• About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
Thursday, January 21, 2021
No Result
View All Result
The Brief
NB MEDIA CO-OP
Share a story
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Gender
  • Politics
  • Arts & Culture
  • Videos
  • COVID-19
No Result
View All Result
NB MEDIA CO-OP
No Result
View All Result
Home Labour

CUPE members send letters of support to Filipino political prisoners

by Tracy Glynn
May 16, 2013
3 min read

Daniel Legere, President of CUPE NB, was joined by Debbie Downey, CUPE's Global Justice Representative, and Donald Miller with the Fredericton and District Labour Council as he sent letters of support for political prisoners in the Philippines on May 16th at the Fredericton post office. The letters were written by CUPE NB members. Photo by Tracy Glynn.

Fredericton – Daniel Legere sent over 200 letters in support of Filipino political prisoners from CUPE New Brunswick members today at the Fredericton public post office. The union president says that it is important to support Filipino political prisoners. He explained that the political prisoners are in jail for organizing in their communities and for teaching farmers how to read and write.

Legere drew parallels to the Harper government’s attacks on workers in Canada. He mentioned Harper’s cuts to women’s groups and the court challenges program, pieces of legislation that harm Aboriginal people and the chill placed on environmental charities.

CUPE NB passed a resolution at their annual convention in the fall 2012 to support Filipino unions in their fight to end the killing and repression of trade unionists in the Philippines. Their resolution also included working with allies to lobby the Canadian government to investigate how Canadian relations with the Philippines contribute to the repression of workers in the Philippines and the exploitation of Filipino migrant workers in Canada.

Canada is second to Australia in terms of investment in the mining industry in the Philippines. Activists in the Philippines have been murdered, detained and tortured for their community organizing against large-scale industries like mining and agro-business.

CUPE has established a worker-to-worker relationship with several labour organizations in the Philippines such as the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT). ACT, like CUPE, struggles against privatization of public services. Last year, France Castro from ACT visited Fredericton and spoke of the struggles for public education in the Philippines.

CUPE's Daniel Legere mailing letters of support to Filipino political prisoners. Photo by Tracy Glynn.
CUPE’s Daniel Legere mailing letters of support to Filipino political prisoners at the Fredericton post office on May 16th. Photo by Tracy Glynn.

Castro’s colleague, Charity Diño, is one of hundreds of political prisoners in the Philippines. Diño is a teacher and organizer with ACT. She was teaching peasant farmers to read and write at the time of her arrest. Her supporters say she was jailed under bogus charges.

As of December 2012, a total of 430 political prisoners are incarcerated in the Philippines. Of the total number detained, 33 are women, 12 are elderly, 45 are sick and one is a minor.

Conditions where Diño is detained, the Batangas Provincial Jail, are described as grossly overcrowded.

Charity Diño. Photo from http://freeallpps.wordpress.com/
Charity Diño. Photo from http://freeallpps.wordpress.com/

Here is Charity Dino’s story in her own words:

I started as a catechist under the auspices of the Sisters of Don Bosco in the province of Oriental Mindoro. Later, I volunteered as a religion teacher in San Isidro Memorial High School. This was before I worked as a full time public school teacher in Asiod Primary School in 2003-2004. The classroom, the blackboard and lesson plans were my way of sharing my time and talent with my Grade III and IV pupils. My hope was to help mold them to become good citizens. But time came when I thought I could be of greater service outside of the school institution. Immediately, I volunteered to work with the most downtrodden and marginalized sector, the peasantry.

I am Charity Diño, 31 years old, single. I am one of what is referred to as the Talisay 3, with Sonny Rogelio and Billie Batrina. All of us were volunteer organizers of the Samahan ng mga Magsasaka sa Batangas (Batangas Farmers Organization). We are among the political prisoners, having spent the past two years at the Batangas Provincial Jail.

On November 23, 2009, while we were preparing and inviting people for the Poor Peasant’s Week, elements of the 730th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force abducted us. For 15 days I was tortured – physically, psychologically and mentally. I was beaten up. My captors hit my head against the cement wall. They applied electric shock on me several times. Worse, they undressed me and laughed at my nakedness and humiliation. The torture was a nightmare. Until now I cringe whenever I remember the terrible ordeal.

I was arrested illegally. I was tortured and detained, and now charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. I was deprived of due process and condemned despite the lack of evidence. Working with the farmers is now a criminal act.

In jail, political prisoners are considered criminals. We are in detention cells with inmates charged with common crimes. This is part of the government’s modus operandi to hide political prisoners so they may claim that there are no political prisoners in the country today.

I have suffered incarceration for two years now. I do not know how many more years I will be in prison for a crime I did not commit.

**

Tracy Glynn is a writer and editor with the NB Media Co-op.

Tags: Charity DinoCUPE NBDaniel LegereThe PhilippinesTracy Glynn
ShareTweetSend

Related Posts

Social justice organizations and CUPE denounce Minister’s letter to the Energy and Utilities Board supporting Irving Oil’s fuel price hike
*Opinion*

Social justice organizations and CUPE denounce Minister’s letter to the Energy and Utilities Board supporting Irving Oil’s fuel price hike

January 21, 2021

Social justice organizations and CUPE New Brunswick are reacting to news that Natural Resources and Energy Development Minister Mike Holland...

Pandemic inequality: Premier Higgs attempts to squeeze money from unionized front-line public sector workers while billionaire wealth rises
Labour

Pandemic inequality: Premier Higgs attempts to squeeze money from unionized front-line public sector workers while billionaire wealth rises

December 13, 2020

During the pandemic, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs is trying to squeeze income from front-line public sector workers while at...

Fredericton residents hope to keep the Out of the Cold Shelter open
Economy

Fredericton residents hope to keep the Out of the Cold Shelter open

November 23, 2020

Fredericton residents feel confident that they have successfully organized to keep the Out of the Cold Shelter, also known as...

Wolastoqey and Fredericton allies rally in solidarity with Mi’kmaw lobster fishers
Canada

Wolastoqey and Fredericton allies rally in solidarity with Mi’kmaw lobster fishers

October 22, 2020

Today, close to 200 people gathered over the noon hour at the New Brunswick Legislature in Fredericton to support the...

Load More

Recommended

Copping out at COP23, avoidance and possibility in a burning world

3 years ago

How being involved in politics got me “blocked” [updated]

4 years ago

Keyaira Gruben on motherhood and education [video]

2 years ago

Expanding private liquor stores not the best move for New Brunswick

8 years ago
NB Media Co-op

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • Calendar
  • Archives

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • About
  • Join/Donate
  • Contact
  • Share a Story
  • COVID-19
  • Videos
  • New Brunswick
  • Canada
  • World
  • Arts & Culture
  • Environment
  • Indigenous
  • Labour
  • Politics
  • Rural

© 2019 NB Media Co-op. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In