First, there was the melodic classic of Frank
Sinatra's New York, New York. Then came Sting's big hit in the early 80s,
English Man in New York. Third was the Macaulay Caulkin film-starter Home
Alone 2: Lost in in New York. Now comes the latest Asian craze: FIND in
New York.
Indeed, thanks to the constant Hollywood propaganda and
evocative image proffered by the Western mass media, this modern-day
metropolis (and purported to be the largest in the world) had been such a
common fixture in our popular imagination that it has become a crucible of
sorts for various nationalities-from the black communities at Queens and
the Bronx, to Latin-American hawkers peddling their wares at the Big
Apple's more opulent side-streets, and to Asian immigrants manning
their groceries and shops. This carnival of ethnicity is further
highlighted by by the Italian nomenclature of its highly flamboyant mayor,
Rudolph Giuliani. New York is thus the perfect place to host the United
Nations' Headquarters - home of the most dispassionate attache' ,
and meeting place of the most condescending ambassadors. And from May 19
to 27, FIND found itself deep within the enclaves of this cultural
epicenter, exchanging wits and cordialities with the best of the best in
the UN community and the diplomatic corps.
The event was prompted by the application of FIND
(Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance) for a consultative
status with the UN economic and social Council. Being a known human rights
center in the Philippines for the past 15 years, FIND has submitted its
application immediately after AFAD's Founding Congress last May 2000.
Maximizing the Asian virtue of extending filial relations and close
personal ties, FIND officers requested Ms. Judy Chen from Human Rights in
China (and an active participant during the said Congress) to hand-deliver
their application to the UN Headquarters - a good 30 minute walk from
their own office in New York.
By the early part of 2001, FIND received a message from
the UN NGO Communities stating that its application was scheduled for
discussion by the second quarter of the year. Meticulous as they are, the
UN ask for additional information on their financial status, which was
answered a quick reply. This missive also noted that, at most two FIND
representatives should attend the Committee meeting in May.
After marathon consultations, the executive Council
designated FIND's Co-Chairperson and incumbent AFAD Secretary General Mary
Aileen Bacalso as its official representative. Barley arriving from her
exhaustive trip in Geneva, Aileen hesitated at first but was eventually
prevailed upon by her colleagues.
On May 19, Aileen boarded a Northwest Airlines plane
and flew to New York, hopping that the Statue of Liberty which was greeted
the countless Europeans who immigrated to the New World during the
nineteenth century to escape the chaos of the Old would also be as
magnanimous to FIND and the families of the disappeared.
Technically, Aillen is a bit used to living in New York
having been there in 1999. In fact, the Big Apple is much too similar for
her taste that she describes it as an enlarged Manila-street urchins and
all. The only difference is its multi-cultural bent. While the Philippine
capital's population, on the other hand, is predominantly Malay (except
for a few remaining expats, majority of whom have already fled the country
lest they get kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf).
She is also no stranger to this kind of work, being a
long time lobbyist at the UN office in Geneva and an annual to European
institutions and funding agencies for the past several years. In fact, she
admits that she was neither frightened nor intimidated by her
interlocutors, knowing fully well the range of issues and the scope of
FIND's work.
During her stay, he met a colleague of hers in the NGO
community, Atonio Villasor, who also scheduled to defend the application
of PHILRIGHTS (Philippine Human Rights Information Center). Taking
the same flight, they spent the first two days listening to the
proceedings of the session, which dealt mainly with the application of
other NGOs from every conceivable corner of the world. The breather gave
them an idea on how to deal with the UN officials, even doing a
mock-interview in order to hone and practice their intellectual wares.
