REMARKS AT THE CULTURAL EVENING IN DEFENSE OF DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 16 October 2004
I wish to thank DEFEND Committee-Netherlands, all other organizations and individuals, especially the cultural performers, the artists contributing their works to the auction and, of course, the organizers, for making possible this cultural evening.
I am deeply grateful, especially because this event is meant to rouse the solidarity of the Filipino community and foreign friends and to raise moral and material support in defense of my democratic rights.
Under the pretext of anti-terrorism, the US and other governments are viciously violating my rights, including the right to the essentials of human existence, the right to do compensated work, the right to due process and the right against slander and character assassination and the right to be secure from the threats of death, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.
Because of your support, I am inspired to fight those who violate my rights. I fight them not only because I have all the right to do so but because of the far greater interest of so many Filipinos and others in the world who suffer the ever worsening conditions of exploitation and oppression.
We can expect that as a result of the worsening crisis of the world capitalist system, the imperialist powers headed by the US will further oppress and exploit the people and will use both preemptive repression and preemptive wars of aggression in order to suppress democratic movements, national liberation movements, countries assertive of national independence and progressive organizations and their leaders.
We must be vigilant against the creeping evil of fascism. We must be resolute and militant in defending our democratic rights. That is the only way we can contribute to the making of a new and better world in which national independence, democracy, development, social justice and all-round material and spiritual progress.
And now I will sing some songs by way of expressing my gratitude and contributing to this cultural evening. I wish to sing the patriotic song created from the poem of the Filipino revolutionary leader Andres Bonifacio and another song sung internationally against the fascists.
I hope that you can tolerate the sincere intentions and efforts of an amateur singer. Please appreciate the songs, no matter how I sing it.
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