Prayer for Peace in the Korean Peninsula

Most loving and compassionate God:
We praise you and thank you for creating this day
And for this time of prayer.

Advent has come once again this year,
The time of preparation for celebrating Christmas--
The birth of your Son Jesus Christ--the Prince of Peace.

It is at time of Advent when we come to the realization
how fragile our lives are,
and how temporary our material comfort had been.
However, we are assured of your compassionate companionship with us,
which strengthens our hope for salvation from real dangers
and from the fears that prevent us and the nations to pursue lasting peace.

Compassionate God, forgive us for being anxious of our future
and what will befall upon us.
At times we are passive in mediating your holy will in our country.
We have been lulled by the material comforts we have,
and forget the more important things in the life of our nation--
such as the values of peace, tolerance, justice, forbearance and solidarity.
Have mercy on us.

With your grace, help and support us is our campaign
for peace in the Korean Peninsula.
Sustain us in our proclamation of Christ's peace in the world.
Let your Holy Spirit embolden us to follow Jesus Christ our Lord,
the Prince of Peace. Amen.

Note: This is Frank's said prayer during the PROK staff morning devotion on November 30, 2010.

Peace Treaty Signature Campaign

Signature Campaign for a Peace Treaty in the Korean Peninsula
“. . .To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)

The military tension in the Korean Peninsula has risen since Tuesday November 23, 2010 caused by the military exercises conducted by the South Korean military in Yeonpyeong island which was responded to by the North through artillery shelling of the military camp in the island. There were casualties and this incident caused alarm in all segments of society and the region. Also, this year we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Korean War which broke out in 1950 and we do not want to repeat the tragic experiences and devastating effects of war.

We urge the signatory governments to repeal the 1953 Armistice Agreement and replace it with a Peace Treaty that will ensure peace and security in the Korean Peninsula. The Peace Treaty should substantiate the June 15, 2000 and the October 4, 2007 North-South Joint Declarations signed by the leaders of the two Koreas. The replacement of the Armistice Agreement with a Peace Treaty will de-escalate the threats of imminent conflict between North and South Korea and would ensure peace and security not only in Northeast Asia but the whole world.

We are doing this signature campaign to gather support for the making of a Peace Treaty. You are encouraged to support this move through your signature. Thank you.

Organization Name E-Mail Address Signature





















The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea

PROK calls for peace negotiation and a peace treaty in the Korean Peninsula

30 November, 2010

Dear Friends in Ecumenical Organizations and Partner Churches

Greetings in the name of Jesus, the prince of peace.

First of all, we, the Presbyterian Church in the republic of Korea (PROK), are deeply grateful for your concern, prayer and solidarity messages and statements to respond to the recent violence in Yeonpyeong Island and the escalation of tension in the Korean peninsula.

Witnessing the current unstable situation in the Korean peninsula, the PROK is immensely concerned about political moves toward bigger clashes. We feel the need to strongly re-affirm that military provocation and retaliation are the way to self-destruction of the two Koreas, and that peaceful approach and dialogue are the only ways to resolve the conflict and to live together in the Korean Peninsula. We claim that a threat to peace and life should not be used to solve political difficulties or gain political points. Therefore, on Nov. 24, the PROK issued a statement to urge the two Korean authorities not to extend the vindictive situation but to resolve it peacefully with the following suggestions:

1. Not to abuse resentments of the victims as a pretext of revenge, to restore humanitarian support to N.K instead of engaging in hard line policies and sanctions, and to resume dialogue and mutual exchanges such as the Six Party Talks and the North-South Red Cross Conference.
2. To establish the ‘Special Peace and Co-operation Zone in the West Sea’ initiated by North and South Joint Declaration October 4, 2007, and to stop the military drill in that area rather than continue to collide because of the controversial Northern Limit Line.
3. To repeal the 1953 Armistice Agreement and replace it with a Peace Treaty, de-escalating the threats of imminent conflict between North and South Korea and ensuring peace and security not only in Northeast Asia but the whole world.

We are attaching the statement of the National Council of Churches of Korea which well articulated the rationale and explanation of the Yeonpyeong Island Incident, so that you can refer to their analysis and position regarding the issue as well.

We have launched a signature campaign to gather support for the making of a Peace Treaty. We will be sending you a letter and signature form to gather your signatures and support. Please join the campaign, and keep holding peace and reconciliation in the Korean Peninsula in your prayers and supporting our sincere efforts for peace.

In ecumenical solidarity,



Rev. Bae Tae-Jin
General Secretary
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea

NCC-Korea Calls for Restraint, Peace Negotiations among Power wielders in the Korean Peninsula

STATEMENT

The National Council of Churches of Korea

A Call to Prayer over the Yeonpyeong Island Incident

Yet again, only months after the sinking of a South Korean warship, Choenan, the fragile peace along the dividing line between the two Koreas has been broken. The exchange of fire on Yeonpyeong on 23 November has lead to the deaths of two civilians and two marines. Eighteen more people were injured and a number of homes were destroyed in and on this small island that lies only seven miles from the North Korean border and fifty miles from the densely populated Southern port city of Inchon. The fighting and the mass exodus of residents from the island that is home to a fishing community and military bases is all too reminiscent of the Korean War that inflicted pain on the Korean people that none can forget. The National Council of Churches in Korea mourns with the surviving victims and the families of those whose lives were so senselessly taken. It deplores the North Korean military for using powerful weapons against the civilian community in the most serious incident since the signing of the Armistice in 1953.

Yet again the Peninsula and its people are gripped by the fear of an escalation of ideologically-inspired violence. In its 1988 Inchon Consultation Statement on Peace and Justice, as the NCCK we said to the nation that our country sits at the apex of hegemonic competition and diplomatic and military brinkmanship. Yet again, we in the South are reminded of the fragility of our nation’s booming prosperity and of the starkly contradictory widespread poverty of the North. And once more this border clash comes in the context of joint US and South Korean naval exercises off the coast and “war games” on the Peninsula. NCCK challenges the governments of South Korea, USA and Japan to refrain from upgrading these joint military exercises under an umbrella of the USA’s respective “security alliances” because they appear to have provoked North Korea and led to its strong reaction.

As we have so often repeated in the past, these exercises of political and military brinksmanship serve no purpose other than to escalate tensions in Korea and to threaten the peace in the whole Northeast Asian region. The presence of a great number of nuclear weapons on land and on the surrounding seas makes Korea a tinderbox that threatens the peace of the whole world.

We therefore call on the ecumenical family to pray for peace in our land and to urge all governments to exercise caution, to refrain from further inflaming the political atmosphere and to exercise the maximum restraint so that reason and diplomacy can prevail over narrow self-serving military, strategic or political interests. The fundamental interests of the people must prevail: mutual respect and peace with justice for all.

We also appeal to all nations to reject any attempt to cheapen life by treating Korea as a pawn in diplomatic gamesmanship, while ignoring the welfare of the people.

For nearly three decades, the NCCK and the global ecumenical fellowship have worked together to these ends. We have slowly built bridges and established regular, productive contact with the Korean Christians Federation in the North and we have shared our common prayers for peace and reunification of the Korean peninsula with the global fellowship of Christian churches through the World Council of Churches. We have sought to provide a model that governments, politicians and diplomats might follow, and we have therefore rejoiced at the successes of the two Inter-Korean summits of June 13-15, 2000 between President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman Kim Jong Il and of October 2-4, 2007 between President Roh Moon-hyun and Chairman Kim Jong Il. We are convinced that they provide a good basis and framework for the two sides to work together towards a shared future.

On 15 August this year, the NCCK, the KCF and churches in other parts of the world simultaneously prayed for peace and the reunification of Korea, using in part the following words: “We pray that mistrust and confrontation between the North and the South should die down, mutual trust should be built up through reconciliation, cooperation and exchanges. The June 15 unification mood that we have all enjoyed should be revived in full blossom, and therefore the warm atmosphere of unification should blow its way through all this peninsula.”
Given the current tensions, the NCCK further notes these important commitments in the October 2007 summit peace declaration:

1. South and North Korea committed themselves to work for mutual respect and trust in order to overcome differences in ideology, and system.

2. South and North Korea committed themselves to ease military tensions, hold ministerial defense talks in November in Pyongyang to discuss this and inter-Korean economic cooperation.

3. The two sides agreed on the need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace.

4. The two sides agreed to create a special peace zone around Haeju in North Korea and nearby areas.

5. South and North Korea committed themselves to promote humanitarian cooperation and expansion of the reunions of separated families.

