New York, NY – Activists gathered in front of the Philippine Consulate General on Fifth Avenue Dec. 9 to demand that Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process, Jess Dureza, uphold peace and justice in the Philippines.

Forty people attended a forum Oct. 29, “Revolution in the Philippines: Daring to Struggle, Daring to Win.” The forum at Mayday Books featured a presentation by Joe Iosbaker, a Chicago-based anti-war movement leader and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) who participated in a recent international solidarity delegation to Western Mindanao in the Philippines.

KMU chair talks about genuine trade unionism

. Elmer “Bong” Labog, Chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU).

(Photo credit: Peter Murphy)”)

Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines – During the International Conference for People’s Rights in the Philippines, Joe Iosbaker, of Fight Back! had the opportunity to meet and interview Elmer “Bong” Labog, Chair of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), or May First Movement. The KMU is an independent and democratic labor center in the Philippines, promoting genuine, militant and anti-imperialist trade unionism.

International solidarity mission to the Philippines

Guinoman, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines – On July 16, three vans stuffed with passengers traveled the badly eroded, muddy, narrow road from Pagadian City to the village of Guinoman in Western Min-danao, in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay. On the roof of one of them was a dog, standing on all fours, that managed to stay on its feet through one of the torrential downpours that are a daily occur-rence in July.

Iligan City, Mindanao, Philippines – The recent election of Rodrigo Duterte as president of The Philip-pines (GRP) is a defeat for the pro-U.S. group of wealthy families that have always run the country. Here in Iligan City, there is an outpouring of the hopes from people about what the election could mean.

Iosbaker is part of a human rights delegation in the Philippines from July 16-25.

Chicago IL – Multinational mining companies are laying waste to the mountainous regions of the Southern Philippines. These mountaintops have been found to contain some of the world’s largest deposits of gold and precious minerals. The people who live there, the indigenous Lumad on the island of Mindanao, are defending their ancestral lands and have become the target of human rights abuses and massacres.

Hits FBI with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on Mamasapano Incident

Minneapolis, MN – “Over 60 Filipinos died and witnesses also saw the body of an American at the covert U.S.-designed Mamasapano operation one year ago, yet the U.S. has still not come clean about the extent of its role in the carnage. We are filing this Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI because the Filipino and American people have the right to know the full truth about this botched mission,” stated BAYAN-USA Chair Bernadette Ellorin.

Manila – Palestinian icon Leila Khaled visited the Philippines for the first time this November to attend the Fifth General Assembly of the International League of Peoples' Struggle and the launch of the Philippines-Palestine Friendship Association. She was the keynote speaker of the International Women's Alliance and she spoke before the Filipino people in Manila during the protest actions against the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. She also visited the temporary encampment of lumads (indigenous peoples) at a church ground.

Washington, DC – In the Philippines, there is a mounting crisis of human rights abuses against indigenous people, labor and community activists at the hands of the armed forces. Victims demand justice and there are even calls for President Benigno Aquino to resign. But mainly the demand is for an end to impunity for the killers and torturers, because over and over they go unpunished.