Gabriela, Gabriela Women’s Party, One Billion Rising Philippine task force groups and One Billion Rising director Monique Wilson launched, last September 20th –  the 2017 #1BillionRising Solidarity Against Exploitation of Women campaign series of protest actions to culminate on 14 February 2017. The main theme for the Philippines OBR 2017 is Rise for A Just and Lasting Peace.

One Billion Rising Philippines – headed by its OBR task force groups –  rally once more with the global movement to rise against women’s oppression and exploitation as the One Billion Rising movement announces activities leading up to the global rising in February 2017 that links the struggle of women against fight against global capitalist structures. OBR task force Philippines include Gabriela, Gabriela Women’s Party, Kilusang Mayo Uno (women workers), Amihan (Peasant women), Migrante (Migrant women), Gabriela Youth, Lila Pilipina Comfort Women, Ecumenical Church Women, Salinlahi Children’s Alliance, Samakana (Urban poor women), ACT (Teachers Alliance) and other marginalized and grassroots women’s groups.

The press launch had speakers from the various sectors, as well as recently released political prisoners Sharon Cabusao and Loida Magpatoc – also one of the National Democratic Front Peace Consultants in the ongoing peace talks. All the speakers spoke of what solidarity has meant to their struggles and the impact of the One Billion Rising global movement to both their sectoral and the national struggle for women in the Philippines.

OBR Philippines launches 2017 Campaign >

Watch the new OBR Philippines film – highlighting four years of OBR actions and solidarity in various sectors

 

GABRIELA GRASSROOTS WOMEN’S ALLIANCE – PHILIPPINES – LEADS ONE BILLION RISING 2017 ON ITS 5TH YEAR!

STATEMENT:

One Billion Rising embarks on 5th year

Women to rise for just peace, basic socio-economic reforms

As the world rises anew for the annual One Billion Rising global campaign on violence against women, Filipino women from various sectors came together to launch the fifth year of the Philippine campaign by underscoring the need for fundamental socio-economic reforms to address the continuing and worsening violence, poverty and marginalization of Filipino women.

In a press conference in Quezon City for the Philippine launch of One Billion Rising 2017, women’s group GABRIELA and other grassroots women leaders, together with One Billion Rising global director Monique Wilson, expressed support for the ongoing peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. They urged the Duterte administration to tread the road to just peace by putting the concerns especially of poor and marginalized women for far-reaching changes at the heart of the peace negotiations.

“Through the four years of the One Billion Rising that marginalized women—among them peasant, workers, indigenous people, migrants, youth, women human rights defenders—have risen, united and militantly danced to fight for their rights, the previous Aquino administration has turned only a deaf ear to our demands. Whatever gains and small victories we have accomplished as fighting women we have achieved through our militant action and by forging solidarity with other women and peoples. We now raise our call for solidarity to end the exploitation of women and press on the Duterte administration to pursue fundamental economic, political and social policy changes that will truly end violence and poverty and uplift women’s situation,” said Joms Salvador, Secretary General of GABRIELA. 

GABRIELA underscored a “women’s agenda for peace” that includes at its core the demand for genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization, delivery of free basic social services and an independent foreign policy. They urged the Duterte administration to adopt and incorporate the women’s agenda in the GRP’s draft for a Comprehensive Agreement on Socioeconomic Reforms (CASER). They also presented the women’s agenda to NDFP women consultants Coni Ledesma and Loida Magpatoc who were present during the press conference.

“From now towards One Billion Rising in February 14, 2017 women will be rising, dancing, fighting and forming solidarity with other women and men as part of our call for a just and lasting peace. Women have so much to gain if fundamental reforms in policy and governance will be undertaken by the Duterte administration. We urge our fellow women here and abroad to rise in solidarity with our call for just peace,” Salvador ended.

 

GABRIELA WOMEN’S PARTY LIST ONCE AGAIN JOINS ONE BILLION RISING 2017!

STATEMENT:

“Women shall rise again and again for revolution, justice and peace. reaping victories and mobilizing more women in solidarity with people’s struggles worldwide.”

Thus said Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Emmi De Jesus as the women’s group rallies once more with the global movement to rise against women’s oppression and exploitation as the One Billion Rising movement announces activities leading up to the global rising in February 2017 that links the struggle of women against the fight against global capitalist structures.

“In 2017 Filipino women dance and rise amid the backdrop of peace negotiations and amid progressive people’s and government assertion for sovereignty and independent foreign policy. On the fifth year of the One Billion Rising Global campaign Filipino women are in a continuing revolution to attain Filipino women’s aspirations for land reform, the advancement of local industries and the delivery of basic social services, paving the way for social justice and lasting peace.”

De Jesus further said, “Gabriela Women’s Party chapters in the Philippines and worldwide throw full support behind this fifth One Billion Rising most especially now that women not only feel the power of community organizing but actually use it with other social sectors every day to liberate whole communities and nations from violence and exploitation,”

Born four years ago as a worldwide creative dance protest, OBR has now re-emerged as a collective defiance using art as a powerful political tool for resistance and protest against all forms of violence – not only sexual and gender based violence, but also the violence of poverty, inequality, exploitation and marginalization.

According to OBR Global Director Monique Wilson, One Billion Rising has grown and goes beyond opposing the effects of patriarchy, to confront global capitalist and imperialist systems that cause and sustain worsening forms of poverty, unprecedented forms of labor, economic and sexual exploitation, human and sex trafficking, state sponsored wars, militarization and internal and international displacement

Gabriela Women’s Party is planning to organize many community-based “town hall” risings where local citizen groups bring Women’s Agenda petitions before legislative councils to demand more and improved services for impoverished women and children. All these will culminate and link with one another on Valentines Day 2017 in dance revolutions across the planet.