The tragic events in recent days underscore the importance of pursuing this course. We urge the parties to the stalled Six-Party Talks to follow this same path, to cease exploiting the divisions and differences and to put the welfare of the people at the center of their concern. The situation must not be allowed to deteriorate further and all military actions or retaliation must be avoided we urge all our partners to pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula. We would welcome our partner councils and ecumenical organizations to support us also by urging all governments to work together to help resolve the dangerous crisis through diplomacy and peaceful means.

The World Council of Churches has repeatedly asserted that the future of the Korean Peninsula is ultimately to be determined by the Korean people. We shall fulfill this calling despite the challenges and obstacles because we believe that God is faithful and will perform mighty acts on our land. We are immensely grateful for the solidarity, prayers and support of the churches around the world. We give thanks to God for you.

Seoul, 26 November 2010

Prayer for office morning devotion-Monday, October 25, 2010

Scripture Reading from Job chapter 7

Prayer:
God of compassion,
We thank you for this brand new day.
We welcome this new autumn day with great expectations and hopes.
There are times in our lives when we are like Job,
not only afflicted by physical pains, but also by desperation.
We ask too many questions, but oftentimes these could not come out of our lips.
They remain deep in our minds, waiting for the right moment to be heard.
With your compassion, you uphold us, you sustain us, lest we will drift further away from you.
At this time, we remember in our prayers those who are homeless, hungry and suffering in many countries visited by typhoons and storms, diseases, famine and violation of the sanctity of life.
May we, like Jesus extend our compassion to them.
As we face a new working week, help us to be alert,
giving our best and attention to details
Data and feelings really matter because you do not take for granted who we are.
We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Transformer. Amen.

Life in the Underside of Korean Society

I LOVE KOREA
A Summer Youth Event of the Council for World Mission
June 30-July 10, 2010
Seoul, Korea

Seminar Life 1: Life in the Underside of Society
Presenter/Facilitator: Frank J. Hernando
June 2, 2010
Time Allotment: 1 hour

Objectives:
At the session, participants are able to:
•familiarize with life from the underside of Korean society
•characterize life of the marginalized people in contemporary Korean society
•present the synthesis of life from the underside

1. TREND-SETTING
Processes: This part is good for 15 minutes. The facilitator will give a brief background on what he has set out to do together with the participants especially the time allotment for this topic and the expected output. The question that participants will answer is, “What do you know about life from the underside in Korea?” Participants will share their answers while the facilitator will write the answers on the board. Then the brief clarification and discussion will follow. The trend setting of the quality of life of people on the underside or underdogs of society will be used for the anchoring of ideas shared.

2. ANCHORING
Processes: This part is good for 25 minutes. The ideas shared in the trend setting will be included in this portion. The facilitator gives 25 minutes guided talk using a power point presentation and some video clips.

Presentation: “Life in the Underside of Korean society”

Introduction
There are many external manifestations of the kind of life people live in a particular society. These can be seen in the kind of outfit/clothes people wear, the things they own and use e.g. cell phones, computers, and other electronic gadgets, the houses where people live, the number of automobiles, buildings and transportation systems. South Korea is characteristically an economically well-off society in terms of the amount of income people earn, the extent and spectrum of social services afforded to people. The quality of life in this society is also measured in terms of longevity or life expectancy which in South Korea the overall is 78.8, for males 75 and females at 82.2 years. However, even with the given life expectancy, there is an uneven economic, social and political opportunities for the ordinary citizens of the country. This is brought about by the neo-liberal market driven economy and growth driven government political priorities, which forced segments or sectors of society to live at the fringes of society.

a) The neo-liberal capitalist globalization and its impact on the quality of life
Many people in South Korea brag about the rapid industrialization economic development in the country for less than three decades beginning in the late 80’s. It has been observed that rapid industrialization was prompted by the authoritarian regimes that encouraged every home a factory and the unwavering persistent prayers and unwavering faith of the Christians. These can be considered contributory factors, but not the only factors. Within context of neo-liberal market driven economy or known as economic globalization, highly industrialized capitalist countries had made possible the free-flow of capital to other countries, expansion of global clout of transnational banks and corporations and the geo-political and military influence in many parts of the world.

With all these combination of factors, the South Korean government carried out a currency reform, strengthened financial institutions, and introduced flexible economic planning. In the 1970s Korea began directing fiscal and financial policies toward promoting heavy and chemical industries, consumer electronics, and automobiles. Manufacturing continued to grow rapidly in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the late 1990s to early 2000s South Korea had consistently had huge foreign direct investments ranging from 6-8 billion dollars. The import-export driven economy depended on mostly US and Japan and later China as destinations of its export products.

During the 1997-98 financial downturn caused by International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies there was the slowing of global economy and falling exports slowed growth to 3.3% in 2001, prompting consumer stimulus measures that led to 7.0% growth in 2002. Consumer over-shopping and rising household debt, along with external factors, slowed growth to near 3% again in 2003. Economic performance in 2004 improved to 4.6% due to an increase in exports, and remained at or above 4% in 2005, 2006, and 2007. With the onset of the global financial and economic crisis in the third quarter of 2008, annual GDP growth slowed to 2.3% in 2008 and just 0.2% in 2009.

The basic contradictions in the neo-liberal market driven economy are mostly based on overproduction of goods but with constricting global markets, the stiff competition among industrialized countries for market of similar or the same finished products has affected many countries and their peoples. The main goal of the neo-liberal capitalist economic system is to gain super profits. Because of this many countries have to undergird their economic and political systems with the prescribed ethos and mechanisms used by countries under such system. In the early 1990s new vocabularies emerged like trade liberalization, deregulation, privatization and labour market flexibility which are characterized by people’s movements as the evils of the neo-liberal capitalist market economy.

Trade Liberalization is the removal of or reduction in the trade practices that thwart free flow of goods and services from one nation to another. It includes dismantling of tariff (such as duties, surcharges, and export subsidies) as well as non-tariff barriers (such as licensing regulations, quotas, and arbitrary standards). Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces. Deregulation does not mean elimination of laws against fraud, but eliminating or reducing government control of how business is done, thereby moving toward a more free market. Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector (government) to the private sector ("business"). In a broader sense, privatization refers to transfer of any government function to the private sector - including governmental functions like revenue collection and law enforcement. The term "privatization" also has been used to describe two unrelated transactions. The first is a buyout, by the majority owner, of all shares of a public corporation or holding company's stock, privatizing a publicly traded stock, and often described as private equity. The second is a demutualization of a mutual organization or cooperative to form a joint stock company.

Labour market flexibility. In the past, the most common definition of labour market flexibility was the neo-liberal definition. This entailed the ease of labour market institutions in enabling labour markets to reach a continuous equilibrium determined by the intersection of the demand and supply curve. In the words of Siebert labour market institutions were seen to inhibit "the clearing functions of the market by weakening the demand for labor, making it less attractive to hire a worker by explicitly pushing up the wage costs or by introducing a negative shadow price for labor; by distorting the labor supply; and by impairing the equilibrating function of the market mechanism (for instance, by influencing bargaining behavior).”

These prescribed ethos and mechanism of the neo-liberal capitalist market driven economic system enable governments and national and transnational corporations to reduce tariffs on all imported products and in some cases governments offer tax holidays to investors. Labourers are losing job security and social security benefits, unionized labour lost their genuine bargaining power and many other adverse effects on the life of the people. The worst that can happen to labourers is to be unemployed or opt to become irregular/contractual workers. Although at the surface we can see manifestations of improved quality of life among South Koreans, but digging deeper into the social structure we can see glaring evidences of oppression, exploitation and misery especially of those at the bottom of the social structure.

b) Life of people at the margins of society and their resistance

Irregular workers
There are many ways to view quality of life in society, but what will be focused here is on job security or job tenure as a means of sustainable life; adequate social services like access to affordable housing facility and health care, affordable education for children and youth; respect for rights and equity of women, refugees and migrants and other marginalized sectors of society. To elucidate on these let me share some short stories of persons who were caught into different incidents situations that presents the tip of the social realities of people living in the fringes of society. Irregular employment has become a common situation for many people in the country. More than eight million (8,000,000+) Koreans are having irregular employment. Through this labor arrangement companies are allowed to hire people on a temporary basis for not less than two years. Thereafter workers can either be given regular or permanent jobs or are terminated. The irregular workers have suffered a lot due to low wages and lack of health and social security benefits.

The story of the workers of Kiryung Electronics in the district of Guru, Seoul showed that for 1,080 days had their hunger strike protesting against the illegal termination as irregular workers. There were 250 workers who first staged the strike against this company for more than three years (2005-2008) for the main reason that before their employment contract ended they were terminated, an act opted by both local and international companies of not making temporary workers become regular workers. In August 2008 there were only thirty five (35) remaining workers on strike and the two (2) remaining workers were on hunger strike for more than seventy days (70) and were in danger of losing their lives for the just cause they’ve been struggling for--- a regular job at Kiryung Electronics Company. The Kiryung labour union made representation to the mother company in the United States but nobody from Sirius Electronics Company ever tried to meet them.

