ALLLIANCE NEWS
November 30, 2014

ALLIANCE-PHILIPPINES SOLIDARITY MESSAGE TO THE UGNAYAN YOUTH FOR SOCIAL CHANGE 10th ANNIVERSARY

We greet you a militant greetings of solidarity on your tenth year anniversary today November 30, 2014.

It is an auspicious day being also the 50th Founding Anniversary of the Kabataang Makabayan (KM) in the Philippines and the 151 Birthday of Supremo Andres Bonifacio, the first president of the Philippines and the Katipunan.

Ugnayan was formed out of a need and necessity after years of organizing and education work. Ugnayan and the
Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) were born the same year.

They were born out of the crucible when political lines are being hewed and organizational alliances are being formed in the United States. Ugnayan took that momentous and decisive step for the interest of the Filipino-American community against racism and national oppression

But again, because the Alliance and the Ugnayan are both organizations in the same mold and parallel line of advance; once again, I want to reiterate the two fold tasks that Ugnayan must be aware in its organizing, education and mobilizing work in the United States in order to effect the meaningful progressive systemic change we all desire

First and foremost, Ugnayan must work for solidarity with the American people in effecting systemic change here in the belly of the beast in promoting the rights and welfare of the Filipino-American community and the general community at large.

When we say solidarity work it does not only mean publishing solidarity messages and joining rallies but in active and not passive solidarity work for the Filipino people in the Philippines and in the United States.
There is no solidarity work in placing one over the other or giving priority in one over the other. We do not and must not dichotomize our task and solidarity work. We do not feign working for the interest of the community while shouting all for the motherland, We do not say ‘all to the home front” for international solidarity just for plain and simple opportunism.

Solidarity work is both symbiotic and complimentary. Solidarity means direct action, not passive lip service and just feeling good after attending the events or issuing press statements. And back to our usual SOP’s or bourgeois ways It is solid organizing , mobilization and education 24 hours a day.

Second, is the internal consolidation in organizing, educating and mobilizing our community-the Filipino-American community in the United States. We must win concrete victories for the community so they will be confident to build our community will be stronger and more solid.

We must win the fight against systemic racism; get the rights and benefits to the remaining 41,000s for our Filipino World War II Veterans and 60,000 widows denied to them for the last 68 years and counting.

We must win the comprehensive immigration reform we have fighting for more than 20 years and immigrant rights denied to millions of our kababayans. We must fight tuition fee increases in colleges and the commercialization of education. We must fight for the interest of our community at every twist and turn of history.

This is our line of advance for the coming years and years to come. We are active participants in changing the system to a more progressive and more pro-people for the years to come.

If we can do this, we are truly a Ugnayan organization and you can be proud to be members of Ugnayan . More power to you and as I always say: Mabuhay ang UGNAYAN!

MAKIBAKA, Huwag Matakot!
Mangahas Makibaka, Kamtin ang Tagumpay!

Arturo P. Garcia
National Coordinator
Alliance-Philippines

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