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. #