Unemployed youth
The Korean youth employment rate was 27%, which was much lower in comparison to other OECD member countries in 2007. The average youth employment rate of OECD member countries was 46%, so the 19% difference in the employment rate of Korean youth is alarming. The number of Korean employees under 30 years old is also decreasing. Job seekers from 15 to 19 years old accounted for 48,000 in the unemployment statistics and ages 20 to 29 accounted for 133,000. These statistics in November 2008 shows that the youth unemployment rate for these ages is higher than any other age groups.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) in January 6, 2010 estimated that 810,000 people are counted as formally unemployed and the number of people who are “effectively unemployed” is being calculated at some 3.3 million. Furthermore the NSO claimed that the 819,000 people who are counted as unemployed as of Nov. 2009 represent an increase of 69,000 from the year before. In addition to the formally unemployed, there is another 2.474 million people who belong to the category of the effectively unemployed, including 561,000 students preparing for employment. With this data at hand, the government could not prioritize through legislation the employment of youth. The unreasonable demand of big corporations for appropriate skills for employment entrants has been too much for the youth to comply with. Even with the government’s youth internship program, many young people are doubly burdened with the cost of additional training they have to shoulder just to land a job. College graduates who would want immediate employment opted to get into irregular employment or get into internship program instead of waiting for regular jobs to come their way. The training aspect or the so called on-the-job training is getting unpopular in society. Less money is spent by employers for training the youth while holding regular jobs.

Dislocated residents and urban poor people
The rapid industrialization in South Korea has resulted in urbanization and redevelopment plan especially in Seoul Metropolitan City. For more than two decades now, the government had been aggressively relocating residential areas to give way to high rise apartment buildings, corporate offices, shopping malls, and others. Development aggression is a continuing experience to so many people especially among the low-income Seoul City residents. In a contested redevelopment project in Yongsan District, low income dwellers resisted demolition of their homes and fought hard to maintain their homes and livelihood in the area. But police power was used to stop their opposition.

Six lives were lost, five protesting residents of Yongsan District and a policeman in the height of fierce resistance against Seoul City’s redevelopment plan on January 20, 2009. On July 20, six months after, the residents of Yongsan commemorated the demise of the five residents. Their bodies were brought to a place near the Seoul City Hall for people to pay their last respects and to remind the Lee Myung-Bak government that justice has not been met out for the five demised Yongsan protesters. It can be recalled that in the early morning of January 20, 2009 an empty building in Yongsan area, central Seoul, was occupied by some 50 protesters who had been forcibly thrown out of their living places under yet one more redevelopment project. They occupied the building to bring their desperate situation to public’s attention and to oppose the brutal urban redevelopment projects of the large companies favored by the government. But three and a half hours after their initial occupation of the building, the government deployed 1,600 policemen, riot teams and even police commandos and positioned four water-cannon vehicles around the building for round-up arrest operation.

Without negotiation and without mercy, treating the protesters as outlaws the police began to violently disperse the protesters. In the course of the violent action by the police and the protesters’ fierce resistance, fire suddenly blazed in the building. In the end five protesters and a policeman died and a number of people were injured. Since the building was heavily guarded by hundreds of police, nobody could escape the building. Just nineteen days after the accident, the prosecution announced the result of the investigation, blaming the protesters for the tragic deaths; the prosecutor’s office indicted 20 protesters for causing the fire and hurting police officers. Soon after the prosecution’s decision was released, many civilians, NGOs and religious groups including the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) urged the government to re-investigate the case, reveal the truth, and heal the pain of the victim families. The remains of the victims were finally interred late last year but the scars of the fateful night of violent clash with the police operatives on the rooftop of that building left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of the families of victims and the society.

Migrant workers
Another situation is the increasing number of foreign migrant workers from many countries in Asia such as China, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Mongolia and others. It is estimated that not less than 600,000 foreign workers are in the country out of the more than one million foreign population. Migrant workers came to the country in early 1990’s to seek employment in the 3D jobs (dirty, difficult, dangerous). The government’s labor ministry had introduced the trainee system that allowed small and medium scale factories to hire unskilled foreign workers and were considered trainees who should acquire particular skills.

Due to the exploitative scheme of the trainee system and it increased the number of undocumented migrant workers, the Employment Permit System (EPS) was introduced in 2004 to replace the trainee system. Most migrant workers work for long hours averaging from 10-12 hours a day. Their salaries are pegged at the minimum wage ranging from 800-900 thousand won per month, and there are those who do not have regular day-off, or vacation leave. The migrant workers human rights are often violated by their employers and supervisors and even by their Korean co-workers.

Churches and NGOs have established migrant workers center to provide social services and protect the rights of migrant workers. Recently the Ministry of Justice through the Bureau of Immigration issued a memo on voluntary departure of undocumented migrant workers enticing them for possible return to South Korea after 3 three years. In a similar vein, the National Police Agency also issued a memo on intensified clampdown on migrant workers for the purpose of eradicating crimes committed by foreigners and in view of the preparation for the hosting of G-20 Summit in November 2010. Several hundreds of migrant workers have already been deported since last month. The clampdown, criminalization and deportation scheme of the government has been meet consistently by various migrant workers organizations, trade unions and supporters with undulating protests actions such as demonstrations at immigration offices, signature campaigns, and other forms.

Marriage migrants
Anent this is the growing number of women marriage migrants who have come to the country and married Korean men. This is a phenomenon that came out of the depopulation of rural areas, the fast ageing population and the low birthrates for the last two decades. The claimed homogenous Korean ethnicity is becoming a thing of the past because children from inter-marriage of Korean men and women marriage migrant are increasing. Women marriage migrants rights have been violated and mostly by immediate family members. This group in society needs protection of their rights and access to social services.

Solidarity for justice and peace
The stories of people in the underside of Korean society are testimonies of the growing economic, political, social and cultural divisions in society. However, the unquenchable flame of hope for a better life will sustain various forms of resistance people living in the underside of society have initiated in their communities and organizations. There is a high level of political consciousness among the marginalized people and their critical analysis of society and the global community has empowered them to resist the government’s oppressive policies. We can forge our solidarity with the marginalized people through the understanding of their concerns, issues, participate in their struggles and firm up the hope for a just and peaceful society and world.

CLARIFYING AND SYNTHESIZING
Processes: This part is for good for 20 minutes. Participants may ask clarifications on the presentation and will assist in the coming up with a synthesis/summary through new insights and perspectives of the life of people in the underside of South Korean society.

ECUMENICAL CHALLENGES TO THE 9TH UCCP GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Statement from International and Ecumenical Partners and
UCCP Mission Co-Workers

We thank the 9th Quadrennial General Assembly for the events and activities that have fed our faith. We value the themes of the General Assembly, because these are just as relevant to all of us as they are specifically to the UCCP. We commend UCCP for your human rights, justice and peace and environmental commitment, and to living out your faith in the Philippines context. We honour the memory of the many victims of human rights violations, and the courage of the UCCP for your integrity and living out the gospel in these difficult times.

We rejoice in being part of the worldwide body of Christ, and are very thankful for the hospitality and sharing during our time here in Dumaguete.

We wish to affirm the sources of your discernment – the Holy Scriptures, the UCCP Statement of Faith, prayer, and sensing the presence of the Holy Spirit as it guides and leads us.


LISTENING AND REFLECTING

We have reflected together in our groups, on the present ecological crisis in the Philippines and in the world, and also on the current human rights situation. These critical times are manifested in the continuing destruction of the environment, the plunder of the natural resources and the deepening poverty and militarisation directed against those who are simply affirming human dignity, and those who are resisting this neo-liberal globalisation.

There is serious divergence of understanding the mission of God in these critical days. However we affirm that we are all part of the same Body of Christ. The gospel calls us to work together – there is one faith, one baptism, one Lord and saviour of us all. We should all work together on pursuing the programs of the next Quadrennium. This calls us to seek the way forward together; to be in dialogue with each other and listen seriously to each other; and in every way to be at peace with each other.

To be obedient to God’s will is to persist in the discernment process, and allow the agenda of God to flow within the Church. We joyfully celebrate the working of the Holy Spirit even outside the institutionalized Church. Sometimes we do not know which direction the wind will blow, but we need to be a responsive Church; as the wind of the Spirit will blow where it will like “a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night”. The Spirit is always ahead of us and always knows the context in which we work the best of all.

