Due to DMZ march? Liza Maza barred from flight to US

A former militant lawmaker on Wednesday took issue with the United States Department of Homeland Security (US DHS) for allegedly asking airline officials to keep her from taking her flight to the US last week even if she had valid travel documents.

Former Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza challenged the US DHS to explain its grounds for informing the ground staff of Korean Air at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal 1 that she cannot board the US-bound plane last July 9.

“When I asked the reason for my denial of entry inside the plane, the airline staff said they received an email from the US Customs and Border Protection Agency of the Homeland Security saying I shouldn’t be allowed to board the plane. My repeated requests for a copy of the email was denied by Korean Air staff and its ground supervisor, Mr. Luigi Luis Santos,” she told reporters at a press briefing.

The former lawmaker said the airline’s staff eventually told her that she should instead go to the US embassy for evaluation since the DHS’ email, which they supposedly received only earlier that day, ‘was not for third party dissemination.”

Maza, who has a multiple-entry visa valid from 2008 to 2018, was set to fly to Washington, D.C. to testify as an expert witness on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the recently-signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) before the International People’s Tribunal (IPT)’s convention from July 16 to 18.

The convention was organized by progressive organizations such as the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, US-based National Lawyers’ Guild, and Ibon International.

Prior to her aborted trip, Maza said she had been flying in and out of the US since 2008, mostly in connection with her work as leader of the Gabriela Women’s Alliance, meeting with Filipino communities, networking with women’s organizations and on several occasions, participating in meetings and activities organized by the United Nations for civil society organizations.

DMZ crossing

Maza believes she was barred from boarding her flight because of her impending appearance at the IPT convention to discuss the EDCA and VFA, the two military agreements signed by the US and Philippine governments.

“I can only surmise that the reason for such arbitrary action was to prevent me from testifying as an expert witness... The truth about the negative effects of these agreements is something that the US government doesn’t want the American people and the international community to know,” she said.

The former lawmaker said she must have been flagged by US authorities when she took part in the “Women Cross DMZ” last May 24, where 30 women, including renowned American feminist and journalist Gloria Marie Steinem, and Nobel Peace Prize laureates Mairead Maguire and Leymah Gbowee, crossed the demilitarized zone (DMZ) bordering North and South Korea as a symbolic act to call for the unification of the two countries.

However, she clarified that she was given a five-year visa by the South Korean Embassy in Manila even if it was aware of the purpose of her trip.

Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay slammed the US DHS for keeping its reasons for preventing Maza from boarding the Korean Air flight to the US.

“That she was not allowed to travel is by itself a violation of her fundamental rights, which are enshrined in the Philippine Constitution, the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” she said.

Not a threat

Although she is a feminist and activist, Maza said she shouldn’t be considered an enemy of the US government.

“Let me state for the record that I’m neither a security threat to the American people, nor am I their enemy… In fact, I help build bridges of solidarity among peoples and develop strong bonds of sisterhood among women,” she said.

Jonjon Montemayor, Maza’s legal counsel, said they are now exploring the possibility of filing cases against the US government for curtailing the former lawmaker’s right to travel and liberty of movement.

Palabay said Maza only decided to hold the press conference Wednesday since they first have to ensure the safety of other IPT participants coming from other countries, who might have also been at risk of being barred from reaching the US. -NB, GMA News