This Sunday, on December 20, 2009, in San Francisco, California:

Cheryl Burke, the Philippine Disaster Relief Coalition, the Philippine Consulate General – San Francisco, Ayala Foundation USA, ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya Foundation, and other collaborating friends are coming together with the holiday spirit to “Dance for a Cause.” Please share this special invitation with our friends in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Here is the video invitation for your viewing pleasure.

You can download, print, embed, or share this flier with your friends.

Esmael Mangudadatu thought it was safe to let his wife file his Certificate of Candidacy (COCs). No men from the family went along since he believed that women would not be attacked by rivals. Journalists also came along with the convoy. Alas, Mangudadatu was wrong. The convoy was stopped by 100 armed men, who brought them away from the highway and then brutally shot them with M-16 rifles and machetes.

News Report on the brutality of the murder of the women in the Maguindanao Massacre. His account is just brutal beyond your wildest imagination.

“Esmael Mangudadatu said the body of his murdered wife had been horrifyingly mutilated and that his dead sister and aunt had both been pregnant.

‘We can’t call him an animal because I have pets and they are tame. No, he is a monster. They are monsters,’ Mangudadatu told reporters, referring to Ampatuan Jr. and his gunmen.

‘My wife’s private parts were slashed four times, after which they fired a bullet into it,’ he added.

In commemoration of the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders, Rep. Liza Maza today led women from Karapatan and Gabriela in an all-women protest action in Mendiola, as they called for justice for the 22 women victims in the Maguindanao massacre.

“Women victims in the Maguindanao massacre were massacred twice over— their lives were brutally taken and they were sexually violated. I condemn in strongest terms these most reprehensible acts of violence,” Maza said, amid reports of the Department of Justice that the 22 women victims in the Maguindanao massacre were shot at their genitals.

Two women human rights defenders, Atty. Concepcion “Connie” Brizuela and Atty. Cynthia Oquendo, were among the 57 victims.

Atty. Brizuela has long been a passionate defender of women’s rights who worked tirelessly to end state violence against women in Mindanao region. She was also one of the lawyers of Gabriela Women’s Party during the past elections and handled women human rights cases. Atty. Oquendo was also known for her activism in health-related causes and in social justice movement. Maza said that Oquendo was a member of Gabriela during her student days.

“The killing of these two women human rights defenders shows the grave threats that loom before women during the election period and the violation of their human rights, particularly their right to participate in political processes,” she asserted.

To date, 62 bodies have been recovered.

Show your indignation and protest by signing an online petition on Strike against Impunity, Strike for Peace and Democracy

Today we say, “Enough.”

The massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao goes beyond a rido or clan war. The sheer scope of barbarity, the brazenness of the murders betrays the perpetrators’ belief in being beyond the reach of the law.

Women, lawyers and journalists – no one escaped the butchers’ wrath. Fifty-seven people killed in broad daylight. The murderers had planned the deed, down to the mass burial of victims. That is the mark of the untouchable.

I condemn the brutality of the Maguindanao Massacre. I will NOT let this pass. I want the whole the world to know, especially the Arroyo government that we will not stop until justice is delivered to the victims of the Ampatuan Massacre (otherwise known as Maguindanao Massacre) . I grieve for all the women, journalists and other innocent victims who suffered extreme violence and the brutal slaying.

I will make sure you did not die in vain.

We should not let allow this to happen again and we cannot allow this climate of impunity to reign.

San Francisco, CA, October 3, 2009 – The Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) has selected Myrna Lardizabal De Vera, Vice-Chair, City of Hercules Planning Commission, as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S., “Policymakers & Visionaries” category.

The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Award™ honors Filipina women who are changing the face of power in America and who have reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields and who are recognized for their leadership and achievements in the U.S. workplace and communities.

“The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. are dynamic leaders who are influential in their respective fields and local communities. These role models are powerful examples of women doing extraordinary work who will inspire our youth and future leaders,” said Lieutenant Colonel Shirley Saoit Raguindin of the Arizona National Guard and chair of the FWN 100 Nationwide Search and Selection Committee. “The awardees are asked to womentor a protégée so we can double the number of Filipina leaders by 2012. They were selected from nominations submitted from across the United States.”

