TORONTO – Neri Colmenares, a former member of the Philippine House of Representatives, a longtime human rights lawyer and the current Presidential Adviser on Human Rights of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and a former political prisoner, will visit Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary between September 30 and October 19.
Colmenares’s Toronto visit is sponsored by the Philippine Studies Group (PSG) at York University. As a speaker knowledgeable in the current situation in the Philippines, he was invited by PSG to engage the Filipino diaspora community in a variety of cultural, social, and political initiatives in Toronto.
Following Colmenares’s speaking engagement in Toronto as guest in PSG’s speakers series, Malaya Canada and the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP), will take over as official sponsor of his speaking tour in selected Canadian cities
Colmenares will travel alongside Filipino organizations and individuals to participate in fundraising dinners, community forums, and meetings with Canadian Members of Parliament in Ottawa.
Colmenares currently serves as Presidential Adviser on Human Rights from 2023 to 2025 of the IBP and his tour will provide the Filipino diaspora with a welcome opportunity to learn more about the current state of human rights in the Philippines under the current Marcos II regime.
The Colmenares speaking tour will include discussions about Canada’s relations with the Philippines, its policies on human rights especially with regard to its support for and cooperation with the Philippine government on anti-terrorism programs, and the call on the Canadian Government to support human rights defenders who are at risk, especially those who are red-tagged, including community activists in Toronto and Vancouver.
Filipino community organizations and diaspora members who will meet with Neri Colmenares include the Bicol Canada Community Association, The Philippine Heritage Council, Ang Negrosanon, University of the Philippines Alumni Association in Toronto (UPAAT), Ontario Silliman University Association, Ontario Knights of Rizal, Kabayan for Leni, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines North America, Bayan Canada, Filipino Heritage in Quebec, and Filipino student groups.
The Human Rights Tour is Neri Colmenares’s first Canada Tour, with speaking engagements in Toronto from October 1-3, Ottawa from October 4-5, Montreal from October 6-10, Edmonton from October 11-13, Calgary from October 14-15, and Vancouver from October 15-19.###