CHALLENGES

We encourage you to continue to strengthen your programs for peace and justice, the protection of human rights; support of migrant workers; ecological justice and sustaining our ecumenical partnerships and solidarity.

Let us journey together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There are things to let go of, and there are new things to embrace. We have confidence that God, who makes all things new and who is the giver of life in abundance, will continue to lead us all.



RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That UCCP continue to support those UCCP members and others, who are direct victims of human rights abuses.

2. That UCCP continue to support those members who face harassment, illegal arrest, abduction, and continue to live in fear.

3. That UCCP continues to campaign to stop the extra judicial killings in the Philippines.

4. That UCCP continues to do all it can to seek the unconditional release of the Morong 43.

5. That UCCP commits to continue to update it’s ecumenical partners on the human rights situation in the Philippines.

6. That UCCP seriously considers its own personal use of bio-degradable containers and packages. (Plastics and Styrofoam are immortal and infinite and cause pollution and pose health hazards. The use of plastics or the combination of plastic and aluminium packages for food and other products should be minimised).

7. That UCCP encourage the establishment of a nursery for tree seedling or wildlings in home, church yards and places which are made available for tree planting purposes.

8. That UCCP members consume healthy and locally produced farm products. (It has been observed that food served to General Assembly delegates are characteristic f the scarcity of locally grown vegetables and locally sourced marine products eg. fish and others)

9. That UCCP cease to consume Nestle products. (It has been observed that here in the General Assembly Nescafe instant coffee and creamer has been served as drink during meals, especially at breakfast and coffee break. In solidarity with the exploited and struggling Nestle workers, and the environment, and our own bodies.)

10. That UCCP sustain their advocacy for the abrogation of the Philippines Mining Act of 1995 to protect the national patrimony and support the people’s campaign against trans and multinational mining corporations.

11. That UCCP continue to advocate and support scientific research dealing with bio-diversity and sustainable alternatives for agricultural production of marginalized farmers.


Dated this 28th May, 2010


Ms. Jillian Linda Ruzbacky Rev. Rod Dyson
Uniting Church of Australia Uniting Church of Australia
Social Justice Officer & International Mission Unit Moderator, Synod of South Australia


Dr. Rommel Linatoc Ms. Rebecca Lawson
National Council of Churches in the Philippines PC-USA Mission Co-Worker with UCCP


Rev. Dakila Quezon Rev. Kim Yeo Jong
Iglesia Unida Ekumenikal PCK Missionaries Working With UCCP


Dr. Fidon Mwombeki Rev. Park Kwang Nam
United Evangelical Mission (UEM) PCK Missionaries Working With UCCP
General Secretary


Dr. Levi Oracion Ms. Miriam Flick
UCC- USA & Church of Christ (Disciples) UEM Ecumenical Intern


Ms. Krystal Sheremeta
Rev. Han Kyoung Gyun United Church of Canada Ecumenical Intern
Presbyterian Church of Korea
Mission Co- Worker to UCCP

Ms. Annika Sputh
UEM Ecumenical Intern


Rev. Kim Kwang Wook
PCK Missionaries Working With UCCP


Mr. Khethi Vanlalchuanga
Mizoram, India


Rev. Park Dong Kwon
PCK Missionaries Working With UCCP


Rev. Frank Hernando
UCCP Mission Co-Worker with PROK


Mr. Cobbie Palm
PC-USA Mission Co-Worker to UCCP


Rev. Gloria Hernando
UCCP Mission Co-Worker with PROK


Mr. Pastor Galang, Jr.
UCCP Mission Co-Worker with PCK


Rev. Frederick Carmelo
UCCP Mission Co-Worker with PCK


Rev. Cesar Taguba
Europe


Rev. Rannieh Mercado
UCCP Mission Co-Worker with UEM


Rev. Chung Hae Dong
PROK Mission Co-Worker with UCCP



Rev. Bae Tae-Jin
Presbyerian Church of the Rep[ublic of Korea
General Secretary

STOP CRACKDOWN OF MIGRANT WORKERS IN SOUTH KOREA

STOP CRIMINALIZATION, CRACKDOWN AND REPRESSION OF MIGRANT WORKERS!

The Unity of Filipino Migrant Workers in Korea or KASAMMAKO denounces the criminalization, intensified crackdown and repression of migrant workers in South Korea. The Korean government has used the visa status of migrant workers especially the undocumented migrant workers as a scapegoat in launching the anti-terrorism campaign in view of the government’s hosting of the G-20 Summit in November this year. There had been a mapping of areas where migrant workers live and work and the immigration police have raided many factories, carrying with them search warrants for identified factories.

As of May 16, there were already thirty two (32) Filipino migrant workers nabbed by the Immigration police last week few days after the Ministry of Justice announced the conduct intensified crackdown on May 4, 2010. The Filipino migrant workers are among the hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrant workers which are target of cleaning-up of criminals in the country, a xenophobic response that violates the fundamental human rights of migrant workers and all foreigners working and living in the country. Migrant workers of coloured race are doubly prejudiced because they can be easily identified such as the South and Southeast Asians, Africans and Chinese are the targets of the crackdown, in comparison to the fair skinned Caucasians from North America, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

The National Police Agency on May 4, 2010 announced through a press statement that they have also started the "G-20 Preemptive Response" beginning May 2nd. They have stated that as the foreign population increases in the country so do the crime rate committed by foreigners. The National Police Agency has started the conduct of special investigations in areas where there is a high concentration of foreigners. The investigation will continue for fifty days (50) on the national level while for Seoul region the investigation will be for two weeks.

Since majority of the foreign population in Seoul metropolitan area are 75% Chinese. It is founded that the target for arrests are primarily these ethnic groups. Areas specific to one nationality are classified as target areas such as the following: the Chinese in Yeoungdungpo, Guro and Guemcheon areas, Mongolians in Junggu specifically the Mongolian town in Gwanghuidong; the Vietnamese in Seongdonggu, Geumcheongu and Seongbukgu; Russians and Uzbeks in Junggu, especially the Russian Street in Gwanghuidong. Finally, the Nigerians in Yongsan and Itaewon.

According to their press release the target of their investigation and eventual deportation are the following: foreigners who are suspects in a crime; foreigners who are in possession of deadly weapons (e.g. knives, etc.); foreigners who have pending arrest warrants; sex workers and their costumers and the undocumented migrant workers. The statement as well disclosed that raids on houses and work places of foreigners would be done both day and night in identified areas as well as random street checking of the foreign nationals.

Although the government through the Ministry of Justice has advertised that the period of intensified crackdown on undocumented migrant workers and foreigners will begin on June 1st and will last until August 31, 2010, several hundreds of migrant workers have already been arrested and waiting for deportation to their home countries. The enticement of the government for voluntary departure comprise of these: all migrant workers who voluntarily leave Korea within this period will not be penalized for overstaying and will be exempted from a 5-year immigration ban in Korea. They will be able to take the Korean language test and reapply for work in Korea through the Employment Permit System (EPS). The employers are also encouraged to surrender their undocumented workers so that they can be exempted from paying the fine of up to 20 million won. They will also be able to hire EPS workers that would replace their lost manpower.

KASAMMAKO calls on President Lee Myung-Bak to immediately STOP THE CRACKDOWN on migrant workers. The continuance of this immigration strategy is a violation of the United Nations International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. It will further alienate South Korea from the migrant workers who have contributed in sustaining the economic development of the country. It will also aggravate the condition of the weakening productivity of the small and medium scale enterprises.

We denounce the militarist approach of resolving labour and immigration issues. Migrant workers regardless of their visa status have been working in the country as productive forces and have been contributing to the national economic development, but they are treated with suspicion as common criminals and are racially discriminated. The use of police power to reduce the number of undocumented migrant workers and foreigners in preparation for the G-20 Summit in Korea would widen the racial divide and will intensify xenophobia among Korean citizens and will result in racial motivated conflicts.

KASAMMAKO demands for the legalization of undocumented migrant workers. The increase of number of undocumented migrant workers is consequent of the faulty labor Employment Permit System (EPS). The EPS must be change to new labor arrangement that would ensure the respect of rights of migrants and equal protection under the law.

We call on the Philippine government especially the Philippine Embassy in Seoul to actively monitor the every detention center around the country for Filipino migrant workers processed for deportation in need of assistance such the speedy issuance of travel documents, provide shelter and basic subsistence for those who are forced to leave their jobs for fear of their employers of possible penalty for hiring them.

We call on all migrant workers network, concerned institutions, and individuals around the world to similarly denounce this ongoing crackdown, criminalization and repression of migrant workers and foreigners in South Korea.


