Sentosa nurses re-launch campaign for justice in NY

MANILA, Philippines - Supporters of 27 former Sentosa nurses and their lawyer Felix Vinluan recently re-launched their campaign to seek justice against illegal recruitment in New York.

With the theme "Up the Ante," the so-called Sentosa 27++ welcomed last March 22 some 150 representatives from various organizations supporting their quest for justice.

The nurses, former employees of Avalon Gardens in Woodmere, New York, were charged with patient endangerment by SentosaCare after they resigned from their posts in 2006 due to unpaid back wages, discrimination and being recruited under false pretenses.

“We would like to up the ante, to increase the value of our campaign, by giving more attention and focus this time to our civil and federal discrimination cases, and to our Philippine labor cases, as we already won the legal battle in the criminal prosecution front," said Mark Dela Cruz, one of the 10 nurses who were indicted for alleged patient endangerment.

Mary Joy Garcia-Dia of the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) and Julia Camagong, co-executive director of Philippine Forum, welcomed around 150 representatives from various organizations supporting the Justice for Sentosa 27++ (J4S27++) Campaign.

Rico Foz, executive vice president of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) narrated the history of the campaign – from the time when only the nurses and their lawyers believed in their cause – to the present when support comes from all sectors of society, not only in the US and in the Philippines, but in other countries as well.

Foz’s narrative history was complemented by a video presentation of the Campaign’s events prepared by Jonna Baldres of Anakbayan NY/NJ.

The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, Second Department, issued last January 13, 2009 a writ prohibiting the nurses’ and Vinluan’s criminal prosecution. The Court ruled that the criminal prosecution violated the nurses’ 13th Amendment right against involuntary servitude and Vinluan’s 1st Amendment right to free speech.

“Even while we are successful in getting the criminal cases dropped, we should strive even harder to obtain our Campaign’s other demands, foremost of which are the dropping of the breach of contract cases against us, and the shutdown of Sentosa Recruitment Agency," said Harriet Avila, another one of the former 10 Avalon nurses who were prosecuted.

Vinluan challenged the organizations and individuals in attendance to remain standing side-by-side with him and the nurses until total justice is obtained, not only for the Sentosa 27++ nurses, but also for the many other Filipino immigrant nurses who continue to suffer silently at Sentosa’s employ.

PNAA’s Leo Felix Jurado and Philippine Nurses Association of New York’s (PNA-NY) Leonila Mariazeta saluted the Sentosa 27++ nurses for their courage in fighting for their rights and reiterated their respective memberships’ unwavering support to the J4S27++ Campaign. - GMANews.TV

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