A day before U.S. Pres. Barrack Obama’s arrival in the Philippines, overseas Filipinos and Filipino communities from all over the world held simultaneous US flag-burning and protest activities to condemn the US government for preying on the Filipino people and the country’s resources.
Migrante International led today’s International Day of Action to mark protest of Filipinos worldwide against the US Pivot to the Asia Pacific region and Oceania. “Obama’s recent visits to Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the Philippines are meant to secure the US’ war-mongering and selfish interests in the region,” said Garry Martinez, Migrante International chairperson.
He said that today’s International Day of Action also strongly condemns the Aquino administration’s “outright and shameless puppetry and subservience to the US neoliberal agenda”.
Today, overseas Filipinos in Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, South Korea , Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Austria, Europe and the United States held simultaneous protest actions and flag-burning activities and participated in the International Day of Protest.
In the Philippines, members of Migrante International burned US flags in Quezon City, Manila and Caloocan. Chapters and members of Migrante International will also participate in various multisectoral rallies and protest activities worldwide on April 28-29, dates of Obama’s visit in the Philippines.
“The message of Filipinos around the world is loud and clear. Obama, you are not welcome in the Philippines. Stop plundering our resources and exploiting our people. US troops are not welcome in the Asia Pacific. US bases should be kicked out in other parts of the world,” Martinez said.
The US presently has 265 bases in 41 countries, Logistics Agreement with 76 countries and Status of Forces Agreements with 121 countries. In the Philippines, the Visiting Forces Agreement is set to be further reinforced by the Aquino government signing into the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement “which will virtually transform the whole Philippines into one big US military base”, said Martinez.
“Obama and the US government will make the Philippines its frontline of defense. The agreement will make us vulnerable to attacks from enemies of the US, and BS Aquino, the ever-reliable puppet, is allowing it,” Martinez said.
He said that the Aquino government’s railroading of charter change is also a “welcome present” to Obama. “Aquino’s cha-cha, allowing 100% foreign ownership of land, businesses, industries and resources in the Philippines will make Filipinos squatters in our own homeland.”
Migrante International called on all freedom-loving and patriotic Filipinos around the world to join protests against increased US intervention and aggression in the Philippines and in the Asia Pacific. ###
View photos of flag-burning in the Philippines. Action in Hong Kong. Photos and video of action in South Korea. Actions in the US. Press conference in Saudi Arabia. Below are statements of Migrante-Australia and Migrante-Austria
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End the brutal regime of US bases, armed intervention, drone strikes, and other brazen violations of national and the people’s sovereignty!
We at Migrante Austria condemn the Aquino administration as it gears to present itself as a reliable, dutiful US ally during Obama’s visit next week.
Obama will surely be pleased with what awaits him – he will be convinced, more than ever before, how well Aquino does his part in protecting and promoting US economic and geopolitical interests in the Asia Pacific region.
A new defense accord with major stipulations, the so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), is trying to find its way as an executive agreement, bypassing the Senate. It would allow increased US military access to the country in exchange for “critical and timely support to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (and the) achievement of the country’s minimum credible defense posture”.
Truth is, according to Congressman Neri Colmenares, “the EDCA will practically bring back US military bases in the Philippines without a treaty, without rent and without limits as the American may use all Philippine military facilities – an arrangement worse than the Bases Treaty rejected by the Philippine Senate in September 1991.”
US treaty allies such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia are being made to host an increasing number of US troops and naval as well as air force assets. At the same time, the US is passing on to its treaty allies the increasing cost — monetarily and socially — of hosting US military forces including but not limited to paying for new bases construction, upgrades and maintenance; absorbing consequent environmental degradation and destruction; and dealing with a slew of social problems such as prostitution of women and children, drug trafficking, abandoned Amerasian children and various violent crimes such as rape, homicide and murder.
