“Cases of rape, murder, sexual harassment, maltreatment, trafficking and economic abuses are only a few of the unimaginable things that OFWs experience during their stay abroad as contract workers. Fortunate are those who can still come home to the Philippines and be with their families, but what about those who are not as lucky to survive such ordeals?” Joms Salvador, Secretary General of GABRIELA said.

Terril Atienza, a 34-year old domestic worker in Mongolia, also a mother of four, was killed a year ago in “mysterious” circumstances. Autopsy reports from Mongolia states that Atienza died from high intoxication from unknown substances, very different from the National Bureau of Investigations Medico-Legal Division findings that she died from stabbing. NBI also reported that some of her internal organs were also missing.

Most cases of violence and mysterious deaths involve women domestic workers as victims. Salvador added that women OFWs are doubly exploited because they are most susceptible to trafficking and abuse because of the nature of their work in private households and in the caregiving and entertainment industry.

According to Salvador, more and more people work overseas because of the Aquino regime’s labor export policy and because jobs that can sustain the needs of a family are not available at home. She added that the economic policies of the Aquino regime, in its core sense is nothing but a failure in providing its people a decent way of life.

“The extensive list of victims demanding for justice continues to get longer and at the end of it are families who will continue to expose the Aquino regime’s apathy.  GABRIELA will struggle with them for the justice they deserve,” she said.

GABRIELA will bring the case of Atienza, as well as other women migrant victims of abuse and exploitation, to the attention of the International Migrants’ Tribunal which will be held in the Philippines this coming November 28 to 29, 2012.

Joms Salvador, GABRIELA Secretary General, said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines regular units and its paramilitary wing the Citizens Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU) were responsible for several incidents of rape over the past two years of the Aquino administration.

Salvador deplored the continuing violations of human rights in the face of the pronouncements from Philippine Army Chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista that the military is seriously addressing human rights problems after the reign of terror sowed by fugitive retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan. “It is clear from the growing incidences of military depredations against women and girls that the military’s counterinsurgency mindset of inflicting terror on civilians is operational and deeply ingrained in the Oplan Bayanihan the military’s game plan to suppress armed opposition in the country sides.”

One of the cases involved an alleged gang rape by elements of the 16th Infantry Batallion of the Philippine Army stationed in Baras, Rizal. The victim, a 16-year old girl, was invited to a party celebrating the unit’s anniversary together with her friends. According to their recollections, they might have been drugged and abused by several soldiers led by a certain Alexander Barsaga. The victim has become mentally ill, and her family, who pressed charges against the alleged perpetrators, is now being alternately harassed and cajoled with offers of cash settlement to pressure kin into withdrawing the case.

Award-winning actress and activist Monique Wilson helped facilitate the gathering of victims and their families as part of the Philippine activities within the global campaign “One Billion Rising” that seeks to contribute to raising public awareness and action to end violence against women and girls.

Rjei Manalo of GABRIELA-Southern Tagalog also reported that a CAFGU recruit in Lobo, Batangas raped his 13-year old niece and got her pregnant last year. It turned out that her sisters witnessed that she was being molested since the age of 8, but they were afraid of reporting him because they were afraid that he will use his CAFGU affiliation to get the case dismissed. GABRIELA-ST is also looking for a missing 15-year old girl whose parents believe is being held in a military camp in Catanauan, Quezon.

Obeth Montes, GABRIELA Deputy Secretary General and director of its Women’s Health and Services Committee that provides counselling and paralegal assistance to victims of violence, said that the rising numbers of rape cases involving minors among those who sought the help of the women’s alliance signifies the rising element of impunity among perpetrators. According to its files, up to half of the victims are minors.

“Rape is already a grave crime, and this is amplified and worsened because the State machinery, supposed protector of human rights, is directly involved as perpetrator. Women call on the AFP to stop the lies and command its new breed of post-Palparan butchers and rapists to stop their attacks on us women and girls. Punishing all perpetrators of sexual abuse from the ranks of military and police personnel is one step forward to end impunity in human rights violations,” Salvador said.

The video was shot, edited, uploaded, and labeled it exactly like a sequel to a sex scandal video.

