent, and honest lyrics, and to sing with a vulnerable yet powerful voice.”
http://www.connielimmusic.com

From APEX Express

Listen here: http://kpfa.org/archive/id/63400

This week’s Apex Express, hosted by Kiwi Illafonte, features an exclusive interview with Filipino American activist Melissa Roxas who was abducted and tortured for six 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.

From Democracy Now!

 

Graphic footage of a man being tortured by police has sparked widespread public outrage in the Philippines and a government probe. The graphic cell phone video shows a man lying naked and bloody on the floor of an alleged police precinct in Manila. A plainclothes police officer is seen whipping him and tugging at a rope tied to the victim’s genitals while screams are heard. Over the past decade, torture, forced disappearance, political killings and imprisonment without trial have become commonplace in the Philippines. We speak to Melissa Roxas, a Filipina American who was abducted and tortured last year in the Philippines.

 

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Kuusela Hilo
Justice for Melissa Roxas Campaign
Email: info@justiceformelissa.org
Website: www.justiceformelissa.org

On the one year anniversary of Melissa Roxas’ surfacing in Quezon City after enduring six days of physical and psychological torture at the hands of her captors, who many believe to have been the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Roxas and her many supporters worldwide are still demanding for justice. The anniversary resonates for supporters of Roxas especially after the tumultuous national elections in the Philippines and the pronouncement of a new president scheduled to assume office just as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to step down by June 30th.

“One year after Melissa’s ordeal, she is still suffering from both physical and psychological trauma from the abuse she endured while in illegal detention,” states Kuusela Hilo of the Justice for Melissa Roxas Campaign. “Yet not one arrest has been made for the abduction of Melissa Roxas and her companions until now. Like thousands of other victims of human rights abuses committed under the Arroyo government, Melissa Roxas and her many supporters demand the immediate prosecution of Arroyo herself once she steps down. We challenge President-elect Aquino to do the conscionable thing and bring justice for Melissa and all victims of human right abuses in the Philippines.”

Roxas, an American citizen, was volunteering for a community medical mission in La Paz, Tarlac on May 19, 2009 when she was forcibly abducted at gunpoint along with her two companions, blindfolded, and thrown into a cell where she would endure her experience until finally being released on May 25th.

A writ of amparo filed by Roxas was eventually granted by the Philippine Court of Appeals, acknowledging the legitimacy of Roxas’ experience of abduction and torture, along with corroborating medical reports on her physical condition post-detention. But while some praised the high court’s decision to grant the writ of amparo, most criticized it for letting the respondents to the claim–including Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, and several high-ranking members of the AFP–off the hook, further illustrating the pervasive culture of impunity for known human rights abusers under the Philippine judicial system.

Since returning to Los Angeles in late 2009, Roxas, a human rights advocate and member of Habi Arts, has been active in speaking out publicly against her ordeal and on behalf of other victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances that have taken place under the Arroyo government’s counter-insurgency program known as Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL). Roxas has also filed complaints with the US State Department and the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

“The reason why I tell my story is because it is also the story of many others, and it reflects the experience of many Filipinos who have been abducted and tortured in the Philippines. Not all of them have surfaced, not all of them have survived, and those who did have been afforded very few opportunities to speak about what happened to them,” Roxas stated in a visit to New York City last January.

The Justice for Melissa Roxas Campaign, initiated by friends and family of Roxas, along with allied groups, has been actively demanding to cut US military aid to the Philippines because of its role in enabling the Philippine military’s practice of human rights violations and state-sponsored terrorism. Arroyo’s OBL campaign has been widely-criticized by international human rights monitoring groups for targeting civilians.  ###

Please support the Canadian tour of “DUKOT (Desaparecidos)”, a film directed by Joel Lamangan, written by Bonifacio Ilagan, and starring Allen Dizon, Iza Calzado, and Gina Alajar.  This film raises awareness about human rights violations in the Philippines.  Members of the cast and crew along with a survivor of abduction and torture, Melissa Roxas, will be touring with the film.

Winnipeg:

Friday, May 14, 2010, 6:30 PM

DUKOT Film Screening
The University of Winnipeg
Eckhardt-Grammatte Hall
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada

Sponsored by: Bayan Canada, DAMAYAN Manitoba, ANAK (Aksyon ng Ating Kabataan), University of Winnipeg – Global College.