MR. POL PAR
Chairperson
KASAMMAKO
Seoul, South Korea

Overseas Absentee Voting Partial Result from Seoul, Korea

PHILIPPINE MAY 10, 2010 NATIONAL ELECTIONS
OVERSEAS ABSENTEE VOTING
Seoul, South Korea

1.The Overseas Absentee Voting started on April 10 to May 10, 2010.

2.There is an estimate of more than 10,000 registered voters out of over 60,000 Filipinos in South mostly migrant workers and several thousands of marriage migrants.

3.The turn-out of voters is only 1,298 out of the over 10,000 registered voters scattered all over the country.

4.The figures collected were taken from the canvass of votes from the three voting precincts 1, 2, and 3 at the Philippine Embassy where the OAV was conducted.
5.Voters came to the Philippine Embassy in Itaewon, Seoul during the election period. Unlike in the past elections, voting was held in few other places in South Korea, but this time there is no other choice but to cast your vote in the Philippine Embassy in Seoul.

6.Only the names of candidates with significant number of votes and with political significance have been outlined here.

______________________________________________
Names of candidates: Total Number of votes:
______________________________________________
President:
1. Aquino, B. III................... 651
2. Estrada, J........................ 62
3. Gordon, ..........................108
4. Teodoro ..........................104
5. Villanueva, E. ...................253
7. Villar, M. .......................105

Vice-President:
1.Binay ...........................226
2.Fernando, B. .......................83
3.Legarda, L. ........................92
4.Sonza, J. ..........................65
5.Roxas, M ..........................665
6.Yasay .............................142

Party-List of Progressive Sectors
1.ACT-Teacher....................... 21
2.Anakpawis .........................27
3.Bayan Muna ........................57
4.Gabriela ..........................49


Senator:
1.Bello, S......................... 87
2.Biazon ..........................458
3.Cayetano ........................637
4.De Venecia ......................382
5.Defensor- Santiago ..............498
6.Drilon ..........................819
7.Enrile ......................... 583
8.Guingona ........................545
9.Hontiveros ......................475
10.Lapid.......................... 171
11.Marcos .........................428
12.Osmena, Serge ..................539
13.Recto.......................... 602
14.Remulla ........................312
15.Revilla ........................530
16.Sotto ..........................437
17.Maza, Liza..................... 174
18.Ocampo, Satur ..................213
______________________

7.The conduct of OAV at the Philippine Embassy was smooth on the last day of election on May 10, 2010. The fact is there were more or less thirty (30) persons who voted on the last day of voting. There were two late voters who failed to vote because they came at 9:50 p.m. when the voting had already closed at 8:00 p.m. They said that they’ve got the information that the voting time will last until 10:00 p.m. on May 10. Immediately after 8:00 p.m. the unused official ballots were destroyed with the use of paper cutter. Manual counting of votes started from 12:05 midnight May 11, with precinct 3 to close last at 8:05 p.m. same day or the maximum duration of around 20 hours.

Report Submitted by:
Frank J. Hernando, Poll and Canvass Watcher for Gabriela Women’s Party, Seoul, Korea
May 12, 2010.

Vote for progressive candidates

SOUTH KOREA OVERSEAS ABSENTEE VOTING BEGINS

OVERSEAS ABSENTEE VOTING ELECTION PERIOD
10 April-8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
11 April-9 May
Mon-Fri: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Saturday: by appointment
10 May, Monday 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
Venue: Philippine Embassy Building
Address: 5-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
--------------------------------------
Sponsored by:
KATIPUNAN NG MGA SAMAHAN NG MIGRANTENG MANGGAGAWA-KOREA
(KASAMMA-KO)
Email: kasammako.mig@gmail.com

Welcome the Newness of Life

Luke 24:1-12
24But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

REFLECTION

The biblical Easter Day narrative is like an old, old story or classic being retold every year and for Christians around the world they would not pass the day without hearing the story of the resurrection of Jesus. Re-reading the resurrection narrative in the Gospel of Luke enables us to hear the story once again in view of the contemporary life situations where we live and have our being. Both in our personal and social life there are many circumstances that relate with the resurrection event.

The women in the life of Jesus were mourning for the gruesome events that took place three days prior and early on the third day, the first day of week they have to follow the customs of bringing herbs to the tomb to use for the dead body of the departed loved one. When we try to feel with the Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary the mother of James on their way to the tomb, we can empathize with them for the death of most loved family member, a relative or friend. Aside from the sadness there was the fear and trembling on the Roman authorities who may be watching over the tomb and would somehow arrest them or tell them not to come close to the tomb. But they were determined to do what ought to be done in that particular situation, asserting their right to be in the tomb of a loved one.

Few meters away they saw that the tomb where Jesus was laid was already opened and suspicion that Jesus’ body was taken away by robbers or by the Roman soldiers, they were terrified and was at a loss of what they have to do in case their suspicion was true. However while they were there perplexed seeing an opened tomb, they saw visions of angels in dazzling white, a metaphysical mysterious experience that the seers may have some doubts of what they seeing but it must had been a blinding light. The presence of the supernatural is always accompanied by a dazzling or blinding light and then with tremors of nature, then the deity will speak to the seers. “Why do look for the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen…” Why would the women and all the disciples remained in grief and disbelief when they had the assurance of the resurrection? Jesus brought back to life Lazarus, but now that he is dead who will resurrect him from the dead? Nobody. A God whom Jesus called “Father” was a distant God for the disciples. It was only on Jesus’ resurrection that there is somebody else other than Jesus. The disciples were not easy to belief in this event.

Everyday we are faced with the reality of physical or biological extinction, for we know that when we die, that’s the end of our mortal existence, our bodies can be buried in the ground and go to the process of natural decomposition or our bodies can be turned into ashes by cremation. Our fear of the unknown is always justified, but our faith in what God can do even after our biological extinction and the promise of a Jesus’ like resurrection can overcome our fear of death. I think this is the relevance of Jesus resurrection from the dead. God has overcome the power of death and darkness on Easter Day and it is an every minute of the day experience for all those who have faith.

I was awakened in the middle of the night by the call of my friends outside the gate telling me that the church building of UCCP Iloilo City was razed by fire. With fear and trembling I and Gloria rushed to see the burning church building and my heart melted like wax as the thick smoke hovered and the huge red-golden fire consumed the whole church building. On the side walk were many people gathered I looked for the pastor and her family and the young people who lodged at the church dormitory. I was relieved to see them all safe. The church has to be rebuilt, not just the building but the church people themselves. The more than one hundred years old community of faith had to start all over again. The process of rebuilding was daunting and to see the church relocated in a new site and new physical facilities was an experience of resurrection.

We ought not to despair in death. We should always have faith for newness of life that God provides through Jesus Christ.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTIONS

REFLECTION
It mustn’t be long enough for Jesus to suffer the shameful crucifixion at Mount Golgotha and he finally died of exhaustion and loss of blood. While hanging on the cross in between the two other convicts he uttered at least seven sentences or words that described fully his humanity and relationship with the God whom he called “Father”. In John’s Gospel the narrative of the minutes after his death is detailed in this manner:
Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out (Jn 19:32-24).

The Roman soldiers in order to make sure that the execution is total they had to break the legs and piercing of the side of the body with a spear. The very act of piercing on the side would make a fatal wound on the stomach, liver and the heart. Death becomes inescapable. They made sure he was killed. Gintipok gid nila sya in Ilonggo language while gitiwasan gyud nila siya in Cebuano. Tagalog expression would use sya ay pinatay/pinaslang nila. In the three Filipino languages the act of killing is intention of killing somebody, which we may say premeditation. What is uglier in the act of killing or murder in the Filipino mind is that first the victim has been fatally wounded but without mercy has been killed- gitiwasan or gintipok gid sya.

The more than 800 persons who were killed extrajudicially by government security operatives and the hundreds who have been desaparacedos during the incumbency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connivance with the fascist police and military commanders are fiercest than that of the Roman imperial soldiers. The grim reality in Philippine society is always as it had been a Good Friday and not so much of Easter Sunday. The poor and struggling masses of people are kept hanging on the cross and the soldiers continually use their brute means of killing those who resist or may want to escape death.

Good Friday can only be good for the more than 60 million poor Filipinos when the government would allow Easter Day to come. However, the moral bankruptcy of the government will never allow Easter Day to come. The Church especially the Catholic Church in the Philippines as the harbinger of Christian hope for salvation especially social emancipation must do beyond what it is doing right now to proclaim the coming of Easter Day, the historical era when the majority of the Filipino people have a government that institutes social justice and punish those who have squandered the resources of the nation, those who have commandeered the extrajudicial killings and arrested those who raised dissent to the monumental human rights violations. Only then that the nation can truly live in Easter Day.

