Satur was here

Anyone who has ever been able to work with Satur Ocampo can understand what an honor it is to welcome him in Brussels. In Philippine activist circles Bayan Muna congressman Ka Satur is an institution. "My life is the struggle and the struggle is my life," he said in an interview he did with Belgian newspaper De Morgen while he was here. And I swear that in the mouth of Ka Satur these words don't sound hollow.

We visited several European and Belgian Parliamentarians and paid a visit to the representatives of the European Commission. That last visit is what he talked about later on BBC World as you can see in the clip someone posted on youtube.

We had less than 48 hours in Brussels and there wasn't much time to unwind. Last year when he was in Brussels we had some more time and I will always remember how, after three long days of meetings and speaking engagements, he opted to spend time with his compatriots for some light talk. It was already past midnight and he must have been dead tired (at least I was!) but he didn't think twice and immediately accepted the invitation of some Filipinos who were so excited to see a congressman who actually showed interest into their lives. They met Ka Satur, a congressman like no other.

Save solidarity!

Finally, I can assuage the fears of my foreign friends: We, Belgians, are not on the brink of civil war. Although our politicians are whipping up the contradictions between Flanders and Wallonia, the movement for solidarity is gathering steam. A petition was launched today for solidarity between all Belgians instead of the division and competition that is promoted by the rightist political parties. We have to unite in defense of our jobs, rights and environment, the petition rightly states. Even if it was only launched today, the petition already gathered 8500 signatures as of 10 pm tonight.

Joma Sison arrested

OK, maybe you don't like Joma. Your problem. But at least you can trust Jackie. I met her a couple of months ago. Believe me, you can trust her.

Belgium united

This country is going to the dogs, if our politicians are to be believed. Two months after the elections they are still trying to figure out how to form the new government. In order to justify their ineptitude they're blaming the deep divisions between French- and Dutch-speaking part of the country. Divide and rule, you know. Well, some people down here in Belgium just had enough of it. Some started a campaign on Myspace and changed their pictures with the flag. It's not that we're Belgian nationalists but we're against any further division according to language, race, belief or whatever. The people are united as one!

BTW, it reminds me of my favorite Husker Du song:

It's not about my politics
Something happened way too quick
A bunch of men who played it sick
They divide, conquer

For those under 30 or over 50: Husker Du was one of those bands that helped me through the 1980s.

This one's for Leterme: Divide and conquer live!

Filippijnse vakbondsleider en parlementslid bijna vrij

Beltran meer dan een jaar onschuldig gevangen

Rebellie? Dat moet inbeelding zijn! Het Filippijnse Hooggerechtshof was niet mals voor de openbare aanklagers die ervoor zorgden dat Crispin Beltran, de populaire Filippijnse vakbondsleider, al 15 maanden gevangen zit. Volgens het Hof waren er geen aanwijzingen dat de man, die ook al zes jaar volksvertegenwoordiger is, een opstand beraamde.

Beltran werd op 25 februari van vorig jaar gearresteerd. Volgens de Filippijnse regering zou hij samen met andere leiders van de sociale bewegingen en rechtse militairen een samenzwering opgezet hebben om de macht te grijpen.

Na de arrestatie van Beltran konden vijf andere progressieve parlementsleden aan arrestatie ontkomen door bijna twee maanden in het parlementsgebouw te kamperen. Beltran zelf bleef sindsdien achter slot en grendel in afwachting van een proces. Wegens zijn wankele gezondheid—de man is 74—werd hij overgebracht naar een ziekenhuis.

Gelukkig kan de oude man rekenen op steun uit binnen- en buitenland. Toen ik hem daar twee maand geleden opzocht toonde hij me een register met de namen van zijn bezoekers. De dag voor mij was een Japanse delegatie mensenrechtenactivisten langs geweest en enkele dagen eerder een Canadese parlementair. Ook in ons land werd de zaak van Beltran herhaaldelijk onder de aandacht gebracht tijdens acties van Stopthekillings.be. Op ons aandringen stelde senator Josy Dubié ook een parlementaire vraag over Beltran. Toen de Filippijnse presidente Arroyo de voorbije weken op bezoek was in Australië, Nieuw Zeeland en Italië waren er overal acties tegen zijn opsluiting. In totaal kreeg hij steunbetuigingen uit 33 landen. “Ik sta in het krijt bij de duizenden die me gesteund hebben, “zegt Beltran, “want het is dankzij hun steun dat ik en mijn familie weerstand hebben kunnen bieden aan deze onrechtvaardigheid.”