Toronto:

Saturday, May 22, 2010, 12:30 PM and 3:30 PM

DUKOT Film Screening
Nat Taylor Cinema
Ross Bldg. (Vari Hall) York University
100 York Blvd.
Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

Sponsored by: UFCW, The Philippine Reporter, Migrante Canada, CHRY Radio and Bayan Canada.

Ottawa:

Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 6:30 PM

DUKOT Film Screening and Meet and Greet (Community Event)
Manila Hut Restaurant
1066 Somerset St. West
Ottawa, ON, K1Y 3C4, Canada

Sponsored by: Philippine Migrants Society of Canada (PMSC) and Ontario Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (OCHRP).

Thursday, May 27, 2010, 7:00PM

DUKOT Film Screening
Mayfair Theater
1074 Bank St.
Ottawa, ON, K1S 3W9, Canada

Sponsored by: Ontario Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (OCHRP), Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 4600), Philippine Migrants Society of Canada (PMSC).

Montreal:

Saturday, May 29, 2010, 5:00 PM and Sunday, May 30, 2010, 5:00 PM

DUKOT Film Screening
Cinéma du Parc
3575 Avenue du Parc
Montreal, QC, H2X 2H7, Canada

Sponsored by: Philippine Association of Montreal and Suburbs (FAMAS), PINAY – Filipino Women’s Organization of Quebec, Federation of Filipino Canadian Associations of Quebec, Inc., Centre d’appui aux Philippines – Centre for Philippine Concerns.

Vancouver:

Thursday, June 3, 2010, 6:30 PM and Friday, June 4, 2010, 6:30 PM

DUKOT Film Screening
UBC Robson Square
C-300 Theatre
800 Robson St.
Vancouver, BC, V6Z, Canada

Saturday, June 5, 2010, 6:30 PM

DUKOT Film Screening
Vancouver Public Library
Alma Vandusen and Peter McKay Rooms
350 West Georgia St.
Vancouver, BC, V6B, Canada

Tickets at $15.00 each. Public discussion follows each screening with our DUKOT guests: Dennis Evangelista (producer), Boni Ilagan (scriptwriter), Allen Dizon (the lead actor) and Melissa Roxas, who survived her abduction and torture in the Philippines.

Dear Friends,

I want to urge you to help us in the effort to demand that the Philippine military release the 43 healthcare workers that were illegally arrested and detained on February 6, 2010 in Morong, Rizal, Philippines.

This issue is close to my heart because I know what it feels like to be held incommunicado, in solitary confinement, denied of my right to legal counsel, and denied access to my family and loved ones.  I know what it feels like to be blindfolded and handcuffed, threatened, and not knowing what will happen next.  I also know what it means to be tortured.  It is as harrowing of an experience as it is traumatic.

Just a few weeks ago I was in New York City to talk about my experience of abduction and torture perpetrated by the Philippine military and to condemn the continuing human rights violations in the Philippines.  Now there is news again of the arrest of the 43 healthcare workers, amongst them doctors and nurses.  This just shows that the Arroyo government has every intention on escalating the violence against the people and committing gross human rights violations.

These doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are the ones that go to poor and underserved communities and volunteer their time to provide much needed healthcare services and have saved lives.  They are health workers affiliated with the Community Medicine Development Foundation (COMMED) and Council for Health and Development (CHD). They help train healthcare workers and they work with Community Based Health Programs (CBHPs) that have been present in most parts of the rural communities all over the Philippines since the 1970’s.  CBHPs are present in areas where government services lack or are simply nonexistent. They provide primary healthcare and train and organize communities to set-up alternative healthcare systems that are people-managed and self reliant.

The Philippine government has paid back their thanks to these doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers by arresting, detaining, and torturing them.  To justify their acts—despite the invalid search warrant and pretense used to raid the farmhouse of Dr. Melecia Velmonte where the health training was held—the military has accused the healthcare workers of being NPA rebels.  It seems that every time the Philippine military is caught committing human rights violations they label anyone “NPAs” and plant evidence and witnesses against them to file false criminal cases.  As if this would justify the torture and the violation of their rights, but the fact is that regardless, they are still protected under the Geneva conventions and International Human Rights Laws.

