G A B R I E L A
N
E T W O R K U
S AA Philippine-US Women's Solidarity Mass Organization, est. 1989
KAWOMENAN WINTER 1997
CHAPTER NEWS
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GABNet
NYs 4-Part Film Series
Savage Acts, A Saudi Slave, Brown Women, Blonde Babies, The Inside Story: The Women Trade Held at the City College Center for Worker Education, New York City, July 23 o August 13, 1997
From the U.S. invasion of the Philippines in 1898 to the phenomenon of the labor export of Filipina domestic workers and entertainers, GABNet New Yorks film series explored issues of imperialism and global capitalism in their many different guises. The films (listed above) were powerful and provocative in their portrayal of the plight of Filipino women, and, followed by analytical presentations by GABNet members, sparked animated (and often heated!) discussion on issues such as:
O the role of U.S. imperialism in shaping Filipino history
O the role of international capitalist institutions (the IMF, World Bank, transnational corporations, etc.) in continuing neo-colonial domination over the Philippines
O the circumstances under which women are compelled to sell their labor to foreign capitalists, and their subsequent treatment abroad
O the cultural and ideological contexts which allow such treatment of women
O resistance, by Filipinas, and others living in the West
Held over four weeks, the films attracted larger and larger audiences as the series progressed, and discussion of these important themes continued each week.
Audiences also showed a great deal of interest in the work of GABNet, and several women eventually attended the Orientation Session for GABNet New York, which followed the series.
In all, close to 250 people from the New York area were exposed to some of the realities within which Filipina women live and survive, as well as to the inspiring acts of resistance which such conditions engender among women, as they fulfill their duties as national heroes of Philippine development.
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***STOP PRESS***
The Film Series is Travelling!
Following numerous expressions of interest from universities and womens groups across the country, the Filipinas Not For Sale Film Series is continuing. Contact GABNet New York for details or if you wish to host the series in your local area.
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National Retreat for GABNet Coordinators
Coordinators of local GABRIELA Network chapters in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Fransisco and the Northwest gathered in Jersey City November 7-9, 1996, for the GABRIELA Network National Coordinators Retreat. Participants assessed GABNet on both the national and local levels and planned future campaigns, programs and events.
Key decisions made during this retreat were:
O to develop a comprehensive
analytical framework for the issue of prostitution. This is a national
endeavor intended to culminate in a clear and thorough position that
GABRIELA Network can promote as an alternative to existing analyses.
O to begin its campaign marking the centennial of US colonization
of the Philippines, generating awareness of issues around colonialism
and imperialism.
There were also a few amendments and clarifications made concerning
the creation of GABNet chapters, hosting visitors from the Philippines,
and GABNet exposure trips to GABRIELA Philippines.
Overall it was a good chance for these local chapters to regroup and
share local successes and concerns. These retreats also provide the
necessary opportunity to bring local chapters together and place their
individual efforts within the larger context of GABRIELA Networks
mission.
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GABNet NY Retreat
GABNet New York held its chapter retreat on February 7o8, 1997 at the Jersey City, NJ home of one of its co-coordinators. Attended by 9 chapter members, the retreat proved to be a fruitful and refreshing gathering. It was a chance for the chapter to reinvigorate itself as members spent some quality time together to relax, assess the past year, and plan for the coming year. Day I began with a review of 1996 GABNet NY events and campaigns. We discussed the strategies that worked best, noting the obviousthat the most successful endeavors were those in which everyone took a responsible part and those which we had ample time to mobilize.
Following this was a discussion of internal matters such as morale, membership recruitment and retention, and communication within the Chapter. Some suggestions for better overall organization included the creation of a home base/office (which were still aiming for), a more comprehensive resource manual, official working committees, and weekend meetings. Morale was pointed out as being high as evidenced by the new leadership of young women.
Day II covered the planning for specific events. Highlighted was the regional conference (now rescheduled for Spring 1998), marking the Centennial of the U.S. annexation of the Philippines, and the continuing legacy of U.S. imperialism. Ninotchka Rosca, founder and former National Chairperson, also gave a presentation on current stances on prostitution, and the Chapter decided to create a GABNet platform on prostitution, to be forwarded to other chapters for suggestions. This platform is still being finalized.
Finally, the difficult topic of how to raise funds was raised. We discussed the Chapters funding needs and suggested such plans as grassroots fundraising events, direct mail campaigns, and grant-writing. In all, the February retreat was a successful eating-working-planning gathering of the comrades here in New York City
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GABNet NY Talks. . .
There has been a definitive increase in awareness and interest on the global trade in women. GABNet NY has received many requests for panel participation, workshop facilitation, and lectures. On April 14, 1997, National Board member Dorotea Agustin Mendoza joined a 4-person panel discussion at City University of New York School of Law. Organized by the CUNY division of Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA), the event focused on international human rights abuses. Ms. Mendoza talked on the violations of womens human rights through commercialization, namely the international trafficking in women. Over 30 students and faculty members filled the panel venue to capacity.
Asian American Womens Alliance, a student organization at New York University, sponsored a presentation with GABNet on April 28, 1997. Entitled Asian Women in the Global Economy: Inside the Sex Industry, the event attracted students from varied study concentrations o from Womens Studies to International Studies to Journalism. Dorotea Agustin Mendoza spoke at the affair and gave an exposition of the global trade in Filipino women as a result of economic policies dictated by US-controlled International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
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GABNet NY Joins in Filipino Independence Day Parade
June 15, 1997, New York City: over 20 GABNet NY members and friends marched in the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade. In an effort to raise consciousness of the ongoing imperialist relationship between the US and the Philippines, GABNet carried a banner reading: STOP 100 YEARS OF SERVITUDE! WOMEN CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE, and chanted anti-APEC slogans such as, They say FREE trade, we say FLESH trade! With our placards decrying President Ramos as a US puppet and the red worn by each member, we were undoubtedly the loudest, most visible contingent in a parade of shimmering floats complete with overdone beauty queens and Maria Claras waving mechanically to the crowd. It was an exciting way to kick off our campaign marking the Centennial of US colonization of the Philippines.
Together with Arkipelago and Kilawin Kolektibo, we made our way down Madison Avenue, in full swing: raising our voices, disseminating information and collecting funds. We were further encouraged by the occasional cheers of solidarity and recognition we received from the crowd.
The necessity of GABNets presence at these parades cannot be overestimated. Hundreds of Filipinos/Filipino Americans gather under the pretense of Filipino freedom from the US. They celebrate with food, dance and musicbut nowhere is there mention of the ongoing US domination within the Philippines. It seems no-one wants to see the grim realities their native country still faces. On June 15, GABNet NY made them look.
KAWOMENAN WINTER 1997
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