So those who like to watch sex scandal videos will definitely click on it.

But what they don’t know, is that it’s a different kind of sequel.

What our video actually shows is the story of a woman after her sex scandal video spread. How she was shamed, expelled, disowned, and contemplated suicide.

The message is that it’s what happens after, that is the real scandal.

We need your help in making sure as many people see this video as possible.

Please forward the following link to as many people as possible via email.

Then, if you have Facebook or Twitter, please share it, and repost it.

Just please make sure you post, in your status or tweet, as if it’s an actual scandal you’re reposting. So your intro will show shock, intrigue, etc.

INSTRUCTIONS
For example, you can post:

” Good day, concerned lang ako sa kumakalat na scandal video na ito. Baka relative mo? Please watch and share if you are also concerned. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k3OAC91sTmPRkX38WnJ #manilascandal2

We may also add a hashtag when posted to twitter #manilascandal2

This is very, very, very important, because our target—people who like to watch and spread scandal videos—need to think it’s a scandal sequel. If they know it’s an advocacy message, they might not even bother to watch it.

If we get enough of our target to watch this, and see the real implications of their actions, it can definitely lessen their spreading of sex scandal videos.

Thanks so much!

From the National Secretariat
Gabriela Philippine

We may also add a hashtag when posted to twitter #manilascandal2

This is very, very, very important, because our target—people who like to watch and spread scandal videos—need to think it’s a scandal sequel. If they know it’s an advocacy message, they might not even bother to watch it.

If we get enough of our target to watch this, and see the real implications of their actions, it can definitely lessen their spreading of sex scandal videos.

Thanks so much!

From the National Secretariat
Gabriela Philippines

Here’s a new video ad created for GABRIELA by award-winning agency DM9JaymeSyfu. This time the ad’s about raising awareness and inciting aciton on E-VAW or electronic violence against women. Share the video, spread the advocacy!

“HITS” – GABRIELA Infomercial on E-VAW

GABRIELA TO DFA:

COMPEL PANAMA GOV’T TO WAIVE DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY OF RAPIST

The women’s group GABRIELA sought a dialogue with the Department of Foreign Affairs today to ask for clarification regarding the flip-flopping stance of the department concerning the diplomatic immunity of a Panamanian national accused of raping 19-year-old “Pamela” on April 23, 2012.

In a letter handed to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis during the dialogue, the women’s group said that the DFA has in essence abetted in the Panamanian’s escape from justice with the certification they issued, reversing their previous statement, that the accused can invoke diplomatic immunity.

The letter, which was signed by Gabriela partylist Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus as well as GABRIELA Secretary General Lana Linaban and Deputy Secretary General Joms Salvador, read: “(We) are highly alarmed that said developments show that the Philippine government through the DFA has once again acted not in the best interest of our fellow Filipinos and instead yielded to the interest of foreigners who have committed a crime against our people.”

Simultaneous with the dialogue, members of GABRIELA held a protest action in front of the DFA compound to hold the department for the release of Erick Shcks, the Panamanian rapist. They demanded that the DFA oblige the government of Panama to waive diplomatic immunity granted to the accused. “The government should protect first and foremost its citizens rather than other nationals. They should show that rape is a serious criminal offense in the Philippines and therefore should not entitle the accused with immunity,” said Salvador.

GABRIELA vows to fulfil its responsibility to women-victims to ensure that they have fair access to justice. “We are together with Pamela in her quest for justice and in making the DFA correct its mistake in siding with the foreign national.”

Made-to-order diplomatic immunity to let abuser escape?

GABRIELA slams Aquino, DFA for freeing Panamanian rapist, demands justice for Filipina survivor

WOMEN’s rights activists are up in arms against the arm-twisting acts by the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to spring free a detained Panamanian accused of raping a Filipina and let him escape prosecution in accordance to Philippine laws.

“We are aghast that the DFA, instead of defending Philippine nationals and upholding our laws against these criminal aggressors, are shamelessly acting as the shysters of the Panamanian embassy in efforts to keep accused rapist Erick Barnals Shcks from paying up to the crime he committed against our fellow Filipino and in our own country,” GABRIELA deputy secretary general Joms Salvador cried.

