By MARYA SALAMAT

MANILA – They did not really expect much but when Benigno Aquino III ran true to form and, in his first State of the Nation Address, “remained true to his class as a big modern landlord,” progressive Filipinos still felt “dismayed.”

“We did not really expect him to talk about land reform,” said Greg Ratin, 45, a farmer from Negros Occidental. Yet, Ratin was still disappointed to say that “we have nothing to gain from his presidency.” Their livelihood, he said, is in danger despite the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) because a lot of lands under CARP coverage are subject to land-use conversion. In Hacienda Luisita, the sugar plantation in Tarlac owned by Aquino’s family, more military troops have been deployed and are patrolling the area in full battle gear.

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MANILA – . When typhoon Basyang (international name: Conson) hit Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces last Tuesday night, killing 26, people living in disaster prone areas traumatized by typhoon Ondoy last September 2009 were on their feet getting ready for another catastrophe. But Basyang had more wind than rain and left hundreds of families homeless and rendered Luzon without electricity.

The horror of Ondoy still haunts people. Government, on the other hand, only reacts when disaster strikes. Thus, the Citizen’s Disaster Response Center (CDRC) challenged President Benigno S. Aquino III to prioritize disaster preparedness to prevent what happened last September 2009.

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MANILA – Of all decisions Aquino made in his first week, it is “his cabinet appointments that raised more questions than hope,” said Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bayan (New Patriotic Alliance). “The cabinet appointments are a reflection of the policy direction the new administration will take. Some of the appointments don’t give much hope for change.”

“The cabinet that he has formed recycles old faces – former Arroyo officials who will now occupy key positions – with new ones particularly in the justice post basically providing the embellishment of token reform,” said a CENPEG analysis of the new president’s administration.

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By ARNOLD PADILLA

MANILA — In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Benigno Aquino III used the various cases of misuse of public funds by the Arroyo administration as a pretext to promote the so-called Public-Private Partnerships or PPPs. According to Aquino, PPPs will address the lack of resources due to a depleted government budget for the country’s many needs.

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Contrary to the common perception that only the wealthy and powerful literally get away with murder, it also happens even to the poorest folk. If the wealthy and well-connected can evade punishment by hiring crafty lawyers, and bribing policemen, prosecutors and judges, those who are otherwise, if they’re lucky enough, can escape the law by simply disappearing in the vast countryside that surrounds the cities, or in the anonymous warrens and labyrinthine slums the poorest call home. Police inefficiency and reluctance to hunt down killers, if the victims are “not important” and won’t be missed except by their closest kin, does the rest.

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Ms. Rosales declares that the main reason for the opposition to her appointment by people’s organizations like the Kilusang Mayo Uno and human rights groups like Karapatan harkens back to her stand to fight for the “universality” of human rights. She said some groups get angry when she criticizes human rights violations allegedly committed by the communist New People’s Army (NPA).

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KATRINA HALILI

Thousands of guests from various parts of Canada and even from the United States flocked the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, July 24 to witness the spectacular 2010 Mabuhay Festival.

Sienna along with her two friends drove all the way from Buffalo to witness the celebration of culture and to taste the Filipino foods.

IZA CALZADO

“My mom is a Filipina, so I wanna show my friends our culture,” says Sienna who is so delighted to attend the event.

Mang Leo, who is vacationing in Toronto, brought his nieces from Montreal to the Mabuhay Festival and he’s happy he did.

“These kids were born in Canada, they are not aware of the beauty of our culture anymore, so I think this is a good venue to introduce them to the rich Filipino culture,” says he.

WENDELL RAMOS

Mabuhay Festival is an annual project of the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) that showcases the amazing celebration of culture, customs and tradition of the Filipinos.

The stunning performances of the Golden and Canadian Dancers through various folkdances impressed the audience. While the cultural presentations of world renowned Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe and Culture Philippines Ontario were breathtaking and complemented by its colourful and fabulous Muslim Suite and Maria Clara Suite respectively.

Naomi Macapagal, Mark Herras, Regine Semira, Little Miss PIDC Sam Mangune and Maelyn Bucao.

The alluring beauty titlists of the PIDC also captivated the audience with their charms and glamour as they paraded for the Santa Cruzan and when they ramped on the stage on their various attires.

Although many expressed their satisfaction and delight in the program, there are also those who were dissatisfied in this year’s Mabuhay Festival.

Culture Philippines Ontario dancers

Rene frequents the Festival every year. According to him, this year’s venue is bigger but he thinks there are less people. Also, he says, the food court is smaller. He disliked the layout of the venue as well.

Meanwhile, sponsors or exhibitors on the other hand, were satisfied with the turn out of the potential clients.

Atty. Rafael Fabregas, of Mamann Sandaluk Immigration Lawyers, shared that visitors frequented their booth.

