Colmenares questions Canadian military aid to PH

Colmenares questions Canadian military aid to PH

Former Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares’s Toronto jumpstart of 4-province Canadian tour

By Sophia de Guzman

LJI Reporter

The Philippine Reporter

Atty. Neri Colmenares at the Toronto forum.
Photo: Sophia de Guzman

Filipino human rights lawyer Atty. Neri Colmenares drew a crowd of Filipino activists, community organizers and members of the press to downtown Toronto to present to Filipinos in Canada the current state of human rights in the Philippines and the realities for Filipinos under the Marcos Jr. government.

At the core of Colmenares’ talk with the crowd, he said, was the intention to encourage Filipinos to engage with the struggles in the Philippines.

The group gathered in the United Steelworkers Hall, where Colmenares gave a brief press conference followed by a community forum where community members and groups were able to ask the former congressman questions and respond to his presentation.

Press conference with Atty. Neri Colmenares. Media reps Sophia de Guzman, Mila Garcia, Hermie Garcia, The Philippine Reporter; Rodge Cultura, CBC Radio; and Waynes Manalang, Radyo Migrante with Malaya and ICHRP Canada organizers.
Photo: Claudine Sia Lucente

Colmenares will visit four provinces and more than five cities across the country this month during his tour, hosted by Malaya Canada and International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines.

One attendee, Agnes Lopez-Manasan said that after hearing Colmenares speak she now wants to get more active in Filipino politics again.

“He reminded me about the time when we were doing the campaign for Leni that really, you can mobilize the people, if there is a leader that can really inspire and I guess I’m hopeful again right now that something can still be done.”

Colmenares covered a wide range of topics, from the environmental situation in the Philippines to the rampant inflation and unemployment plaguing many Filipinos. However, the former congressman pointed attention to the Canadian government and its possible role in the instability in the country–namely, through Canada’s recently announced Indo-Pacific Strategy.

Thomas S. Saras, President and CEO of National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada pinning the organization’s official medal on Colmenares in recognition of his contributions to social justice and human rights.
Photo: Mila Garcia

Launched in November 2022, the Canadian government developed the Indo-Pacific strategy to “establish Canada as an active and engaged partner” for Asian states, which the strategy deems as some of the fastest growing economies in the world. The strategy intends to develop partnerships with Asian countries in five sectors, one of which being “security”. This means that the Canadian government has committed military funding to the countries that it hopes to develop closer partnerships with.

This has called the attention of Atty. Neri Colmenares. One of the stops along his tour will be in Ottawa meeting with Canada’s Members of Parliament where he says he plans to  advocate against Canada sending military funds to the Philippine government without express purpose. Based on the human rights atrocites that have either been proven to take place or alleged under multiple Filipino leaders, Colmenares says Canadian money for the military will not solve problems for Filipinos.

“We would just like to find out, after all the experience the  international community has on how the police and the military killed thousands of people under the Duterte–how can [Canada] now say that, ‘Oh, we’re going to offer taxpayers money of Canadians.’ The military has just killed just barely a year ago, committed all these atrocities.”

Earl Francis Dacara, Malaya Canada in Toronto/ President Bicol Canada Community Association (BCCA) reads Malaya Certificate of Appreciation for Neri Colmenares.
Photo: Claudine Sia Lucente

Colmenares clarified that while he may be more accepting of these funds if they can be proven to go towards supporting the Philippine military that are attempting to assert claim over the West Philippine Sea, he says he knows that there are  peaceful resolutions to this situation.

Colmenares also looked back on what he called an “electoral mass movement” that arose in support of Vice President Leni Robredo’s bid for presidency. Through grassroots techniques, Colmenares was able to gather significant following for the candidate from community orgnaizations and regional groups. He spoke to his amazement seeing  millions of people mobilize for the electoral campaign, he also took this opportunity to dissuade Filipinos, especially abroad from staying pessimistic about the political situation in the Philippines.

“Look at the gains. What was the gain? We achieved something. We created an electoral mass movement never achieved before in our history, and many countries cannot follow that. In the same way we invented the, quote, unquote, the people power in 1986.”

From left: Ed Muyot, Malaya Canada; Agnes Manasan, UPAAT President/Malaya Toronto; Bern Jagunos ICHRP-Toronto; Earl Dacara, Malaya Toronto/ President Bicol Canada Community Association; Colmenares; Wilma Delo, Bayan Canada chair; Myka Isabella, Anakbayan Canada; Olivia Camacho, Malaya Canada; Chris Sorio, Sec Gen Migrante Canada; Lui Queaño, Malaya Canada. Photo: Claudine Sia Lucente

Youth activist and chair of Anakbayan Toronto, Hannah Sabit said that she learned a lot from hearing Colmenares speak, mostly that activists must create tangible goals to progress,

“We don’t just go out marching in the street, just to call out the criticisms that we have for them, we also propose solutions. And the solution is that we must fight for national industrialization in our country, we must fight for genuine agrarian reform in the country, so that we are able to sustain ourselves as a country and stop the  exploitation and commodification of the people like us.”

Colmenares also emphasized the overall strategy of the movement, another way to dissuade people from getting frustrated and disillusioned by the most recent election, “Three K’s” he calls it. The three K’s stand for, “korte, kongreso, at sa kalasada”, meaning in the courts, congress, and on the streets. These are the three domains that Colmenares will emphasize on his tour where Filipinos can put their efforts to struggle for getting conditions in the Philippines.

“We are not destined to eternal poverty and oppression that is not the destiny of our people. That is not our destiny,” said Colmenares.

Portion of 150-strong audience that attended the forum with Atty. Neri Colmenares.
Photo: Sophia de Guzman