#junk edca

[pannaginip]

AlterMidya on Twitter @altermidya:

'Blinken, go home. Stop US military intervention and genocide'

Filipino progressives held a lightning rally at Mendiola in Manila City today, March 19, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to hold a meeting with PH Pres. Marcos Jr.

This is the second state visit of US Sec. Blinken to the Philippines since August 2022.

Amirah Lidasan of Sandugo said that every time US politicians visit the country, disaster and plunder is sure to follow.

Right after US Sec. Blinken's 2022 visit, the PH government approved the entry of US military troops into the country's military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

Elle Buntag from the League of Filipino Students (@/LFSPhilippines) ended the protest saying that it must be clear to all Filipinos that the US is not here to save us from China, but are visiting for their own economic benefits to plunder more of our rich natural resources in the countryside.

Before dispersing, the protesters ripped apart a US flag as a symbol of their condemnation for the ongoing meeting between the US and Philippine government.

2024 Mar. 19

#junk edca #free palestine #philippines #us imperialism

[catdotjpeg]

A day before the last day of the Balikatan military exercises, the Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women joined multisectoral organizations in a protest at the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila today to oppose the ongoing joint military exercises and the planned revival of the Cope of Thunder, a large-scale air exercise from May 1 to 12 in Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga and demand for the scrapping of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). 

"Hindi na nga kapaki-pakinabang itong Balikatan exercises na ito sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino, may plano na namang panibagong air exercise. Ilang dekada nang inilulunsad ang Balikatan pero naagaw pa rin ng China ang teritoryo ng bansa sa West Philippine Sea. Sinasamantala lang ng US ang bansa para lumikha ng tensyon sa pagitan sa China para sa kanilang geo-political interest.  Habang sunud-sunuran si Marcos Jr. sa dikta ng US, naiipit lamang tayo sa gera ng malalaking bansa," Amihan national chairperson Zenaida Soriano said. (These Balikatan exercises are no longer useful to ordinary Filipinos, there is a plan for another air exercise. Balikatan has been launched for several decades but China still seized the country's territory in the West Philippine Sea. The US is just taking advantage of the country to create tension between China for their geo-political interest. While Marcos Jr. was submissive with the dictates of the US, we are only stuck in the war of big countries.)

"Peasant women should unite with the Filipino people to defend the country's national sovereignty against the continuing military intervention of the US government. We should not allow these dangerous military trainings that hinders the livelihood of farmers and fishers, damages our lands and seas and causes fear in peasant communities especially among women and children," Soriano added.

"We urge the Filipino people to denounce Marcos Jr. for being a US puppet and oppose the Balikatan exercises and the US military presence in the country," Soriano said.

"Ang EDCA at Balikatan exercises ay paglabag sa soberanya ng mamamayan o kalayaan natin para sa kapayapaan, at patunay na ang gubyerno ay papet ng imperyalismong US. Dapat na manindigan ang mga Pilipino na lumaya sa pagiging mala-kolonya ng US at makamit ang mapayapang resolusyon sa Asia-Pacific," the group ended. (The EDCA and Balikatan exercises are a violation of the people’s sovereignty or our freedom for peace, and proof that the government is a puppet of US imperialism. Filipinos must stand up to free themselves from US colonialism and achieve a peaceful resolution in the Asia-Pacific.)

-- “Amihan call on peasant women to oppose another military drill with US, defend PH sovereignty,” Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women, 26 Apr 2023

#philippines #women's liberation #anti imperialism #us troops out now #junk edca #anti war

[donewithcapitalistfrayers]

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Junk the VFA and end unequal policies with the U.S.!

On February 11, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the official termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), marking 180 days until the termination can take effect. This announcement comes after three U.S. Senators Richard "Dick" Durbin, Patrick Leahy, and Edward Markey amplified the call for the release of a political prisoner and critic of Duterte’s Drug War, Philippine Senator Lela De Lima, and accountability for those responsible for her detention and human rights violations. As a result, the U.S. issued sanctions against those responsible for human rights violations, including canceling the U.S. Visa of Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, former drug war architect and PNP Chief. “Duterte’s call to terminate the VFA is a response to the international community and U.S. Congress officials mounting public pressure to expose Duterte’s corrupt and murderous regime,” said Nikole Cababa, Secretary General of BAYAN USA. WHAT IS THE VFA?

