Filipino-Americans hold conference for freedom, rights in US
We hereby share an article published by the Philippine Revolution Web Central (PRWC),on the 5th of July.
Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) USA, Migrante USA, and Malaya Movement USA successfully held the largest political gathering of Filipinos in the US.
Dubbed the “Kalayaan Summit People’s Conference,” more than 1,000 Filipinos representing hundreds of organizations from various parts of the US attended the gathering from June 26-27. The activity was held at the historic Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, California.
The conference tackled the most critical issues facing the diaspora—ranging from illegal arrests and detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and labor rights violations in industries with high Filipino concentrations, to the US military buildup in the Asia-Pacific and ongoing human rights violations under the US-Marcos regime.
Workers from industries with high concentrations of Filipinos, particularly healthcare, caregiving, and food service, also attended the summit. The primary issues raised by the workers were low wages and the lack of workplace safety.
Participants exchanged lessons on achieving victories in their struggles through collective action and discussed the “People’s Blacklist,” a campaign to publicly expose abusive employers and their accomplices in the Philippine government.
“The People’s Blacklist is not just a list of names. These are the voices of workers who have been silenced… workers should never have to choose between their dignity and their livelihood. The People’s Blacklist is a tool to change this,” explained Jay Tino, a caregiver leader and chairperson of Migrante San Francisco.
The participants drafted a “Unity Statement” summarizing the summit discussions and laying out the next steps.
“We declare that the struggles of our diaspora against labor exploitation, trafficking, abuse, homelessness, food insecurity, incarceration, deportation, and militarization are linked to the struggle against forced migration and the systems that prioritize profit over human lives—it is also linked to the struggle for land, livelihood, and the right to remain in our homeland, the Philippines,” the statement read.
Protest at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angeles
The summit concluded on June 29 with a march to the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, where groups called for assistance for detained Filipino migrants, an end to the surveillance of community activities, and a halt to the use of Philippine territory for US wars of aggression.
Around 400 people participated in the action. Simultaneously, relatives of ICE detention victims, caregivers, and delegates from progressive groups entered the consulate to demand access to Assistance to the Nationals and seek justice for caregivers who fell victim to abuse and wage theft. Instead of facing them, the staff shut the doors and hid inside their offices. They even called six guards and police officers to drive away the relatives and delegates.
“I will not be intimidated… We are just mothers. Why are they hiding from us? Why do they need to call the police?” said Tita Gloria, mother of Jonathan, a Filipino detained by ICE.
According to Migrante USA, this only proves that the Philippine government has no interest in its people.
