Report on the Founding Assembly of the ILPS Philippine Chapter
Forty-five out of forty-seven Founding Member-organizations, 45 Observer-mass organizations and 53 local and foreign guests, and 33 organizers, staff members and volunteers, comprised the Founding Assembly of the Philippine Chapter of the International League of Peoples' Struggle which was held August 1, 2002.
A total of 220 people attended said event.
Held at the Environmental Education Center of Miriam College, Quezon City, the Founding Assembly carried the theme, Rally the Filipino to the anti-imperialist struggle! Unite with the peoples of the world to defeat US-led wars of aggression and intervention!
The establishment of the ILPS Philippine Chapter came after a series of organizational meetings held among the representatives of majority of the founding member-organizations that attended the First International Assembly of the ILPS in Zutphen, Netherlands, including ILPS Chairperson Crispin Beltran and Philippine-based members of the International Coordinating Committee(ICC), namely, Rep. Liza Maza, Rafael Mariano, and Cherry Clemente.
Among the major decisions and resolutions passed in the plenary session were the following:
1. the two-year program from August 2002 to September 2004, with emphasis on organizing the broadest ranks of the people against imperialism and reaction, taking the intiatives in organizing international conferences on the 18 concerns of the ILPS, bringing the ILPS issues close to the masses through the media and other forms of propaganda, and strengthening anti-imperialist struggles especially in Asia
2. the declaration of unity, with focus on the current struggle to stop US armed intervention and aggression against the Filipino people by working for the removal of US troops currently deployed in the three major islands of the country
3. the approval of the nomination of 15 Patrons of the League to the ICC in their next meeting, namely: Bill Hinton, Joan Hinton, and Erwin Engst Ninotchka Rosca, Sr. Mary John Mananzan, Sr. Mary Grenough, MM, Sr. Xavier Marie Bual, SPC, Vicky Tauli Corpuz, Congressman Satur Ocampo, Captain Danilo Vizamanos (PN, ret.), Justice Romeo Capulong, Antonio Tujan, Jr., Dr. Romeo Quijano, Prof. Bien Lumbera and Director Behn Cervantes. They were nominated by BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance), the women's alliance GABRIELA, Health Alliance for Democracy and Council for Health and Development, Concerned Artists of the Philippines, Philippine Peace Center, Public Interest Law Center and Ibon Data Bank, Inc., based on their eminent status in their respective fields of expertise of advocacy and on their outstanding track record as anti-imperialists and democrats
4. the approval of resolutions on Imperialist Globalization, Against US Intervention and Armed Aggression in the Philippines, and to Launch a Campaign against the US "War on Terror"
5. the approval of resolutions calling on: the immediate and unconditional release of Memik Horuz, editor of the Turkish paper Ozgur Gelecek and Vice-Chairperson of the ILPS, and Dr. Darshan Pal of the All India People's Resistance and a member of the ICC
6. the approval of resolutions supporting the struggles of the people of Iraq against US armed aggression, and that of the Palestinian people against US-Israeli current war of occupation and genocide
7. the approval of the resolution stating the willingness of the newly founded ILPS Philippines to host the ILPS' Second International Assembly.
The following were elected officers by the National Coordinating Council after their election by the Founding Assembly:
* Chairperson - Danilo Ramos of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas(Peasant Movement in the Philippines)
* Vice-Chairperson - Dr. Carolina Araullo of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance)
* Secretary General - Rita Baua of BAYAN
* Deputy Secretary General - Norma Binas, of the Kilusang Mayo Uno (May First Movement)
* Treasurer - Dr. Joseph Carabeo, Health Alliance for Democracy(HEAD)
Other members of the 15-person National Coordinating Council(NCC) are Elmer Labog, KMU Emerenciana de Jesus, GABRIELA Mario Espiritu, KMU-OLALIA Joanna Carino, Cordillera People's Alliance Eleanor de Guzman, ANAKBAYAN Marie Enriquez, KARAPATAN Ferdinand Gaite, COURAGE Apostol Gratela, MIGRANTE Norma Dollaga, PCPR and Tita Lubi, GABRIELA and Asia Coordinator for the General Secretariat of the ILPS.
