SiGAw! | SISTERS OF GABRIELA, AWAKEN!

News Release

September 13, 2010

Reference: Katie Joaquin, Dukot US Tour Organizing Committee, email: info@dukot.com

GMA Pinoy TV Signs On As Official Media Sponsor for Dukot US Tour

The upcoming US tour of the controversial 2009 Filipino film Dukot, starring Iza Calzado and Allen Dizon, has recently partnered with Filipino household name GMA Pinoy TV, weeks before it is set to begin in Los Angeles on September 17th in Historic Filipinotown. The tour will pass through seven cities in the US from September till October of this year. Participating cities include San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Hoboken, and Washington DC. 

Lead actress Calzado is a contract artist for GMA’s Kapuso Network, while her onscreen love Allen Dizon is with Viva Entertainment, which has partnered with GMA Films in the past. 

Dizon, who is also a 2006 FAMAS awardee, will be joining the US tour.

Directed by award-winning director Joel Lamangan (Mano Po, Pacquiao: The Movie) and penned by Palanca award-winning playwright Bonifacio Ilagan, Dukot courageously tackles the sensitive topic of human rights abuses in the Philippines. 

“Film is a powerful medium for community education,” states Filipino-American filmmaker Eric Tandoc, one of the national organizers of the Dukot tour. “Our goal for the tour is to extend [Lamangan and Ilagan’s] objective of raising public awareness on a subject rarely covered by the mainstream media— human rights abuses in the Philippines”.

Raw cellphone video footage gone viral exposing physical torture of a criminal detainee by a Philippine police officer in a Manila precinct stirred controversy earlier this year for the new Aquino government.

After defeating government censorship last year, Dukot was released in selected theaters in the Philippines as well as drew critical raves at the Montreal International Film Festival. It has also found success with special screenings in Hong Kong, Canada, and soon will make its debut to US audiences.

The tour is an initiative of several cause-oriented and Filipino-American groups in the US, including churches such as the First Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, lawyers groups such as the National Lawyers Guild, arts groups such as Asian CineVision, and advocacy groups such as BAYAN USA.

For more information, including dates, showtimes, and locations, visit www.dukot.com. ###

SCREENINGS:

FRI | SEPT 17 |  7PM
Search to Involve Pilipino Americans SIPA
3200 West Temple Street Historic Filipinotown 
Los Angeles, CA 90026 

SAT |  SEPT 18 | 6PM 
Centro Cultural de la Raza
2004 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

FRI | SEPT 24 | 7PM
Glendale Central Public Library
222 E. Harvard Street
Glendale, CA 91205

SAT | SEPT 25 | 12:30PM
The Art Theatre of Long Beach
2025 East 4th Street
Long Beach, CA 90804 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Reference: Terrie Cervas, Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw!)
(213) 537-8278, sigawla@gmail.com

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of International Working Women’s Day, LA Filipinas Honor Migrant and Working Class Women And Shed Light on Human Rights Violations

LOS ANGELES , CA- In the spirit of the Centennial of International Working Women’s Day this past March 8, Los Angeles-based Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken (SiGAw) will take their stories to the stage. SiGAw connects life to art with their first annual production of Diwang Pinay, entitled “Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas” on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 3pm at Fernando’s Hideaway in Downtown Los Angeles (519 S Spring St., Los Angeles , CA 90013 ).

The theme, which translates to “Your Struggle is My Struggle,” draws from the idea that Filipinas share in the same struggle of migration and working towards a better life for themselves and their families. SiGAw seeks to shed light on the common issues affecting Filipinas: violence, hardship, immigration, and expectations through seven stories of working-class and migrant Filipinas. All of the stories drew inspiration from interviews SiGAw members collected of Filipina migrant workers who reside in the Valley, Central LA and Carson , and through their own personal life histories. Written and performed by members of SiGAw, these stories will include the acting talents of local Filipinas, Gina Honda, Kristine Sabella and Rena Heinrich. The afternoon will also showcase original pieces by Filipina musical and visual artists Asa Lioness, Leaf, Liza Camba, and others.

Diwang Pinay, meaning “Spirit of the Filipina,” stands as part of a national project initiated by GABRIELA USA, which aims to promote the work of Pinay artists everywhere. SiGAw sees the production also as part of their efforts in raising awareness around GABRIELA’s iVOW Campaign (iVOW to Fight Violence Against Women). The campaign, which launched in February 2010, urges people to take a stand and commit to ending violence against women. Photos of participants taking their vows will be incorporated into numerous photo and video projects throughout the US and Philippines . The iVOW Campaign highlights the importance of upholding human rights as violence against the people of the Philippines increases.