Each NGO representative was ask to sit in the podium
and face the delegates on the United Nations NGO Committee and answer all
the questions which any one of them may ask. they were all there, all 19
of them - Algeria, Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ethiopia,
France, Germany, Ireland, Lebanon, Pakistan, Romania, the Russian
Federation, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, the United States of America and
India, who later turned out to be the most "interesting" person
among the lot. The atmosphere made one feel as if he was back again in
college, defending a hastily written thesis in the presence of a highly
doubtful panel of academic "interrogators". The representative was only
allowed to give his or her reply after the questions have been ask, which
can guarantee the sudden increase of butterflies in one's tummy. After the
interview, the Chairperson of the Committee (who hails from Turkey) would
announce the decision whether approval, disapproval or deferment.
According to UN protocol, most of the reasons for
deferment of the applications are either due to the absence of a written
response from the applicant-organization and the lack of necessary
documents; or if representatives are present, their inability to provide
adequate information.
FIND's application was originally scheduled for
discussion on the afternoon of April 22, but it was supposed to be the
last agenda of the Committee, the delegate of India begged that the
discussion be postponed until morning of the following day.
At 10:00 AM of May 23, FIND's application was finally
tackled, which was initially greeted by commendation from the Chair for
the comprehensive response that was earlier submitted by fax. Aileen was
then asked to go to the podium so that the grilling, er, interview proper
could start.
All possible questions were asked - from FIND's
financial reports to its relationship with the Philippine Commission on
Human Rights, and even solidarity work with AFAD and FEDEFAM.
During the session, the Indian delegate seemed to be the most inquisitive,
asking Aileen to enumerate all the members of AFAD and if FIND would share
its consultative status with its co-AFAD members in the event of an
approval.
After the interview was over and when the Chair was
about to bang the gavel, the Indian delegate asked that FIND's approval be
laid in the table until the following day, since he still would like to
have a futher look at AFAD's finances and needs further instructions from
his superiors in New Delhi. During the break, Aileen accosted the Indian
to ask if he has any problem regarding their financial report. He answered
negatively. He, however, had a problem with APDP (Association of Parents
of Disappeared Persons) which was AFAD's member-organization in Kashmir.
With a secessionist guerilla movement active in the Jammu and Kashmir
region, the Indian delegate was afraid that the insurgents might use
FIND's status as a propaganda springboard against the government of India.
It was to be the start of a long sleepless night for
Aileen, finding herself looking for the nearest telephone booth to seek
the assistance of her friends. She sought the advise of Atty. Cecilia
Jimenez of the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) who has
made an extensive study of the UN system. Chilean ambassador and UN
Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for the Democratic Republic of Congo
Roberto Garreton, was also called and promised to call the Chilean
delegation to support FIND's application. Attaché' Evelyn Garcia of the
Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations in New York was
also informed of the situation, and immediately sent a letter to the NGO
Committee expressing their non-objection to FIND's application. Ms. Garcia
also requested the Committee Chair if she could be allowed to sit as
observer during their session, but was not granted due to time constraint.
Ironically, the Indian delegate was a personal friend of Ms. Garcia, a
fact which was not lost to Aileen. FEDEFAM also pitched in the
campaign, who in their own way, lobbied for FIND's approval. Parvez Imroz
of APDP also sent his credentials to the Committee and emphasized that his
organization is both non-partisan and non-political. Perhaps surprised and
overwhelmed by the extent of support at the same time, the Indian delegate
requested the FIND representative to refrain from doing too much lobbying.
Though the French and German delegates have expressed
their support and said that FIND's presentation was one of the best they
heard, protocol gave India a very strong advantage. Voting normally on the
basis of consensus, the Committee seldom divides the house, using this
prerogative only in very "special circumstances." Despite the
difficulties, Aileen never lost hope (she was the last person to leave
during the last day of the session) Though FIND was not able to get the
consultative status, it is ever optimistic that they will get it... sooner
or later. The Indian delegate even had these words for the FIND
representative: "Don't worry too much. What is important is for the
organization in Kashmir to be registered."
In the end, Aileen discovered that she had a lot in
common with Meg Ryan. For if the Hollywood actress was sleepless in
Seattle, the FIND representative was definitely sleepless in New York.
