Dear Comrades, Friends and Supporters of TMPCWA,
Warm greetings from the Philippines!
Attached here is an appeal letter from the family of one of our board members in Defend Job Philippines, a campaign centre, where I presently voluntarily worked with, also as part of the Toyota Campaign. Her husband, a former car worker and an activist, was arrested last April 3 of this year [details of the arrest and updates are on the appeal letter].
Defend Job Philippines, through its Campaign Secretariat decided to extend our help, through our friends and contacts from the Philippines and abroad, to send this appeal letter to different government agencies, especially here in the Philippines. Institutions or individuals like you, who, in one way or another, share the same aspirations: fighting for decent jobs, wage and other basic human rights.
If you have other questions regarding the campaign, you may directly send it to: free.renante.gamara gmail.com. You can also recommend this sample appeal letter or the petition letter in www.change.org/petitions/free-tatay-nante-gamara as reference to friends who will be willing to send appeals too.
Thank you in advance!
Long live International Solidarity!
Respectfully yours,
Ed Cubelo
President
Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation Workers Association (TMPCWA)
Petition: Free Tatay Nante Gamara
We, the family, friends and supporters of Renante Gamara strongly call for his immediate and unconditional release. On April 3, 2012, at around 1:00 in the afternoon in Las Pinas City, Tatay [[Tatay is a common Filipino term for daddy.] Renante and his friend Santiago Balleta were illegally arrested, blindfolded and handcuffed by eight civilian men who later introduced themselves as members of Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and Criminal and investigation and Detection Group (CIDG-NCR). Tatay Nante and his friend were brought and illegally detained at the Philippine National Police Headquarters, Camp Crame, Quezon City.
We strongly denounce the illegal, unjust and inhumane arrest and prolonged detention of Renante Gamara. We are saddened that after 39 years, the dark era of martial law and warrantless arrest still exist. Renante Gamara was arrested without warrant of arrest, was denied of his liberty and due process and treated like a criminal. He was arrested of a case that he did not commit. The ISAFP and CIDG use an amended warrant of arrest putting the name of Renante Gamara to a kidnapping with murder case which was filed against a certain “Ka Mike” and 37 other aliases on May 2007 in Mauban, Quezon Province. The next day, on April 4, 2012, ISAFP and CIDG issued a statement to the media accusing Renante Gamara as a top ranking communist leader and secretary of the Metro Manila Regional Party Committee. It is alarming that anyone can be charged of criminal cases for simply linking aliases to persons like Tatay Nante and many other human rights defenders. We are worried that these fabricated charges will stigmatize Renante Gamara as a criminal.
We believe that this is another gross violation to human rights especially to the international covenant on civil and political rights. We are deeply concerned that the illegal arrest and prolonged detention of Renante Gamara is because of his long history and activities of defending the rights and welfare of the workers and of the poor. Tatay Nante was a worker at the General Motors Philippines- a multi national automobile company on 1978. It was collective bargaining agreement negotiations period that the said company wanted to close the factory and Renante Gamara was one of the workers who actively fought for the defense of their jobs and wages. He then became a shop steward and directly involved in the organizing and campaign activities of their union and this was the start of his advocacy. He was offered a supervisory position but he turned it down and chose to serve and be with the rank and file workers.
On May 1, 1980, Renate Gamara was one of the thousands of workers and leaders who founded Kilusang Mayo Uno along with his mentor Ka Crispin Beltran. As a car worker, he is the one who pioneered in union building and solidarity among auto or car workers. He became a volunteer, organizer and pioneer in the formation of unions and worker’s institution in drug and food, SOLIDMILLS, TOYOTA MOTORS and Philippine Airlines. He is also an active campaigner for BAYAN MUNA, a progressive partylist since 2001.
Renante Gamara, often called by our family as Tatay was a very good person, soft spoken, patient and a loving father to his family. He has inherited these values from his father, a jeepney driver and mother who are lay minister and church servant in the province of Batangas. He is married to loving wife and they have three children who are also advocates of human rights.
During his childhood and teenage days, he was a sacristan at the Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion in Batangas where the Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales was the parish priest at that time. He graduated valedictorian at the Julian Pastor Memorial Elementary School and belonged to the First batch of Science Class at the Batangas National High School. During this time, he was a well known student leader and called as “Mayor” in his school as he get the respect and trust of his schoolmates in leading for the promotion of their rights and welfare. Poverty was not a hindrance for Tatay as he strived very hard to be a consistent scholar, studying fine mechanics at the National Institute of Science and Technology, now Department of Science and Technology. He was one of the first students who were trained and worked as mechanics in General Motors Philippines. While working at GM, he also studied chemical engineering and a scholar at the Mapua Institute of Technology.
In this light, we call to Free Renante Gamara and 360+ political prisoners all over the country. Stop the continued criminalization of political prisoners and vilification of human rights defenders. Lastly, let us join our strengths to achieve Tatay Nante’s fight for dignified work and everyone’s aspiration for a just, free and prosperous society.
To sign:
http://www.change.org/petitions/free-tatay-nante-gamara
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
1. Sign the online petition for the campaign at http://www.change.org/petitions/free-tatay-nante-gamara, like the Free
Tatay* Nante Gamara facebook page and repost these sites to spread the word and to encourage others to sign the petition.
2. Send short notes to Facebook and twitter accounts of Pres. Noynoy Aquino, Sec. Teresita Quintos-Deles, and Sec. Leila de Lima.
3. Fax a short letter or send a postcard to appeal for the release of Renante Gamara and all other political prisoners through the grant of general, unconditional and omnibus amnesty.
4. Solicit signatures for the FREE NANTE GAMARA campaign.
5. Join prison visits to jails where Nante Gamara and other political prisoners are. Please get in touch with Selda for organized periodic visits.
