10. Completing my first year of my doctorate program. It’s still beyond me how I managed being a full-time student while working full-time and being Malong Co-coordinator in PEP.

9. Art Without Barriers with Melissa Roxas. This event is where I saw before my own eyes the healing power of cultural work. For Melissa Roxas to lead this after being wrongfully detained and tortured by the Philippine military was truly inspirational. I’ve learned so much from her in terms of cultural work.

8. Performing with Diskarte Namin at the Power in Numbers concert. This band is a group of cultural workers I’ve always looked up to. So to be playing the kulintang with them was truly an honor. I saw it as my way of connecting with the late BJ Alisago, a member of Diskarte Namin who died a few years ago. Although I never met him in person, the kasamas tell me we share many similarities as cultural workers, and that to me is an honor in itself.

7. Seeing my family in Isabela, Philippines, for the first time. I finally got to see the land where my grandfather grew up and harnessed his farming skills. All my relatives there are still farmers, and though it’s a hard life, the simple way they live humbled me and made me appreciate my peasant roots.

6. Short expo program with Migrante International in the Philippines. Migrante was the organization we worked with during the typhoon disaster relief effort last year. I got to see firsthand the urban poor communities hardest hit by the typhoon, whose families have at least 2 members working abroad as OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers). The communities are still rebuilding, but their resilience is inspiring. I even got to teach their youth Hiphop dance, and despite having to dance in slippers or even barefoot, they are awesome dancers.

5. Visiting the Morong 43 in their detention center in Bicutan, Philippines. You can read about my experience visiting them in my blog here.

6. Working as part of the Bayan secretariat in the Philippines. I got to see how the National Democratic movement in the Philippines works and what it’s like to be a full-time activist. In the process I met and worked with several cultural workers from Concerned Artists of the Philippines and Ugat Lahi. I was creating something creative almost everyday, whether it was a video, slideshow, or dance routine. This experience allowed me to live and breathe cultural work.

5. Connecting and dancing with the Philippine Allstars. Despite being world champions on several occasions, they are the most down to earth and humble dancers I’ve ever met. The level of passion the dance community in the Philippines is unlike any I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in the dance game for almost 10 years. Perhaps it’s because they treat each practice, each performance, and each competition like it’s their last. Many come out of poverty, and dance is their way out of poverty. They put their hearts out on the dancefloor because poverty is not something they want to return to. Some even put so much passion in their performance that they break down and cry when they’re done. Learning this taught me to never take my talent in dance for granted and always stay hungry. I’m thankful the Allstars also had me come in and teach to their students. (videos here and here)

4. Performing a dance piece for SONA ng Bayan. I’ve been to and participated in past SONAs (State of the Nation Address), but this was the first time Hiphop dance was part of the program. There have always been other forms of cultural work, such as rock bands, interpretive and indigenous dance, rapping, singing, and spoken word. But never has there been Hiphop dance, and I’m thankful and humbled to bring that to SONA. Performing a dance piece that fiercely addressed the social ills of society, in front of 10,000 of my kababayan, meant more to me than any other performance I’ve ever done in my life. This is what I want to eventually bring to dance community.

3. Returning to Soulidified Project a more committed, determined, and passionate dancer. Perhaps it was my time with the dancers in the Philippines that reignited my passion for dance. I may be past my prime and not be able to pick up the new styles of choreography as quickly as I used to, but the passion for dance still remains.

2. International Assembly of Migrants and Refugees in Mexico. I was able to meet with migrants rights and hunan rights activists from Central and South America as well as from around the world. International solidarity was strengthened in fighting for the rights and welfare of migrants around the world and for their voices to be heard. Also the profound respect internationalists had for the National Democratic movement in the Philippines was eye-opening to me.

1. The release of the Morong 43. When I got the text and saw the updates on twitter, I cried tears of joy. These are kasamas whose only crime was providing free health care to those who most need it and who were neglected by the government. Seeing the pictures and videos of them reunited with their families was a testament to the hard work and dedication we all had as human rights advocates in clamoring for their release. We will continue fighting to the release of the rest of the 43 who are still in detainment because of bureaucratic red tape, and the release of all political prisoners.

