Friends from Foreign Lands, Filipinos at Heart

They speak of landless peasants, abuse of human rights and the dehumanizing effects of the war on terror. Members of the Philippine International Forum are foreigners in the Philippines – many of them long-time residents – but their solidarity work for the Filipino cause reveals a deep commitment that makes them stay longer.

By Alexander Martin Remollino
Bulatlat.com

It was somewhat unusual to hear foreigners, mostly Caucasians, speak fluent Filipino.

Many of them, in fact, speak the language more fluently than most Filipinos.

They are members of the Philippine International Forum (PIF), which celebrated its 20th anniversary last Feb. 22 at the Titus Brandsma Center in Quezon City. The anniversary celebration was marked by a string of cultural performances from Marili and Wiccie Ilagan, Dessa Quesada, Sining Bugkos, Sining Lila, Bersus, and other artists.

It was also the occasion for the launching of PIF’s third Letter of Concern.

At the end of the cultural performances, it was somewhat poignant to see the mostly-white foreigner crowd of close to a hundred sing the patriotic “Bayan Ko” and chanting: “Long live international solidarity!”

PIF at a glance

The PIF describes itself as “a network of foreign residents of various national and ethnic origins, religious beliefs, political views and backgrounds committed to solidarity with the Filipino people in their efforts for justice, peace, and self-determination.” It conducts yearly conferences in which its members come together to discuss issues related to the Philippine situation.

According to Dr. Wim de Ceukelaire of Belgium, who was PIF co-chairperson for 2003-04 together with Sr. Mary Grenough, an American Maryknoll nun and nurse who works with the Justice Not War Coalition, “The initiators of PIF were foreign church people, especially from the Catholic Church, who were assigned in Mindanao. They came together—actually that was an initiative of Fr. Luis Hechanova, a Redemptorist. He brought them together for a meeting. I think that was in Western Mindanao sometime in 1984.”

That was the first PIF conference. The second was held a year later, in which development workers were also invited for the first time. According to Dr. De Ceukelaire, it was in that meeting that the idea of a letter of concern came up.

The first PIF Letter of Concern dealt with the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship and called on Christian churches of the United States to stand in solidarity with the people’s anti-fascist resistance.

“That was in late 1985 to the early months of 1986,” says Dr. De Ceukelaire. Aside from that, PIF members were also involved in various ways in anti-Marcos protest actions.

The second PIF Letter of Concern was published in 1988, at the height of the popular campaigns against U.S. military bases in the Philippines. “It focused on why the Filipino people want the U.S. bases out,” Dr. De Ceukelaire says. “It gave a historical background of what role the U.S. bases have played in the history of the Philippines—such as the role of U.S. intervention.”

Letter of Concern, 2004

The PIF’s third Letter of concern tackles the worsening state of human rights under the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

Culling from various human rights and media reports, the 2004 Letter of Concern presents a disturbing picture of the over-all human rights situation in the Philippines in the last three years. Aside from its main article, the 2004 Letter of Concern includes a number of box articles on prominent cases of human rights violations under the Macapagal-Arroyo regime, such as the massacre of youth activists in Maco, Compostela Valley last year, the Mindoro killings of Bayan Muna activists, and the murders of 13 journalists also last year.

It correctly explains the human rights situation under the Macapagal-Aroyo regime in the context of the U.S.-led international war on “terror,” which is being actively supported by the incumbent president.

Sr. Mary and Dr. De Ceukelaire state in the executive summary: “The U.S. government’s war on terrorism, like the Philippine government’s militarist response to domestic conflict, is a plastic solution to deeply-rooted socio-economic political problems. The problem of landlessness for the majority peasant population, foreign domination of economic and political life, rampant government corruption, and national oppression of Muslims were institutionalized during almost 400 years of Spanish and American colonialism. Profound transformation of political, social, and economic structures is necessary to build genuine peace in the Philippines. But serious pursuit of this path to peace has not been undertaken.”

What moves PIF

PIF’s members usually come from the U.S. and Europe, while some come from Asian countries such as Japan.

A good number of them have been in the Philippines for a long time, some having been here as early as 1962. These are people who could have been doing more “glamorous” or lucrative work in perfumed rooms in their own countries: doctors, priests and the like.

Considering that they usually come from countries wealthier economically than the Philippines, what makes them stay on?

Let Dr. De Ceukelaire explain: “These are people in whom something is awakened when they are exposed to realities in the Philippines…Most people who are still active in PIF after a long time are those who are closely connected with the people’s movement. Most of them are closely in touch with the lives of Filipinos whether in the streets or in the barrios (villages).” Bulatlat.com

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