Kilusan at Kultura

Moved beyond measure. Very powerful Diwang Pinay. Not a dry eye in the room. #diwangpinay2013 #firenyc

Migrante NorCal and @nafcon repping at May 1 in SF! #nafcon #migrante #may1

Filipinos across the U.S. Say Senate Immigration Bill Falls Short

Throughout the Country Filipinos Gear Up for Week of Advocacy and Action Starting May 1st to Tell Congress Prioritize Protecting Workers and Keeping Families Together Not Big Business and Profits

In the wake of the “Gang of Eight” release of the U.S. Senate Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill, Filipinos throughout the country respond to the proposed legislation.

Bernadette Herrera, a representative of Migrante Northern California and Vice-President of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) says, “The bill ignores the reality for many Filipino families, where siblings go abroad to earn money to support their siblings. If this bill were to become law, many Filipino families would never be able to be together.”

The Senate current proposal eliminates the sibling category (18 months after the bill becomes law), which means U.S. citizens could no longer petition their siblings in the Philippines and other countries to immigrate to the U.S. 

“In a lot of Filipino families, older siblings are the main wage earners and they take care of the rest of their siblings and cousins. Many send money back home to support their younger brothers and sisters and then petition to bring them to the U.S. so they can be together. This bill would deny them the chance to unite their family,” continues Herrera.

Even though the bill allows siblings to apply for a “merit based visa,” many Filipinos along with Herrera are concerned in situations such as if the sibling were disabled or not skilled in a category that allows them to be eligible for this visa.

Another concern with the Senate proposal is related to the December 31st, 2011 deadline to be eligible for a pathway to legalization. All current and future undocumented that arrive after the deadline will not be eligible.

Anne Beryl Corotan, a NAFCON campaigns coordinator in New York highlighted human trafficking as one example why the current senate bills falls short.

“There are workers who are still being recruited from the Philippines, promised decent jobs, brought to the U.S., and then forced to work in slave like conditions by threat of deportation. Based on this 2011 deadline, recent and future victims will continue to be left in the shadows without the options afforded by the proposed law,” says Corotan.

The proposed legislation entitled “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013” restructures the U.S. immigration policy more toward meeting the labor demands of big businesses in America along with plans to increase border enforcement, deal with the large visa backlog, and provide a path to legalization for the over eleven million undocumented in the U.S.

NAFCON who has been waging several campaigns protecting and advancing the rights and welfare of immigrants in the U.S. has just released its own proposal entitled “Our Principles and Demands for Genuine Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” that prioritizes protecting workers and keeping families together not big businesses and their profits.

Terrence Valen, NAFCON President, explains, “Our demands for genuine immigration reform are linked to our struggle for a world where all people can thrive, families are NOT separated by the urgent need for survival, and our homelands have the conditions in which all people can live a decent and humane life.”

Ultimately, NAFCON encourages the public to look beyond the current frame of the CIR debate and consider how U.S. economic relations with countries such as the Philippines play into contributing to the poverty that pushes so many to flee to the U.S. in search of opportunity.

As a part of its effort to influence the debate, NAFCON, with its 30 member organizations nationwide, is organizing a week of advocacy and action starting May 1st International Workers Day taking place in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oakland, San Jose, Daly City, and San Francisco.

The week of action includes rallies and marches on May 1st, educational forums, release of art work and a newsletter launching a new cartoon strip series focused on the a fictional caregiver named Andrea Bonifacio.

In addition, the alliance will also lobby Senators Schumer (NY), Durbin (IL), Feinsten (CA) and others to utilize NAFCON’s Principles and Demands as a guide informing their decisions regarding CIR.

NAFCON will be joined by several other Filipino alliances including Migrante International U.S. chapters, Gabriella-USA, and BAYAN-USA.

For more information on NAFCON, its Principles and Demands on Genuine Comprehensive Reform, and participating in its week of action go to www.nafconusa.org or contact Terrence Valen at 415.333.6267.

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Happy b(earth)day, Mima. It’s still hard to believe that you passed away just 4 months ago. Not a day passes when I don’t think of you & Dida. You visited me a couple times in my dreams, and I wake up in tears because I wish they lasted longer. I know you are now watching over us, but a part of me wishes you were still here. Love & miss you both so much.

Joining marathoners around the world in wearing our latest event racing shirts in solidarity with the victims of the bomb attacks at the Boston Marathon. #bostonmarathon2013 #prayforboston

After taking a break from social media the past couple days to focus on writing my dissertation, I felt the need to take a mental break from my dissertation and write my initial thoughts and feelings on what happened today at the Boston Marathon. 