The military is getting caught in its web of lies and deceit in their attempt to justify the illegal arrest, detention, and torture of the 43 healthcare workers.  This allows them to continue to act with impunity and to target civilians and anybody that is critical of the government. This incident further shows the arrogance, brutality, and ruthlessness of the Arroyo government.

It is reported that some of the 43 healthcare workers, 26 of whom are women, have experienced sexual abuse while detained.  Also, when the Philippine military finally presented the 43 healthcare workers before the Court of Appeals on February 15, 2010 due to the petition of habeas corpus filed by the families of the 43 and the mounting public pressure, Dr. Alex Montes gave his testimony.  He described the inhumane conditions he endured, about being handcuffed and blindfolded for 36 hours, held in solitary confinement, and not being able to utter another word after being asked how this experience has affected him, witnesses said he returned to his seat seemingly broken.

I am afraid for what Dr. Montes was unable to say, and about the other torture he and others probably endured.  After all, he still has to go back to the military camp after his testimony and he is still at the mercy of his captors.  Let us prevent any further violation of his rights, let us demand the end to the torture of the 43 healthcare workers and demand their immediate release.

No one has been prosecuted for human rights violations and the Philippine government continues its brutal policy unabated even as international condemnation of the Philippines for its gross human rights record has been expressed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other international bodies.  What is especially disturbing to me is that our taxpayer dollars here in the United States are being used to fund and train the Philippine military who is guilty of committing these human rights violations.  We can say “no to more human rights violations in the Philippines” by saying “no to more military aid” and urging our government to cut military funding to the Philippines.  We can also bring these human rights violations and the case of the 43 healthcare workers to the attention of our local representatives and Senators by writing to them and signing petitions like the one below.

The 43 healthcare workers include doctors like Dr. Montes and Dr. Merry Mia Clamor who chose to stay in the Philippines instead of going abroad.  In a country where 7 out of 10 Filipinos do not even see a doctor before they die, and where the majority of the people lack access to public health services and facilities, these doctors and healthcare workers that have dedicated their time and skills to serve the poor and marginalized communities of the Philippines are doing their heroic duty and sworn mandate to serve and attend to the medical needs of the poor and the most vulnerable in society.  They deserve not only our praises, but they need our continued support and our outcry for justice.

FREE THE 43 HEALTHCARE WORKERS NOW!
NO TO IMPUNITY IN THE PHILIPPINES!
STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES!
STOP TORTURE NOW!
STOP MILITARY AID TO THE PHILIPPINES!

Sincerely,
Melissa Roxas

Please sign the petition:
http://www.petitiononline.com/Free43

For more information and to find out what you can do please visit:
www.karapatan.org
www.bulatlat.com

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Yoko Liriano
NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP)
Email: nychrp@gmail.com

20100203-01NEW YORK– Nearly 100 concerned New Yorkers gathered at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Center this past Saturday to listen to Melissa Roxas, the first US citizen under the Obama administration to be subjected to a gross human rights violation in the Philippines, and veteran Philippine human rights activist Marie Hilao-Enriquez, speak about the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

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Marie Hilao-Enriquez and Melissa Roxas

Both Roxas and Enriquez were guest speakers at the second annual Pagpupugay (Tribute), an event honoring anti-martial law activists and human rights defenders sponsored by the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP). This year’s event was also co-sponsored by SEIU/Local 1199 United Healthworkers East.

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Melissa Roxas

Re-living Torture

Still fighting back tears, Roxas shared her story of abduction at gunpoint followed by six days of torture before surfacing in Quezon City last May 25th, while conducting community surveys in preparation for a volunteer medical mission in a rural town in La Paz, Tarlac.

Roxas, who is based in Los Angeles, is a founding member of the national Filipino-American alliance known as BAYAN USA.

“It is very hard for survivors to speak out in the Philippines because most are still harassed and threatened by the Philippine military and police and threatened with death and harm to themselves and their families,” Roxas explained. “Torture survivors, like myself, also find it very hard because every time I talk about the experience its like re-living it again. But because many more have been silenced and because one of the main objectives of torture is to silence and create fear, and to debilitate people, it is important to speak about it.”

