Please help!

For those of you out there who care about human rights, the following is an appeal from the United Church of Christ in the Philippines regarding the illegal arrest, detainment and torture of Dr. Alexis Montes, the uncle of a friend of mine. Dr. Montes is a devoted doctor who has provided his free service tirelessly to the sick, the poor and marginalized people in the Philippines. Please take a moment to call for the immediate release of Dr. Montes and his colleagues.

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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 Montes, 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

The Legacy of Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, passed away on January 27.

This past week I have been very moved by some lovely tributes to Zinn, so thought I would share them here.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Director of The Shalom Center:
http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/1677

Alice Walker:
http://www.zmag.org/saying-goodbye-to-my-friend-howard-zinn-by-alice-walker

Amy Goodwin, executive producer of Democracy Now!:
http://www.rabble.ca/columnists/2010/02/remembering-howard-zinn-peoples-historian

Hope

"The message is clear. To abandon hope, to abandon real targets is to abandon our children. Standing in solidarity with our children and grandchildren means denouncing the deceit and hypocrisy of those leaders who delay and deny. " - Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada

Offensive

So, some conservatives in the blogosphere have noticed the Young Greens' new website and taken offence at the slogan "Your parents f*cked up the planet."

So here's the thing. Do they dispute the premise? No, of course not. They just find it rude to put it so bluntly.

Sorry, but the time for "nice" is past. Instead of shooting the messenger, maybe we ought to clean up our act and stop f*cking up the planet. What's really offensive? The Canadian government's shameful position during the recent climate talks in Thailand, promting a mass walkout of representatives from other countries. Now that's offensive.

Well done, Young Greens. Keep it real.

Also, once again Camille Labchuk's comments are right on the money in her blog on this topic:
www.camillelabchuk.ca/2009/10/14/young-greens-website-makes-waves/

New Photo

So, I finally got around to updating my photo. It was actually two months ago when I was showing someone my story exposing RKRN for biased reporting and all he did was comment that my blog photo must be pretty old.

Now, I really like the photo I was using. It is actually cropped from a picture of me, my mother, and my mother-in-law, taken at my wedding shower. Next Saturday I will have been married for 10 years, so, yes, that photo is a little old.

A good photo is hard to find. Special thanks to Rob Schmidt's friend Chris Inch of See! iDesigns for helping out. Chris also took the excellent photo of Ottawa Vanier Green Party candidate Caroline Rioux.

BC poll results

Camille Labchuk has written a great blog about Green Party fortunes in BC.

RKRN Accused of Biased Reporting

OTTAWA - New Ottawa resident and movie-lover, Catharine Johannson, expressed frustration Sunday with what she described as "biased and lopsided reporting" on the Rob Kristjansson Radio Network.

"Rob's news service only covers news from Rob's point of view," explained Johannson. "Sure, now that we live in different cities he has no one cool to see movies with, but what about me? Who am I going to see movies with in Ottawa? The Rob Kristjansson Radio Network is all about Rob, Rob, Rob."

When questioned as to whether her public comments about biased RKRN reporting might affect her friendship with Kristjansson, Johannson replied, "If he can't take the heat, he should stay off the internet."

Spokesman for Kristjansson, Daniel Cormier, declined to comment on the controversy, only stating that his client was "able to take a joke." Cormier added that "She (Johannson) is just driving more traffic to his web site."