Voorlopig is het nog wachten op de uiteindelijke invrijheidstelling. Beltran denkt er niet aan om rust te nemen. “Ik heb zolang kunnen rusten,” zegt hij, “en bovendien herinnert mijn opsluiting eraan dat er nog veel werk aan de winkel is voor gerechtigheid en mensenrechten zullen heersen in ons land.”

I wish I could vote...

...in the May 14 elections in the Philippines. The new TV clips of the progressive party-list groups are simple but very powerful. "For Bayan Muna, you come first!" The slogan says it all! But also the "Ako ay anakpawis (I'm a toiler)" from Anakpawis is a great punchline. Moreover, there's a couple of good friends of mine appearing in both videos.





Bonus track:

Elections, Philippine style

Election fever has gripped the Philippines and many candidates and parties are campaigning in the streets of Manila. Meanwhile the combination of guns, goons and gold are the ingredients of another messy election campaign. The government deployed the military to certain urban poor areas of the city where they are harassing the campaigners of progressive party-list systems. Clear proof of government intervention in the elections has been made public this week when Gabriela Women's Party presented a leaked memo of the Office of the President to the public. The memo unveils a plan to "fully support several pro-administration parties" and "substantially lower the number of leftist or left-leaning party-list organizations in the House of Representatives. The memo explicitly mentions that the proposal to fund pro-administration parties is but one of the ways to achieve this goal. And probably it is just the most innocent...

Satur is free! Mabuhay ka Ka Satur!

The human rights crisis in the Philippines has eaten much of my time these past few weeks. First there was the Permanent People's Tribunal second session on the Philippines in The Hague. It was an emotional experience to listen to all these testimonies in the presence of some of the victims. Then, there was the campaign against the detention of Satur Ocampo.

Fortunately, our efforts paid off this time. Satur was released today, although he had to post bail and the Philippe secretary of injustice already threatened to push for the start of his trial. Anyway, whatever they try Bayan Muna will be no. 1 in the May 14 polls.

Don't you dare to arrest Satur

Yesterday a judge issued an arrest warrant against congressman Satur Ocampo. Obvioulsy, the charges are baseless. First of all, the case rests solely on the testimonies of the alleged perpetrators of the crime who are now working for the military. Moreover, Satur was in detention during the time the alleged crime took place, more than 20 years ago. There is no doubt that this is a political attack against Satur, who is representing the progressive people's movement in Philippine Congress.

I consider Satur a dear friend after we've been working together a couple of times. Last October he was still my guest and we went around Brussels to visit different personalities and organizations. I envied his energy and courage. That's why I was happy to see his trademark smile in this picture that was taken today why he was eluding arrest. Satur is still in fighting form!

Friends from China

Tang and Sung left after a visit of 3 days in Brussels. They're both Taiwanese activists who are active in the labor movement. I met Tang first in the Philippines in 2002 when we were room mates during a fact-finding mission. He invited me to Taipei one year later and I spent a wonderful week in that city, integrating with the activist community of China's breakaway province--a place where nobody would expect much activist activity whatsoever. I discovered the true meaning of hospitality, as well as a world of incredible courage and persistence. I also discovered friendship that brought Tang all the way to Brussels. They proceeded to the UK now but Tang will soon go back to Taipei to resume his organizing work. One day I hope to pay him a return visit. In the meantime: good luck to Tang and the other labor organizers and peace activists over there!

Just another war

So the US bombed Somalia? It hardly gets a mention in the newspaper. Another year, another war, another salvo of US air strikes on a sovereign country. Aren't we getting used to it too easily? Fortunately, some people, like Mohamed Hassan, who knows the region like the palm of his hand, provide some background. Read an interview on globalresearch.ca.