For Immediate Release
May 17, 2022

Reference: Pyxie Castillo, Deputy Secretary General GABRIELA USA, gabrielawomen@gmail.com

Filipino Women Reject Marcos-Duterte “Victory”

GABRIELA USA stands firm on the rejection of the Marcos-Duterte “Victory” of the 2022 Philippine National Elections. The week following Election Day in the Philippines, Filipino women and the Filipino people have taken to the parliament of the streets to contest and reject the results of the 2022 Philippine National Elections. In the U.S., Filipino women, people and our allies gathered for Vigils for Democracy in the days following Election Day as well as Black Friday Protests to echo the calls of the people in the Philippines. Hundreds attended vigils and protests arounds the United States, in New York City a vigil was held at the NY Philippine Consulate was held for over 24 hours, and in San Francisco vigils for democracy and protests were held in front of the SF Philippine Consulate for 5 consecutive days.

GABRIELA USA joins concerned Filipinos — both voters and non-voters who raise alarm at the blatant voter disenfranchisement in the Philippine National Elections and reject a fraudulent election. Reports throughout the week were consistent with initial reports of issues at voting precincts including but not limited to long lines, ballots fed without receipts given, broken voting machines, pre-shaded ballots, spread of sample ballots with examples filled for Marcos and Duterte, vote buying, red-tagging, and violence. The irregularities on Election day were too frequent to just let it slide as if only by coincidence. Some mainstream coverage of the Philippine election results puts the blame on the Filipino people for being uneducated or forgetful of the atrocities of the Marcos Regime, but we should be clear that it is the systemic problems in the Philippines: Imperialism, Bureaucrat Capitalism, and Feudalism, which allow for the machineries for disinformation utilized by the Marcos family to revise Philippine history to washed the Marcoses clean of their betrayal to the Filipino people.

We reject the Marcos-Duterte so-called “Victory” and the return of the Marcos-Duterte regime. “The return of the Marcos-Duterte Regime does not only signal the return of two fascist regimes, but also the return of two macho-fascist regimes with low regards to women and the working class. The Filipino people have ousted the Marcos regime once, and we can certainly do it again,” said Terrie Cervas, GABRIELA USA Secretary General, “Elections do not decide the future of the Philippines, the future of the Philippines is in the hands of the Filipino People.”

GABRIELA USA vows to continue the fight for democracy and against the return of fascist regimes of Marcos-Duterte. We urge all Filipino people abroad to join the fight for democracy, reject the return of the Marco-Duterte fascist regime, and stay vigilant in the transition and return of Marcos-Duterte. Join an organization and fight for the future of the Filipino people. 

Reject Marcos-Duterte!

Reject the return of the fascist Marcos-Duterte Regime!

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GABRIELA USA Commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2019
Reference: Irma Shauf-Bajar, National Chairperson, GABRIELA USA, gabrielawomen@gmail.com

Members of GABRIELA USA commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion. We march in solidarity with trans and gender non conforming people of color who have suffered at the hands of state violence, police brutality and the prison industrial complex, to U.S. militarization abroad. We are in solidarity with all queer and trans folks who continue to struggle against various forms of violence including the continued deportation of thousands of im/migrants by President Trump.  

The LGBTQGNC community continue to be victimized against their rights to regular jobs, decent wages, and access to basic health and social services. Apart from these, the oppression of patriarchy continues to make vulnerable hate crimes, sexual assault and rape, arbitrary detention, denial of employment and education opportunities, and serious discrimination in relation to the enjoyment of other human rights. Today, eighty (80) countries still criminalize consensual same-sex relations or discussion of LGBTQ rights, and punishments include prison sentences, flogging, and even the death penalty. Much of the laws that criminalize LGBTQGNC people are a legacy of centuries-old Western colonization and imperialism.

We recognize the links between state violence against LGBTQGNC people within the U.S. and U.S. militarization globally, which perpetuate a culture of violence targeting queer, trans, gender non-conforming, and people of color. 

We call on our Filipino people in the U.S., along with other im/migrant and LGBTQGNC communities to join us to continue to fight and defend our right to live in dignity, free from all forms of violence and repression, because the the Stonewall Rebellion is not over until all marginalized sectors of the Trans, Queer and GNC community, working class im/migrants, women, youth and people of color have justice and are liberated.  We see the liberation of all LGBTQGNC as integral to the liberation of all oppressed people.

Let us RISE against homophobia, transmisogyny and violence against women, RESIST US militarization, and UNITE for genine liberation, safety, and self-determination!

End Violence Against Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People! Justice for All Victims of Transphobia, Militarization, and State Violence!

Support Black trans women and trans migrants! No to Deportation! Legalization for All!

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2019
Contact: Irma Shauf-Bajar, National Chairperson, gabrielawomen@gmail.com

GABRIELA USA demands the ousting of President Rodrigo Duterte because of his abhorrent remarks on the rape of Overseas Filipino Workers(OFWs). Since the beginning of his presidency, he has made it clear that he does not respect the rights and bodies of women. His words and actions have ranged from kissing a woman without her consent on television, telling soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines they may rape women, instructing AFP soldiers to shoot women fighters of the New People’s Army in the vagina, and going as far as to blame women and their beauty for rape.