Looking back at all this, I’m proud of what I was able to do this past year. I’m humbled and thankful for all the people, the kasamas, family, and friends, who have played pivotal roles in my growth this past year. And since I also turned 30 years old this year, I feel determined and energized more than before. I see this as a time of rebirth, my completion of Saturn’s return, and have more ambitions in the coming year.

Here’s to an amazing 2010 and an ambitious 2011. Isulong ang pakikibaka at Mabuhay sa iyong lahat!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.

Crunchy numbers

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has 296 steps to reach the top. This blog was viewed about 1,100 times in 2010. If those were steps, it would have climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa 4 times

In 2010, there were 16 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 46 posts. There were 12 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 10mb. That’s about a picture per month.

The busiest day of the year was January 27th with 48 views. The most popular post that day was “They Don’t Really Care About Us”.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, en.wordpress.com, alvinisms.blogspot.com, and mail.yahoo.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for promotion of church people’s response, francis m, morong 43, what does paalam mean, and haiti quake.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

“They Don’t Really Care About Us” January 2010
2 comments

“Paalam” Doesn’t Mean Goodbye August 2010
1 comment

Visiting the Morong 43 June 2010
1 comment and 1 Like on WordPress.com,

Journey to the Motherland May 2010

Helping Our Brothers and Sisters in Haiti January 2010

Reference:
NAFCON National Office
info@nafconusa.org

In Wake of DREAM Act Defeat Filipinos Reinvigorate Call for
Legalization for ALL

Just days after the DREAM Act failed to pass in the U.S. Senate, NAFCON reaffirms its commitment to fight for Legalization for All. Rev. Fr. Ben Alforque, MSC, NAFCON President commented, “There are more than one million undocumented Filipinos in the U.S. who have a right to a decent life here in America. Our kababayan should be recognized for their legitimate contribution to this country instead of having to live in the shadows. We must strengthen our efforts to fight for their rights.”

NAFCON is opposed to the criminalization of undocumented immigrants.  Migrants, specifically from third world countries such as the Philippines, are forced to leave their homelands because of the worsening conditions of landlessness, joblessness, and economic hardship. It is this situation of extreme poverty and hopelessness that pushes them to search for livelihood in the U.S. and 190 other countries throughout the world. Rev. Alforque stated, “It is inhumane to criminalize undocumented immigrants because laws should protect people in search of a better life not persecute them.”

NAFCON points to the role of the Philippine and U.S. government in creating the conditions that forced millions of Filipinos to migrate and become undocumented.  Every year the U.S. gives millions of tax dollars to the Philippine government as incentives to implement policies which favor American interests at the expense of the Filipino people. For example the Philippine government prioritizes repayment of its debt to the U.S. controlled IMF/World Bank over the welfare of its people. Rev. Alforque explained, “The Philippines spends nearly 20% of its national budget to debt servicing while the allocations for education, health care, and social welfare combined is 17%.  It is the implementation of policies like these, at the behest of the U.S., that impoverish the Philippines and force its people to seek a better life in other countries.”

NAFCON demands the U.S. overhaul its immigration system to protect all workers, unite families, and unify our communities. NAFCON also calls for an end to U.S. intervention in the Philippines and throughout the world because the issue of forced migration is rooted in the creation of poverty and resulting lack of opportunity in the third world.

NAFCON urges its member organizations and allies to work toward building a mass movement towards Legalization for All and an end to policies causing forced migration. Lyra Ibarra, Chairperson of Active Leadership to Advance the Youth in San Francisco commented, “We need to make certain that all our kababayan are given a fair path to legalization. It is not just those who go to college or who serve in the military that should be recognized, but all undocumented peoples who contribute to this country.”

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To join the NAFCON news list please send a request to info@nafconusa.org.
The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns [NAFCON] is a national multi-issue alliance of Filipino organizations and individuals in the United States serving to protect the rights and welfare of Filipinos by fighting for social, economic, and racial justice and equality. It was launched in San Jose California in 2003. At present, NAFCON members encompass over 23 cities in the United States.

