red's alimuom.atbp

my hometown is this rustic, faraway place in Albay, i know only a handful strangers would hear about. but it got some attention recently due to Jessica Soho's blah-blah show episode.

our town is home to that Nag-aso Boiling Lake and the Bac-Man Geothermal Plant.



"Nag-aso" literally means "steaming" and the lake is boiling at 180degrees: heated by underground magma vents. i still dream some enterprising soul would develop the area into a spa, much like the Japanese did with their hot springs. progress is very slow in these parts, which can either be a blessing or a curse.

there's a lot more uncharted areas in our weeny town. so here's some of them that i'm hoping to revisit soon:

Kamanitohan River



the river is home to freshwater mollusks and shrimps common in the region, and endangered flying lizards so rare you wouldn't find them easy nowadays. heavily silted since the landslides of 1994, it has bounced back gracefully since.

Cawayan Beach



the shoreline around Mayon Volcano is normally black, except for pristine Misibis (open only for the ritzy ones) and our Cawayan Beach. a no-frills area (not even a cottage is nearby) if you're looking for the sun, the sand, the sea and dramatic blocks of stones.

Scenic Pier (beside the Boiling Lake)



the pier was built as an easy access to the Boiling Lake. with a view of Legazpi Bay and Rapu Rapu islands (home to the infamous Lafayette copper mine). you can dip into the pristine waters, fortunately shielded from the mine tailings spill scandal by the Rapu Rapu islands themselves (the mine is on the Pacific side). it is a pier, sure, but you're lucky to get a boat ride from here.

Mayon Volcano from the pier



our town is 42 kms. from Legazpi City, with at least 15 minutes of bumpy road. there are no hotels available but I'm sure you'd get lodging from any of the townfolks. better yet, look for me or my family and we'll welcome you in our house anytime.

see ya!

so another one bites the dust.

lets call him "Joe," another Filipino now waiting on death row here in the sodi Kingdom, in what i'd call defense-against-rape killing.

by the parent's account, it is revealed that "Joe" was defending himself from possible rape by men of other nationalities:

"Noon pong February 29, 2008 may kinuntrata po siyang supermarket sa bansang Saudi Arabia para po palitan ang mga sirang ilaw ng isang tindahan sa supermarket. Noon pong palabas na siya ay may dalawang tao na humarang sa kanya. Ang isa po ay Indian National at ang isa ay Pakistan National. Gusto po siyang halayin ng dalawang tao at ang mga ito po ay may dalang kutsilyo. Nanlaban po siya at naagaw niya ang kutsilyo ng Indian National pero bago niya naagaw ang kutsilyo ay nasaksak po siya sa kaliwang braso na ang dapat po ay sa dibdib siya tatamaan. Noon pong hawak na niya ang patalim ay pilit itong inaagaw sa kanya. Dahil po sa kalituhan at para mailigtas ang sarili niyang buhay, nasaksak niya ang Indian National at ito po ay napatay niya at ang Pakistan National naman ay buhay."

stats-wise, this has become a major cause for OFWs in death row here. so far, there have been two (out of the present total of seven). other than Joe, Rodelio 'Dondon' Lanuza is still waiting for a decision. add to these the two who have been beheaded recently (Reynaldo Cortez in 2007 and Venancio Ladion aka 'Jenifer Bidoya' in 2008).

details are still hazy concerning the status of Joe's case at this point. seems to me that just like the Jenifer Bidoya case ~ the latest OFW to be beheaded for defense-against-rape killing, the Philippine Consulate wants the case under wraps perhaps to spare them the pressure.

but in the light of the government bungling the Bidoya case which led to our compatriot literally losing his head, we can only hope for a miracle at this point.

this should have been posted a week ago.

the good news is that Shirley Tan received a reprievewhich means she would not be deported from the US of A until 2011.

in case you are not familiar with Shirley Tan: Shirley is a Filipina mother of 12-year old twin boys, who was unable to be petitioned by her lesbian partner of 20-years. in April 22, US Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced an emergency immigration bill in Congress giving Tan "two years to apply for a new visa or for permanent US residency."

the bad news is that the reprieve is only just that: a reprieve; "temporary" unless the US Congress fully recognizes bi-national same-sex Couples and their families. of course, it would be a long and ardous struggle. but shouldn't we take it one good news at a time?

US-based queers have this to say:

BAYAN USA & GABRIELA USA QUEER CAUCUS Condemns Discriminatory Laws Against Bi-National Same-Sex Couples and Their Families. Filipino Americans Demand Equal Marriage and Immigration Rights.

BAYAN-USA & GABRIELA-USA Queer Caucus calls on all Filipinos and allies to commemorate May Day (May 1st), by continuing to fight for genuine immigration reform in the United States, including the rights of immigrant same-sex couples, and systemic change to the exploitative labor export structures in the Philippines. There are thousands of bi-national couples being forced to separate due to our administration’s failure to recognize their unions of marriage.

