A celebration of militancy, a commitment to fight

For Immediate Release
Please circulate widely
30 May 2005

Click the link bellow to see pictures

UNIFIL-HK Photo archive
http://www.unifil.org.hk/20th_anniversary/

Photos courtesy of Azon Amaya-Canete
http://kisapmata.com/unifil20/


For reference:
Dolores Balladares
Chairperson
Tel. No.: 28104379

A celebration of militancy, a commitment to fight
Thousands join UNIFIL’s 20th anniversary, commit to oust GMA


I was invited here to give the keynote speech. But when I saw your cultural presentations, how you carried your issues, and how multitalented the OFWs are – I think that each of you are the keynote speakers of this event.

Thus said Cong. Satur Ocampo of Bayan Muna partylist before a jam-packed crowd of 3,000 Filipino migrant workers who celebrated the 20th anniversary of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-HK) yesterday, May 29 at Chater Road. Congressman Ocampo was guest speaker for the said event.

Under the theme, “Sahod, serbisyo, proteksyon, karapatan – Ipaglaban! Kalayaan at Demokrasya para sa Inang Bayan” (Struggle for wage, services, protection and rights. Freedom and democracy for the Motherland), members and allies of the UNIFIL filled the dayoff of Filipinos in Hong Kong, mostly domestic workers, with cultural presentations that include songs, dances, choral recitation (sabayang bigkas), skits and live bands.

The audience heartily applauded the Balagtasan, a traditional cultural form in the Philippines where two contending parties hurl arguments against each other facilitated by a Lakambini – all done in a poetic style. The Balagtasan showed a comprehensive view of the sentiments of Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong. The character Billion Dollar Woman represented the defenders and cohorts of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo while Bayang Barya Lamang epitomized the poor majority. The presentation ended with a call to oust GMA that was met by the resounding support of the crowd.

“This day was a showcase of the cultural talents of Filipino migrant workers. This day highlighted the continuing struggle of overseas Filipinos for wage increase, services, protection and rights. This day was an affirmation of our conviction to fight for national freedom and genuine democracy for our Motherland,” said Dolores Balladares, UNIFIL chairperson.

More than 20 presentations were featured in the migrants cultural festival held from 11 am to 1pm. Different OFW groups from the northern to the southern provinces of the Philippines presented songs and dances that include, among others, the war dance Sakuting from Abra, the traditional Bicolano dance Pantomina, Kini-Kini of Mindanao and a hilarious puppet-style dance number of Yoyoy Vilame’s Butsikik.

Afterwards, the launching of the CD “Songs of Love and Struggle – from Andres Bonifacio to Jose Maria Sison” was held. Bruce Van Voorhis spoke in behalf of the DEFEND Committee in HK. The DEFEND-HK is part of an international campaign to remove the terrorist tagging of Prof. Jose Maria Sison by the US, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands governments. It also advocates for the defense of the rights of Filipino progressives overseas.

The main program, which was also a cultural extravaganza, was opened by Balladares.

“Filipino overseas and our families in the Philippines are being attacked at all fronts both by the Philippine and the Hong Kong governments. Our wage is relentlessly depressed by the periodic wage cuts, additional taxes in the Philippines and the meteoric rise of prices of basic commodities,” she stated, “The HK government even insulted us by giving us a measly HK$50 wage increase after cutting our wage by almost HK$600 since 1999. We are denied of services and protection and our comprehensive rights are violated.”

Congressman Ocampo, meanwhile, exhorted the crowd to join the campaign against the rampant violations of political and civil rights in the Philippines. He urged the UNIFIL and the other groups present to fight the growing fascism in the country as shown by the killings of activists and critics of the government from different groups such as Bayan Muna, the media, and human rights advocates including priests and lawyers.

According to him, Bayan Muna and other progressive party lists and activist groups are now in the process of building international support to the campaign to stop the killings of activists. He rallied the support of migrant workers who, he said, also played significant roles in the past movement against Martial Law and even with the issues during the succeeding governments.

In the main event, members and friends of the UNIFIL combined and cooperated with each other to come out with a creative and innovative program that highlighted the various concerns of the Filipino migrant workers. The issues of Filipino migrants and their families were effectively shown in different cultural forms.

