In 1980, the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal held a session on the Philippines, in which the Filipino and Moro peoples presented their cases against the Marcos dictatorship. In order to prepare for the case of the Filipino people, a Filipino Peoples' Committee (in Pilipino, this is: Komite ng Sambayanang Pilipino, or KSP) was formed. After the Tribunal session, Philippine solidarity groups from six European countries decided to maintain KSP as the coordinating center for Europe-wide solidarity activities.
The content of KSP's activities has changed over time, adapting to the changes in the situation of Europe and the Philippines. In the beginning, it was mainly aimed at exposing the human rights violations of the Marcos regime. Later, activities have evolved in a more `positive' direction - i.e. towards supporting POs and NGOs and efforts to build alternative (i.e. sustainable, democratic, etc.) structures in the Philippines. KSP has also been taking a more active role in supporting overseas Filipino organizations and struggles.
The Philippine Solidarity Network in Europe (PSNE) includes groups and individuals in 14 European countries. In 1997, the organization changed its name to PESC (Philippine-European Solidarity Centre), which better describes it. KSP was retained as part of the name to help provide continuity, especially for our Philippine partners.