Fiesta Filipina Dance Troup

One of the most visited exhibitors is the Medical Tourism Expo booth led by Dawnie Roa, trustee of the Health and Wellness Council of Cebu City. Along with Roa, five dentists were with her to promote Medical Tourism in the city.

“Yes, there’s a good response from the visitors,” says Roa.

Cash in a Flash Remittance Centre was also swamped by visitors and is happy with the turn out of their exhibition.

Miss Philippines Naomi Macapagal.

Meanwhile an exhibitor who didn’t want to be identified said that they didn’t meet the expected market.
Rogers’s booth attracted the public through their Rogers Bonggananza, where the public participated in a question and answer game that in return gave the winners freebies of bag and t-shirt.

Meanwhile, prior to the highlights of the night, Norma Carpio Production awakened the audience with the Tuklas revival wherein some of the alumni shared their rendition of Tagalog songs.

Winners of talent contest

The culmination of the Mabuhay Festival was the presentation of the GMA Kapuso stars who delighted the audience after a whole day of waiting to watch them sing and dance.

Most of the visitors were excited to meet the Kapuso stars of the GMA TV Network, Katrina Halili, Iza Calzado, Mark Herras and Wendell Ramos along with Kuya Germs and John Nite. During the day, the stars, graciously gave their time to sign their fans’ notebooks, magazines and other personal things and took pictures with them.

Martha Joy and John Nite in a duet number.

Actress Iza Calsado and Josh Andowitt, GMA Pinoy TV executive

GERMAN MORENO, Philippine entertainment icon shares his life story with huge audience.

EMILIO ZARRIS displays his singing prowess anew as he did in previous Mabuhay fests.

Chyrell Samson belting a song at the Tuklas part of the Mabuhay program.

Fiesta Filipina Dance Troupe

The crowd numbered in thousands at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

PIDC President Minda Neri

PIDC LEADERSHIP. Officers and leaders of the Philippine Independence Day Council pose for a souvenir photo onstage at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on July 24, 2010.

At the Mabuhay Festival, Saturday, July 24, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, from left: Ethel Stewart, Rosemer Enverga, Mel Catre, Bing Marasigan, Minda Neri, leading Toronto mayoral candidate George Smitherman, Norma Carpio and Sena Flores

Ambassador and Mrs. Clemencio Montesa were enjoying the show with Mila Astorga-Garcia (center) of The Philippine Reporter.

Katrina Halili working the crowd at the finale number.

Among the numerous booths was that of Celsa Barangay’s with Peter and Celsa Stiegler shown in photo. PHOTOS: HG

DR. CHANDU CLAVER, BAYAN Chair

On Saturday, July 24, Filipino-Canadians showed their vigilance in support for the Morong 43 through a fundraiser barbeque and they presented their own people’s version of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) with a talk and discussion led by Dr. Chandu Claver, Chairperson of Bayan Canada.

The Morong 43 are health care workers whose training seminar was raided on Feb. 6, 2010 and have been illegally detained since.

Ramon Grajo hosted the event at his Scarborough residence. He said the Morong 43 are people who decided to battle against the “collapsing” health care in the Philippines by providing it to people in the provinces. By arresting the Morong 43, the authorities are “sowing terror amongst people who are doing community development work.”

He stated, the country is “losing 2,000 doctors a year,” spending six times more on the military, and international loan payments are hampering the budgets of social services.

The fundraiser was organized by the Scarborough Federation of Filipinos (SCARFF) and was initiated when Ms. Norma Dollaga, General Secretary of the Kasimbayan and Secretariat for the People’s International Observers’ Mission (PIOM) spoke in Toronto on June 21. She expressed there was an urgent need for funds for the Morong 43 and their families.

The attendance of Neethan Shan, who is running for City Councillor in Scarborough, was a continuation of the “ripple effect” initially inspired when he saw the film Dukot about forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings in the Philippines. It was then that he met Melissa Roxas, a Filipino American who claims Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) abducted and tortured her. Shan organized a BBQ fundraiser for Roxas’s medical expenses, which was also a cross-cultural exposure to the human rights abuses in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Grajo said the fundraiser for Roxas inspired the Morong 43 fundraiser.

RATHIKA SITSABAIESAN: RP election observer

Federal NDP candidate, Rathika Sitsabaiesan, wore the necklace given to her by the women detainees when she visited them in the Manila jail last May. She said in an interview at the fundraiser, “meeting them added layers of intimacy. It became my case, something I needed to do.”

The authorities “did not seem to discriminate” as Sitsabaiesan recalled that the detainees were young and old, and included two pregnant women. Judilyn Carina Oliveros gave birth to a baby boy on July 22 amongst appeals to extend the three days to week leave from detention allowed for her and her baby.
The fundraiser included a guitar performance by local activist musician Levy Abad.