In the wake of the illegal arrest and detention of 43 community health workers in the province of Rizal , Philippines by the Philippine National Policy (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), it is imperative that international pressure be put on the Philippine military and government. 22 of the 43 health workers are women, two of whom are pregnant. Following the May 2009 abduction and release of health worker Melissa Roxas, and the mass murder of 62 people, including women and journalists in Maguindanao last November 2009, the case of the 43 health workers emphasizes the increased state violence against its own people. Melissa’s story of valiant courage in the face of state violence will be featured in this special Diwang Pinay production.

SiGAw is outraged by the Philippine military and government’s state-sponsored violence against the people, especially women. SiGAw stands in solidarity with the 43 health workers. We condemn the PNP, AFP, and Philippine government in their unfounded accusations against the 43 and for their illegal arrest, detention, and torture. We call on the US government, specifically Senator Barbara Boxer and Congressman Howard Berman, to put pressure on the Philippine government and military to release the 43 and end all human rights violations in the Philippines !

FREE THE 43!
END STATE SPONSORED VIOLENCE IN THE PHILIPPINES !
ADANCE THE MILITANT WOMEN’S STRUGGLE!

Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw) presents:
Diwang Pinay
Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas
Sunday, March 21, 2010
3:00pm
Fernando’s Hideaway (F Square Print shop)
519 S Spring Street (between 5th and 6th streets)
Los Angeles, CA 90013
$10 suggested donation (No one turned away for lack of funds.)

SiGAw is a member organization of GABRIELA USA, an overseas chapter of GABRIELA Philippines (alliance of progressive women’s organizations) and BAYAN USA (a multi-sectoral alliance of progressive Filipino groups in the US ).

###

Please join SiGAw in celebrating the centennial International Women’s Day on Sunday March 21st at our first annual Diwang Pinay!

Diwang Pinay (Spirit of the Filipina) is an annual performance in Los Angeles featuring Filipina/Filipina-American writers, performers, and artists. This event, hosted by SiGAw, is one of the very few venues for Filipinas and Filipina-Americans to showcase their talents and highlight their stories and struggles.

This year’s theme and celebration is a tribute to the struggles of working class and migrant Filipinas/Filipina-Americans of the Los Angeles area. Featuring the narratives of Filipinas who have touched our lives and shared our struggles, Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas, will highlight issues of immigration/migration, family, and the hardships and expectations of Filipinas and Filipina-Americans.

This year’s production is also in honor of the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day—so let’s celebrate and continue this wonderful work!

YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

Dear Friends:

This March 8, 2010, we will again commemorate International Women’s Day (IWD) to recognize the struggles and triumphs of women in the U.S. and throughout the world who are bearing the brunt of the current economic crisis and facing the ravages of poverty, war, militarization, capitalist plunder, environmental destruction and many forms of gender violence.

As GABRIELA USA, we will be launching our Voices of Women vs. Violence Against Women (VOW vs. VAW) campaign and will be highlighting these issues with our commemoration of International Women’s Day. We look forward to working with you on common or similar issues you may be working on currently.

Sisters of GABRIELA, Awaken! (SiGAw), a member organization of GABRIELA USA, would like to reach out to you or your organization to join us in planning for a cultural show to commemorate International Women’s Day. We hope that together, we can highlight the struggles of working women and assert women’s voices of unity, resistance, and resolve to confront and overcome our current challenges.

Attached is the concept paper for the cultural project that SiGAw will be presenting the weekend of March 20th, in commemoration of International Women’s Day. We hope that the possibility of working together on an activity for International Women’s Day can be a step towards building greater international unity and cooperation among women’s organizations throughout the world.

Please feel free to email us if you have any questions. We can follow up with you in a few days if you leave us your phone number or email. Looking forward to working together for the upliftment of women everywhere.

In Sisterhood and Solidarity,

Sisters of GABRIELA, Awaken! (SiGAw)

Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas

A Concept Paper for the Centennial of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2010

Goals:

1. Honor the pioneers of International Women’s Day and the women who continue to fight for women’s rights.

2. Celebrate the centennial of International Women’s Day

3. To educate the Filipina/o community and the community at large about pressing issues faced by Filipinas here in the US, as well as in the Philippines, and around the world.

