There is a deteriorating human rights situation in the Philippines under Arroyo, who is persecuting politically the opposition, often with hit men and some assistance from the CIA.

I have been in contact with a Language Education grad student in the Philippines, George Bradford Patterson.

Here is the letter he sent me today.

the CIA is using protestant evangelical fundamentalist

missions as a cover for their subversive activities which is

contributing to

the destabilization of this country because it is TRUE! It is true and

all

of you should know this1 I absolutely refuse to sugarcoat the reality

of

what is happening here right now with journalists and activist,

including

church leaders, being slaughtered left and right by hitmen who are

perpetrating these atrocities with impunity. Absolutely no compromise

on

this point! It is a matter of principle and the truth, and the truth

must be

stated; even if it is uncomfortable for a lot of compllacent middle

class

North Americans to hear.This is the reality of the situation, and

militant

activists would articulate it much more forcefully! I have written

around

forty senators about this , putting my life in danger, in which my life

has

been threatened by an American CIA covert operative. You just do not

understand the situation...

I reiterate that you along with many others just do not have the

context

to really appreciate the urgency of this situation which is becoming

worse,

including the massive poverty and hunger due to these abhorrent

policies of

globalization, neoliberalism, and laissez faire/liberal capitalism

which the

Bush administration along with the other G7 industrialized countries ,

including the IMF, WOLRD BANK, AND WTO have thrust upon this beleagured

country. Agriculture has been virtually destroyed by these terrible

policies, contributing to the massive hunger and poverty; and it is

getting

worse and worse; as well as the mounting human rights violations and

repression in this country. Crucial industries, like the steel

industry,textile industry, and tire industry have been destroyed, thus

preventing the heavy industrialization to extricate this country from

from

marginalization and dependency. Dr. Alejandro Lichauco, an economist

and

journalist, who did his Ph. D. in Economics at Harvard, has written

extensively on this in the DAILY TRIBUNE. So we reiterate if you were

here,

you would understand much better since you would have the context to

truly

see the situation.

What you and others could do is to inform the honorable Senators

about

this grave situation. That definitely would help a lot. By the time

you do

this, if you do decide to do it; I might not be alive.

Gary Satre, an American journalist, who has lived here much longer

than me

will corroborate this to you. He is married to an Ilocano and he did

his

Masters Degree in Journalism at the University of the Philippines,

Diliman

where I am completing my dissertation in Language Education. He has an

intimate knowledge of this society, much more than me in many ways

since he

is a part of the masses who are being screwed left and right by virture

of

being masrried to an Ilocano whose late father would scoff at the

complacency of you and other middle class North Americans.

All of these issues are being addressed much more forcefully by

human

rights organizations and the civic society, including the Church;

AMNESTY

INTERNATIONAL along with the local branch that is headed by my dear

friend

Jessica Soto, the Executive Director of AI PILIPINAS, of which I am a

member. In fact, my lawyer friend told me how two of his clients are

in

hiding upon his advice, since their lives are threatened by hit men

associated with government security forces. And your government is

contributing to the mayhem by its meddling in the affairs of this

country!

Internatonal pressure will definiely help in relieving and ultimately

resolving the present situation. This is where you and your people can

come

in. It is up to all of you. And we stand by our previous positions.

We

will not give an inch because we are right; and ultimately we will

prevail.

I didn't clean it up to emphasize that it was a real email letter. I googled the names mentioned and they checked up, after a few spelling errors were corrected.

If you google search "Arroyo "political persecution"", you will find evidence that the current president of the Philippines is abusing her power seriously.

This is serious. We need to get on this, now...

dlw