SF Filipino Students Force Mayor Newsom to Address Human Rights Abuses in Trip to Philippines

Congratulations to SF State's League of Filipino Students [LFS] and their chairperson Princess Bustos on yesterday's small victory at the SF Board of Supervisors meeting.
For the details see SF Chronicle political gossip columnists Matier and Ross' report from this morning - Supes add brick to mayor's bouquets for Manila visit

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom jets off to Manila on Saturday for a weeklong sister city jaunt -- but not without a bon voyage present from the Board of Supervisors in the form of a resolution condemning the island nation's human rights record.
Sponsored by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, the resolution approved Tuesday cites critics' assertion that there have been 765 political killings in the Philippines during the five-year rule of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Mirkarimi and Co. want the mayor to personally deliver the city's human rights condemnation to Arroyo next week and to urge her to order an independent investigation into the deaths.
Mirkarimi offered his resolution at the request of the League of Filipino Students at San Francisco State, which has been working for some time to raise awareness of human rights violations in the Philippines.
"This has nothing to do with the mayor," Mirkarimi said. "It has to do with human rights violations. We just want him to keep in mind while fostering sister city relations that there are problems.''
Mayoral spokesman Peter Ragone said Tuesday he hadn't seen the board resolution and had no comment.

For more info on LFS work and Filipino teachers and community activists in the SF Bay Area -
Filipino Community Center
Bayan USA
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