“The selection process included personal interviews of the qualified nominees based on six categories and selection criteria conducted by a team of 2007 FWN 100 Awardees. In the spirit of collaboration, the scores were tabulated with the help of members of the Filipino American Association of Certified Public Accountants,” said Elena Mangahas, board chair of the Filipina Women’s Network.

The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Awards™ is a working recognition award, a key initiative of Pinay Power 2012. Pinay Power 2012 is a dream with a meaningful purpose: double the number of Filipina women leaders by 2012.

“The awardees will participate in the Womentoring Pinay Circles, which will be launched at the 6th Filipina Leadership Summit in Berkeley, California,” said Marily Mondejar, president of the Filipina Women’s Network. “The Pinay Circles aim to provide professional and personal development of women leaders, exposing them to critical public and private sector issues affecting Filipina women and enhancing their competitive knowledge from state, national and global perspectives. It connects Filipina leaders from across the U.S. with each other and with decision-makers, thinkers and practitioners and promotes creativity and innovation through the sharing of ideas and best practices. The Pinay Circle members are empowered to contribute more fully to the communities and companies in which they live and work.”

Pinay Power 2012 began in 2006 with a dream to inspire, inform, and advance Filipina women leaders who would influence the Filipino American community’s future. It provides a critical pathway for successful women who care about advancement, achievement, and significance. These women are not only talking about change, but plan to be part of making it happen.

For additional details concerning Pinay Power 2012 and to attend the Filipina Leadership Summit, call (415) 278-9410 or go to www.FilipinaWomensNetwork.org. For additional details concerning Myrna Lardizabal De Vera, contact Lorna Dietz at RadiantView@gmail.com or (415) 508-5326.

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Filipina Women’s Network’s 6th Filipina Leadership Summit, Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2009

About Filipina Women’s Network (FWN)
FWN is the non-profit association for women of Philippine ancestry based in the United States. FWN’s mission is to advance Filipina women in the U.S. workplace through programs and activities that enhance public perceptions of Filipina women’s capacities to lead, change biases against Filipina women’s leadership abilities, and build the Filipina community’s pipeline of qualified leaders, to increase the odds that some will rise to the president position in all sectors. More info: Call 415.278.9410 or email filipina@ffwn.org. http://www.filipinawomensnetwork.org

About the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Awards™
The Filipina Women’s Network’s FWN 100 awards program is part of a larger game plan called “Pinay Power 2012″ – a dream with a meaningful purpose – to double the number of Filipina women leaders by 2012. The prestigious recognition is a working award – the winners are asked to womentor a protégée. Both leaders are invited to return to the Filipina Leadership Summit in 2012.

About the Filipina Leadership Summit
Filipina Women’s Network’s annual Filipina Leadership Summit is the leading national forum of its kind. Filipina professionals – decision makers in leading industries – gather to learn the latest developments for multicultural professionals in the U.S. workplace and make the connections that will advance their businesses and professional careers.

Now in its sixth year, FWN holds its annual Filipina Leadership Summit in October in observance of Filipino American History Month. The 2009 summit is held from October 30 to November 1, 2009 at the Claremont Hotel in Berkeley, California. More info: www.FilipinaWomensNetwork.org/summit09

The Filipina Summit is the definitive gathering of Filipina women to celebrate the advancement and contributions of Filipina Americans to U.S. society. It is a time of remembrance, reflection, and motivation to renew efforts towards research, examination, and promulgation of Filipina American history and culture. FWN provides the content, credibility and community to help women of Philippine ancestry succeed in their businesses and careers.

HOTLINE FOR ABUSED WOMEN is +632-922-5235 or +632-926-7744
Donations in cash and kind are welcome at the Women’s Crisis Center, 3F ER-Trauma Extension, Annex Building of the East Avenue Medical Center in Diliman , Quezon City

I think that violence at home, or between intimate partners, is as abhorrent as violence of any kind. It destroys not only the trust and love between partners, it also kills the human spirit. And while physical bruises may heal, the deeper scars and damage is inflicted to the psyche and to the soul. First of all, I think women who have been physically abused should realize that they are not powerless and that they can do something to get out of it. I think reclaiming one’s own power to change a situation, however hopeless it may seem, is the most important first step to take in rebuilding one’s self-esteem. Instead of blaming, or looking for excuses, facing the situation head on and deciding things are going to change is already a turning point and heading in the right direction.—Tippi Ocampo, fashion designer

A man is never justified in beating any woman. It is not just about his inability to control rage, although that may be a factor. More importantly, it is a symptom of a broader societal malaise that nurtures violence and accepts the subjugation of women to men. He is a product of a macho culture that accepts this behavior and even emulates it. It is a criminal behavior that should never be condoned by friends, relatives, and neighbors.

