For Immediate Release

06 July 2011

Reference:

Jun Cruz, NAFCON Public Info Officer

415.333.6267 / info@filipinocc.org

 

 

Diplomatic Solution and Independent Foreign Policy Upholding Philippine Sovereignty, Not U.S. Intervention, the Answer to Spratlys Conflict – NAFCON

 

 

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) urges the Philippine government to work for an independent foreign policy upholding Philippine sovereignty, and to reconsider requesting increased military assistance from the U.S. in response to the growing conflict with China regarding the Spratly islands.

 

Fr. Ben Alforque, president of NAFCON reiterated, “If the Philippine government is really for good governance, then it should not allow itself to become tools of war mongering and pawns of the U.S. It should promote an independent foreign policy and work for a diplomatic solution of the problem by all claimants including China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines and Malaysia.”

 

The Spratly Islands consist of over 30,000 unoccupied islands in the South China Sea that encompass strategically important trade routes and are believed to sit atop abundant mineral and oil deposits. For decades, several nations including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, and the Philippines, have engaged in territorial disputes over the islands.  Tensions have increased as of late due to moves by China that have been perceived by the Aquino administration as violations of international law and threats to our nations’ sovereignty.

 

However, Aquino sent representatives to the U.S. seeking for increased support to beef up the Philippines military capabilities including more joint training exercises and leasing naval vessels. Utilizing the conflict for greater military buildup in the region, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that the U.S. is “determined and committed to supporting the defense of the Philippines.”

 

“While we denounce China’s incursions within our boundaries, it is contradictory for Aquino to increase our nation’s dependence on its former colonial master behind the banner of defending Philippine sovereignty. The U.S. military has violated our sovereignty since time immemorial, even resulting in the raping of our women and displacement of our people. By seeking greater U.S. military presence, the Aquino administration is actually undermining Philippine sovereignty.” said Fr. Ben Alforque. ###

 

 

To join the NAFCON news list please send a request to info@nafconusa.org.

To  all our allies, comrades, and supporters–

 

Mabuhay! Greetings of peace and solidarity:

 

We are from the Filipino youth organization Anakbayan New York/ New Jersey, a direct chapter of Anakbayan National – Philippines. Anakbayan means “sons and daughters of the people.” We advocate for the rights and welfare our kababayans here in the United States as well as our kababayans back home. We promote Philippine history and culture to Filipino-American and Filipino Immigrant youth here in our community. We do this through grassroots organizing and active leadership building. We are a grassroots and volunteer based organization, running only on the bayanihan (collective effort) of our youth.

 

We humbly ask for your support in furthering our endeavors. This summer we are organizing a Summer Exposure Program which will run from July 1, 2011 to July 31, 2011. We are aiming to send 4 youth and student leaders from our community to the Philippines but this will require us to raise $5,000. This amount will cover the airfare, board and lodging for all participants throughout the duration of the program. All contributions will go towards making this project a success.

 

In the Summer Exposure Program, participants will be going around the Philippines to learn our people’s beautiful history and culture by immersing themselves in different communities. As part of the Summer Exposure Program, participants will also attend the International League of People’s Struggle-Fourth International Assembly (ILPS-FIA), an international conference of leaders of different people’s organizations from 50+ countries. In attending this conference, participants will have the opportunity of meeting and sharing experiences with other cultures and nationalities.

 

Youth and student leaders who have participated in our Summer Exposure Program are now active leaders and advocates in our community and this is why we encourage you to contribute. Any amount you can share with us will be much appreciated and will surely go a long way.

 

This Summer Exposure Program will not happen without your support, that is why we thank you in advance for your contribution. Mabuhay po kayo!

 

 

For the people,

Yves Nibungco

Chairperson, Anakbayan New York/New Jersey

anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com

 

 

For more information about Anakbayan, contact us at (201) 779-6886 or email us at anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com

We Demand Jobs and Education, Not War and Occupation

Anakbayan New York/ New Jersey stand in solidarity with the students, youth and workers who are speaking out and standing up today against the systemic attacks on public education. It is high time for the rest of the society to take a stand against the systemic attack on the people’s needs in favor of the interests of the few and create a society wherein the people’s needs are prioritized above all.

State’s all-out attack on Education

Both state governments, from New Jersey’s Gov. Christie to New York’s Gov. Paterson, are all out in their attacks on social services, particularly, on the education sector.

In New Jersey, the operating budgets of the nine state colleges and universities have been cut five times and they now receive about the same amount of dollars they received 10 years ago. Despite the overwhelming number of student enrollment in 2008-2009, the current state government has even announced a freeze on state spending, signaling more lay-offs, more furlough days and tuition fee increases for the public sector.

In New York, over 19 public schools from K-12 are going to be shut down and a round of new tuition fee increases in the City University of New York (CUNY) and the State University of New York (SUNY) are being hashed out. In the Fall of 2009, due to a budget cuts and a huge budget deficit, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has announced that they’ll stop giving out student metro cards that’ll be another burden passed on working class students.

Budget cuts are an assault against working-class and immigrant communities

We are outraged that the burden of the so-called budget crisis that this country is experiencing is being put on the backs of immigrants and working class people while the government shelled out roughly $1.5 Trillion dollars for the endless war in Iraq and Afghanistan and $700 Billion to bail out banks and financial institutions, which in the first place are responsible for the current crisis; the crisis of the capitalist system.

With the education out of reach to most immigrant and working-class youth and students, this leaves them no choice but to join the army as their only way to get education, who, by the way, is the only sector that did not experience any cuts on budget allocations. This is no different than a military draft but solely for the immigrant and working-class youth, forcing them to fight the unjust wars of the rich.

With 4 million Filipinos in the United States, 51% of which belong to the youth sector, it is inevitable that our youth will be one of the worst hit by this crisis.

International struggle for right to education

All around the world, students and workers are decrying state abandonment of education. In Germany, Austria and Scandanavian countries and movements throughout the Asia Pacific especially Indonesia, India and Korea, students are demanding access to quality education. In the Philippines, students are calling out the myth of “liberal education” rooted in American direct colonialism up to the current Arroyo regime, as an ensuing and escalating crisis in education that is colonial, commercialized and fascist in nature.

We join the youth and students from New York to New Jersey and all over the US on this national day of action in demanding full funding for public education and not for imperialist wars of aggression in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and in other countless military bases in Israel, South Korea and the Philippines.

From the U.S. to the Philippines and all around the world, we have no option but to join in solidarity to defend our education and demand an end to imperialist attacks on our youth, our workers, our families!

We demand a fully funded and quality education system.

We demand good quality jobs for workers and teachers.

We demand to put priority in youth and students and not in big banks, prison and War.

 

LONG LIVE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY.