Our government has an economic strategy of luring foreign investors. That has been the economic strategy since the martial days of Marcos. Because of that, our government has always been sensitive to expressions of concern by the international community. In fact, I mentioned in my presentation that it's probably a small thing on the part of the international community to express concern, write letters, or conduct a study mission, but its impact on the lives of the victims and the families of the victims is really great. In fact, I would not be exaggerating if I said that it indeed saves lives.
I had experience, when I was a young student, of being imprisoned during the time of Marcos. Letters from Canada arrived in my cell. They were from members of Amnesty International in Canada. Once these letters arrived, the torture stopped. I was arrested when I was 18 years old, in 1978, and I still remember to this day Veronica McGuire of Toronto, a 75-year-old woman, who not only made life easier for me, but actually gave us comfort during those days in prison.
The international community indeed plays a large role, and Canada is very influential.