ILPS Chairperson Beltran gave the keynote address. He said that from the point of US military strategists, the Philippines is a “frontline state in the war on terrorism…(and) that (the US) urgently needs "air defense and naval asset "… To reestablish deterrence vis-à-vis China.”
Chairperson Beltran continued, “With the loss of their bases in the Philippines in 1991, US strategists considered it as a puncture in their strategic parameter to contain potential enemies in Asia and Eurasia and the forfeiture of vital sea lanes to guard their economic interests.” It was for this reason, Beltran added, that George Bush considers the Philippines as the “new frontline in the war against international terrorism.”
The ILPS Chairperson told the delegates to the Founding Assembly that “the ILPS Philippine Chapter is a key force in the broad anti-imperialist front as embodied by ILPS and must play its role in strengthening ILPS internationally so that it may lead the fight against terrorist, interventionist, and aggressive actions of US and its allies in the whole world.”
In his message of solidarity to the Founding Assembly, Professor Jose Maria Sison, General Consultant of the ILPS, noted that “You are the first in the world to form a national chapter of the ILPS. Your signal role reflects the strength of the national democratic movement in the Philippines.”
He said that the ILPS is urgently needed in these times when US imperialism and all its allies are terrorizing the whole world and “subjecting the people to the worst forms of exploitation and oppression.”
Professor Sison urged the members of the ILPS Philippine Chapter to “bring together all the anti-imperialist and progressive forces to the broad united front and be ready to go into broader alliance in order to mobilize greater numbers of people and wage more effective struggles against their adversaries.”
The Founding Assembly was also attended by several foreigners majority of whom were participants to the International Solidarity Mission(ISM) which had just concluded its successful fact-finding mission to Zamboanga, Basilan and General Santos Cities where US military troops have been deployed. Some of the ISM participants included: Scott Scheffer of the International Action Center in the United States David Pugh, a civil rights lawyer in New York City David Hungerford, New York City Matthew Parham of NISPOP in New York Riya Ortiz and Analiza Caballez of FORWARD and PHIL. FORUM, New York Christine Reyes, GABRIELA NETWORK-SEATTLE Joanne Vasquez and Yvette Stephenson of the Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada Victor Wong, VACE, Canada Mari Boti and Malcolm Guy, CENTER for PHILIPPINE CONCERNS, Canada Takane Ikeda, Oshu Kawaguchi, K. Morishita, Nakamura, AWC-Japan Tang Shu of the Labor Rights Association, Taiwan Dr. Geert Van Moorter of the Medical Aid for the Third World, Belgium Theo Droog, Netherlands Philippines Solidarity Rio Mondelo, MIGRANTE-Europe other guests included Aziz Chowdry, a founding member of the ILPS and with GATT WATCHDOG, New Zealand Beck Horton, PSNA, New Zealand Stiian der Merwe, IICG, South Africa Paul Linert, France.
In their common statememt which was distributed during the Founding Assembly, they said: “We resolve to maintain and strengthen the solidarity links that have been forged and to develop concerted initatives to end US military intervention and to heighten worldwide resistance to US imperialism in the Philppines and around the world.”
The ILPS General Secretary, Arman Riazi, who was invited by the organizers (Philippine Committee) to come to the Philppines, was unable to attend. His message was read on his behalf by Cherry Clemente, Deputy Secretary General of the ILPS.
In his congratulatory message, he stated: “The Philippines chapter of the ILPS promises to be one of the most fruitful and hard working sections of the ILPS that will work in a determined and planned way to advance the aims of our organization. I am certain that the lessons learned from this live experience will help the development and establishment of chapters in other countries. It is in this context that the establishment of the Philppines chapter finds most importance and must be the cause for celebration for all progressive and anti-imperialist forces throughout the world.”