Maundy Thursday Reflections

1. Every Maundy Thursday comes many things come to mind. For ten years of pastoring in Iloilo City UCCP Maundy Thursday is the day when the communion table is moved from the elevated chancel to the nave of the same level of the pews in front of the pews or put in the center and the pews are arranged in a semi-circle. In my mind it signifies God’s accessibility to the world and Christ incarnation and humility. There were regular attendees to Maundy Thursday service every year. With a congregation with less than 200 members and only 40 percent regularly comes to church, the less people attending the Maundy Thursday service the more the ambience becomes dreary and Jesus’ experience of betrayal and desertion becomes real as the service tapers in the dimming of lights. Immediately after the service, the sorrowful music from the band accompanying the Maundy Thursday procession of the nearby parish of the Philippine Independent Church grew louder as it passed by the church along Delgado Street.

2. All of these episodes were in the backdrop of the Feast of the Passover a Jewish celebration commemorating Israel’s freedom from the bondage of slavery in the hands of the Egyptians. It was such a great celebration during the time of Jesus because the Roman officers would release some prisoners especially those who were sentenced to die by crucifixion, the equivalent of capital punishment in contemporary times. It was also the same occasion when Jesus gathered his disciples for dinner. John disclosed that Jesus already knew that God has determined that he has to depart and go to the Father and that Judas has as well determined to betray him. That very night Jesus made the Passover meal very dramatic such as the washing of the disciples’ feet and the last supper.

3. The drama in the life of Jesus that occupies the celebration of Maundy Thursday is filled with contemporary issues and concerns. First is the washing of feet of the disciples in the Gospel of John tells of the necessity to practice humility and not just think about it. Interestingly Peter wish not to be washed and later wanted to be washed on the head and feet and Jesus told him that humility is about servanthood and not about cleaning somebody else’s dirt. The washing of the disciple’s feet excluding their heads and their arms shows that servanthood that Jesus represents is one that enables the disciples to walk in the grace of God, rather than thinking and feeling superior to those whom they serve.

4. The Last Supper is another dramatic episode of Maundy Thursday wherein Jesus supped with the disciples in an upper room and where the conversation of betrayal took place. The episode shows that Jesus was telling them that he is sent by God, meaning the Savior. However he knows that all of the disciples have their doubts and some have really doubts and that doubts would lead one to betray him. The last supper was the moment of truth for Jesus and the disciples. It was the moment when Jesus has to face the fiercest human predicament, treachery, violence, greed and death. He was shaken, but his fears was allayed by his connection with God and a firm faith that even in this direst moments, freedom, peace and love will be birthed.

A Letter to a Friend Journeying to the Light: In Memory of Carmen Rio

Dear Tita Carmen,

There were many Sundays in your life, but you have chosen a particular Sunday to come and attend our worship service in that UCCP Iloilo City church in Delgado Street. You said that you made a resolve the day before Sunday that you would try to experience once again the ambience of a church service similar to what you had experienced in your student life at Silliman University. That was a new beginning for you—meeting old friends, establishing new ones and getting into the life of the local church. You have indeed made a difference in your involvement in the local church.

You are not just a church member, you have been a loving and caring friend to us and you called us by our names Frank and Glo. Our friendship is one that allows us to grow and be nurtured by your generosity. You always think of many special things you can do for those you love and for your friends. You see, on that church luncheon, you brought three kilos of grapes, and the poor kids who came to the church, had the chance to eat those sweet grapes laid on the table. You told us also that you want to be of service to the poor, but you could not be Mother Theresa. You are just Carmen Rio, a mother and a Christian. You know what you can do and you have the unmatched exuberance in spite of your physical limitation.

The many times we sat around your dinner table are heartwarming to recall. As we always reminded you that it’s not the food but the cordial spirit and gentle conversation among those who sat at table that matters most. Oh yeah, we laugh together when we were eating a bowl of malunggay soup, because you told us about that high-hat Filipino-American woman who pretends not to eat it, but her guest discovered she had just eaten a meal with malunggay because a green malunggay leaf still sticks on her teeth.

The many occasions that we had converse with you in your cozy sala were filled with new discoveries and realizations that human beings are indeed connected to each other and that there is an inescapable common desire for love, respect, acceptance and peace. Whenever we’re in your sala, we forget not to see the layers of picture frames on the bookshelf and your conspicuous portrait on the wall. Those pictures are your masterpieces of art, telling their own stories—the joys, the pains, the aspirations, the anguish and hopes for the future. On all those pictures shone the light of eternity.

We thank God for bringing you to us. You are a wonderful friend, Tita Carmen. Our hearts feel sad that you have to go this early. However, we look forward to seeing you again. This hope makes us happy.

In your journey to the light, we wish you a meaningful sojourn. Take good care.

Sincerely yours,

Frank and Gloria Hernando
Seoul, South Korea
December 9, 2009

Statement of the World Council of Churches on Morong-43

Letter on the abduction of church and health workers in the Philippines

To:
President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
Office of the President
The Philippines

Geneva, 11 February 2010

Your Excellency,

It is with deep concern that the World Council of Churches (WCC) received a report of the arrest of Dr Alex Montes, a church worker for the United Churches of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) and official of the Community Medicine Development Foundation as well as 42 other health workers by the Philippines Army and the Philippine National Police.

I am distressed by the reported news that the detainees have been subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment amounting to torture and that they have been deprived of their basic human rights while in custody. Dr Alex Montes, a committed church worker has been a long-time staff of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, which is a member of the WCC world-wide fellowship of churches. The WCC has a strong association with the UCCP and its leadership and in that capacity I am familiar with the activities of the church. Dr Montes who served as the coordinator of the Health Mission of the Christian Witness and Service programme of the UCCP was instrumental in developing community-based health programmes of the UCCP Visayas Community Medical Center in Cebu City. It is therefore more than unfortunate that Dr Alex Montes’ and his coworkers were arrested and detained while they were involved in legitimate activities of humanitarian services as part of their Christian witness.

In these circumstances, Your Excellency, the WCC calls for the respect of the human rights of Dr Alex Montes and the 42 other detained health workers, including their rights to legal counsel, access to visitors, and due process, as guaranteed by the Philippines Constitution and international human rights Instruments to which the Philippines is a signatory. I urge the authorities to ensure the immediate release of Dr Montes and his co-workers.

Yours faithfully,

Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit
General secretary
World Council of Churches

cc:
Atty. Agnes Devanadera, Secretary, Department of Justice
HE Norberto Gonzales, Secretary, Department of National Defense
Atty. Leila De Lima, Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
Bishop Eliezer M. Pascua, General Secretary, UCCP
Gen. Avelino Razon, Ret. PNP, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process

Statement of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP)

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES IN THE PHILIPPINES
February 9, 2010

PRESS STATEMENT

Free the 43 Health Workers

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines expresses extreme alarm over the arrest and continued detention of forty three health workers who participated in a training conducted by a non-government organization, the Council for Health and Development. Reports say they were arrested in Morong, Rizal on February 6 in the residence of Dr. Melicia Velmonte.?Since their arrest, they have been denied visits of relatives and friends. It was only through the intervention this morning of Commissioner Leila de Lima of the Commission on Human Rights that some of the relatives were able to see their loved ones. Reports said that the detainees were tortured. The detained health workers include Dr. Alexis Montes, a member and former national health program coordinator of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. Dr. Montes was a member of the NCCP’s Commission on Faith, Witness and Service at one time. A news report stated the AFP accused Dr. Montes as a member of a special unit of the New People’s Army (NPA) formed to liquidate General Jovito Palparan.

This latest assault on human rights is a manifestation of a dysfunctional system claiming democracy yet denying basic rights to its citizens. It is a system where warlords are entitled their rights if not coddled by the powers that be while members of NGOs and people's organizations are not. It is a system where those who cause people's pain are allowed their maximum day in court and are even set free while those who ease the people’s pain are labeled members of the NPA, leftists, communists, ad infinitum, arrested and tortured then denied any right, constitutional or otherwise.

Such is the intention of the anti-insurgency policy of the state through Oplan Bantay Laya II. There can be no better ingredient for more social and political dissent than the brazen affront to human dignity like, illegal arrests and detention, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. The best ingredient to quell any further dissent is to resolve once and for all the festering issues of corruption, poor governance, agrarian unrest, development aggression and political degeneration that have confined the people in this republic in a state of misery and poverty.

We appeal to the authorities to release these health workers. With a dwindling budget for health, the least the government could do is to support non-government initiatives whose leaders and constituents, more often than not, represent the ideals of genuine community service and Christian selflessness. We also reiterate our call for the government to adopt and heed the recommendations of Prof. Philip Alston, the Special Rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, particularly to review its counter-insurgency program. Oplan Bantay Laya is an instrument for terror. It has no place in a democratic society.