For us Filipina/o progressives in the U.S., our analysis of the situation in our homeland was clear. We could not and would not just leave our kababayans alone to fend for themselves, even though we are an ocean apart. We wanted to help in a way that was direct, responsible, and accountable, while at the same time being critical of the Philippine government’s inaction. A disaster relief operation of NAFCON and SanDiwa’s general program of action was always in place, but was never utilized until Typhoon Ondoy. This relief operation was thus launched, in cooperation with Bayan-USA and Gabriela-USA as BAYANihan for Philippine Disaster Relief. Gathering aid for the victims, both monetary and in-kind, became the primary focus in all of our member organizations. What soon happened in the several weeks that followed was nothing short of remarkable. Thousands of people came and donated what they could in terms of volunteer time, monetary, or goods. Hundreds of balikbayan boxes full of donated clothes, medicine, and food began piling up at the different drop-off sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and New York/New Jersey. Tens of thousands of dollars were raised at countless club events and fundraisers. Programming at our respective community organizations were put on hold to channel all our efforts into helping our kababayan. Filipino Americans who didn’t care about what was going on in the Philippines had a change of heart after seeing the devastation as well as the community’s efforts to get aid directly to our kababayan. I remember getting a call from one Filipino American in particular who said he never made the effort to know about his cultural roots because he felt ashamed of it, but after seeing on the news the sheer devastation, he didn’t want to be ashamed anymore. He said he’s now 33 years old, and now wants to help out as much as he can to make up for all the lost time he spent hiding from his Filipino culture. Despite our lives being disrupted and the stress of organizing the donations and events, I don’t remember anyone complaining too much, because we knew all this was for our people back home. In the end, we were able to ship 750 boxes of in-kind aid to the Philippines as well as over $50,000 in monetary aid.

I can’t believe it’s already been one year since the Typhoon Ondoy disaster, one year since our operation, BAYANihan for Philippine Disaster Relief. As I remember back to the devastation of the typhoon itself, the devastation of the government’s lack of response, and how our transnational community came together to rebuild and heal our beloved homeland, I’m always brought back to that very emotional moment one year ago, fighting to hold back the tears. This was by far the most daunting task I have ever taken up and also certainly the most rewarding in my life as a community organizer. I’ve learned and grown much from that experience, and I am still deeply inspired by our collective work as a community and the work we were able to accomplish, the breadth of work that still remains unmatched by the efforts of the Philippine government. This past summer, I was able to integrate with Migrante International, who took me to visit the communities they work with and that were hard hit by the typhoon. They did receive our donations, and sold much of the clothes to help buy beds and building materials and tools. They are still rebuilding their communities to this day, and it was truly humbling and inspiring to see them still pushing forward and surviving.

One year later, and our communities in the Philippines, though still recovering and still neglected by the Philippine government, are true survivors and still resilient as ever. It has been said that the Filipino is like bamboo, we bend but we do not break. This disaster, both natural and man-made, may have bent us over backwards to the brink of despair. But we have proven through our transnational collective effort, we are far from broken.

I feel very blessed to have developed and grown to have a higher sense of collective effort, a higher sense of community. My experience with the mass movement in the Philippines definitely taught me that, and in the process, I clung close and fell in love with every kasama I have encountered, whether we’ve known each other for just a few days, 3 months, or most of our lives. No matter where we are in the world, we as kasamas fight the same struggle, grieve the same losses, and celebrate each other victories. And this is what makes this particular (re)transition process a little easier than the ones in the past.

The struggle we fight together is against the 3 basic problems; U.S. Imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat capitalism. We do this in a myriad of ways, marching in the streets, writing press statements, and doing cultural work, just to name a few. I truly felt I grew as a cultural worker during my time with the kasamas in the Philippines. It deepened my commitment to use my art and organizing with the purpose combatting the problems that plague society, and the first purpose of serving the people.

During my time in the Philippines, we have experiences losses which we have grieved together as a movement. 6 activists were victims of extrajudicial killings within the first months of the new Aquino administration. Their only crime was serving the people. It did not matter if we knew them personally or not, we still grieved together because they were part of our collective movement for national democracy.