In 1991, the Philippine Senate made a landmark decision to shut down the U.S.'s largest overseas military bases, Subic Naval and Clark Air Field, as a result of the growing people’s movement clamoring for their closure and in the spirit of upholding genuine Philippine sovereignty. On May 27, 1999, then-President Estrada signed the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States, a policy that would (1) allow the U.S. military troops to conduct regular joint military exercises; and (2) pave the way for the establishment of the Joint Special Operations Task Force Philippines (JSOTF-P) to contribute to the U.S. so-called global “War on Terror” two years later. The 21-year old policy has allowed for over 300 joint military exercises dubbed “Balikatan” or "shoulder-to-shoulder" war games between the U.S. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The U.S. continues to dock its massive war ships, destroy eco systems, and deploy thousands of U.S. military personnel in the Philippines every April. The VFA wantonly violates the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which prohibits foreign military presence on Philippine soil. “The termination of the VFA should have happened a long time ago because it violates national sovereignty, and places foreign interests and the security of U.S. military soldiers above the interests of everyday Filipinos like in the case of Jennifer Laude, Nicole, and countless others. The VFA has enabled countless, unreported human rights abuses against Filipino women and children,” Cababa continued. IMPACTS OF THE VFA In addition to the 2005 rape case of Suzette “Nicole” Nicolas and the 2014 murder of Jennifer Laude, U.S. military presence in the Philippines has resulted in decades of senseless deaths, environmental pollution and degradation, spread of diseases, rape, harassment, and molestation of Filipino women and children. Cababa continued, “Human rights abuses are rarely reported or reach the court system because the VFA was written in a way to protect U.S. interests and soldiers. Philippine sovereignty remains a pipedream as long as the VFA, Balikatan exercises, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and other military agreements with the U.S. are still in place.” Additionally, the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines has been marked as “low-intensity warfare” given the Philippines’ strategic location for trade, military, and profit with the U.S. hellbent on maintaining control over the Asia-Pacific as the largest U.S. export market worth over $60 billion. MOVING FORWARD WITH TERMINATING VFA This week marks the anniversary of the Philippine-American War and over 20 years of the VFA. “Despite claims by the loyal servants of U.S. imperialism in the military's top brass that the Philippines needs the VFA and other U.S. assistance in order to bring its military up to modern standards, the AFP hasn’t modernized or improved. Instead, it has been thoroughly exposed that the AFP has been trained to serve and protect U.S. interests above millions of everyday Filipinos. Poor peasants are brutally killed, indigenous people are displaced, and women and children suffer at the hands of the VFA and its puppet troops in the AFP. It’s time for Duterte to stop playing games, and for the U.S. to stop using the Philippines as its own military playground,” explained Cababa. BAYAN and other patriotic organizations in the Philippines have consistently called for the abrogation of the VFA since it was ratified in 1999 and all other U.S. military agreements with the Philippines, including the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in 1951 and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in 2014. “We demand complete sovereignty for the Filipino people against any foreign power. How much is Duterte willing to sell Philippine sovereignty? He’s entertaining other VFA agreements with other countries such as China, eager to quickly sell Philippine land and seas to the highest bidder that approves his bloody crimes.” said Cababa. The termination of the VFA will not go into effect until after 6 months, which means between now and then Duterte can change his mind at the cost of jeopardizing and threatening the lives of the Filipino people. We call on all the Filipino community and allies to stand with us for genuine sovereignty and independent foreign policies. We remain vigilant to ensure the Duterte government does not backtrack on its termination position. We will fight any efforts by the U.S. government to prevent the termination of the agreement or to pressure the Philippines to withdraw its notice of termination. With or without Duterte, the Filipino people will ultimately ensure the complete termination of the VFA and all other agreements which violate our sovereignty. Junk the VFA, EDCA, and MDT! US Troops Out of the Philippines Now! Uphold Philippine Sovereignty! ### BAYAN-USA is an alliance of over 30 progressive Filipino organizations in the U.S. representing students, scholars, women, workers, artists, and youth. As the first and largest international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a center for educating, organizing, and mobilizing anti-imperialist and progressive Filipinos in the U.S.