Roxas pointed directly to the culpability of the 7th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in perpetrating her abduction and torture. Last year, the Philippine Supreme Court granted a writ of amparo (protection) to Roxas and validated her claim of abduction and torture, despite attacks from former military generals that Roxas’ ordeal was “stage-managed”. However, the same high court ruling denied the request for an investigation of Fort Magsaysay, the alleged military camp where Roxas was detained.

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Attorney Leonard Weinglass

International human rights lawyer Leonard Weinglass, a member of Roxas’ legal team, presented on Roxas’ pursuit of justice in the international courts, filing complaints with the US State Department and United Nations last year.

Counter-Insurgency Campaign

Enriquez, Chairperson of the Philippine national human rights organization Karapatan, presented Karapatan’s most current human rights report which identifies the Arroyo government’s national counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL), as the framework for a “reign of terror” in the Philippines.

“Oplan Bantay Laya is by far the bloodiest and most brutal counter-insurgency campaign unleashed on the Filipino people by any Philippine president,” Enriquez stated.

According to Karapatan, OBL’s objective of annihilating the ongoing armed insurgency in the Philippine countryside is being pursued by targeting legal, aboveground civilians critical of the policies of the Arroyo government. This has resulted in the politically-motivated killings of over 1000 government critics since Arroyo assumed power in 2001.

“The three tiers of opposition to the Philippine government–the armed rebellion in the countryside, the unarmed civil society groups, and the progressive block in the Philippine Congress–are all lumped into one target for Philippine state security forces to go after,” Enriquez explained.

Enriquez also reported that extrajudicial killings in 2009 surpassed the previous annual totals since the Arroyo government assumed power in 2001 due especially to the shocking, “unparalleled” massacre in Maguindanao which claimed 58 lives last November 23rd. The November massacre also serves as a gruesome salvo to election-related violence in the Philippines with the upcoming national elections this May. Meanwhile, the Arroyo government set a target deadline for the second stage of OBL by June 2010.

Funding State Terrorism in the Philippines

Both Roxas and Enriquez addressed the role of US military aid to the Philippines in funding Philippine counter-insurgency operations, such as Oplan Bantay Laya.

“It is disturbing to me that the White House has been quiet about the human rights situation in the Philippines,” Roxas stated. “And Mrs. Clinton’s recent visit to the Philippines did not really address the current human rights violation and instead she expressed her solid support for the Philippine government and the military.”

Both made strong statements for the cutting of further US military aid to the Arroyo government for its ties to the Philippine military’s perpetration of gross human rights violations, as examined in a 2007 US Senate hearing on the Philippines.

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Audience members in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Center

“For us who live here in the United States, the issue of torture and our own government’s involvement in torture, whether directly in places like Guantanamo, or indirectly through the funding and training of the military in countries that are guilty of human rights violations, like the Philippines, is a reality we can no longer continue to deny, be ignorant, and choose to be indifferent,” stated Roxas.

While in New York City, NYCHRP arranged for Roxas and Enriquez to meet with several human rights lawyers as well as a courtesy visit to the office of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston, who reported on the Philippine military’s involvement in human rights violations when he visited the country back in 2007.

Anticipating the escalation of election-related violence and electoral fraud in the Philippines this year, the local human rights advocacy organization is also promoting an international election-monitoring mission to the Philippines this May 2010 known as the People’s International Observers Mission (PIOM). For more information on how to join the PIOM or about NYCHRP, email nychrp@gmail.com.

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PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Yoko Liriano
NY Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP)
Email: nychrp@gmail.com

NEW YORK–The first US citizen under the Obama administration to be subjected to abduction and torture in the Philippines will be speaking in Manhattan this weekend to tell her story and help raise funds for and awareness on the plight of victims of gross human rights abuses under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Melissa Roxas, 32, of Los Angeles, is headlining Pagpupugay 2, the second annual tribute to anti-martial law activists and human rights defenders sponsored by the New York Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (NYCHRP) this Saturday, January 30th, 1 PM at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Labor Center, located at 310 West 43rd Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in midtown Manhattan.

The location also serves as the headquarters of SEIU/Local 1199 United Healthworkers East, the largest local union in the United States and official co-sponsor of the event.

“Melissa is a hero. We draw inspiration from her strength and courage to speak the truth about what is happening in the Philippines, even if it entails relentless McCarthyist red-baiting attacks against her character launched by those seeking to cover it up,” states NYCHRP member Gary Labao.

