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Got Independence? Celebrating Philippine Struggle

- On the Philippine National Day 2000 festival in New York

Like hotdogs and family picnics on the Fourth of July, Philippine Independence Day has become just as much an occasion for those of Filipino origin to get together and celebrate a common culture and heritage. Sunday, June 4, provided such an occasion with a colorful parade, smoky grills with BBQ, joining family and meeting old friends in Madison Square Park in Manhattan.

Yet one group chose not to celebrate Philippine independence, but rather Philippine struggle. The contingent from the Philippine Forum marched with the call "Kalayaan, Ipaglaban!" [Freedom - fight for it!] and "Continue the struggle for genuine independence and democracy!" They dressed as Katipuneros, members of the revolutionary Katipunan organization secretly founded by Andres Bonifacio in 1892 to wage a war of national liberation from Spain.

The contingent rallied behind a banner reading "Continue the Struggle for Genuine Independence and Democracy." Marchers with the Philippine Forum included representatives of the Filipino Workers Center, the MAKABAYAN Youth Collective, the Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP), and Lila-Pilipina. The organizations brought their own banners and carried handcrafted birds symbolizing the people's aspirations for freedom.

Also visible were placards calling for the ouster of the U.S.-Estrada regime, for an end to the bombing of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines, and for the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which allows the return of the US military to the Philippines.

Though June 12, 1898 was the end of Spanish colonialism, it was the beginning of oppression under a new flag: the United States. Fighters of the worker-led Katipunan guerrilla army had virtually won the battle to end over three hundred years of Spanish oppression and they did not want to be anyone’s colony. When the US insisted with brute force, the Filipino-American War ensued. Nearly one million Filipinos were killed fighting for freedom, and battles continued until as late as 1916.

Until today the Philippines remains a semi-colony of the US to which it owes most of its debt that sucks dry the Philippine budget. The IMF and World Bank dictate policies that convert farming lands to export crops and golf courses destroying the environment and livelihoods. "Free trade" has made a Washington State apple is cheaper than a Davao mango, and Philippine farmers go hungry, unable to compete.

The sprawling US bases have left terrible toxic wastes causing Filipino deaths every day due to toxic waste related cancer and disease. US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has stated that the US government refuses all legal responsibility for the devastation it has wrought. And bowing to US pressure, President Estrada has brought back the US military through the "Visiting Forces Agreement" which has been denounced by no less than the entire Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines as a surrender and betrayal of national sovereignty and honor.

Looking back at history and the current conditions in which 75 percent of Filipino still live in poverty, the Philippine Forum questioned: "Got Independence?"

Every year in the Philippines, the June 12 "Independence" parade is met with alternative parades and protests to expose the true colors of the Philippines' colonial past and to emphasize the need for continued struggle. However, the Philippine Consulate, which led the NY parade committee, put a large number of restrictions on march participation. These included prohibitions against sneakers, against small contingents, against marchers without costumes, against 'malicious materials', and against 'anything which would destroy the beauty of the parade.'

Robert Roy, the Executive Director of Philippine Forum, says that he believes the restrictions were created as a pretext for removing progressive forces from the parade. "We are proud that we were able to mount this contingent despite the very strict guidelines which were set up to discourage us from participating," said Roy. "This day is an opportunity to honor the Filipino resilience and belief in fighting for justice," said Julia Camagong, member of the Philippine Forum.

The Philippine Forum is active in projecting the current situation in the Philippines and helping Filipinos in New York to become aware of our heritage and history of struggle. The Forum’s programs include youth organizing, the Filipino Workers Center, Arts and Culture, Education, and Advocacy and Political Action.

To learn more and to get involved, write to [email protected], call (212) 741-6806, or check out the websites:

http://www.geocities.com/philippineforum
http://www.geocities.com/philippineinfo
http://www.geocities.com/nispop

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