[popoygee-blog]

My First Ground Activism

06.05.2018 Photo with Kabataan Partylist Representative Sarah Elago.

I have been fighting various causes through Social Media since 2010. I have gone through the edges of online activism and I should say that most part of it was devoted in verbal clashes against the other side of the bench. Be that as it may, Online Activism has earned me a reputation as a whining-youth who can never be satisfied with the status quo. I have gain friends and lose some. I have earned respect and at some I reap-sow hatred. Funny as it may seem but most of those campaigns,those fights,brought victory. The battle to pass the RH Bill into Law, the battle against EDCA, the battle against the corrupt-Binays, these has given me validation that indeed online activism is significant in this society veering towards the advance state of discourse and democratic flow of information.

But Ground Activism is different,you get to know people on ground. You've got to see some personalities sharing with you the scorching heat of the sun,pollution metro manila offers,and above all the same convictions and lofty aspirations. Today, I did what I should've done many years ago, I stand up and look at the issues eye to eye. Today, I stand up for Democracy, I stand up for Judicial Independence,I stand up for the things I believe to be true and just. Thank you for these wonderful experience.It has been a fight worth dying for.

Photo with Former Akbayan Rep. Teddy Casiño.

Various groups gather to uphold Judicial Independence. Calling for the Supreme Court to junk the Quo Warranto Decision made last May 11, 2018.

Sobrang saya. ☺

#jointheresistance #defendtheconstitution

[anakbayannewyork]

For Immediate Release

February 24, 2016 Reference: Berna Ellorin, BAYAN USA, [email protected]

Last week in South Carolina, Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump drummed up Islamophobic sentiment amongst his followers by referencing the killings of Moro Filipinos under the command of US General John Pershing. Trump was referencing an incident in which Pershing “dipped bullets in pig’s blood” right before shooting and killing 49 “Muslim terrorists” in Mindanao during the US occupation of the Philippines which supposedly led to peace in the region at the earlier part of the 20th century.

The Bangsamoro people are the Islamicized indigenous people of Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. Islamophobia as a tool of US imperialism originated with the US war on Moros in the early 1900’s–a war which was largely unsuccessful in achieving its goal of colonization and Christianization of the Moro people due to the latter’s strong resistance, cultural preservation, and continuing struggle for self-determination.

While the incident that Trump raised has been widely debunked as a urban legend, what continues to ring true is the killings of Moros under the pretext of a so-called US War on Terror in Mindanao that relies heavily on Islamophobia and the tagging of Moros as terrorists, when in fact this war seeks to take over land and extract the rich mineral resources from Moro territories.

As the first Muslim people to be attacked by US imperialism, there have been many killings of Moros by US military in history, including the Bud Dajo Massacre of 1906, the Bud Bagsak Massacre of 1913, and more recently the US-backed Zamboanga Siege in 2013 and US military involvement and supervision over the botched anti-terrorism raid that resulted in the Mamasapano Massacrein 2015. The Moro people continue to struggle for self-determination, resisting over 117 years of US intervention and aggression– including US-led pacification campaigns in the guise of peace negotiations designed to lure into capitulation Moro armed resistance to rampant land-grabbing and militarization on Moro territory.

Now with the newly-signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), the US is set to not only increase the number of military personnel in the Philippines, but build and operate military installations throughout the country as well.

BAYAN USA condemns Donald Trump’s despicable glorification of the killings of Moros to justify the mass execution of Muslims and systemic Islamophobia. We stand with all Muslims under attack because of Islamophobia as a tool of US imperialism to divide and conquer peoples in the interest of super-profits. We stand in solidarity with our Moro sisters and brothers in their struggle for self-determination, and heighten our call for US withdrawal from Mindanao and the Philippines.

Down with Islamophobia!

Junk EDCA!

US Out of Mindanao and the Philippines!

Down with US Imperialism!

Self-Determination for the Bangsamoro People!

###

BAYAN-USA is an alliance of 20 progressive Filipino organizations in the U.S. representing students, scholars, women, workers, artists, and youth. As the first and largest international chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-Philippines), BAYAN-USA serves as an information bureau for the national democratic movement of the Philippines and as a center for educating, organizing, and mobilizing anti-imperialist and progressive Filipinos in the U.S.  For more information, visit www.bayanusa.org.