4. Provide a space for Filipina women, especially working class and migrant Filipinas, to tell their stories of struggle and resistance as part of participation in the ongoing campaigns of Voices of Women vs. Violence Against Women (VOW vs VAW), led by GABRIELA in the Philippines.

5. Provide a means for Filipinas and the larger community to connect, support one another in their struggles, in order to strengthen a global women’s movement for the 21st century.

Theme:

Women carry heavy loads on their backs, both literally and figuratively. Women carry large expectations placed on them by their families and society, and at the same time face various forms of violence. Filipinas are forced to leave the Philippines for work and survival, making them the #1 export of the country, spreading the diaspora to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Whether back in the motherland or in other countries, Filipinas face multiple forms of oppression yet also continue to organize themselves, resist, and fight for women’s rights. Through all the hardships they face, they persevere by carrying hope for their children, families, and for their own genuine independence and liberation.

SiGAw’s project, Pasanin Mo Pasanin Ko: Bridging the Struggle of Filipinas, seeks to examine the struggles and resistance of Filipinas, with an emphasis on working class and migrant Filipinas. Filipinas will be asked to reflect and talk about what they carry with them. Through this cultural project we hope to expose the harsh conditions and repression Filipinas face, while at the same time exploring the strength and resourcefulness of Filipinas, in the goal of building an ever strengthening global women’s movement.

Concept:

There are several ways to participate in this cultural project. Working class and migrant Filipina women will be interviewed around the proposed theme. Permission will be obtained from the women to utilize their stories as part of a larger production to be held in March 2010 for the centennial of International Women’s Day.

Interviewees may come from the larger Los Angeles area, but there will be a special effort to focus on working class/migrant Filipinas specifically from the Eagle Rock/Glendale and Carson areas, where there are heavy concentrations of Filipinas. Interviewees will be filmed or audio recorded as they respond to questions around the theme.

As part of the process, the interviewees will be given the option to have their video or audio used for the larger cultural production. Interviewees may also choose to participate as a performer in a theater piece.

The stories told by the women will be the basis in creating a multi-media community theater production. Workshops will be held prior to the performance, with possibilities in theater, writing, memoir, and other kinds of workshops.

Another element of the production will entail documentation. Those interested can volunteer to photograph the process of creating the production, to culminate in a slideshow and/or photo exhibit, to be displayed concurrently during the presentation of the theater piece.

Interviews will be conducted during the second half of January, until February 10, 2010.

Workshops and video production will be conducted during February 2010.

The performance/exhibit will be presented during the weekend of March 20, 2010.

Requirements for Participation:

*We encourage Filipinos, Fil-Ams, and other ethnicities who are supportive of upholding the VOW vs. VAW campaigns to participate.

Interviewers: must attend one orientation and have access to recording device.

Performers: must attend one or more workshops and be available to rehearse.

Photographers/Documenters: must attend one orientation and have access to camera.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 9, 2009

Reference: Terrie Cervas, Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw), sigaw.la@gmail.com,
213 270 4982

Los AngelesFilipinas Share Their HERSPECTIVE and Raise Funds for GABRIELA-Philippines and Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

October 4, 2009 - Stories of hope and resistance by women resounded during HERSPECTIVE, an event organized by Sisters of GABRIELA, Awaken! (SiGAw), a member organization of GABRIELA-USA, the overseas chapter of GABRIELA-Philippines. HERSPECTIVE marked SiGAw’s first performance and art showcase and served as a fundraiser for GABRIELA-Philippines’ 25th anniversary activities, as well as for relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Ondoy. Over 100 people attended and contributed over $1,000 in donations.

“Philippine President Arroyo’s administration has proven unprepared and untrustworthy in the handling of calamity funds,” stated Terrie Cervas, member of SiGAw and one of the Vice Chairs of GABRIELA-USA. “We can be sure that the funds raised from HERSPECTIVE will reach the people in need, as GABRIELA organizers immerse themselves on the ground, in communities. The burden of families’ survival rests largely on women, so the money will help GABRIELA to continue to advocate and fight for their rights, as they have done over the last quarter of a century.”