But the loss that was very personal and quite heavy for me to take in happened after I left the Philippines. I have grown quite close to a kasama named Alex Remollino. He was a writer, a poet, and a journalist for the movement. He used his gift of writing for the purpose of serving the people, and he truly embodied what it meant to be a cultural worker. I was with him practically every day, working together on various campaigns, preparing for the People’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), and sharing many laughs in the office. Just always seeing his signature smile reminded me of what Talib Kweli calls “The Beautiful Struggle.” In the midst of struggle, as hard as it is, it’s always important to smile and laugh, because it keeps the balance in dealing with the struggle knowing how we’re doing good work in fighting oppression.

The day of my second interview for a job I was applying for, Alex passed away. I knew he had become sick and was hospitalized. The night before, I got updates from kasamas that he was getting better, so his death was devastating to accept. This was a kasama I became so close to, and is now gone from this world. Even though we only knew each other for 3 months, what mattered most was the quality of our time together, and I have gained a kasama for eternity. I had to wipe the tears away before the job interview, and to be honest, I don’t even remember how the interview went. I guess I was on auto pilot, because all I could think of was Alex. Later that night, I went to ALAY’s In Progress Open Mic and shared Lino Brocka’s “All to the Filipino Artist” to pay tribute to our beloved kasama Alex. It was cathartic for me, to engage in an artform Alex was known for, especially sharing a piece that exemplifies what it means to be a true artist, a true cultural worker. Through the facebook and twitter updates from the kasamas in the Philippines who were sharing tributes at Alex’s wake, I was there with them, grieving and celebrating the life of a true cultural worker and freedom fighter.

In this protracted struggle we fight together as a movement, we take time to grieve for the loved ones who have gone before us, but also remember to celebrate our victories. Today, I want to share and celebrate a personal victory. I don’t know what happened in that second job interview. Maybe it was my prayers being answered, staying positive, or kasamas who have passed on watching over me. But as of today, I am the new Youth Sector Bridge Project Coordinator for Community Youth Center of San Francisco. It’s a community project I have been hired to build from the ground up, to help immigrant youth learn life and job skills to contribute to their families and communities. It is a struggle that although is very local, I welcome it using all I’ve learned as an internationalist to continue serving the people. I am at this point in my life now because of all the struggles and the lessons learned from them, personally and collectively, locally and globally. It is truly a blessing from The Almighty Creator, who I praise and thank everyday for that I have been allowed to experience. The passion I have developed for serving the people I will implement into this new chapter in my life, and I wish to celebrate this with my community and my kasamas, wherever they may be.

Onward with the struggle…

Reference: San Francisco Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines

Email: sfchrp@yahoo.com

SFCHRP mourns the death of a very dear comrade, cultural worker, and friend, Alex Remollino. Alex passed away on September 3, 2010, after battling health complications due to pneumonia and diabetes. After being in hospitalized for a week at Philippine General Hospital, his death comes as a shock after showing signs of recovery.

Alex was a writer, poet, and journalist, and he used his gift for writing to uncover the truth of what is happening in the Philippines. As a former writer for Bulatlat, a progressive and pro-people news website, he wrote many news reports on the plight of the Filipina/o people, which include poverty, landlessness, and human rights violations from the Philippine government and military manipulated by U.S. Imperialism. Alex has delivered Filipina/os abroad the concrete facts to fight against the social issues that plague the Philippines, giving them a sharp analyses on their root causes. Alex, like his fellow progressive journalists, wrote these news stories from the side of those deeply affected by exploitation and oppression, a side mainstream news media rarely dares to tell. Alex would often report these stories from the grounds where and when they were actually happening, and his finished products truly had the feel of fresh, still steaming delivery.

In addition to being a pro-people journalist, Alex was also a close comrade and fellow organizer to activists fighting for justice against U.S. Imperialism and its Philippine presidential puppets, as a staff member of BAYAN-Philippines. He would often be found at rallies and mobilizations, marching amongst the people. In mass actions, he would be on his laptop reporting the events in real-time, through online social networks or live streams. This was indeed a testament to his commitment to the masses and having their true stories be told. Aside from journalism, Alex also used his gift of writing as a cultural worker, in the form of poetry. He wrote many poems that dealt with justice, resistance, and national democracy . He wrote his poems based on his experiences with the oppressed and those fighting for liberation. He made these poems easily accessible to the masses through his blog as well as progressive news websites.