The women’s group GABRIELA, who is now taking up the cudgels for the rape victim Pamela (not her real name), accused the Aquino administration of kowtowing to the whims and dictates of every foreign government and their thugs who violate women and children in the Philippines and all over the world.

Schks was freed from his detention cell in Camp Crame through a release order issued by Makati RTC judge Honorio Guanlao Jr. at 5:00 PM on April 30. The court order came after the DFA suddenly produced a certification that Shcks had diplomatic immunity, reversing its earlier declaration that Shcks was not included in the list of diplomats covered by immunity.

The 19-year-old Filipina filed a rape suit against Shcks before the Makati Regional Trial Court on April 24. Panamanian ambassador Roberto Carlos Moreno was quick to negotiate for Shcks’ release on the grounds of diplomatic immunity but failed to do so when the DFA denied Schks’ status. The DFA, however, left orders for the Philippine National Police Central Investigative and Detective Group (PNP-CIDG) to give special treatment for Shcks by detaining him in an air-conditioned holding room inside the CIDG compound reserved for women and children victims of violence.

The GABRIELA leader said that the Aquino administration and the DFA must be condemned for violating the rights of our abused women and demanded for once and for all time stop the routine subservience to foreign interests.

“Aquino slavishly fawns to every economic and military whim of the United States, China and other regional and global superpowers. Now even smaller players like Panama can see fit to throw their weight around and disregard our laws, because they know that Aquino will serve foreigners first and foremost and will ditch our national interests just like that,” Salvador said.

Pamela sought the help of GABRIELA when she realized that the Philippine government was already taking the side of the Panamanian embassy in making a belated declaration that Shcks, who claimed he was a technical specialist for the Panama Maritime Authority, had diplomatic immunity, when on the day of his arrest, the DFA declared that he was not covered by immunity from suit.

Pamela complained to GABRIELA that she was deceived into accompanying the accused who introduced himself as an ordinary seafarer, and then was shocked to see the Panamanian ambassador himself appearing at the CIDG filing papers in attempts to release him.

As GABRIELA vows to defend the rights of Pamela and other women victims of sexual abuse by foreign powers, the women’s group also said that “The DFA and the president himself must be held accountable for this serious offense against Pamela and other Filipinas sacrificed in the name of subservience to foreign interest.”

A 17-year-old victim of rape by the military gains a step towards justice as all three perpetrators were arrested last March 30, 2011 following an order by Regional Trial Court Branch 78 of Morong, Rizal.

The military men are OFC Alexander O. Barzaga, PFC Ronnie Q. Castro and PVT Rocky H. Domingo, members of the 16th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, who are charged with Qualified Rape in relation to R.A. 7610 without bail.

The rape incident happened in October 16, 2011 during the celebration of the 16th IBPA anniversary.  The victim, “Mutya”, together with two other minors, was invited to the camp where the rape took place.  In February, the victim’s family sought the assistance of GABRIELA in pursuing the case against the military abusers.

On March 18, the court came up with a case resolution stating the presence of probable cause and an arrest warrant for the three accused was issued on March 28. The women’s group GABRIELA find this another step towards the attainment of justice for “Mutya” and other women and children victims of military rape.

According to Joms Salvador, deputy secretary general of GABRIELA, “We are pleased with the developments of the case, particularly with the arrest of the military perpetrators.  Although there is still a long way to go before the perpetrators are finally brought to the bar of justice, we hope that this initial success in “Mutya’s” struggle for justice would inspire other victims to also come out and pursue justice for the violence and abuse committed against them by military men and other persons in authority.”

Salvador also said that GABRIELA will continue to be vigilant in pursuing justice for Mutya and intensify their campaign against rape by men in authority and other forms of violence against women and children.

Organizations focusing on women and children’s rights held a picket in front of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo today to highlight the human rights violations under the Aquino government.  This is in time for the March 19 meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Committee in New York that is set to discuss the rights situation in the Philippines.

According to Lana Linaban, Secretary General of GABRIELA, the current counter-insurgency program of the Aquino government which was touted as a program centering on human rights by President Aquino, is as fierce and abusive as that of Arroyo’s.  “Oplan Bayanihan is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  It is a counter-insurgency program designed to deceive people into thinking that the military have reformed their ways to be more respectful of human rights when in fact it is as vicious as Oplan Bantay-Laya,” Linaban said.

