Fil-Ams arrested during Independence Day celeb

NEW YORK – Two Filipino-Americans were arrested on June 4 by the New York Police Department (NYPD) and security forces of the committee in charge of the annual Philippine Independence Day Parade in the city. Based on accounts from the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), Rusty Fabunan, 35, and Pewee Recaido, 18, were dragged by the NYPD for “failure to disperse." The two were playing music using makeshift drums of buckets when they were arrested. Both are members of the Filipino community fraternity Kapatirang Pilipino (Brotherhood of Filipinos) or Kappa Pi. They were eventually released due to pressures from street protesters. Onlookers who had been entertained by the music played by Fabunan and Recaido gathered and confronted the NYPD shouting, "Just music... What's wrong with that?" Fabunan quickly thanked the crowd after he and Recaido were released by authorities. "If not for the united voices of chanters pressuring the police, I would have spent the night in jail." "We're not here to make trouble. We just don't want to listen to loud American music all day on this celebration of Philippine Independence. We're just calling for positive change, and for that, we were harassed," said Fabunan in a statement. "Sa sarili nating Independence Day Celebration, hindi kami free," (We're not free even during the celebration of our own Independence Day)," said Recaido. Fabunan and Recaido were part of the 200-contingent from the NAFCON and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN or New Patriotic Alliance) USA chapter. Price of rice They marched down Madison Avenue chanting "Habang si Gloria ay nasa itaas, masyadong mataas ang presyo ng bigas!" (While Gloria is on top, prices of rice are too high.) and "How on earth can we be free, with a thousand dollar booth fee? How on earth can we be free, change your ways PIDC!" The participants also protested the more than $1,000 rental fee for a fair booth, which was being charged by the Philippine Independence Day Committee (PIDC). The groups claimed that the local commercialization and high rental fees for booths were "corruption schemes" by the Philippine Consulate to get more money from the Filipino community. “The contingent was obstructed from entering the main fair area by a blockade set-up by the NYPD. After holding an impromptu rally calling for an end to the local commercialization of the annual parade and fair, NAFCON-BAYAN participants were eventually let in and then continually harassed when they carried their placards inside," said Rico Foz, a member of NAFCON. "This was a targeted act against us led by the PIDC committee and the Philippine Consulate. Both have been harassing our contingent for years now. They are threatened by the message we bring to the PIDC so they wanted to censor us," added Robert Roy, executive director of the Philippine Forum. Repeated attacks In 2005, the NYPD also stopped the protesters from marching on the parade route, according to NAFCON. That time, they carried placards calling for Philippine Consul General Cecilia Rebong to move out of her $10,000 a month condominium at Trump Towers in Manhattan. In 2006, marchers protested the spate of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances that mostly victimized Filipino activists. The following year, police stood guard as NAFCON marchers criticized the Philippine Consulate for its alleged collusion with SentosaCare LLC, a health care management company in New York, accused of illegally hiring nurses from the Philippines. - GMANews.TV