HERSPECTIVE featured DJs Em-1 and Michelle Q, as well as performances by singer Asa Lianess; poet and BAYAN Southwest Regional Coordinator, Daya Mortel; emcee Peklat; dancer Danielle Parish; emcee/singer Jumakae; singer Anne Marie Ceralvo, and more. Peklat stated, “This event was so beautiful. To see sisters get up, share of themselves and their art with the community is a beautiful thing. Everyone who came out blessed the space with their energy and spirits.” The event also featured artwork from members of Habi Arts (including two full-sized murals depicting the strength of revolutionary Filipina women and the struggle of Filipinas against militarization and sexual violence), as well as local artists, including Sistargirl, and an array of vendors from homeopathic women’s healthcare to vegan cupcakes. “Herspective was not only a means to raise funds for a great cause, but a result of a collaborative effort to create a safe, fun, and artistic space for
womyn of color and queer womyn of color who constantly have to fight to be recognized in spaces that can be very male heavy and straight-centered,” said Em “DJ Em-1” Baraan, also a member of SiGAw.

Kuusela Hilo, Vice Chair of BAYAN-USA, highlighted the efforts of BAYAN-USA and GABRIELA-USA’s relief work through BALSA (Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan or “People’s Cooperation for the People”) during the program. “This is a critical time for the Filipino people. It is imperative that we contribute to the efforts which the Arroyo regime is unable to provide for its people. Having taken over $17M of the people’s emergency relief funds, it is up to us, the community, to help.”

HERSPECTIVE, along with other events coordinated by BAYAN-SW are part of the regional efforts to raise $10,000 for BALSA by the end of October.###

To watch the Channel 11 Fox News coverage of HERSPECTIVE, go to youtube.com and search “Herspective 2009.” Or go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CekqDBPj-hA

For more information on Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw): http://sigawla.wordpress.com
For more information on BALSA and the relief work of BAYAN-USA/GABRIELA-USA: http://bayanusa.org, http://gabusa.org or http://bayanihan4ondoy.wordpress.com

Singer Asa Lianess

Emcee Peklat

Singer Marie Ceralvo

DJ Em-1

SiGAw!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 28, 2009

Reference: Terrie Cervas, Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw), 213.270.4982, sigaw.la@gmail.com

Los Angeles Filipinas Celebrate 25 Years of Women’s Resistance and Call for Aid for Victims of Typhoon Ondoy

Sunday, October 4, 2009 will mark the first all-female performance, art showcase, and marketplace event for the Los Angeles-based chapter of GABRIELA-USA and member organization of BAYAN-USA, Sisters of Gabriela, Awaken! (SiGAw). The event entitled, HERSPECTIVE, will be held at Juanita’s Restaurant (5930 York Blvd) in Highland Park, CA 90042 from 5:00pm-9:00pm. $10 donations will be accepted.

HERSPECTIVE will be a fundraiser to support SiGAw’s mother organization, GABRIELA-Philippines, in the celebration of the 25th year anniversary of the largest mass-based women’s alliance in the Philippines. For the past 25 years, GABRIELA has worked tirelessly to empower women, advance women’s rights, and fight against injustices and violence against women and children in the Philippines. The celebrations will include the 10th Congress of the organization on October 25th-27th, as well as a Grand Reunion on October 28th, which is in conjunction with the National Filipino Women’s Day of Protest. HERSPECTIVE, an all-ages event, will feature the talents of hip hop DJs Em-1 and Michelle Q, emcee Peklat, poet Dyana Bui, singer Marie Ceralvo, and more, as well as Los Angeles-based visual artists and vendors. HERSPECTIVE was created as a space to celebrate women, their lives, and their stories, which are often unheard.

In addition to fundraising for GABRIELA-Philippines, monetary donations will be accepted towards relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Ondoy (Tropical Storm Ketsana). Ondoy broke ground in Manila and the surrounding districts (25 in total) on September 26, 2009, with the heaviest rainfall recorded, followed by the worst flooding in 40 years. There are at least 100 dead or missing and 435,000 victims who are homeless, injured or have lost all of their belongings. There are still as least 1 million people without electricity. Video and photographic footage of the city recall devastating memories of Hurricane Katrina. To further put the calamitous situation into perspective, the effects of Katrina’s flooding measured at 380mm (12.467ft) of water, Ondoy at 410mm (13.451ft).

Similar to Hurricane Katrina and the Bush administration’s response (or lack thereof), President Arroyo’s lack of preparation and priority to acquire hundreds of rubber boats (officials have already admitted there were only13 rubber boats in total), amphibian vehicles, dump trucks, and thousands of life vests and food/medicine kits for families who are trapped on rooftops has led to a humanitarian crisis. SiGAw finds it imperative to act swiftly to assist these families, women and children in this dire time of need.

Join SiGAw in our celebration of 25 years of women’s resistance and in our efforts to assist families in the Philippines. ###