Fil-Am groups tackle migrants issues in 3-day forum

More than 70 Filipino-Americans from across the United States recently gathered to discuss the plight of migrants and workers from the Philippines in a three-day forum. The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) held their general assembly last Oct. 21-23, which carried the theme “Pag-ibayuhin ang Pagkakaisa ng Kilusan ng Migranteng Pilipino sa US Para Ipagtanggol ang Ating Karapatan at Kagalingan at Itayo ang Maaliwalas na Kinabukasan ng Ating Inang Bayan" (Further Deepen the Unity of the US Filipino Immigrant Movement To Defend our Rights and Welfare and Build a Brighter Future for our Homeland). Participants from 30 member-organizations and support groups came from various cities and states across the US, as well as from Australia, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. “The [Filipino] community is prepared to boost the full potential of the mass movement in advancing the rights of migrants, the workers, the poor, in solidarity with all those who are struggling for a better future in many parts of the world," Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino said in his keynote speech. Included in the organizations’ agenda were: