Chicago FilAms ask China to respect international laws

Chicago, IL.  “Our soil, our oil,” chanted the Filipino American demonstrators in front of the China Consulate General at 100 W. Erie St. in Chicago on Friday, July 8, 2011 as they joined their fellow Filipino Americans in other key cities nationwide to protest against China’s intrusions into the Philippine held territories of the Spratlys.

China’s government is due to deploy its giant oil rig this month of July within approximately 125 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan and within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, a  territory that has long belonged to  the Philippines according the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Under the UNCLOS, a nation owns the oil, mineral and other resources within a two hundred nautical mile radius from its shore (called Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)). 

The protest actions were called for by the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), a national organization led by Loida Nicolas Lewis and Rodel Rodis, which includes leading Filipino-American business, political and community leaders, focusing on issues impacting the Philippines and the Global Filipino community.

“In terms of sheer number and in economic and military power, China is much bigger and more powerful. But in willpower and love of country, we showed our strength and sympathy for the plight of our fellow Filipinos,” Lewis said. “Every barrel of oil that China intends to take from us is a barrel that could save a Filipino family from poverty,” she continued, speaking before a crowd of 250 protesters in New York City’s China Embassy.

Atty. Rodel Rodis, president of USP4GG and is based in San Francisco, had also shown a strong group of more than 200 Filipino Americans supporting the Spratlys protests. Wearing their t-shirts bearing the group’s position on the Spratlys issue, they marched to the China embassy in Los Angeles repeatedly chanting in unison, “Our soil, our oil!”  

In addition to Chicago, New York and San Francisco, similar rallies were also held simultaneously in other major key cities in the U.S. such as Los Angeles, Houston, Washington DC and Hawaii.  To show their support, Filipinos in Toronto, Canada and Manila and Davao also reportedly staged successful rallies of their own.

Back in Chicago, despite the unexpected presence of Chicago policemen who barricaded the spot which protesters had intended to use, the rally proceeded as planned. A prayer by Joe Balmadrid started off the program, followed by the singing of the American National Anthem, “Star Spangled Banner”, led by Ellen Balmadrid and then and the group singing of the Philippine National Anthem or Bayang Magiliw. A short speech by Yoly Tubalinal, Chicago convenor of US Pinoys for Good Governance under whose name these demonstrations against China had been planned and coordinated.
“If I could do it, you can do it, too”

That was Mrs. Luz Vira Capio, better known as “Tita Ging,” talking. Ging Capio is a stage 4 breast cancer patient who is undergoing chemotherapy twice a week. She sat on her wheelchair, holding a placard asking China to stay out of Philippine waters in Spratlys, shouting “Our soil, our oil” and “China get out,” repeatedly, unmindful of her scorched arm from chemotherapy. She persuaded her doctor to let her do this rally first before checking herself into the ER to get that arm taken care of.  Her words,

I’m out here because I strongly believe in the cause in spite of my condition and if I struggle to stand (physically) and made it here; then  categorically, I believe that if we unite our voice and pursue this cause we will be heard and we will make a difference for our country and our “kapwa Filipino”

Ana Anita Moral of Glenview, IL came like she had promised. For months, she has been nursing a bad leg but she readily said she would come when she received the email invitation to the rally and forwarded the same to her friends with her strong endorsement to come.

Husband and wife Joe and Ellen Balmadrid volunteered to bring the sound system and mike and did the driving for friends like Danny Ayam, Lorna Haynes and Adelle Traquena who accepted their invitation to join the rally. Grace and Win Villamora would have been there as well had it not been for the latter’s accident the afternoon before. But friends from the Archdiocese of Chicago, whom they invited made good on their promise to come. They were Baby Gino, Aurora Punzalan, Sally Aono, and Lettie Natividad. They came with Isabel Juan. Carlos Cortez volunteered to be the Marshall, along with Joseph Lariosa and Marlon Pecson.

The group also comprised of local Filipino American media led by Bart and Yoly Tubalinal,editors and publishers of FilAm MegaScene, Joseph Lariosa of JGLI, Darwin Posadas, publisher of One Philippines, Elsie Sy Niebar, Via Times columnist and community and business leaders, among them: Joe and Ellen Balmadrid, Ging and Nonoy Capio, Beth Casino, Ed and Medy Verzo, Jun Delfin, Marlon Pecson, Carlos Cortez, Edna Pavel and many others.

The group promised to keep an eye on news regarding the continuing dispute over the oil-rich islands of Spratlys and to keep fighting if China continues its aggressive position on their claim of the entire islands, declaring it as its core national interest like Tibet and Taiwan.