Statement
Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV)
September 7, 2007


FREE PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON, ILPS CHAIR

Los Angeles—The Justice For Filipino American Veterans (JFAV) , an alliance of more than 60 veterans, students and community organizations based in the United States vehemently condemned and protests the arbitrary arrest and continued detention of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, the current chair of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) by the Dutch government with the prodding’s and collaboration of the Philippine government.

Faustino Baclig, the coordinator of JFAV said: “the arrest and detention of Prof. Jose Maria Sison is a case representative of the sad and terrible plight of more than 10 million Filipino overseas workers (OFW) abroad. Prof. Sison was forced into exile when the Philippine government revoked his passport in 1987. Since then he lived in exile in The Netherlands since 1988 and worked as political refugee. There he founded the ILPS in 2001.

While our OFW suffered indignities and are being treated as modern slaves. Most of our women raped and subjected to commodification, Prof. Sison and many of our progressive Filipino abroad like the contemporaries during the Spanish colonialism and during the American period and the Marcos era, were subjected to political persecution.

We Filipino veterans and their advocates are very grateful for Prof. Sison and the ILPS for it was the first international organization that recognized, supported and gave moral and political support to the Filipino Veterans and the community struggle for equity, recognition and justice . Since then the ILPS in 2004 formed the aging and the elderly commission where JFAV became active.” Baclig ended.

On the other hand, Society of Guerillas and Scouts (SGSI) Commander Jack Vergara further said: “the Philippine government is really shameless that persecute one of its own citizen who refused to bow to injustice and turned a blind eye to the plight of its veterans. It is a greater shame when the Arroyo dispensation used people’s resources to file a criminal case and criminalizes a Filipino patriot like Jose Ma. Sibson and other Filipinos abroad.

HANDS OFF PROF. JOSE MA.SISON!

RELEASE PROF.SISON NOW!

JUSTICE FOR VETERANS, JUSTICE FOR JOSE MARIA SISON!


JFAV-USA
Spetember 7, 2007