Podcast: US with Dr Crystallee Crain (Transformation Talk Network)
International solidarity is not a new notion for me as an activist and as a person who identifies as a global citizen. I’ve had a long interest in how we identify what self determination and governance means to us. I’m curious about how people use or misuse power in the name of a government or in the name of “the people”. I want to see a world where people have the right to choose how they are governed and how they are able to live freely.
Because of this, I traveled to the Philippines and spent time in Manila (the capitol) and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanoa to get a historical perspective on the importance of this years (2022) presidential election and beyond. During this episode you will hear from education leaders, government leaders, and others who have witnessed the changes and often tumultuous social and political changes. These brave leaders will discuss their country and how the U.S. imperial relationship impacts the livelihood of people in the Philippines. |
As reported in the IOM Interim report - The International Observer Mission, sponsored by the ICHRP, found that the May 9 Philippine National Elections were marred by a higher level of failure of the electronic voting systems than ever before, along with a higher level of blatant vote-buying, disturbing levels of red-tagging and a number of incidents of violence.
According to the IOM report, the election did not meet the standard of “free and fair” because of voters having restricted access to reliable information, access to the voting places without intimidation, and a credible vote counting system. The results gave the Marcos-Duterte team a massive victory that has been met with widespread skepticism and a growing protest. Violations against the people of the Philippines include political killings, shootings, abductions, death threats, political arrests, harassment and surveillance of candidates and supporters, very large-scale red tagging, widespread vote-buying, media manipulation and repression, fake news and harassment of journalists by the Marcos campaign. |
Podcast: "For Every Tear a Victory" featuring Marena Domingo
(Mechanical Freak)
Upon her return from observing the presidential election in the Philippines, Marena joined her friends on the Seattle-based podcast Mechanical Freak to talk about her experiences overseas.
In this episode, the socio-economic and political history of the Philippines is examined. It is through these material conditions that led to the reclamation of power by two authoritarian families. This podcast was recorded before Marena's second trip to the Philippines. She documented the people power demonstrations to remember the horrors of Martial Law on the 50th anniversary of its implementation by Marcos Sr. Because of this, Marena does not mention that she is working on a documentary in order to protect her security as she prepared to head back to the motherland for the second unit of filming abroad. |