To the Foreign Workers of the CNMI

To the Foreign Workers of the CNMI:

You all know (more than I do, in fact) that there have been countless injustices and much abuse done unto you over your stay in the CNMI. Long hours at work only to be treated like garbage by your employer, sub-par wages, withheld or stolen wages, delayed paychecks, SEVERELY delayed tax rebates and refunds, scams, and whatever other injustices that have been done unto you behind closed doors that have gone unreported due to the fear that most of you possess of losing your job and whatever other reasons you may have; the list goes on and on. You are truly one of a kind; I do not believe that there are any other people in the world who live in a supposedly free nation who have to endure as much suffering and abuse from their host government. Your suffering has not gone unheard or unseen. In fact, there are numerous people who have heard of your plight and sympathize with your cause. However, we outside observers can only do so much, as we ourselves are not the ones directly involved and suffering the fate that you all must suffer through.

The most that we can do is tell your story to others, get the word out about your plight, and hope that these other people will also sympathize with your plight and in turn spread the word to other people. The ultimate hope of spreading the word in this fashion is that one day, someone important enough and with enough power and authority will hear of your suffering and do something to help you all. This is a process that could take years. Indeed, what little we have accomplished for you all so far is the product of decades of spreading the word and fighting the good fight in hopes that your cries will not fall on deaf ears. This is the way it has been for so long, and I can only see it continuing even longer if we go on the way we have: simply telling your story to others all over the world in hopes that someone will hear you and help you. We have reached a point in our lives where we can no longer afford to just sit back and tell your stories to other people. We cannot afford to wait for more years or decades for some savior to come in and give you your justice.

No; the time has come for us to try something new. The time has come for us to stand up and fight for ourselves. The sad fact of the matter is, no one is going to come in and save us all. Everyone, everywhere has problems of their own to deal with as the state of this world is rapidly declining. Everywhere around the world, in Greece, in Egypt, in Spain, in Tunisia, in Yemen, in Libya, in England, in Poland, and in Russia, among other places, people are standing up and shouting at the top of their lungs that they're mad as hell, and they're NOT going to take it anymore. These are everyday ordinary people just like you, who also have families to protect and futures to keep safe. But one thing sets them apart from all of you: they have cast off the shackles of their fears; the very same fear that has kept them from standing up and fighting back until very recently. And just look at all the change that has made for them! They are the true testament to PEOPLE POWER, as they set aside all their petty differences and banded together by the thousands (and in some places, by the tens and hundreds of thousands) to fight their common enemy. I believe that you, the foreign workers of the CNMI, have that same exact power within you all; you simply have to wake up, realize this Truth, organize, and mobilize.

Show the people (and especially the government) of the CNMI that you are NOT just disposable labor units! Show the Governor of the CNMI that you are HUMAN BEINGS who deserve every chance at a better life for yourself and your families here in the home that you have established in the CNMI. Yes, you are only contract workers here. Yes, your time was only supposed to be short in our Islands. Yes, you were only supposed to be guests here as part of the CNMI's Guest Worker Program. But as we all know, none of that matters anymore, because many of you are not currently under contract, and ALL of you have been here for more than just a short time and are no longer guests here. You have all grown to love the CNMI and now call it your home as well. Are you just going to continue to sit back and let whatever happens, happen? Are you just going to continue to be bound by your fears and let your oppressors continue to trample all over you and your families?

Governor Fitial has recently declared that he is ready and more than willing to deport over 9,000 of you. He is ready to tear your families apart or rob your children of their rights and privileges as US citizens. The worst part about this is that he wants to deport not just those of you who no longer have legal immigration status in the CNMI; he wants to deport those of you who HE considers overstayers, including everyone who was granted parole and those who have applied for parole. And my best bet is that he has no plans whatsoever to give any of you the money that is still owed to you before he deports you. Are you REALLY going to sit back and let this one evil man steal your money, your future, and your HOME from right under your feet, all because you were too scared to do something about it?

There is strength in numbers, and I can guarantee you that there are at least a thousand of you who feel the same way about everything that has happened to you during your residence in the CNMI. I can guarantee you that once one person steps up to the plate and says the right things and declares his or her stand against the oppression of this government and certain individuals in it and in the community, THOUSANDS will rally behind that person and that fight. Most of you are Filipinos; you should know more than I do, since you were the generation that lived through it, what PEOPLE POWER is and how strong we are when we come together to fight for change.

A brighter future is on the horizon; a secure future for you and your families is VERY possible, but only if you WANT it. My parents were lucky because they were able to wait for me to turn 21 so that I could petition them for a greencard, but most of you do not have that luxury now. The time for waiting is over. The time for action is NOW. Please, I implore you, for your sake and the sake of all of your friends and families and children who must suffer the same plight, STAND UP AND FIGHT!!!!

Sincerely,

Kelvin Rodeo

22 year-old son of two former Contract Workers on Saipan

Glendale, California

EDSA I (People Power Revolution in the Philippines, 1986)

EDSA II (Second People Power Revolution in the Philippines, 2001)