Desaparecidos:Disappeared in the Philippines

Desaparecidos
" A Cultural Tribute to the hundreds of who have been abducted and disappeared in the Philippines "

FEATURED SPEAKER: EDITH BURGOS,
MOTHER OF DISAPPEARED JONAS BURGOS


Saturday, March 15, 2008
6pm - 9pm
at the BAYANIHAN Community Center
1010 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

$5 - $1,000
Sliding Scale Donation at the Door
No one turned away for lack of funds

Please join the Filipino community of San Francisco and peace-loving citizens with a night of cultural performances, documentary film, discussion and welcoming the main speaker, Edith Burgos, mother of missing Filipino land advocate Jonas Burgos, and widow of the late Filipino press freedom-fighter Joe Burgos (We Forum & Malaya).
Ms. Burgos will be kicking off her month-long national US speaking tour with addressing members of the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C. and raising awareness of the American public in New York and California (LA, SF, East Bay) different of her struggle for justice, not only for her son but for all desparecidos (disappeared).
Sponsored by:
Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (CHRP)
GMA WATCH: Philippine Human Rights Monitoring Network
National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON)

Silent Art auction will be held at the event to raise proceeds towards the campaign for human rights in the Philippines. Checkbooks are encouraged.
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Brief Background
Jonas Burgos, 36, is also an agriculturist who advocated for farmers' rights in the Philippines. He is the son of the late press freedom fighter and staunch anti-Martial Law advocate Jose Burgos, founder of the popular We Forum and Malaya newspapers in the Philippines.

Jonas was reportedly abducted by elements of the Philippine military in April2007 in Quezon City. His case has become one of the highest profile politically motivated abduction cases in the Philippines today. Military authorities have been directed by the Court of Appeals, through the writ of amparo, to disclose the whereabouts of the missing agriculturist. To date, however, his entire family continues to be politically harassed for their advocacy efforts, while Edith has gone to the UNHRC in Geneva and other institutions appealing for international support and intervention on behalf of victims of forced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations.

As of December 2007, over 890 victims of extrajudicial killings and nearly 300 victims of forced disappearances have been documented since GMA took office in 2007. These disturbing facts have been the subject of numerous reports by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the World Council of Churches, the EU Council and EU Parliament, other human rights advocates and civil libertarians all over the world, and even investigations by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Last year, Prof. Philip Alston, the UN Special Reporter Extrajudicial Killings and Summary Executions, submitted three reports on the Philippines that pointed out the Philippine military's direct role as perpetrator of human rights violations against social activists, interfaith leaders, human rights volunteers, community leaders, legislative advocates, and civilian communities.