A battered woman should build a support group around her. She needs reassurance that there are people around her who love and care for her and that she can survive outside the abusive relationship. She should also seek professional counseling. Often, battered women are trapped in a cycle of violence where they often justify the behavior of their abusive partners and end up going back in their arms only to be abused again. She has to realize that any form of violence on her is never justified. —Ingrid Gorre, lawyer

Read more at What women say about domestic violence

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on August signed into law the measure prohibiting discrimination against women, and recognizing and promoting their rights.

Republic Act 9710 or the Magna Carta of Women, signed at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang Palace, ensures women’s equitable participation and representation in government, political parties, international bodies, civil service and the private sector.

RA 9710 recognizes and protects women’s rights at home, at work and in all spheres of society toward developing all aspects of their well-being. Its most salient features include increasing the number of women personnel until they fill half of third-level positions in the government, setting up in every barangay (village) a “violence against women’s desk,” providing incentives to parties with women’s agenda and barring the derogatory portrayal of women in media and film.

The new law’s most “empowering provision” is its recognition that “women’s rights are human rights,” Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Leila de Lima told reporters after the 10 a.m. signing.

Section 8 of RA 9710 reads: “All rights in the Constitution and those rights recognized under international instruments duly signed and ratified by the Philippines, in consonance with Philippine law, shall be rights of women under this Act to be enjoyed without discrimination.”

According to the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), legislative debates on two bills—Magna Carta for Women and Magna Carta of Women in Rural Development—began in 2002 during the 12th Congress.

The two bills were merged in the 13th Congress, and came to be called Magna Carta of Women.

Said NCRFW Chair Myrna Yao in a statement: “The Magna Carta of Women seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women by recognizing, protecting, fulfilling and promoting all human rights and fundamental freedoms of Filipino women, particularly those in the marginalized sector.”

According to Rep. Liza Maza, who was a member of the bicameral conference committee on the law and a co-author of the House version of the measure, the new law:

• Designates the Commission on Human Rights as the Gender and Development Ombud to ensure the promotion and protection of women’s human rights;

• Ensures mandatory training on human rights and gender sensitivity to all government personnel involved in the protection and defense of women against gender-based violence;

• Institutes affirmative action mechanisms so that “women can participate meaningfully in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of policies, plans, and programs for national, regional, and local development.”

The number of women in third level positions in government shall be increased to achieve a fifty-fifty (50-50) gender balance within the next five years while the composition of women in all levels of development planning and program implementation will be at least 40 percent;

• Ensures the equal treatment before the law by ensuring that the State shall take steps to review and when necessary, amend and/or repeal existing laws that are discriminatory to women within three years from the effectivity of the Magna Carta;

• Provides equal access and elimination of discrimination in education, scholarships, and training. Thus, “expulsion, non-readmission, prohibiting enrollment, and other related discrimination of women students and faculty due to pregnancy out of marriage shall be
outlawed.”

• Promotes the equal status given to men and women on the titling of the land and issuance of stewardship contracts and patents; and

• Encourages Local Government Units (LGUs) to develop and pass a Gender and Development (GAD) code based on the gender issues and concerns in their respective localities based on consultation with their women constituents.

Source: Inquirer and GMA news

by E. San Juan, Jr.,
Fellow, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University

We live in the era of the global commons, but very few have actually met their neighbors—except as subalterns: household maids, hotel service-workers, nannies, most likely college-educated women from the Philippines. The ubiquitous phenomenon of Filipina domestics and overseas contract workers (almost ten million), known also as Overseas Filipino workers (OFW), has become a tedious and soporific topic for cynics and skeptics. Scholars have categorized them as modern indentured servants of the global ecumene. If you mention that at least five OFW cadavers/coffins arrive everyday at the Manila International Airport, a big yawn greets you: “So what else is new?” Those still awake may prod: “Why? How did this happen?”