There is a history of LGBTIQ people being actively excluded from immigration bills up to today. One example is the Immigration Reform Act of 1965, which amended the Immigration and Nationality Act to exclude "homosexuals" or "aliens afflicted with sexual deviation." This language was technically removed in 1990 and today we are still fighting for the Permanent Partners Immigration Act (PPIA) which was introduced in 2000 and has been reformed and renamed.

There are over 4 million Filipinos living in the United States, comprising the third largest immigrant population in the country. At least 60,000 Filipinos enter the US every year, mainly through family sponsorship. Of this, at least one million Filipinos in the US are undocumented. It is important to acknowledge why over 3,000 Filipinos are forced to migrate everyday. For the vast majority of the 10 million Filipinos living outside of the Philippines, migration is not a choice, but a means of survival. The Philippine economy is crippled by a neoliberal system that has been shaped over the past 60 years between global monopoly capitalism and the Philippine ruling elite. Multinational corporations are allowed to buy a vast amount of natural resources at cheap prices, while imported processed products are expensive to buy, creating a chronic economic deficit that impoverishes and forces Filipinos to migrate for economic survival. The Philippine ruling elite, currently represented by the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, profits from this misery by pimping Filipino labor export in the Philippines through the country's oppressive and exploitative Labor Export Program (LEP).

In the wake of new leadership in the United States, President Obama promises to make large strides in pushing for genuine immigration reform to legalize hardworking people who contribute to the economy but are marginalized in the current system. At the same time, he has promised to support same-sex couples in their fight for marriage equality with all the benefits and rights that are denied them by this union.

Under discriminatory laws that do not grant same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples, Shirley Tan, mother of 12-year old twin boys, was unable to be petitioned by her partner of 20-years. She was recently at risk of being deported back to the Philippines, possibly tearing a mother away from her children and her life-long partner. Fortunately, Shirley was granted a reprieve until January 2011, which extends her legal time with her family in the US. This case and other bi-national same sex couples highlight the untold stories of immigrant LGBTIQ people that are often overlooked by both the LGBTIQ and immigration reform movements. Tan’s two-year reprieve is only a temporary solution to the larger issue: there are no avenues for bi-national same-sex couples to sponsor their partners for legal residency, and many face unjust policies that break up families! Every year, thousands of same-sex couples are separated or live in constant fear of being stopped by officials who demand to see documentation and threaten detention.

One of the fundamental principles of U.S. immigration law and policy is the notion of family re-unification, which allows citizens and legal permanent residents to sponsor their spouses (and other family members) for immigration purposes. Unfortunately, under current federal law, same-sex couples committed to spending their lives together are not recognized as "families." On May 1, 2009, people within the United States from various backgrounds will be marching together in solidarity to hold the new US administration accountable for these promises and to highlight the personal untold stories of our communities.

Washington’s state legislature passed a bill on April 15, 2009 that would grant all state-level spousal rights to gay couples. This bill, however, does not grant gay couples equal federal immigration rights that heterosexual couples have, allowing people to petition their partners for US legal residency. New York’s Governor David Patterson introduced a bill that would legalize gay marriage. With the leadership of these states, the road to equal immigration rights by way of equal marriage for same-sex couples and their families is being paved. However, with the passing of legislations that counteract this progress, such as Proposition 8 in California during the November 2008 elections, we are regressing. In March 2009, a California Supreme Court case against Proposition 8 challenges this legislation as a violation of civil rights.

There is a need for everyone fighting for marriage equality to also include immigration benefits and build alliances with those fighting for immigration rights. We stand in unity with those that are connecting the issues that affect all people, but in particular Filipino immigrants that identify as LGBTIQ. By connecting these issues and building alliances we make our movements stronger and continue the fight for Immigration and Marriage Equality. As the BAYAN-USA & GABRIELA-USA Queer Caucus, we call on all people to stand in solidarity with us on May Day 2009 to demand human rights as workers, as LGBTIQ people, as immigrants, and as allies for justice.

LEGALIZATION OF ALL MARRIAGES!
LEGALIZATION FOR ALL UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS!
EQUAL RIGHTS FOR IMMIGRANTS IN SAME SEX UNIONS!
JUSTICE FOR SHIRLEY TAN & ALL LESBIAN IMMIGRANT MOTHERS!
NO TO RAIDS, DETENTIONS, AND DEPORTATIONS!
SCRAP THE PHILIPPINE LABOR EXPORT PROGRAM (LEP)!
NO TO NEOLIBERAL TRADE POLICIES!

Reference:
Northwest Region: Luzviminda "Lulu" Carpenter - pinayinfo@gmail.com
Northeast Region: Yancy Mark Gandionco - ygandionco@yahoo.com
SF Bay Area Region: Tina Shauf - tina.shauf@gmail.com
Southern California Region: Bev Tang - bev@anakbayanla.org
BAYAN-USA - bayanusa.org
GABRIELA-USA - pinaysaseattle.org, babaesf.org, firenyc.org