Source: Inquirer Rape Comes With Territory for Filipino Workers Abroad

For Immediate Release
September 28, 2018
Reference: Irma Shauf-Bajar, Chairperson, gabrielawomen@gmail.com

GABRIELA USA says #BelieveSurvivors and RISE, RESIST and UNITE against Macho-Fascists Duterte, Trump, and Kavanaugh!

GABRIELA USA is in solidarity with survivors speaking out against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This week Dr. Christine Blasey Ford faces the accused Supreme Court nominee Kavanaugh to testify under oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee of the United States. Kavanaugh faces allegations of sexual misconduct including accusations of attempted rape and repeated sexual assault. As Filipino women with the most anti-women and macho-fascist president in Philippine History, we unite against macho-fascism through the #BabaeAko #LalabanAko (tagalog for I Am Woman, I Will Fight) campaign. We support all oppressed women and their communities who resist the continuing macho-fascist regimes of Duterte and Trump, which includes their cronies who allow their anti-people, anti-women, and fascist policies to continue. We urge women and all people to RISE, RESIST, and UNITE against macho-fascists Duterte and Trump, and against those like Kavanaugh who serve to uphold the macho-fascists in power.  

In remembering Martial Law under Marcos’ regime, GABRIELA Washington, D.C. remembers the role of women in the struggle for national democracy. During Marcos’ regime, women were arrested, tortured, and killed, especially student activists, peasant women, urban poor women, and women who chose to rise against fascism and tyranny. Today women in the Philippines and in the U.S. continue to rise, resist, and unite against Duterte’s fascist dictatorship.

Under his current regime women’s political, social, economic, and cultural rights have consistently been violated and women remain under attack. In the countryside women farmers and their families fear losing their lands, which are being threatened by state military that are supported by U.S. military assistance to the Philippines. In the urban area, women workers with the Nagkakaisang Manggagawa ng Nutriasia Marilao experienced violent dispersals as the company’s management is backed by Philippine National police (PNP). Women have also lost their children and spouses in the Duterte’s War on Drugs, or Oplan Tokhang. Additionally, with the high inflation in the economy and the increase of prices of basic commodities, women and families are feeling the burden of the tax reform, or TRAIN, laws being implemented under Duterte. These are some of the overall impacts of Duterte’s repressive regime on women.

Duterte’s ongoing remarks regarding women, especially his recent jokes about rape, continue to dehumanize women. As quoted in the recent New York Time article he stated, “They said there are many rape cases in Davao,” the president said. “As long as there are many beautiful women, there will be more rape cases.” These remarks are blatant attacks on our women, and further create a culture of impunity and excuse perpetrators committing such crimes, and only to encourage violence against women. Duterte has only put more women in danger with his remarks and attitude, because they further reinforce a feudal-patriarchal culture in Philippine society. When attacks on women become part of mainstream life, it affirms systemic oppression of women and children, making us and our communities more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse in our home country and abroad.

With these conditions and attacks and as GABRIELA women, we say ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We stand with MALAYA Movement and our communities represented here today in Washington, D.C. to resist and bring down this repressive, macho-fascist regime! We affirm our commitment to organize and mobilize for national democracy, and true liberation of our women, of all Filipinos, and our motherland.

GABRIELA USA calls on community support and stands ready to coordinate relief efforts for the victims of Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) in the Philippines. Super Typhoon Mangkhut made landfall as a super typhoon in the Philippines on September 15, drenching the country’s main northern island of Luzon.

At least 95 people have died and more than 4 million Filipinos have been affected, half of whom are children. Many are still missing from a devastating landslide, and the death toll will only continue to rise.

GABRIELA-USA turns to our community members and organizations in the U.S. for support in providing relief to displaced families in the Philippines. Our reliable and reputable partner organizations have long-standing history in serving the communities mostly affected by disasters, both natural and those aggravated by government plunder. During this heightened macho-fascist regime of Duterte, we rely on our networks of community health workers, social workers, organizers and volunteers to provide swift response to the needs of Filipinos in the Northern Philippines.   

How to Donate:

To ensure aid reaches the Philippines as fast as possible, GABRIELA USA is collecting and remitting monetary donations in partnership with Lingap GABRIELA, the relief project of GABRIELA Philippines. Your donations will go quickly and directly to the communities adversely affected by the typhoon.  

You can send monetary donations to GABRIELA USA the following ways (with note, “Typhoon Mangkhut Relief donation”):

• Venmo @gabrielausa
• To your local GABRIELA organization and chapter organizing committees
• By check, payable to GABRIELA USA, mail to Precious Arney, 1033 S. 112th Street, Burien, WA 98168

Maraming Salamat in your continued support and rebuilding of Filipino Communities in Northern Luzon.