Through it all, Alex was also a very dear friend. Despite the hard work of mass organizing and progressive news writing, Alex always found time to laugh, break bread, and share his talents with those around him. Ryan Leano, of SFCHRP shares, “I first met Alex in 2009, when he was visiting the the organizations under BAYAN-USA. He shared with us the hard but rewarding life of being a progressive journalist in the Philippines, where human rights violations are seemingly indiscriminant. He also shared the basics of writing press statements and releases, of which I based a press writing workshop for our organization. I met him again in 2010 in the Philippines, where I spent 3 months doing mass organizing work with BAYAN-Philippines. I was with him almost daily, working together on the rallies and mobilizations, as well as sharing many laughs in the office. He has become a very close friend, and I am deeply affected by his passing. I miss him terribly, but I am forever grateful for all he taught me and the happy moments we shared as fellow cultural workers.”

Alex will always be remembered as a freedom fighter for the oppressed, a staunch anti-imperialist, a cultural worker with the purpose of serving the people, and a dear friend who loved to share laughter. His legacy will live on as long as cultural workers keep using their respective artforms with the purpose of serving the oppressed, the disenfranchised, and silenced.

MABUHAY, ALEX REMOLLINO! ITULOY ANG KANYANG LABANAN!!

###

SF-CHRP, a member organization of BAYAN-USA, is a grassroots organization that educates, organizes, and mobilizes people and communities in the Bay Area to take progressive action in upholding and supporting human rights in the Philippines, as well as supporting the human rights struggles of all people.

There is so much to process and reflect during my past 3 months in the motherland, so much that cannot be contained within a blog. The only things I could do were twitter updates and video & picture uploads on facebook every chance I could find, which is what is now called “micro-blogging.”

There is so many stories to tell, and so many valuable lessons learned, that I really want to do them justice by taking my time to process everything. But if it one thing I can say about my journey in the motherland this time around, I can sum it up in one word: Love.

Love. It is one of the things I was told to be careful falling into during my time here. But after all the hard work, after all the anger and rage against the machine channeled creatively through our cultural work, and after all the joy and laughter, I couldn’t help it. I did fall in love, deeply. I fell in love with the movement for national democracy that crosses transnationally. I fell in love with the work that drives this movement, both creatively and administratively. Most especially, I fell in love with the people, both my fellow activists and the people we serve. It was their passion, creativity, humility, and love for the people that melted my heart.

I can remember a stage in my activism that was guided by nothing but rage and anger, a stage we call “grim & determined,” also know as G&D. It was during this stage when despite my good intentions, I instead had made enemies and my approach was more divisive rather than uplifting & unifying. I then realized a very humbling life lesson, as Che Guevarra said, “At the risk of sounding foolish, a true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.” That was 4 years ago, and though I etched that lesson into my head, this journey and this process, and the people who were with me every step of the way, etched that lesson into my heart. And that I why I say I fell in love.

To the people I’ll be returning to in this transnational movement: Bayan-USA, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, SanDiwa, and Pin@y Educational Partnerships; our motherland has nurtured one of her own, and she is giving me to you better, stronger, and wiser. We have the special and unique position of being in the “belly of the beast,” and as one of the activists here has said, each time we come back to the motherland and return to the belly, our movement becomes much stronger. I’m ready, conscious, and committed. Let’s get to work.

To the people that were literally by my side in this journey: Migrante International, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Makabayan Coalition, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, and Ugatlahi Artists Collective; I am forever indebted to all of you for all the love you have given me and the vital roles you played in my growth as an activist, a cultural worker, a person. Isang mahal, para sa masa, para sa pakikibaka. Hindi kita malilimutan, and I will not say goodbye, but I will say “Paalam.” Because “Paalam” means I’m just letting you know I’m only leaving the space, but with the intention of returning. We will definitely see each other again.

So, Paalam, motherland. Your son will return soon.