Binibining OWWA 2005, a parody of the traditional beauty pageants, presented the issues of OFWs regarding government services and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). With candidates called Miss (mis)Information, Miss (mis)Allocation and Miss (mis)Management, the said presentation from the Filipino Migrant Workers Union (FMWU) conveyed the problems that besiege the OWWA including the widely-criticized OWWA Omnibus Policy.

The Mission Volunteers (MOVERS), meanwhile, tackled the issue of excessive government fees charged by the Philippine government to the OFWs through the choral recitation (sabayang bigkas) entitled “Huwag nyo kaming pagkakitaan! Kami’y tao hindi kalakal!” (Do not commodify us! We are human beings and not commodities!).

Friends of Bethune House (FBH) lambasted the Value Added Tax in a comic presentation of OFWs in an airplane called flight VAT 12% captained by US President George Bush and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the flight stewardess. The skit also showed how the tax will unevenly impact the few who are rich and the majority of the Filipinos who are poor. The group also used the popular “Bulagaan” of the Philippine noontime show Eat Bulaga, with their VAT Bulagaan that further drove their point on the said regressive tax.

Meanwhile, groups from Abra and the Cordilleras showed the impacts of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 in their presentation called “Didigra!” (Destruction!). It illustrated how the law endangers the national patrimony of the Philippines, the tradition and culture of indigenous peoples, and the livelihood of those living in mining communities.

A joint cultural presentation of different UNIFIL member groups on the World Trade Organization (WTO) featured a description of the WTO, its policies and impacts to the Filipino people. It also called for the massive participation of OFWs in the upcoming protest against the 6th WTO ministerial conference in Hong Kong in December.

Apo Leung of the HK People’s Alliance on the WTO (HKPA) congratulated the UNIFIL and rallied the crowd for the coming anti-WTO events.

The audiences were also led to a mass singing of the songs created by Likha that used popular tunes such as the Beatle’s “Help” and dealt with issues of misuse of OWWA funds and the US War on Terror.

Two bands, “The Rascals” and “Onstage”, composed of Filipino residents capped the celebration while the audience danced with jubilation.

“The 20th anniversary of the UNIFIL showed the migrant worker’s commitment to fight. We are prepared to fight for our rights and wellbeing in Hong Kong. We are prepared to fight against the policies of the Arroyo government that plunge the Filipino people to heightened poverty, unemployment and forced migration. We are prepared to kick out GMA. We are prepared to confront imperialist plunder and aggression to the Filipino people and of the world,” concluded Balladres.

The UNIFIL is the oldest-existing alliance of Filipino migrant workers in Hong Kong. It is considered as the leading Filipino activist group in Hong Kong and also played a major role in the formation of the Asian Migrants Coordinating (AMCB) who led the thousands-strong marches against the wage cut and other imposition of the HK government to foreign domestic workers since 1997. #

Candle Light Vigil (02) 

Candle Light Vigil (01) 

UNIFIL Logo 

AMCB Labour Day Statement (English & Chinese)

Fight for Wage Increase and Protection of Rights

Our Demands are What Unite Us Workers!

保衛權益；爭取合理工資提升；

工人團結起來爭取我們所需！

In the face of relentless attacks to our wage, deterioration of working conditions, grave threats to our livelihood, denial of basic social services and violation of our rights, workers of Hong Kong, migrants and locals alike, are called to unite.

面對無休止的薪酬下調、工作環境質素不斷下降、生計受到嚴重的威脅、不斷削減的基本福利甚至連個人的權益亦受到侵犯時應如何自處,團結起來吧!香港的工人們!不論你們是本地勞工與否，一同站起來、爭取屬於自己的權益。

There is no other momentous day to do so than today, the International Labour Day. Thus we, the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) who has led thousands of migrant workers in our fight for wage, livelihood and rights, unite with the local workers of Hong Kong in confronting the various issues that face the working people.

國際勞動節是一個何等重要的日子，亞洲移工鬥陣基地(AMCB)曾帶領數以千計的外勞去爭取他們應有的待遇、權益，是一個由香港多個外勞聯盟共同組成的大聯盟，為香港的工人爭取他們應有的待遇、提醒大眾對基層勞工的關注。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight for just wage for all. This is always a rightful struggle of workers because our wage is always not commensurate to the amount of work that we do and the length of working hours we are made to keep. This fight has even become more legitimate for local and migrant workers of Hong Kong for the past years. As workers, we have both suffered from drastic wage cuts and policies that make our wage and jobs insecure.

