2/25/06 KIWI statement on Crisis in the Philippines

As some of you probably know by now, a "State of Emergency" was declared in the Philippines by President Gloria Magcapagal-Arroyo. This declaration includes the ban of rallies (including peaceful protests), allows arrests without warrant, and it gives the president permission to call in the military to intervene and take over facilities — such as media outlets — that may affect "national security." Though stopping short of calling it "martial law," it gives the President similar powers, and essentially could be a pre-cursor to an eventual declaration of martial law.

from wikipedia.org:
"Martial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a military authority takes control of the normal administration of justice. Usually martial law reduces some of the personal rights ordinarily granted to the citizen, limits the length of the trial processes, and prescribes more severe penalties than ordinary law. "

Though she claims that everyone from the extreme left to the extreme right are conspiring to bring down her government, the bottom line is that the people who will be affected most by this are the poor and suffering masses, the workers and peasants, the indigenous people and the urban poor, who have been struggling for TRUE equality and reform since waaaaay before she even took office.

It is no secret that the Philippines has been in a crisis situation for a long time now. Most of the nation lives in poverty. Peasants don't even own the land they work on. Workers are exploited by multi-national corporations looking for cheap and 'union-free' labor. School tuition fees increase regularly. It's gotten so bad that the Philippines' main export is PEOPLE! Overseas contract workers who end up in places like Singapore and Saudi Arabia working all kinds of jobs, often getting exploited and abused by their bosses. And so on...

And even though we live thousands of miles away in the U.S, we are still deeply impacted by what's going on back home. The fact that huge numbers of Filipinos, our own families included, have had to leave their homeland to seek a better life elsewhere, to me, is telling enough. But no matter how many Filipinos here live the first world life, we'll never be TRULY free. Our identity, culture, and spirit has been tainted because of colonialism and displacement. And no matter how much money Filipinos send back home, the Philippines will still be in a state of crisis as long as other countries (see: the U.S) continue to influence the politics and economy, as long as 10% of the rich elite own 90% of the land, wealth, and resources, and as long as people like President Arroyo continue to use political bureaucracy to put more money in their pockets and the pockets of the Philippine elite.

As Filipinos overseas in the U.S, we have a crucial role to raise awareness about the impact that this has on our community. The movement for social change and national democracy in the Philippines is strong and resilient, and we need to mirror that voice over here in the states. We need to let the world know that we exist, that we know what's up with our folks both here and back home, and that we are willing to do whatever it takes to create a genuine democracy, REAL justice and equality in OUR homeland. Right here. Right NOW.

As you may know, I'm with a hip hop group called Native Guns, which is funny because, I'm not very gun-literate at all. All I know about is the guns people talk about in rap songs, or in the movies. But there is this particular bullet I've heard about called the 'hollow point.' When entering one's body, a hollow point bullet doesn't just fly out the other side, but is designed instead to explode inside the body, causing significant damage to one's insides.

Now in the Philippines, they have this saying for Filipinos in the U.S fighting for social change. They call us the "bullet in the belly of the beast." And today, more than ever, we have to be that bullet, that hollow point, exploding inside this belly of the beast, bringing this imperialist monster down, and tattooing our voice in the pages of history. Forever.

I normally don't put out statements like this, but I felt compelled to put away my 'artist' hat for a second and make a personal plea to my folks, filipinos and filipino allies, to my family and friends who don't even normally head out to rallies or community events, to anyone who feels like a more just world exists out there, please come out. Learn about what's going on back home and why those conditions exist. And let's come together to fight for our community, for our people, and ultimately for oppressed and exploited peoples all over the world.

Serve the People
Kiwi