6. Join other campaign activities: fora, discussions, attendance in sessions in the Senate and the Congress, visits to the office of media management, congress persons and senators, etc.
7. Enjoin your family members, other relatives, former classmates and officemates and others to the FREE NANTE GAMARA campaign.
8. Issue a statement or write a letter to the editor in support of the campaign to free Nante Gamara and all other political prisoners.
9. Write a letter of support to political prisoners to relay your support to the campaign for their release. Course the letter to the Selda email address selda_phil yahoo.com.ph or its address.
10. Donate to the cause. Contact Niki Gamara at 09161134588 or send email to free.renante.gamara gmail.com
Soft launching of the Free Tatay Nante Gamara Campaign on June 3, 2012
Objectives:
To launch a coordinated propaganda action on different social media calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Renante Gamara and all other 360+ political prisoners all over the country;
To catch public attention for the calling for the release of RG and other political prisoners; and
To coordinately flood the offices of concerned authorities of appeals from family, friends and supporters of Renante Gamara
Target Participants:
Family, friends and supporters of RG and other political prisoners
Conduct:
Starting at about 12 am of June 3, 2012, in time with Renante’s 54th birthday and second month in detention, everyone is encouraged to post notes, updates, blog entries, articles, etc regarding his continued illegal
detention and our call for his release
Everyone shall send appeals to the offices, through fax, email, etc., of concerned authorities.
SEND APPEALS TO:
His Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III
President, Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace, Manila
Fax: +63 2 735 6167
Email: corres op.gov.ph
Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles
Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
7/F Agustin I Building, F. Ortigas Jr. Road,
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Tel: 6360701 to 06 / 637-6083
Fax: 638-2216 Email: stqd opapp.net
Secretary Leila M. de Lima
Department of Justice (DOJ)
DOJ Main Building, Padre Faura Street, Manila
Direct Line No.: 521-1908
Telefax No.523-9548
Trunkline No.: 523-8481 loc. 211/214
Email Address: lmdelima doj.gov.ph
lmdelima.doj gmail.com
Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin
Department of National Defense (DND)
DND Building, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City
Tel: 911-6193 / 911-1746 Fax 911-6213 Website: dnd.gov.ph
Hon. Paquito N. Ochoa Jr.
Executive Secretary to the President
1/F Bonifacio Hall, Malacañang Palace, Manila
Fax No. 733-7636 Telephone 733 3010
Hon. Loretta Ann P. Rosales
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: chair.rosales.chr gmail.com, lorettann gmail.com
Template appeals may be used but using personalized appeal (but with general calls) are highly encouraged
Letter
President
His Excellency Benigno Simeon Aquino III
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
Manila
Philippines
Fax: +63 2 735 6167
Secretary, Department of Justice (DOJ)
Hon. Leila M. De Lima
Padre Faura Street
Ermita, Manila, 1000
Philippines
Fax: +63 2 523 9548
Your Excellencies,
We, the family, friends and supporters of Renante Gamara, vehemently protest his unjust and illegal arrest and prolonged detention at PNP Custodial Center, Camp Crame, Quezon City for trumped up charges.
Last April 3, Renante “Nante” Gamara was grabbed by eight men in civilian clothes, who later introduced themselves as members of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group- National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) and Intelligence Service of the Armed Froces of the Philippines (ISAFP), together with his companion, Santiago Balleta at the parking space of a mall in Las Pinas City. They were handcuffed, blindfolded and hauled to separate private vehicles. They were brought to the Philippine National Police Headquarters in Camp Crame and held in custody on the basis of a fabricated and manipulated warrant of arrest ridiculously linking them to a kidnapping with murder case which was filed against a certain “Ka Mike” and 38 other aliases on May 2007 in Mauban, Quezon. The said warrant was amended on March 23, 2012, claiming that the certain “Ka Mike” is Renante Gamara.
It is alarming that anyone can be charged of criminal cases for simply linking aliases to persons like Renate Gamara and many other political activists and human rights defenders. We are deeply concerned that the illegal arrest and prolonged detention is because of his long history and activities of defending the rights and welfare of the workers and of the poor.
Renate Gamara was a worker at the General Motors Philippines- a multinational automobile company in 1978 and on May 1, 1980, he was one of the thousands of workers and leaders who founded Kilusang Mayo Uno along with his mentor Crispin Ka Bel Beltran. As a car worker and union officer in GM, he also pioneered in union building and solidarity among other workers. He was a union organizer in drug and food, Solidmills, Toyota Motors and Philippine Airlines.
Renante Gamara, also fondly called Tatay Nante, is no criminal – he is a loving family man and one hero who have consistently dedicated his life in service to the Filipino people. He has inherited these values from his parents who are church servants in the province of Batangas. He is married to a loving wife and they have three children who all share his advocacy of improving the lives of the poor and the oppressed.
We call on to H.E. Benigno S. Aquino III and to all of his concerned executive offices to immediately and unconditionally release Renante Gamara. It is more than a disgrace that this administration has not managed to set itself apart from the previous administrations that repressed legitimate expressions of dissent and acts of public service. Yours is infamy for persecuting human rights defenders while letting human rights violators like Gen. Jovito Palparan flee.
If this administration reserves enough goodwill at pursuing peace and prosperity for our country, then it must resist all attempts at disrupting and criminalizing legitimate work for a just, free and prosperous society.
We demand:
– the immediate and unconditional release of Renante Gamara and the more than 360 political prisoners in the country
– an end to the criminalization of political prisoners and vilification of human rights defenders; and
– the GPH’s adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other major human rights instruments to which the GPH is a party.
Sincerely,
[your name]