One attendee, Erin Atendido spoke of the precedence established by former Pres. Cory Aquino.
“Historically Noynoy’s mom, after coming into power in 1986, released all political prisoners.” Said Grajo: “The only thing needed to release them is sufficient international political will.”

Vigilance for the victims of human rights abuses in the Philippines was also shown at the event called “State of the Nation: the People’s Agenda” later the same day. The event was organized by Bayan Canada and held at the OISE building on Bloor St W. It was held in anticipation of the State of the Nation address by Noynoy to be held two days later “to push the agenda of the people” said Dr. Claver, the headline speaker.

In his speech, he spoke of the poverty and lack of jobs of the masses that push many to Canada and elsewhere, and the human rights abuses under Arroyo.

“More than a thousand killed and more than 200 abducted never to be seen again - a product of a mad counter-insurgency policy called Oplan Bantay Laya. And then during the first month of the new president’s term, five more are killed. The instruments of the State have gone overboard with the killings, abductions and the filing of false charges.”

Claver’s wife, Alyce, died in an extra-judicial killing when their car was riddled with bullets near their daughter’s school in Kalinga in 2006. Claver narrowly escaped with his life. He was an advocate for land rights for indigenous people.

Audience at OISE on Bloor St., Toronto, attentively listening to Dr. Claver. PHOTO: TAN CANCHELA

A documentary about their story, “Philippines: Waging War on the People,” was shown. He and his three daughters have moved to Canada and were approved for refugee status this past March. In an interview before his speech he stated, “nobody was prosecuted, parang walang nangyari” (like nothing happened).

He also said he does not blame Noynoy personally for the extra-judicial killings in his presidency, stating the policy existed before his administration. It was “the military apparatus that was carrying the policies. We hope he will do something about that.”

Malcolm Guy, director and producer of the documentary addressed the audience. “Political assassinations are not done in the dark of the night. They are done in full daylight, in front of your house, school, children. What’s the point? To send a message. If you stand up for your rights, your life will be in danger. Like the Bayan Muna person just killed. Who’s the message for? To the people, the president? I think it’s both.”

Joe Calugay who leads human-rights based organizations in Ottawa told the audience his hopes for change come from “the people on the ground who organize” not from the elite or government, or Aquino who is part of the landlord class.

The event also included cultural performances, a poetry reading, and messages of solidarity from the Tamil and Latin American communities.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) was shocked to hear that three teachers, including Mark Francisco of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), were assassinated earlier in July.
Antonio Tinio, National Chairperson of ACT and newly elected ACT representative in the Philippine Congress, reported to CUPE that the killings are linked to the failure of the previous administration to prosecute and punish human rights violators.

The following is a letter written on July 26 by Paul Moist, CUPE National President, to H. E. Benigno S. Aquino III, President of the Republic of the Philippines calling for an end to human rights abuses and an end to extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.

Dear President Aquino,

How unfortunate to have to write at the time of your inauguration regarding the recent killing of three teachers. The Canadian Union of Public Employees is shocked and saddened to hear this news from our colleagues at the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), that three teachers, including ACT member Mark Francisco were assassinated earlier in July.

Antonio Tinio, the National Chairperson of ACT and newly elected ACT-Party Representative in the Philippine Congress reported to us that the killings are linked to the failure of the previous administration to prosecute and punish human rights violators. We support the ACT’s demand for justice for their fellow teachers and their call for your new government to take decisive action to stop the killings and end impunity.

We are aware that over 1,000 activists and journalists were murdered in extra-judicial killings under the Arroyo government and that to date no one has been convicted. The killings had abated under international pressure for a two-year period, but have started again since the May 2010 national and local elections.

CUPE members hosted two Filipino public sector union representatives in a speaking tour across Canada in the spring of 2009, and earlier this year, members of our union were hosted by ACT and COURAGE in the Philippines. We are committed to building our relationship with these unions and to support their call for an end to human rights abuses and an end to extra-judicial killings in your country.

We call on the Philippine government to:

• Ensure an impartial investigation on the extra-judicial killing of Mark Francisco and other activists since the election;

• Demilitarize the area pending investigation and disarm military-backed vigilantes;

• Extend protection and assistance to the families of the murdered activists; and

• Review the government’s counter-insurgence program as per the recommendations of UN Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Executions Philip Alston.

Yours truly,
Paul Moist
CUPE National President

Film-makers Vincent Malixi Galvez and Alex Ng Felipe in Corregidor, one of many locations in around Manila shot for "Project Balikbayan" a blog and multi-media installation featured as part of Kapisanan's Kultura Festival. PHOTO: DYAN RUIZ

Filipino-Canadian youth are enabling and inspiring the creative expressions of other young artists, as showcased in two events in Toronto this July, the “Kultura” festival held at the Kapisanan Centre for Arts and Culture, and “Roots, Rhymes and Resistance” held on the University of Toronto Campus.