#down with islamophobia #junk edca #us out of mindanao and the philippines #philippines #United States #bangsamoro #muslim #filipino

[pannaginip]

News5 on Twitter @News5PH:

Nagprotesta ang mga mangingisda ng PAMALAKAYA sa tapat ng Camp Aguinaldo sa Quezon City nitong Biyernes, May 10. Tinutulan nila ang pagpatupad ng no-sail zone sa ilang bahagi ng Ilocos Sur at Zambales sa gitna ng Balikatan Exercise.

[The fisherfolk of PAMALAKAYA protested in front of Camp Aguinaldo in QC this Friday, May 10. They are opposing the implementation of the no-sail zones in several parts of Ilocos Sur and Zambales amidst the Balikatan Exercise.]

Anila, mahigit 13,000 mangingisda at tindero ng isda ang apektado dahil sa no-sail zone.

[According to them, more than 13k fisherfolk and fish vendors will be affected by the no-sail zones.]

Pinangambahan din nila ang maaaring epekto ng katatapos lang na joint military exercises sa marine ecosystem.

[They are also worried about the possible effects the joint military exercises may have on the marine ecosystem.]

📷: PAMALAKAYA (Facebook)

2024 May 10

#junk edca #philippines #fishing industry #imperialism #environmental issues #translations

[pannaginip]

Filipino-American activists protested Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s visit to the United States for the first trilateral U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders’ summit on April 11.

In a statement, Brittany Tabora of Anakbayan-DC and Bayan-DMV said that it is critical for Filipinos around the world to know that Filipinos in the US do not stand for Marcos.

For the progressive groups, the trilateral summit is among the series of efforts to leverage the Philippines’ strategic geo-political location for economic and military benefit as tensions rise between the U.S. and China, “at the expense of the sovereignty of the Philippines, the economic conditions of Filipino workers, and the health of the environment.”

"We’re here bringing the voices of the Filipino people to oppose the trilateral summit that’s happening around the US, Philippines and Japan. The US government talks about bringing economic growth, prosperity, clean energy and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. But we know this is a guise for more war and militarism in the Asia Pacific region and also an opportunity to perpetuate unequal economic and military agreements,” said Julie Jamora of Malaya Movement USA.

2024 Apr. 14

#junk edca #philippines #overseas filipinos #afp-pnp #maritime conflicts #imperialism #bbm administration

[pannaginip]

Philstar: Foreign military 'intervention' warned in upcoming West Philippine Sea naval drill

A progressive fisherfolk group warned that the upcoming Philippines-Japan-Australia-US joint naval drills could increase tensions in the West Philippine Sea at the "further expense" of Filipino fisherfolk.

"It is the Filipino fisherfolk all over again who will bear the brunt of China’s retaliation against these provocative naval drills with other countries," said PAMALAKAYA national chairperson Fernando Hicap on Saturday.

"It has been proven that foreign military exercises did not dispel Chinese Coast Guard vessels from our territorial waters. On the contrary, Chinese forces have increased rapidly in response to the successive joint maritime exercises conducted by the Philippines and the US," he added.

"So why does the Marcos Jr. administration keep on joining military exercises with other countries in our seas?"

While PAMALAKAYA understands that the Philippines needs support from the international community to pressure China to leave Manila's territorial waters, Hicap said that the country needs to be wary of other superpowers that take advantage of the dispute in advancing their economic and geopolitical interests.

Beijing continues to maintain its presence within the West Philippine Sea even after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 invalidated the former's claim to almost the entire South China Sea.

The group said that they would continue to assert that the Philippines should stand on its own feet at fight for its national sovereignty peacefully and diplomatically using international laws that recognizes its EEZ.

2024 Apr. 6

#junk edca #philippines #maritime conflicts #fishing industry

[pannaginip]

Philippine Collegian, official student publication of UP Diliman, on Twitter @phkule:

Pambansang soberanya ang pinatambol na panawagan ng mga progresibong grupo ngayong Araw ng Kagitingan, sa tapat ng Chinese Consulate sa Makati. Pinangunahan ng Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas at Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) ang pagkilos bilang pagsulong sa soberanya ng Pilipinas. Ito, habang tumitindi ang panghihimasok at panggigipit ng mga dayuhang bansa sa West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Babala ng grupong Bayan, na kabalintunaan sa layon nito, inilalapit lamang ni Marcos Jr. sa giyera ang Pilipinas. Kinundena rin ng grupo ang pagtatayo ng mga base-militar ng Estados Unidos sa bansa habang lumalala ang tensyon sa WPS.