To our partners around the world, please continue to uphold us in your prayers and be unceasing in your solidarity with us.


REV. REX RB REYES, JR.
General Secretary

Statement of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP)

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST IN THE PHILIPPINES
L.M. Vasquez Street, Malate, Manila
Tel. # (02) 536-8005; Email Add: uccpnaof@yahoo.com



Release Dr. Alexis Montes and other detained health workers!

“Freedom is what we have—Christ has set us free! Stand, then as free people and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.” Galatians 5:1

Dr. Alexis Montes, a lay leader in the health ministry of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, is a victim of illegal arrest, disappearance and detention. The United Church of Christ in the Philippines resolutely calls for an end to de-facto martial law tactics on the part of the Armed Forces in the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. We call for the respect of the human rights of Dr. Alex Montes and the 42 other detained health workers, including their rights to legal counsel, access to visitors, and due process. The ludicrous allegation that Dr. Alex was involved in a bomb-making training is deplorable; Dr Alex is a respected leader in the healing ministry of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. We stand united and call for his release!

In the early morning (6am) of February 6, 2010, Dr. Alexis (Alex) Montes was illegally arrested and detained by the 202nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army and the Rizal Philippine National Police. The Community Medical Foundation, Inc. (COMMED), where Dr. Alex Montes is currently employed, co-sponsored a First Responders Training for health workers in Morong, Rizal beginning February 1, 2010; Dr. Alex was assigned in the conducting of the training. Initial reports say that more than 300 military and police raided the retreat center at gunpoint. They arrested the 43 participants before even searching the premises. They later showed a shoddy search warrant for a certain Mario Condes as supposed basis for their raid. Dr. Alex was blindfolded and taken away in a military truck and we have not been able to confirm his whereabouts. It is suspected that Dr. Alex and the others are being held Camp Capinpin, Samaploc, Tanay, Rizal, but access has been denied to lawyers, family, colleagues and pastors who have tried to visit them.

The military alleges that the training was actually on bomb making. They claim to have found C4 explosives, a pistol, a revolver, three grenades, three Claymor mines and an improvised landmine. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 7, 2010) However, Dr. Melecia Velmonte who owns the retreat center where the training was being conducted asserted that the military had no witness to their search operations and would have easily planted the ammunitions. Dr. Velmonte also gave a lecture on infectious diseases at the training, but was not arrested with the other participants.

Dr. Alex Montes has been a long-time staff of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. From 1988-2003, Dr. Montes served as the Health Ministries Coordinator of the Christian Witness and Service program of the UCCP. He also served as Executive Secretary of Bishop Elmer Bolocon from 2001-2002. Dr. Alex has been instrumental in the development of UCCP hospitals, but his passion as always been providing health services to the underprivileged. Dr. Alex Montes has helped develop the community-based health programs of many of our institutions. Immediately prior to his service with The Community Medical Foundation, Dr. Montes was developing community-based health programs of the UCCP Visayas Community Medical Center in Cebu City. He served as Assistant to the Administrator for Internal and External Programs and Projects from 2007-2009.

We appeal to your support through the following actions:• Pray that Dr. Alexis Montes and the other 42 health workers will be surfaced and released.
• Write a letter to the following addresses and appeal for due process of the 43 detained health workers and especially for Dr. Alex Montez, respected UCCP lay leader.

You may send your communications to:
H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines
Voice: (+632) 564 1451 to 80
Fax: (+632) 742-1641 / 929-3968
Cell#: (+ 63) 919 898 4622 / (+63) 917 839 8462
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph / opnet@ops.gov.ph

Gen. Avelino Razon, Ret. PNP
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)
7th Floor Agustin Building I
Emerald Avenue
Pasig City 1605
Voice:+63 (2) 636 0701 to 066
Fax:+63 (2) 638 2216
osec@opapp.gov.ph

Norberto Gonzales
Secretary, Department of National Defense
Room 301 DND Building, Camp Emilio Aguinaldo,
E. de los Santos Avenue, Quezon City
Voice:+63(2) 911-9281 / 911-0488
Fax:+63(2) 911 6213
Email: osnd@philonline.com

Atty. Agnes Devanadera
Secretary, Department of Justice
Padre Faura St., Manila
Direct Line 521-8344; 5213721
Trunkline 523-84-81 loc.214
Fax: (+632) 521-1614
Email: soj@doj.gov.ph

Atty. Leila De Lima
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., UP Complex
Commonwealth Avenue
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Voice: (+632) 928-5655, 926-6188
Fax: (+632) 929 0102
Email: chr.delima@yahoo.com


For Reference:
Bishop Eliezer M. Pascua
General Secretary
0917-8057167

Statement of Solidarity from the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)

18 February 2010

SOLIDARITY STATEMENT

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…”
Mark 2:17

The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) expresses solidarity to the forty three (43) health workers who were illegally arrested on February 6th while attending a seminar conducted by a non-government organization, the Council for Health and Development, in Morong town, Rizal province in the Philippines. The health workers were brought to Camp Capinpin, Rizal where they were detained and tortured. Since their arrest, they have been denied visits of relatives and friends. It was only through the intervention of Commissioner Leila de Lima of the Commission on Human Rights that some of the relatives were able to see their loved ones on Tuesday, February 9th. A writ of habeas corpus has been filed by the family members of the detained health workers in the Supreme Court.

The detained health workers include Dr. Alexis Montes, a member and former national health program coordinator of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. The arrest, detention, torture and false accusations hurled on him are intended to malign the Christian commitment and service Dr. Alexis Montes has been giving to the poor, deprived and oppressed communities in the Philippine society.

In this situation of the 43 detained and tortured Filipino health workers, we assert the statement of Jesus Christ, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick…” which is an ethical assertion of attending to the health needs of the poor and sick people that these 43 health workers have unselfishly responded to. Therefore, we join the World Council of Churches, the Christian Conference of Asia, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and our partner church the United Church of Christ in the Philippines in calling for the respect of the human rights of Dr. Alexis Montes and the 42 other detained health workers, including their rights to legal counsel, access to visitors, and due process, as guaranteed by the Philippines Constitution and international human rights instruments to which the Philippines is a signatory. We urge the authorities to ensure the immediate release of Dr Montes and his co-workers.


REV. BAE TAE-JIN
General Secretary
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)

The Morong 43-Filipino Health Workers Become an International Concern

In my previous blog, the statement of KASAMMAKO has decried the Philippine security forces for illegally arrested, detained and tortured the 43 health workers who were peacefully assembled in a farmhouse attending a seminar on health procedures in times of calamity. Today, in the Philippines daily inquirer webpage, inquirer.net mentioned the following and quoted here below:

18 February 2010.
Inquirer.net
Int’l outrage growing over ‘Morong 43’ case
By Alcuin Papa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:58:00 02/18/2010

Filed Under: Human Rights, Torture, Military, Healthcare Providers, insurgency
MANILA, Philippines—International outrage over the arrest, detention and torture of the “Morong 43” is growing.

A Methodist delegation, led by Rev. Sandra Richards, said her congregation in the United States had expressed concern over the detention of the 43 health workers who were arrested on Feb. 6 in Morong, Rizal, on suspicion that they were communist rebels.

“The issue is already of international concern. We received an e-mail today from our General Board of Church and Society and they are expressing concern,” said Richards, who went to Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal to visit the detainees on Tuesday.
Richards also said that on Feb. 12, the World Council of Churches issued a statement requesting the immediate release of the 43 detainees. The World Council of Churches is a worldwide fellowship of 349 churches seeking unity in the Christian service.
Two presidential candidates in the May elections have also expressed concern over the situation of the detainees.

Villar, Perlas“I condemn any violation or abuse of human rights,” Sen. Manuel Villar, standard-bearer of the Nacionalista Party, said in a statement.
Villar said “the manner and circumstances of the arrest and detention already raised a lot of questions. Thus, the authorities should ensure that the legal procedures will be followed.”

Nicanor Perlas, an independent presidential candidate, called on the military to release the health workers, saying the “practice of medicine should be given to all regardless of their political ideologies.”

“The members of the medical profession should not be subjected to any harm or danger in the performance of their official functions as embodied in the Geneva Convention,” Perlas said in a statement.

He said the arrest of the Morong 43 while they were conducting health training showed the need to professionalize the police and the military.
“And, if the rights of these workers were, in any way, violated, those responsible should be held accountable,” Perlas said.

Richards, who was accompanied by Rev. David Farley and Rev. Irwin Lee McKlenshaw, tried to visit the Morong 43 on Tuesday.

They are members of the United Methodist Church California-Pacific conference. The congregation’s General Board of Church and Society is one of four international programs of the church.

