Filipino youth in three major cities across Canada will hold vigils, masses and marches over the next two days to commemorate the recent death of 15-year old Deeward Ponte and to call for the “scrapping of the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) and towards genuine social justice for Filipno youth and their families.”
Local Filipino youth in Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/ Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance – Vancouver (UKPC/FCYA – BC) will lead a vigil and march tomorrow, Friday, February 8, 2008 in Vancouver. The vigil will start at 4 pm at Sir Charles Tupper (419 East 24th Ave.) to mark the site of the 2003 death of Mao Jomar Lanot and march to Gray’s Park (Fraser and 33rd Ave.) where Ponte was killed. The two Filipino teens were children of former live-in caregivers.
In Montreal, Kabataang Montreal – Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance will offer a mass at St. Kevin’s Parish, 5600 Chemin de la Cote-des-Neiges this evening on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
In Toronto, UKPC/FCYA – Ontario will hold a vigil on Friday, February 8, 2008 from 4- 5 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 520 Sherbourne St.
“We will march to protest the unnecessary violence that has taken place,” says Carlo Sayo, National Chairperson of the Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada/Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance (UKPC/FCYA) – Canada. “As a national organization, we recognize that this violence is a symptom of the systemic marginalization of the Filipino community,” he added.
“Our community is being marginalized,” says Albert Lopez of FCYA-BC and the child of a former live-in caregiver. “Since the early 1980s, nearly 100,000 Filipino women have come to Canada through Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program (LCP) which sentences our women to a lifetime of de-skilling and low paid work. We need to scrap it!” he adds.
“The LCP and the Labor Export Policy of the Philippine government systemically marginalizes the Filipino community,” says Camille Cendana of UKPC/FCYA-On. “Families forced by circumstance to migrate to Canada are often separated from each other for an average of five years. The program also de-skills the caregivers; they are not allowed to work in their trained profession or go to school for training. The death of Deeward Ponte and Mao Jomar Lanot are some of the most harsh impacts the LCP has on Filipino families,” she adds.
“Let us not forget the many Filipino migrant workers toiling under the precarious temporary worker status in an effort to support their families and eventually reunite with them here in Canada ,” says Neil Kastro of Kabataang Montreal – FCYA. “Let us continue our quest for peace and justice in this world as we strive to put an end to poverty and family separation,” he adds.
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For more information, please contact:
· Vancouver – Mildred, Leah or Hetty at Kalayaan Centre, ph: 604-215-1103 or e-mail: ukpc_fcya@kalayaancentre.net
· Montreal – Neil Kastro at Kapit Bisig Centre, ph: 514-678-3901 or e-mail: kabataang_montreal @yahoo.ca
· Toronto – Camille Cendana, ph: 416-450-5270 or e-mail: ugnayanontario@gmail.com