Like millions around the world devastated by global capitalism’s meltdown, the lives of migrant Filipinas/as have become redundant or disposable. This began in the 1970s. The Marcos dictatorship, supported chiefly by the United States and the IMF-World Bank, institutionalized the export of “warm bodies” to the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. In the neoliberal global market, the nationality label “Filipino” quickly became equivalent to “servant” or “maid” in Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere. After 9/11, the terrorist Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines may have eclipsed the OFWs. But with the continual brutalization of Filipinas in Okinawa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the “Nicole” scandal (“Nicole” is the Filipina raped by an American soldier subsequently convicted but “kidnapped” by the US Embassy while his case is on appeal), with hundreds in jail or awaiting execution, their plight will continue to haunt the conscience of “the pillars of society.” It may even disturb the sleep of State functionaries whose salaries depend on OFW remittances.

Continue reading at THE FILIPINA FEMALE GAZE: A review of MARISOL, a film by Hella Wenders

Before posting this, I am glad to know that when you search and type “Filipina”, the advocacy ranks second. The support must be growing placing them at the top. It’s a good thing. It’s good news. Maybe not a gargantuan task at all.

However, I do hubpages and stumbled upon a hub – Nine Inch Nails and Star Trek. I don’t know the band. Of course, I know about Star Trek. What made me uncomfortable is the line in the hub that says “Mariqueen is not Indian. She is Filipino. A very hot Filipino.” Then I started typing Mariqueen Maandig on the search box and clicked go. Then I saw a lot of ‘revealing’ facts parallel to saying she is a very hot Filipino.

Maybe to some that is just a statement. For the hubber, that is simply stating what he thinks of Mariqueen probably because she is a sensual and a straightforward artist (lead vocalist of the band West Indian Girl). But borrowing a line from Wil – music speaks for itself. It can be for me the same as saying, one’s preferences, beliefs and persona speaks for the person himself.

Being hot can be a good thing but can be another thing, too. The implication of the word is varied but there is danger also that Filipinas are stereotyped as hot in a perverted and twisted sense of the word.

(Also posted at Warmstone.)

I can feel so much for the Filipina mom and her daughter as the latter’s ex-boyfriend tried to extort money so the video uploaded in youtube would be removed. She is lucky because police operatives located the ex-boyfriend. The sad thing here is the video already spread through the internet. She is forever shamed.

Lately, two filipinas became victims of an unauthorized video being spread across the internet. One of the victims is Katrina Halili, the ex-lover of Haydn Kho. Katrina Halili filed a complaint against Kho at the headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), accusing Kho of filming his sexual encounter without her consent. She is “willing to face all this embarrassment so that other people may learn. I want to fight back because I don’t want this to happen to me again or to other women,” she said. (Source: Inquirer.net)

“Women should be careful whom to trust. And I want those people responsible for circulating the videos to be punished. I’ll face all of them. Napakawalanghiya nila (They’re shameless).”

Katrina Halili is not the only Filipina victim. Three of the videos are now hot items in cyberspace and are being passed from one e-mail account to another. Copies are purportedly being sold to video pirates.

Suspending the license of Kho does not solve the real problem of sex scandal videos. There need to be a long term solution to discourage the proliferation of these videos in cyberspace.

Based on this shameful sex scandal, lessons can be learned. Bills should be expedited.

1. Sen. Pia Cayetano filed Senate Bill 3267, an anti-voyeurism bill that would prevent a person from videotaping another person, and distributing such a video, without the other’s consent.

Under the bill, it will be unlawful for any person to record or attempt to record any private acts, including but not limited to sexual acts, without the consent of all the concerned parties.

It will also be unlawful for any person to “knowingly possess’’ any video tape, disc or any such record or their copies, “with the intent to share, relay or exhibit the contents.’’

The bill also bars a person from sharing or exhibiting these records.

2. According to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Haydn Kho may be charged under Republic Act No. 9262 (or the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act of 2004).

He said Section 3 of the law banned treating women and children as sex objects, forcing them to commit indecent acts, and making films of them.

3. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita also advised the public to be careful in the company of people who might take videos of them and later subject them to “anything that is offensive and embarrassing to your person.”