香港的工人應該團結一致，爭取自己應有的薪酬。你們的要求是合理的，工作的量應與薪酬成正比，並且要制訂最高工時去保障自己的權益。過去數年這爭取在本地及外地勞工是越來越理所當然。香港工人所面對的不單是薪酬的大幅度下降，而且是一些不合理、不人道的制度，令他們失去了工作與薪金方面的保障。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight against the imposition of regressive taxes to those who are already in dire economic condition such as the levy imposed to employers of Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs) but practically paid for by FDHs. To tax the FDH is plainly unjust, immoral and illegal

香港的工人要團結起來，推翻向那些經濟狀況惡劣的外籍傭工僱主徵收回歸稅的政策。在這項政策下，最終的受害者只有傭工本身，向低收入外籍傭工徵收稅項是如此不公平、不人道的行為，一定要加以阻止，保障外籍傭工的權益。

However, to tax employers of FDH is also unjust. FDH employers are mainly not the elite people of Hong Kong but the ordinary workers and employees whose salary has already been cut. They are the parents who are both forced to work to make ends meet and thus have the need, not the luxury, to hire domestic help. They are the workers who, in the long run, shall always be burdened by the levy.

對外傭僱主收取稅項也不合理。大多數外傭僱主不是香港的精英，而是普通的工人及僱員，他們的工資已左刪右減；他們是孩子的父母，只是被迫去工作及有需要而不是奢侈的去僱用傭工。他們同是打工仔，最終也會被這項徵程所負累。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite to fight the reduction and privatization of social services in Hong Kong. Services from the government are a right of all people of any country. To reduce the services and subject them to private businesses is to make them hostages to profit and more inaccessible to the ordinary people.

香港工人定要團結起來，對抗政府將其社會服務減縮及私營化，這是世界上所有人民的權利。縮減服務而令其私營化化，使之和利潤掛勾，結果遠離一般人民的需要。

Working people of Hong Kong must unite against neoliberalism and its impacts to the workers and the people. Policies of privatization, deregulation and liberalization have wrought havoc on workers of developed and developing countries. Rates of unemployment and underemployment rise up, labour flexibilization becomes rampant, and wages are depressed while the interests and profits of big multinational and transnational corporations remain protected.

香港工人定要團結對抗後自由主義及其對勞工和人民的影響。私營化、非秩序他及自由化等政策已對發展及發展中國家工人造成浩刧。失業及不充份就業率的上升，勞工被迫的柔順日益惡化，工資被下壓，反之跨國企業的利潤則得到保障。

This is the future that the World Trade Organization (WTO), set to meet here in December, has in store for the workers of Hong Kong. This is the future that we must resist. This is the future that we must reject and fight against together with other workers and peoples of the world.

這是世界貿易組織的未來，在今年十二月在此的會議，即將來臨到香港工人。這是我們要起來對抗的將來。是和世界各地的工人及人民共同反抗及爭取的將來。

Let us learn from those who in 1886 fought for the same issues that we are all fighting for now. Although varying in degree and magnitude, our situations, our demands and our goals for just wages, equality of treatment, protection of our rights and rejection of neoliberalism are what unite us.

就讓我們學習1886年的前人，以作為我們今天爭取的經驗。雖有時空的不同，但就我們的處境，我們的要求，我們要求合理的工資，公平的對待，保障我們的權益及反對後自由主義，這都是聯合團結我們的因素。

As we unite on our demands, we also unite in our action. Let not any effort of the government and big businesses to divide the working people of Hong Kong succeed. For only in the unity of the working people of Hong Kong – migrants and locals – shall we find our victory.

團結在我們共同的要求，團結在我們的行動。不要讓大財團及政府分化我們香港工人的力量。只要香港的工人能團結在一起---無論是本地及外籍工人---定必爭取到我們的勝利。

Asia Migrant Coordinating Body (AMCB)

亞洲移居人士聯盟

01-05-05