Roxas, who has filed official complaints with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and US State Department, will join Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Chairperson of Karapatan, the largest human rights organization in the Philippines at this year’s Pagpupugay. After surfacing in Quezon City following six days of forced captivity and subjugation to physical and psychological torture by her captors last May, Roxas, who still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, was able to receive the physical and psychological help she needed with Karapatan’s assistance.

“I am grateful to Karapatan for not only helping me, but for helping thousands of others in the Philippines who have suffered the brunt of the Arroyo government’s military counter-insurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL2).” Roxas, a founding member of the national Filipino-American alliance, BAYAN USA, shared. “My story is not mine alone, it is shared by countless others and with loved ones of those who have been killed or have never been found.”

Various international bodies, including the United Nations, have denounced OBL2 and supported Karapatan’s demand for its withdrawal on the basis that it has led to the perpetration of an acute human rights crisis in the Philippines that in many ways has surpassed the atrocities committed under the Marcos dictatorship.

In his 2007 report on the Philippines, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Killings Philip Alston pointed to the culpability of the Philippine military in committing a range of human rights abuses against unarmed civilians, including politically-motivated killings, abductions, torture, and forced displacement.

Shortly after his celebrated inauguration last year, President Barack Obama publicly pledged continued support to the Arroyo government and its military, including financial support and the deployment of more US troops to train Philippine military in counter-insurgency operations.

This year’s Pagpupugay 2 will also be a benefit fundraiser for Karapatan. For more information or to RSVP to this event, email nychrp@gmail.com.

Dear U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,

I am writing to you because you are going to visit the Philippines to meet with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. I would like to appeal for you to discuss the gross human rights violations happening under the Arroyo administration. I am a United States citizen, a human rights advocate, and also a victim of abduction and torture in the Philippines.

I was abducted and tortured in May 2009 as I was conducting medical surveys in preparation for a medical mission in La Paz, Tarlac, Philippines. Based on the evidence, my own experience, and the pattern in which the incident occurred, it strongly points to the Armed Forces of the Philippines as the perpetrators.

As a writer, a poet and a human rights activist, I feel really committed to the cause of human rights and the plight of the poor and under-privileged. I went to the Philippines to learn more about my roots and heritage and to do volunteer work in various poor and under-privileged communities with the organization Bayan Philippines.

I never imagined that my efforts to help these poor and under-served communities and to advocate for a more humane society would result in me being targeted for abduction and torture. As an American citizen, I have learned to value and cherish my inalienable rights—something that has made me fight harder for those rights for myself and also for others.

I endured six days of physical and mental torture at the hands of my captors. I am still suffering from the trauma. I never want anyone else to experience what I have and I now know first hand what other victims of human rights abuses in the Philippines have been through. There is no room in a civilized society and a civilized world for torture and no room for the suppression of human rights to life, freedom, and genuine democracy. For those of us that are in a position to fight for those freedoms in the world, it is our duty to uphold those principles and to strongly condemn human rights violations.

There is a culture of impunity in the Philippines. The Philippine government has made no serious effort to investigate what happened to me despite the Philippine Court of Appeals ruling that my abduction and torture occurred and granting me a Writ of Amparo. There continues to be a lack of government attention to address my case and the countless victims of human rights violations even though international human rights groups including the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Philip Alston, have pointed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines as culpable.

I urge you to discuss the issue of human rights violations in your talk with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and hold her administration accountable for those abuses. Moreover, I would strongly urge you to support restrictions on U.S. military funding for the Philippines until the Arroyo administration can adhere to international laws, upholding human rights both in good faith and in practice.

Sincerely,

Melissa Roxas

Even For A Thousand Years

By Alexander Martin Remollino

You thanked me for lending an ear to your story,
which you have said you will not tire of telling.

I can listen to your story a thousand times
or even for a thousand years,
because it is one of those stories that really matter
in an age when stories are rarely stories anymore.
Any story that tells
of how one can look the enemy in the eye
even though the very thought of him
sends shudders down the spine;
of how an almost-bloodied head can remain unbowed;
of how knees badly bruised can refuse to bend;
of how one can continue being a spark
even in this darkest of times
and even after almost being seized by the darkness –
any such story
is worth listening to a thousand times
or even for a thousand years.

For Melissa Roxas

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