NEW YORK — This coming Sunday, June 3, 2012, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and BAYAN-USA will be joining the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade once again to present the pressing issues that Filipinos in the United States are experiencing and to make the community aware about these issues and how they can contribute to address these.

This year, the alliances and their member organizations will tackle once more the issue of human trafficking, which has become even more rampant during the past few years, with victims coming out in groups and speaking out to tell their experiences, such as the Florida 15, Arizona 34, Orlando 18, Sentosa 27++ and many more.

Most of them have been recruited from the Philippines and brought into the United States with the employers promising them jobs but ended up sending them in either a different workplace or to work within terrible conditions. They were given false hopes for better lives and employment, but most of them eventually lost their status due to employers’ negligence and fraudulent acts. Some were even subject to detention, removal proceedings and deportations, which none of them have ever hoped for.

In line with the theme of this year’s Philippine Independence Day Parade, “Ang Bagong Pilipino, Bagong Kalayaan, Bagong Layunin, Bagong Pagkakaisa” (The New Pilipino, New Independence, New Goal, New Unity), NAFCON and BAYAN aim to awaken the minds and hearts of Filipinos in the United States on these issues and become the new Filipino, who will fight for the rights of migrant workers and who will not let injustices plague our country and fellow men.

These progressive alliances aim to fight for a new Philippines that is free of debt, exploitation, corruption, landlessness and one that will have jobs in the home country so Filipinos need not to leave, sell cheap labor to other countries and get separated from their loved ones; a Philippines whose government takes responsibility and fights to end Labor Export Policy (LEP) and addresses the needs of its people and can stand up on its own and free from the dictates of super powers. Only then, if our beloved motherland has reached this stage, can we say that genuine freedom and independence has been truly achieved.

So this Sunday, NAFCON, BAYAN and their member organizations enjoin Filipinos to march for real independence and to unite in ending these forms of exploitation and abuses and in making the perpetrators of these inhumane practices accountable to the people.

Meeting place will be at 37th Street between Madison and Park Avenues, 11am on Sunday, June 3. Let’s wear our RED shirts!

For more information, please email ne@nafconusa.org or call 3478671550.

A meaningful Philippine Independence Day to all!

 STOP TRAFFICKING OUR PEOPLE!

 END THE DEPORTATIONS!

 NO TO CRIMINALIZATION AND ILLEGALIZATION OF IM/MIGRANTS!

 NO TO LABOR EXPORT POLICY! CREATE JOBS AT HOME!

 LEGALIZATION FOR ALL!

JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND ALL MIGRANT WORKERS!

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