Muling magkakasa ng pagkilos ang mga naturang grupo kasabay ng White House summit sa pagitan ng Estados Unidos, Japan, at Pilipinas sa Huwebes.

Mga larawan kuha ni Gie Rodenas

#AtinAngPinas

2024 Apr. 9

#junk edca #philippines #imperialism #maritime conflicts #fishing industry

[pannaginip]

Philippine Star (Opinion): 'Not war with China; don’t rely only on US’ – Marcos Jr.

Reacting to recent reports on China’s pugnacious maneuvers and verbal statements, Marcos Jr. said, “We must do a more robust defense of our territorial rights as recognized by the international community and international law.”

But he quickly added that war with China is “precisely what we want to avoid.”

Regarding the United States’ repeated assurance of defense support, Marcos Jr. claimed that the US was” very supportive” of the Philippines and was “very seriously” taking the Mutual Defense Treaty.

Note that the treaty has never been invoked in any instance, or threat, of armed conflict by either party since its signing in 1951. Essentially it provides that in the event of an armed attack against one of the parties, the other party is obligated to come to its defense.

Marcos Jr. said that he was doing everything to avoid invoking the MDT over the increasing number of incidents involving dangerous maneuvers by Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels within Philippine waters. They have been harassing small boats delivering food supplies and other necessities to Philippine Marines manning an old naval ship, purposely grounded in the Ayungin Shoal to serve as maritime post in our territory.

Most significant to note was that he seemed wary about relying exclusively on America’s support.

Marcos Jr. also responded to warnings by critics of dangerous implications of his having added, in April 2023, four more of the country’s military bases as sites for the US to install military “facilities” and stockpile war materiel exclusively for their use, as allowed by the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA.

He assured the public that these bases, along with the first five bases strategically located across the country previously approved by his predecessor, would not be used to launch offensive actions against China.

The EDCA is not a treaty. It is an executive agreement, initiated by the US, between the Philippine and US governments, signed in 2014 under the Benigno Aquino III administration. The US military facilities installed within the selected Philippine bases are absolutely controlled by the American military and are off-limits to Filipinos, military or civilian. (Top Philippine defense and military leaders, however, may be allowed inside.)

Because the EDCA sites are practically US military bases within Philippine bases, they could indeed be targets of attacks by enemies of the US – especially now that missile warfare is increasingly being utilized by belligerent parties.

2024 Mar. 23

#junk edca #philippines #maritime conflicts #afp-pnp #ph politicians

[pannaginip]

The police barricaded the protesters in Kalaw but the protesters were able to pass through and march near the US Embassy. The police attempted to disperse the protesters, some of them were injured after they were hit with truncheons. Minutes later, the police used a water cannon against them.

During the program, activist leaders denounced the police dispersal and arrest of the six activists.

Gabriela Secretary General Clarice Palce said, “The police prevent us from getting near the US Embassy but American troops freely occupy our land and seas,” she said in Filipino, referring to the Balikatan exercise with the US.

2024 May 1

#philippines #labor day #araw ng paggawa #junk edca #state violence #afp-pnp

[fuckyeahmarxismleninism]

Manila, Philippines: Protest on anniversary of murder of trans woman Jennifer Laude by U.S. occupation soldier, October 11, 2018.

On the fourth anniversary of Jennifer Laude's death at the hands of U.S. soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton, Gabriela Youth joins the people in a protest action at the US Embassy. We remember Jennifer as we continue to call for justice and an end to US Military intervention in the Philippines.

US Troops out now! Junk VFA! Junk EDCA! Down with imperialism!

#RainbowOctober #JusticeForJennifer

Photos: Gabriela Youth,  Efren Ricalde

#JusticeForJennifer #TransLivesMatter #Philippines #imperialism #RainbowOctober #Pentagon #Manila #Gabriela