4. Maybe it is time to revive Senate Bill No. 2464, the Proposed Anti-obscenity and Pornography Act of 1008 filed by Senate President Manuel Villar, Jr.

5. Secretary Gonzalez said the persons behind the production and proliferation of the sex videos could be held liable either as accessories or accomplices in the commission of the crime.

Lastly and more importantly,

6. Bloggers should be responsible enough not to post photos, links, videos of this latest sex video scandal. I feel those who post these may just be as guilty of violating the law. The proliferation through blog posts can be seen as accessories in this commission of the crime. That’s just my opinion

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Alec Baldwin’s joke about getting a Filipino mail-order bride provoked a sharp response in the Philippines, with one senator saying Monday that the “30 Rock” star faces violence if he ever visits.

Baldwin, 51, who is divorced with a teenage daughter, said in a May 12 interview on “The Late Show” with David Letterman that he would love to have more children.

The Emmy-winning actor quipped that he was “thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point … or a Russian one.”

source

Okay, Alec Baldwin is probably not aware that we have a law banning Mail Order Marriages that facilitating or arranging a marriage between a Filipina and a foreigner has been prohibited under Republic Act 6955 or the Anti-Mail-Order Bride Law of 1990. The law “declare(s) as unlawful the practice of matching Filipino women for marriage to foreign nationals on a mail order basis and other similar practices, including the advertisement, publication, printing or distribution of brochures, fliers, and other propaganda materials in furtherance thereof and providing penalty therefore.”

Jean Enriquez, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific, says that “…Joking about mail-order brides... is trivializing human smuggling.”

He obviously said it in jest. Yes, not a nice joke. Senator Ramon Revilla said that Baldwin’s comment was “insensitive and uncalled for” and an insult to millions of Filipinos. “Let him try to come here in the Philippines and he’ll see mayhem,” Revilla said, using a local idiom that implies the speaker will personally administer a beating.

Now , beating is too much. What an immature way to resolve this issue? Senator Revilla should just inform Alec Baldwin that we have laws banning mail order marriages. The thing is, Alec Baldwin is not alone in stereotyping Filipinas . The Filipina has been stereotyped as “mail order brides” for so long . An information campaign should consistently be disseminated. The government must implement the law prohibiting the violation of Filipino women, and should look after distressed Filipinas who have suffered abuses in the hands of foreign spouses.

Let’s continue to support Filipina Images and sustain the Filipina Image Online Campaign.

What an awesome, beautiful voice from a small big singer with a very big heart and big dreams. When she sings this song, I feel every word of her message. Her appearance on Oprah may vault her career and her new single to a new level. Note To God was written by bestselling songwriter Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. The song was originally recorded by pop singer JoJo in 2006.

Charice Pempengco now goes by one name Charice in her career in Hollywood, like Jojo and Beyonce.

Here are the lyrics

If I wrote a note to God
I would speak whats in my soul
I’d ask for all the hate to be swept away,
For love to overflow
If I wrote a note to God
I’d pour my heart out on each page
I’d ask for war to end
For peace to mend this world
I’d say, I’d say, I’d say

Give us the strength to make it through
Help us find love cause love is over due
And it looks like we haven’t got a clue
Need some help from you
Grant us the faith to carry on
Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone
Cause it seems like so much is goin wrong
On this road we’re on

If I wrote a note to God
I would say what on my mind
I’d ask for wisdom to let compassion rule this world
Until these times
If I wrote a note to God
I’d say please help us find our way
End all the bitterness, put some tenderness in our hearts
And I’d say, I’d say, I’d say

Give us the strength to make it through
Help us find love cause love is over due
And it looks like we haven’t got a clue
Need some help from you
Grant us the faith to carry on
Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone
Cause it seems like so much is goin wrong
On this road we’re on

No, no no no
We can’t do this on our own
So

Give us the strength to make it through
Help us find love cause love is over due
And it looks like we haven’t got a clue
Need some help from you
Grant us the faith to carry on
Give us hope when it seems all hope is gone
Cause it seems like so much is goin wrong
On this road we’re on

If I wrote a note to God

You can download the song at itunes

Note To God is now #1 in Amazon MP3 downloads all in one day. That is some kind of a record I think. Song also #5 in iTunes