It is noted that US and the Aquino administration are actively undertaking what are obviously anti-China provocations and propaganda aimed at justifying the escalation of US military intervention and further entrenchment of US forces in the Philippines, as part of the strategic scheme of the US to preserve and strengthen its hegemony over the Asia-Pacific region, particularly East Asia.
Ironically, while the Aquino government is asserting the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity against China intrusion, it is surrendering the same to the US.
Parallel to the EDCA proposal, the clamor for charter change has resurfaced in Congress . Aquino’s allies deceitfully insist that the “economic provisions of the Philippine Constitution have to be amended if we are going to attain inclusive growth in the next decade or so. ” They actually are in a hurry to grant full rights to foreign capitalists for the country to be part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), a new pact expected to require member-countries to remove any remaining barriers to investments, to strictly enforce intellectual property laws that would raise pharmaceutical costs and stifle digital innovation and freedom of expression, and to allow private corporations to sue states before an international tribunal—thus in effect obliging member-countries to surrender their national sovereignty.
These “welcome gifts” for Obama are clearly a declaration of war on the Filipino people. They are an affront to our liberties and sovereignty. They will further bury the nation into the quagmire of debt, poverty and other social problems. We must stop them in every way we can.
Let us end the brutal regime of US bases, armed intervention, drone strikes, and other brazen violations of national and the people’s sovereignty. Let us continue to oppose highly damaging neoliberal economic dictates aimed at passing on the burden of the crisis of imperialism to the Filipino people.
Let us resolutely and militantly expose and oppose the puppetry, shameless mendicancy and the hypocrisy of the Aquino in pretending to be for national sovereignty and territorial integrity against China while inviting and welcoming increased US military intervention in the Philippines and using the country as a base for strengthening US hegemony in the Asia Pacific region.
Let us demand and aspire for peace, genuine development, and social justice, as opposed to imperialist wars and plunder.
No to US bases, and imperialist wars and intervention!
Resist neo-liberal economic dictates!
US troops out of Asia and the Pacific!
Elmo Carreon
Migrante Austria Chapter
Email: [email protected]
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27 April 2014
Statement
United States Drags Countries with Puppet Governments to Wars
Migrante Australia opposes the visit of U.S. President Barrack Obama to the Philippines.
President Obama is visiting four Asian countries to strengthen the United States stronghold on the Asia Pacific. Following the US Pivot to the Asia Pacific region and Oceania where the United States military materiel and personnel will be concentrated, the United States’ President’s visit will re-affirm US military ties with Japan, Malaysia, Philippines & South Korea.
The U S has 265 bases in 41 countries, Logistics Agreements with 76 countries and Status of Forces Agreements with 121 countries. It also has 164,227 active military personnel deployed in 152 foreign countries aside from another 1.2 million stationed in the US and its territories.
Australia has more than 200 US troops in Darwin expected to increase to 2500 in four years. This does not include the US military personnel permanently stationed in Pine Gap.
In the Philippines, US troops are present throughout the country. The Visiting Forces Agreement and the soon to be signed Enhance Defence Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and the United States afford the United States the use of all the Philippines’ areas and facilities.
With this development, human rights violations in the whole country will become rampant especially with the immunity of foreign troops from prosecution by the host country. The Philippines sovereignty is further trampled upon and the Filipino people’s struggle for freedom, justice and peace now requires more commitment, determination and strength.
Rather than negotiating peace with the revolutionary forces under the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) the Philippine government under the puppet Aquino regime kowtows to the US line of defence and protection by negotiating with a rapist to protect the Philippines from neighbourhood bullies.
We, in Migrante Australia and member organisations do not welcome the visit of US president, the presence of foreign bases and troops in the Philippines.
We want just peace not war!
US military bases and troops out of the Philippines, Australia and Asia Pacific!
Long leave the struggle for freedom, justice and peace!
Contact person: George Kotsakis, Migrante Australia chairperson: email: [email protected]
Berlin Guerrero, Philippine Caucus for Peace convenor; email: [email protected]