Today’s horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon struck a nerve with me, affecting me deeply as a marathon runner myself. Running is something I’m especially passionate about, testing and pushing the limits of the human body. Almost half the time, between each step, the body is in mid-air, almost as if in flight. There’s something about endurance races that is  make mere mortals become superhuman, digging deep within to reach farther, longer, beyond the physical, mental, and emotional limits of what one thinks is ever capable of doing. For most, it is not a race for time, but a test of endurance, so merely finishing marathon is an accomplishment in itself. No matter the time of finish, marathoners congratulate each other and are very proud of each other for simply finishing, whether seasoned athletes or plain janes/average joes. Finishing a marathon makes one feel like they accomplish anything, a testament that the most powerful force in this world is the relentlessness of the human spirit.

The laws of physics state that energy in motion must stay in motion. For a marathoner to physically stop moving in the middle of a run is to greatly risk injury, so it is advised to stay in motion, no matter how fast or slow. For a marathoner to stop moving also risks breaking the mental will, risk breaking the spirit and potentially become mentally defeated. In the higher miles of a marathon, runners enter the dark and lonely stage of the race that greatly tests the mental and spiritual strength and endurance, the stage called “hitting the wall.” It is the part of the marathon where runners are most physically, mentally, and emotionally vulnerable. This stage usually happens between miles 20-24. It is when one finally enters the final 2 miles of the marathon that they overcome the mental wall and gather every last ounce of physical and mental strength that they have left in them to finish.

Seeing marathoners approach the finish line is one of the most inspiring moments of the race, whether they are sprinting, jogging, walking, or even limping. There’s something very deeply moving about seeing the sheer determination to overcome all physical, mental, and emotional vulnerabilities to finish the race. It is when runners and audiences at the finish line are united. Runners feed off the energy of the audience’s cheers for them to finish strong.

Watching the pictures and videos of the bomb explosions at the finish line area of the Boston Marathon was horrifying and heartbreaking. Physical, mental, and spiritual motion was violently disrupted. It was heartbreaking to see runners collapse in sheer and utter pain as the bombs went off. It was heartbreaking to see both audiences and runners covered in blood due to the flying glass and debris, some even losing arms and legs. It was especially heartbreaking that this happened at the finish line, where both runners and audiences are most emotionally vulnerable. Not only were bodies literally broken, but spirits were also broken, and that was the most painful for me to witness, bringing me to the brink of tears. They trained hard for this, only to have it end in violent fashion. These innocent people did not deserve that.

It is the same feeling I get when I read of innocent people suffering from human rights violations in other parts the world, whether because of war, imperial aggression, or terrorism. Bombings and drone attacks on other countries where capitalists interests lie and state sponsored terrorism on working class people, it always results in innocent people dying. And now, something even innocent like a marathon race has become a target for violence.

If I learned anything from today’s tragedy, as with all attacks on the innocent, it is that our work in defending and protecting our local and global communities continues and will be stepped up. I salute each and every single runner for running the marathon despite the bombings preventing some of them from finishing. I’m very proud of the runners who had the presence of mind to shift their focus from the race to help those who were hurt, some even offering their own blood to donate. To me, they truly became superhuman, they became superheroes. For a moment, my faith in humanity was shaken by this attack. But these runners, these superheroes, restored my faith, restored the marathon finish line as a site of inspiration and triumph. My heart goes out to them, to the victims, and to those whose lives were lost. We as a people can’t stop, and we won’t stop. Our energies towards running, towards defending and protecting our local and global communities, must continue to stay in motion.

Goodbye to Tha Crisis Center, it’s been a fun 2 years of collective living. A lot of good times spent in this house. Onto the next chapter of collective living.

Done did it. PR’d at 5:38:22. Fought sharp IT band pains and muscle cramps along the way, had to speed walk the last 4 miles.

Pre-marathon ritual. Tomorrow we dance. Let’s do this. @twenty6point2 #oaklandmarathon #beastmode

Flashback Friday: 1st ever marathon. Runbutans, Maui Marathon 2005. I miss every single person in this. #fbf @therodfatha @arleezydm @pdelasco

Migrante NorCal says Vote for Migrante Partylist in the upcoming Philippine elections! Vote #96!

Rice Terraces of the Cordilleras, Philippines. July 2006. #tbt #philippinesinmysoul

Did a workshop today for my youth on basic worker rights. They don’t speak much English, but they came up with this all on their own. I’m agit!