“Kultura” included musical performances, installations, visual arts exhibits, a documentary screening, projected images, and theatre performances. All surfaces of Kapisanan were transformed on Saturday July 24, from the walls to the floors, to the towering installation piece at the entrance of the building, showcasing a full array of artistic expression as live performances entertained through the afternoon and evening.

The works are “an expression of the youth” said Kapisanan Director Caroline Mangosing, that not only young people took in that day. Many parents, titas and other older people came and “loved it because the reference to the culture is so pure.” Mangosing continued in the interview, “This is us, expressing ourselves in our own terms, not just heritage… it is remixed and moved on.”

Although the rain moved the festival indoors, it did not stop the estimated 300 people from enjoying the performances and artwork. Christan de la Cruz liked the uniqueness and versatility of all the different sub-genres of art, particularly the graphic design, installations, and documentary.

A featured work of “Kultura” was Alex Ng Felipe and Vincent Malixi Galvez’s “Project Balikbayan.” The premiere of the short documentary was a culmination a four- month journey as Galvez and Felipe travelled in around Manila to document “What we left behind.” Their journeys were chronicled on their blog throughout their stay. They presented powerful images of juxtaposition between the worlds of the rich and poor, including a montage of a day in the life of a jeepney driver and an office worker, and the concluding image of a setting sun over Makati high rises with shantytown homes in the foreground.

Vincent Malixi Galvez at work with camera in Manila. PHOTO: ALEX FELIPE

Dela Cruz described the comparison as “eye-opening” because in his own time there, he did not go to ghettoes and see the extremes of poverty.

Musician Lucas Costello of the dance/experimental group, Stop Die, said he accepted the invitation to perform because although his Filipino mom raised him, his looks have people identifying him as white. “It’s nice to let the larger Filipino community know that I share their experiences.” For a while, he was “not connected with the Filipino community, so it’s nice to be here with Kapisanan.”

A volunteer who took in the full day’s festivities, Eric Wilson, said, “In England, I didn’t know any Filipino people. It’s great to meet Filipinos [through Kapisanan] and practice Tagalog.”

This year’s theme was “kwentong hinirang” or chosen narrative and had works curated by Marianne Rellin and Mangosing. Mangosing stated the works did not have to be about being Filipino, but all of the artists are Filipino. “We wanted to open it up. Artists have a huge palette of things to express.”

In an interview with the head organizer of the second Toronto edition of “Roots Rhymes and Resistance” (RRR) held at Hart House on July 17, Alleben Purugganan shared like sentiments when talking about the theme for RRR this year, “step up and stand out.”

Conflicts among youth are not necessarily about the politics of identity as in the past said Purugganan. Working with youth through UKPC and PWC, the organizations based out of Toronto’s Magkaisa Centre who hosted RRR, Purugganan noted youth are not so much focused on the difference between first and second generation Filipinos like when she was younger. “There is more of a willingness to see above and beyond that. They are ready to be themselves.”

The youth at the centre “are learning from each other and don’t have to feel that they’re alone” in their experiences of racism and/or economic marginalization continued Purugganan. Events like RRR exhibit how youth are educating other youth through the love of their crafts, like Hip Hop.

The audience clearly enjoyed the lineup of some 20 performances that evening of RRR as hands clapped to the rhythms of the smooth R&B tones of Walter Sanchez. The lively MC, Aila Comilang, easily evoked loud cheers from the crowd before, during, and after performances, which included film presentations, and a Tiboli and Hip Hop dance. Heads were bobbing and fists of solidarity rose in the air when performers spit rap and freestyle.

Dos Armados rapped in Tagalog and English. One of the group’s rappers, Abstract (Michael Yambao), stated in an interview that he grew up with Tagalog rap, frequenting spots like “b-side” in Manila. “The Philippines has a large rap scene with artists like Death Threat.” Abstract said he and his partner rap about positivity and political awareness. UKPC events like this help them do “hip hop with a purpose.”
Jean-Marc “Dagamuffin” Daga’s spoken word poem, “My Folks” performed at the first RRR, inspired a play performed at this one. Similarly, Veronica Abrenica was inspired by Purugganan’s monologue about the emotional turmoil of a live-in caregiver she presented at the first RRR.

Abrenica, a student at OCAD said her short film presented at this year’s RRR was the first film she made “with so much meaning.” Abrenica could relate to the downward mobility experienced by the caregiver in Purugganan’s monologue because her dad was an engineer in the Philippines and now works as an assembly line worker.

These were concrete examples of what Purugganan called “taking something, adding your personal craft, and giving it back.”