Delegation of Philippine Women’s Rights Advocates in Montreal this week

Delegation of Philippine Women’s Rights Advocates in Montreal this week

A delegation of 14 women’s rights advocates from the Philippines will arrive this week to attend the Montreal International Women’s Conference August 13-16, 2010, bringing the latest updates about the appalling human rights situation in this archipelago in South East Asia. These women are literally on the front lines of life and death struggles for justice and equality for women and their communities. The delegation will share stories of the strong popular struggle and vibrant progressive movement which continues despite the political repression which has left hundreds of activists dead or missing.

Among the delegates are Liza Maza, activist and parliamentarian representing the Gabriela Women’s Party in the 13th Congress of the Philippines. One of a handful of women’s political parties in the world, Gabriela Women’s Party boasts over 100,000 members. In this country’s last general election in May, the party pulled in over a million votes. Passionate about public service and activism since her days as a student leader at the University of the Philippines, Liza was Secretary General of GABRIELA, the largest and most militant alliance of women’s organizations in the Philippines, for fourteen years.

Dr. Julie Caguiat is an active spokesperson in the campaign to free the forty-three health workers abducted and detained by the Philippine military since February 2010. Twenty-six of the forty-three health workers are women. One of the detainees, Judilyn Oliveros, was pregnant and tortured while detained. Weeks ago she gave birth to her first baby at the Philippine general hospital and currently risks going back to jail with her infant. These health workers provide primary healthcare and train and organize communities to set-up alternative healthcare systems in communities where government services lack or are simply non-existent. http://freethehealthworkers.blogspot.com/

Dr. Caguiat is a graduate of University of the Philippines College of Medicine and is presently connected with Community Medicine Foundation (COMMED), a national organization supporting community health work. She is also active in promoting women’s issues, especially women’s right to health.

Vernie Yocogan-Diano is a member of the Kankanaey-Bontok tribe from northern Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines. She is a registered Medical Technologist, but opted to work full-time with the Cordillera peoples movement, particularly in her role as chairperson of Innabuyog, an alliance of indigenous women’s organizations in the Cordillera. Innabuyog holds lessons from history. Many village women have been active participants in the defence of their land and resources. Land surveys, mining prospecting, open pit mining operations, and logging have been actively opposed by women since the beginning of the century- a militant tradition which Innabuyog continues.

Amira Ali Lidasan is a Moro activist (indigenous Muslim people of southern Philippines) and vocal opponent of the U.S. military presence in the Philippines. She became chair of the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP), a nationwide alliance of student councils, in 1995 and was elected as its secretary general in 1996. She is also deputy secretary-general of BAYAN Philippines. Amira has served as the spokesperson for the Moro-Christian People’s Alliance, an inter-faith organization composed of Muslim and Christian individuals and organizations, since its establishment. The MCPA asserts the rights of the Moro people and helps in their quest for genuine freedom and lasting peace.
Julie Nenita Gonzaga is a life-long trade unionist, occupying positions within the National Federation of Labour Unions in the Philippines, particularly in women’s affairs. She has served as the Vice-Chairperson for Women’s Affairs in the million-strong KMU national trade union centre. Kilusang Mayo Uno, or May First Labour Movement (KMU), is an alliance with hundreds of progressive labour organizations under its umbrella, created on May 1, 1980 during the Marcos dictatorship to represent the progressive worker’s organizations in the Philippines advocating for the National Democratic struggle in particular the removal of US imperialism.

Estrelita Mariano is a farmer from the Philippines, active in issues of sustainable agriculture and food security, genuine land reform, human rights, freedom and democracy. She was one of the founding members of AMIHAN-National Federation of Peasant Women, was elected as Deputy Secretary General during the founding congress in 1986. and served as Secretary General of AMIHAN for ten years. From 2003 to 2009 she served as Vice Chairperson of the Farmers Alliance in Central Luzon. She currently acts as spokesperson for AMIHAN, as well as for Bantay-Bigas (Rice Watch).

Lana Linaban, newly elected secretary general of Gabriela, and two members of Gabriela’s international relations committee, Joan Salvador and Ruth Manglalan will also be present in Montreal to discuss their organization’s ongoing program and current campaigns.

The Montreal International Women’s Conference August 13-16, 2010 will bring together women from five continents to discuss building a global militant women’s movement in the 21st century.

To arrange interviews please contact: Marie Boti (en francais) 514-568-8746 – Tess Tesalona (English) 514-655-3142 – Rita Acosta (espanol) 514-550-7182

MIWC Media Committee 514-961-4047

A press conference with a number of international delegates including members of the Philippine delegation will take place at 10:00 am, Friday, August 13 at the YWCA, 1355 Rene Levesque West.
Complete speakers’ bios, conference details, the workshop program and more can be found on the conference blog http://miwc2010.wordpress.com/

The conference itself will take place at 7400 boul. St-Laurent. Opening night and the Solidarity evening are open to the public and will take place at Hingston Community Centre 419 St-Roch Friday, August 13, 7pm and Sunday, Aug 15 7pm respectively.

We ask that media acquire press accreditation for the conference through e-mail: miwcmedia@gmail.com.

(PRESS RELEASE)