She said that the military’s tact of staying in the communities purportedly for civic-military missions and allowing civilians to come and go in their camps has rendered civilians, particularly women and children vulnerable to abuse.  “We have already documented at least 2 cases of women being raped inside the camp, one involving a minor.  Other cases involving rape by CAFGU and other paramilitary personnel were also recorded,” Linaban said.

She cited data from the Center for Women’s Resources that from January to June 2011, thirteen cases of rape by police, military and paramilitary were noted.  Aside from sexual abuse, Linaban said that there were six women victims of extra-judicial killings from July 2010 to December 2011.   In addition, at least 5 children have been killed since Pres. Aquino came to power, as documented by the Children’s Rehabilitation Center.

Linaban challenged the Aquino government to conduct thorough investigation on these cases and punish those who are involved in any form of abuse against civilians.  “The Aquino government has failed terribly in reorienting the AFP towards human rights-respecting institution.  If he is seriously concerned with human rights, he must stop Oplan Bayanihan and bring down the iron hand against military abusers to render justice to the victims and their families .” Linaban ended.

Militant women’s group Gabriela also took the opportunity to share its views on FHM Philippines March 2012 cover, and the men’s magazine’s spreads in general.

 

In a statement, Gabriela secretary general Lana Linaban scored the magazine not only for its latest “racist” cover, but also for “its usual portrayal of women as cheap commodities that cater to macho fantasies.”
“We women’s rights advocates condemn the publisher Summit Media and its editors for continually distorting women’s bodies and packaging them as so-called modern women,” Linaban said.

“But the truth is, they (ab)use women as commodities and conduits of mindless purchase of products and services that further enslave men and women in pursuit of hedonic consumption, blinding society from seeing the harsh economic crisis,” she added.

Meanwhile, Gabriela said these issues will be highlighted on March 8, which is International Women’s Day.

21 PEBRERO 2012

Isa na namang kaso ng gang rape ng mga sundalo ang inilapit sa GABRIELA ng mga kamag-anak ng biktima.  Sa pagkakataong ito, ang biktima ay isang 17 taong gulang na babae at ang panghahalay ay naganap sa kampo ng 16th IB Phil Army sa Baras, Rizal.  Ang biktima ay kasalukuyang nasa National Center for Mental Health kung saan siya dinala matapos lubhang maapektuhan ang pag-iisip ng mga pangyayari.

“Mariing kinokondena ng GABRIELA ang isa na naman patunay ng kahayupan ng mga militar sa kababaihan,” ani Lana Linaban, Secretary General ng GABRIELA.  “Hinding hindi dapat makaligtas sa parusa ang mga sundalong ito sa pagwasak ng pagkatao at pagsira sa kinabukasan ng isang menor de edad.”

Ayon sa pamilya ng biktima, ang insidente ay naganap noon pang Oktubre 16, 2011 sa okasyon ng pagdiriwang ng anibersaryo ng 16th IBPA. Ang biktima, kasama ang dalawa pang menor de edad, ay inimbita ng mga sundalo sa loob ng kampo. Ayon sa mga kasama ng biktima, sila ay pinakain ng cake at pinainom ng tubig na siyang diumano’y dahilan upang sila ay mahilo at makatulog. Naisalaysay pa ng biktima na pinaghihipuan siya ng mga sundalo at diumano’y dinaganan bago tuluyang nawala sa tamang pag-iisip epekto ng insidente.

“Marapat lamang na panagutin ang Armed Forces of the Philippines sa mga paglabag ng karapatang pantao at sekswal na pang-aabuso na ginagawa ng mga tauhan nito.  Marapat lamang na ilitaw nito ang mga sundalong salarin at papanagutin ang mga ito upang mabigyan ng hustisya ang biktima. Gaya ng suportang inihayag ng aming grupo sa 21 anyos na biktima ng gang rape ng sundalo sa Masbate, makakaasa ang pamilya ng biktima ng mga sundalo sa Rizal sa aming tulong at suporta,” pagwawakas ni Linaban.