FILIPINOS IN EUROPE DEMAND – FREE KIM GARGAR!
22 November 2013
(Amsterdam, The Netherlands) – MIGRANTE Europe and its network of organizations and individuals in Europe extend their warmest solidarity with you today for the formal launching of the Free Kim Gargar Campaign at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
We also extend our warmest hugs and greetings to Kim who continues to unjustly languish in prison in Mindanao. Despite all the numerous urgent issues we have to attend to, we continue to keep Kim, his cause and his struggle to be free, burning in our hearts and minds.
Kim spent a short but very meaningful time here in the Netherlands while he was a doctoral student at the University of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. He dutifully integrated with the Filipino migrants in Amsterdam and Utrecht, and earned friends in other European countries that he visited. He became a member of Migrante Netherlands, a mass organization of Filipino migrants who are mostly domestic workers and undocumented. He joined its activities and those of the activities of several other progressive organizations. When he was with Migrante Netherlands in the company of undocumented domestic workers, he was just himself, the ordinary Kim - friendly, helpful, cheerful, koboy, reasonable, humble, approachable and more. He wasn't the intellectual who would "intellectualize" infront of the domestic worker migrants. He abhorred getting attention despite his educational attainment, and would always prefer to be in the background. In fact, very few among them know he was a doctoral student of a course, that many among us find difficult to pronounce or even comprehend.
He volunteered himself to some tasks whenever there would be migrant activities or political and solidarity events in Amsterdam or Utrecht, notwithstanding the distance and cost of travelling from Groningen to these cities. In order to save pasahe (transportation costs) and money, he would sleep over at several Filipino friends' homes during the weekend, or on some occasion, even under the office table of the Migrante Europe office in Amsterdam, despite the cold pavement. But he slept good.
One of those instances was when he volunteered to become an instructor in one of the topics on a course on Philippine society that was to be given to several Filipino domestic workers. He was in a dilemma because he was only given 30 minutes to give his presentation - 20 minutes input and 10 minutes for question and answer. He didn't complain or express any irritation or embarrasment. In fact, he would seem to be just another student sharing with other students, and learning from them, even whispering later to the main instructor if his input was good enough. The evaluation of the students afterwards of the education session, was perhaps, fulfilling to his role as one of the facilitators.
Despite his busy university schedule, and because of his commitment to the migrant cause, he still found time to volunteer once more, to send out email news on migrants and refugees.
If there were occasions or events of Filipino migrants where he was absent, which would be very very few, he was busy attending to his studies and his thesis. When his time at the University of Groningen was ending, he would think of a way to extend his stay because he really expressed his desire to stay and work among migrants and was feel challenged with solidarity work. He must have felt really bad and with a heavy heart when he had to drag his luggage to check-in at the Schipol airport to board his flight back to Manila, thinking about the things he could do while in the Netherlands. On the other hand, he found enough consolation to go back home to the Philippines, where his family, friends and kasamas and the biggest challenges, are all waiting.
Recently, hundreds of undocumented domestic workers, including Filipino domestic workers, bravely rallied and marched on the streets of Amsterdam to demand that the Dutch government recognize them, their work, and their rights. It was a historic first. It was empowering for them. The undocumented Filipino domestic workers whom Kim had the opportunity to share his input during that education session, were there too. They were empowered by that education session, and Kim contributed to their empowerment and conscientization.
For this, they want to add their voices to the worldwide call to FREE KIM GARGAR! FREE KIM – A PEOPLE'S TEACHER, SCIENTIST AND A WARRIOR FOR THE PEOPLE'S JUST CAUSE!
A few days more and it is going to be Christmas once again. One wish of majority of undocumented Filipino domestic workers is to be home this Christmas with their families and friends and community. It is a wish because they are undocumented.
We will all struggle that Kim be home this Christmas with his family and friends, and all migrant workers who want to but couldn't.
MIGRANTE Europe
Postbus 15687, 1001 ND Amsterdam
The Netherlands
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