Lay minister a detainee
One of the detainees, Dr. Alex Montes, is a lay leader of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), a Christian denomination formed by the merger of various congregations, including the Methodists.

“He is a well-respected surgeon and had given up his material well-being to serve the poor. We don’t think acts of mercy are criminal acts,” Richards said.

US lawmakersRichards said her group would bring the issue to US legislators belonging to the Democratic Party, including Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Loretta Sanchez, both of California, and Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii.

Boxer chaired hearings in the US Senate in 2007 on extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, while Sanchez is a member of the House committee on armed services and homeland security and the joint economic committee in the US Congress.Inouye championed a bill giving aid to Filipino World War II veterans and their families.

Protest at RP consulates
Kuunsela Hilo, vice chair of Bayan USA, who was part of Richards’ party, said Filipinos and non-Filipinos had been holding protest actions at Philippine consular offices in the United States, including Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, asking for the release of the Morong 43.

“It’s definitely an international issue especially with so many Filipino health care workers abroad,” Hilo told the Inquirer.

She said national labor unions in the United States like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance had sent letters to US and Philippine officials “condemning the ongoing treatment, detention and torture of the 43 health workers.”Richards’ party met with Commission on Human Rights Chair Leila de Lima on Tuesday morning at her office in Quezon City.

De Lima, for her part, said the CHR would exhaust all remedies to secure the release of the Morong 43. If all else fails, the CHR can also bring the issue to the United Nations, she said.

Left out in the heat
Richards lamented the hardships the families of the detainees were undergoing just to see their loved ones.

“These are young men and women, children and grandparents waiting to see their loved ones. One poor family had come from very far. They had not seen their daughter. They were left out in the heat all day waiting. We were moved by the plight of the parents and families of the detainees,” she said.

Based on stories told to them by the families, Richards said some of the detainees “fear the coming of the night” because they would be interrogated. The detainees also suffered psychological torture.

De Lima said that based on the report of Richards’ party, the families were waiting on Tuesday to see the detainees since morning. But it was only close to 4 p.m. that they were able to spend just five minutes with the detainees. With reports from DJ Yap and Jocelyn R. Uy

Forty Three Health Workers Illegally Arrested, Detained and Tortured

08 February 2010

H.E. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President of the Republic of the Philippines
Malacañang Palace,
JP Laurel St., San Miguel
Manila Philippines

Gen. Avelino Razon, Ret. PNP
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP)

Norberto Gonzales
Secretary, Department of National Defense

Atty. Agnes Devanadera
Secretary, Department of Justice

Atty. Leila De Lima
Chairperson, Commission on Human Rights

Dear President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Sirs and Mesdames:

We, leaders and members of the Katipunan ng mga Samahan ng Migranteng Manggagawa sa Korea (KASAMMAKO) or the Alliance of Organizations of Filipino Migrant Workers in Korea vehemently condemn the illegal arrest of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal on February 6, 2010, conducted by the joint elements of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army (202nd IBPA), and Rizal Philippine National Police (PNP) headed by Colonel Aurelio Baladad, commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Tanay, Rizal and Police Superintendent Marion Balonglong of the Rizal PNP.

The actions of the military and police personnel constitute violation of domicile; destruction of property; divestment of property; illegal search and seizure illegal arrest; illegal detention; threat, harassment and intimidation, and fear for safety victims.

These actions are brutish and with no regard for the rights and civil liberties of individual persons as guaranteed in Philippine Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As informed and organized Filipino migrant workers, we are angered by the sheer abuse of power and discretion by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Mr. Norberto Gonzales, the military generals and their commanding officers involved in this crafty scheme of things. We have no other way to describe this ongoing situation in the Philippines but barbarity, worse than martial law. The narrative of witnesses of the illegal arrest and other violations of human rights that took place on Saturday February 6 in residential compound of Dr. Melecia Velmonte in Bgy. Maybangcal, Morong, Rizal cannot belie our description of the country right now.

The initial reports gathered by Karapatan, at 6:15 am on February 6, 2010, around 300 heavily armed elements of the military and police forced their way into the farm of Dr. Melecia Velmonte in Bgy. Maybangcal, Morong, Rizal. At gunpoint, the military forced the caretaker to open the gates. Inside, the soldiers fanned out to different directions. They also kicked the main door to get into the building. When Dr. Velmonte and her son, Bob demanded for a search warrant, they were merely brushed aside by the military.

All medical practitioners and health workers, were ordered to line up at the garage, frisked, and handcuffed. The victims were also questioned and photographed by the military, while another took a video recording of the interrogation. The male victims were then blindfolded with old shirts brought in by the soldiers and secured with packaging tape. All of the personal belongings of the victims were also taken by the military.

When the participants were already handcuffed, it was only then that Police Superintendent Marion P. Balonglong showed Bob a search warrant for a certain Mario Condes of Bgy. Maybangcal, Morong, Rizal, charged with illegal possession of firearms. The search warrant dated February 5, 2010 and issued by Judge Cesar A. Mangrobang of Branch 22 of the Imus, Cavite Regional Trial Court, did not indicate the exact address of the Velmonte compound.

Bob asserted that the warrant did not specify their address, and that Mario Condes, who is subject of the warrant, is not even the owner of the house, but he was ignored by the authorities.

Outside the compound, were eight (8) vehicles. Along with the four (4) 6 x 6 military trucks were two (2) Armored Personnel Carriers (APC), a KIA Pride car, and an ambulance. Some of the vehicles had no plate numbers while the rest of the license plates were either covered, or smeared with mud.

The health workers were forced into the military trucks and were brought to Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, headquarters of the 202nd Infantry Brigade of Philippine Army. The military declared that the victims were members of the New People’s Army because of the explosives allegedly found inside the compound. However, according to witnesses, the military conducted the search of the compound’s premises only after all of the victims, as well as the residents, were already outside the buildings. Witnesses also said that the military have brought in with them plastic bags with the GMA Kapuso logo printed on it.

Allegedly found were C4 explosives, a pistol with seven bullets, 3 grenades (one allegedly found under a pillow); beside the grenade were some improvised landmines. However, Bob said that they were not issued a receipt of the inventory of the said firearms and explosives. The illegal search of the Velmonte compound ended at past 9:00 in the morning of Saturday, February 6, 2010. The military and police arresting team were led by Col. Aurelio Baladad and Police Superintendent Marion Balonglong.

In the afternoon of the same day, Karapatan Deputy Secretary General Roneo Clamor, husband of Dr. Merry Mia, Olive Bernardo, Karapatan Services Head, along with Karapatan counsel, Atty. Ephraim Cortez, Dr. Geneve Rivera and Dr. Edelina De La Paz, chairperson of Health Action for Human Rights (HAHR), went to Camp Capinpin to inquire about the victims. They were not allowed to enter the camp premises. As of this writing, the military has not allowed any of the relatives of the victims to see anyone of them.

We express our support and solidarity to the following doctors, health workers and caretakers in their fight for justice:

Illegally arrested and illegally detained (partial list):
• Dr. Mary Mia, Health Education and Training Services coordinator for Council for Health and Development (CHD)
• Dr. Alexis Montes
• Gary Liberal, Registered Nurse (Jose Reyes Medical Memorial Center)
• Teresa Quinawayan, Midwife
• Lydia Ubera, health worker
• Reynaldo Makabenta, health worker
• Delia Ocasla, health worker
• Jane Balleta, health worker
• Janice Javier, health worker
• Franco Remoroso, health worker
• Ailene Monasteryo, health worker
• Pearl Irene Martinez, health worker
• Ellen Carandang, health worker
• Dany Panero, health worker
• Rayom Among, health worker
• Emily Marquez, health worker

Victims of threat, harassment and intimidation and violation of domicile:
• Dr. Melecia Velmonte
• Bob Velmonte
• Bernardo Landag
• Two caretakers

We demand that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the respective government agencies do the following urgent actions:

1. The immediate release of the health workers who are illegally arrested and illegally detained at Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal.

2. The government to ensure the safety of the victims and that they are not harmed; their belongings be returned immediately to them.

3. The immediate formation of an independent fact-finding and investigation team composed of representatives from human rights groups, the Church, local government, and the Commission on Human Rights that will look into raid and illegal arrest of the health workers conducting health skills training in Morong, Rizal.

4. The military to stop the labeling and targeting of human rights defenders as “members of front organizations of the communists” and “enemies of the state.”

5. The Philippine Government to be reminded that it is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and that it is also a party to all the major Human Rights instruments, thus it is bound to observe all of these instruments’ provisions.


Very truly yours,

Mr. Pol Par
Chairperson
KASAMMAKO
Seoul, South Korea
09 February 2010