Beauty beyond borders
Beauty beyond borders
LORRAINE TAGALOG, the newly crowned Hiyas ng Pilipinas Canada 2005 believes that beauty and justice make a better world. The newly crowned beauty queen is popularly known for her quest in seeking a woman’s perfect beauty. But what is unknown to many is Tagalog’s immeasurable spirit as a crusader for human rights abuses.
A self-proclaimed transgender and “woman,” Tagalog’s latest pursuit for justice came into light when she filed a civil action against the Toronto Police Services Board, a police officer and a donut shop for “assault and battery” and “breach of her Charter rights.” Demonstrating an act of bravery, she remained adamant that the Police Services Board “failed to properly investigate her complaint” and instead “were treated by the investigating officer as if she was guilty of having committed an offense.” In her court statement, Tagalog described herself as a “female” and she felt “personally degraded” after being “shoved out by the police officers and the donut shop owner for no apparent reason.” The case is still under investigation and she wishes that justice will be served. In her statement, she further added, “This is Canada and we are known throughout the world as a country that protects human rights, not only for the majority but for the minorities as well regardless of their religion, political belief, status, lifestyle, sexual orientation, gender and gender preference.” For Tagalog, she is steadfast in her mission to achieve her rights “no matter how tedious or daunting the task will take.” She believes that her strength and commitment will serve as the driving force to win the case.
Her latest experience with the law officers in Toronto is no longer a new incident for Tagalog. Though the incident brought back chilling memories, it also reminded her why she immigrated to Canada.
Fifteen years ago, Tagalog set foot on this land armed with nothing except a positive attitude to start a new life. She had to run away from the people in the Philippines who wanted her “dead or alive.”
Suspected as an NPA sympathizer, Tagalog did not have any other choice but to seek refuge in Canada. She vehemently denied her affiliation with the NPA’s ; however, admitted that she belonged to the leftist. She only claims that she is a member of a “Human Rights Group” that believes in achieving justice through peaceful means.
“I believe in peaceful process,” Tagalog said. “I made it clear to the government that I never belonged to an armed group.
Back in May 1981, Tagalog experienced psychological torture under the hands of the Philippine military. She joined the march denouncing the cheating of elections. She was just a college student at that time and was one of 30 demonstrators arrested. She recalled.
“They interrogated me a lot and threatened to place behind bars if I did not tell the truth. I was confused because all I did was to join a rally against the cheating of election process. Thank God they did not harm me because I was a student. Yet, as I saw some of my peers coming out from the detention cell, vomiting blood, I got scared. The anguish, the cries of those detained were too much to bear. I witnessed their torture. There were many women crying. We were transferred to different camps; totally confused.”
A native of Balamban province of Cebu, Tagalog attended St Francis Academy where she was nurtured to believe that equality among mankind is the main ingredient for peace. To achieve peace, Tagalog said, is by exercising basic human rights. “I remember one of the nuns telling us stories of human rights abuses. In my innocent mind, I knew it was wrong and something must be done about it. I pity the poor people. I feel that no one should be oppressed because he or she is born poor. When I was in Barrio Luz with the nuns, I witnessed the cries of the poor people in the squatter’s area when their houses were demolished. I felt angry and helpless”. From that time on, Tagalog became a crusader for justice.
Tagalog’s passion for equality made him a student activist that led to several school suspensions. One school was the San Jose Recolletos in Cebu City. This time, the core’s issue was nationalism – the rights of the Filipinos to have their own identity. “I believe that the Philippine’s educational system should change to suit the Filipino’s needs and not the Western needs,” she explained. “I was against the students studying other languages or subjects in English language when we should be studying it in Tagalog. How can we inspire our young generation to love our country when we are so much focused in the culture of others especially the western culture?”
As she grew to adulthood, her commitment to pursue justice became more apparent especially to the government. Her involvement with human rights issues dragged her to the arena of the left. She later learned that there were many abductions and disappearances among her group. There were even several attempts to kill her family so they had to leave their hometown. Tagalog was lucky to have escaped the torture during the Balamban massacre. “Many were captured, tortured and killed. I was the Secretary General of Bayan Balamban.”
It is important to note that based on the 2002 report of the Amnesty International, the abuses in the Philippines included “unlawful killings” by both government forces and opposition armed groups. In its report on the Philippines, Amnesty also cited harassment, killings or “disappearances” of opposition politicians, activists and journalists as well as torture and ill-treatment of suspects. “Despite an extensive range of institutional and procedural safeguards, complaint mechanisms and legal sanctions, suspected perpetrators of serious human rights violations were rarely brought to justice and a climate of impunity persisted,” Amnesty said.
As for Tagalog, she is preparing to lead a normal and peaceful life. “I have to move forward and leave the past behind,” she added with utmost optimism. She is contented working as a bookkeeper and part time modeling. She has also remained focused to improve herself as a “woman” (by taking numerous trips to the Philippines for various operations). For her, it is a different lifestyle. Yet, she will continue to carry the torch of justice.
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