The announcement today that the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) will no longer be abrogated confirms that earlier pretend threats to terminate it is mere play-acting by Duterte to shamelessly and treacherously use the VFA and Philippine sovereignty as bargaining chip in his demand for more military aid to support his tyrannical regime.

It is clear that Duterte really had no plans to terminate the agreement, knowing that doing so would have compelled Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and the pro-U.S. generals in the AFP to move against the regime.

The withdrawal of threats to terminate the VFA was secured by the recent decision of the US State Department to allow the sale of more $2.1 billion worth of military weapons and war matériel to the Duterte regime and the initial delivery of ₱183 million worth of weapons and equipment last June 21 and ₱48.5 million worth of munitions last July 8. A week ago, the US government also delivered millions of Jannsen vaccines as part of its vaccine diplomacy to ensure the VFA’s continuation. These convinced Duterte to end his make-believe threats against the VFA.

The Filipino people should condemn the Duterte regime for using the country’s sovereignty as leverage to demand concessions for its self-serving purposes. By acquiring more military aid from the U.S., the Duterte government has further secured the AFP’s support for his regime amid plans to perpetuate himself in power beyond his term limit. With this, Duterte has further strengthened the loyalty of military generals and dissipated any threats of a coup before or after the 2022 elections.

Demand real termination of VFA

The Filipino people must continue to push for the real termination of the VFA, as well as all other lopsided military treaties including the 70-year Mutual Defense Treaty, the Mutual Logistics Service Agreement (MLSA) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). These agreements give the US military extraterritorial rights in the Philippines and violate the country’s sovereignty.

Under these agreements, US forces are allowed to make use of the Philippines as a large military base, maintain military facilities, permanently station their troops, land jet fighters, dock warships and stockpile weapons in the country. These secure US economic, political, diplomatic and geostrategic interests.

On arrival of US Defense Secretary Austin and Biden support for Duterte

The Filipino people must condemn the Biden government for ramping up US military support for the tyrannical Duterte regime. The arrival of US Defense Sec. Lloyd J. Austin clearly aims to convey the continuing US support for the Duterte regime, turning a blind eye to the tyrant’s use of state terrorism against the people.

Clearly, the imperialist master Biden does not mind the blood dripping from the hands of his puppet Duterte. He has shown contempt for the loud clamor of a number of American senators and representatives for the U.S. to suspend military aid to the Philippines in the face of widespread military and police abuses and violations of human rights.

By further extending its support for the Duterte government, the Biden government has the blood of the Filipinos in its hands. U.S.-supplied weapons are in the hands of police and military forces behind the recent killing of activists in Bicol, the massacre of Lumads in Surigao del Sur, the massacre of peasants in Masbate and the relentless killings under Duterte’s drug war.

Biden’s continuing support has emboldened Duterte to pursue his scheme to cement his political dynasty and perpetuate himself in power either by rigging of the 2022 elections or declaring martial law as his backup plan.

#Philippines #VisitingForcesAgreement #Duterte #USStateDepartment #Asia

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following press statement by GABRIELA USA, a grassroots-based alliance of progressive Filipino women's organizations in the United States:

Filipina-American women under GABRIELA USA are outraged by the news of the murder of Jennifer Laude, a 26-year old transgender woman from the Philippines. The suspected murderer, U.S. Marine Corp PFC Joseph Scott Pemberton, was last seen checking into a hotel with Jennifer in Olongapo City, Philippines. Jennifer was later found strangled to death with her head plunged in a toilet bowl. Reminiscent of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith and the historic 2005 rape case of Nicole, Pemberton, suspected of murdering Jennifer, is currently being held in detention aboard a U.S. Navy ship instead of being turned over to Philippine authorities for proper investigation. GABRIELA USA demands accountability and justice for Jennifer’s life, as a trans woman who has fallen victim to U.S. militarization!

“Jennifer’s death is not only a direct impact of U.S. military presence in the Philippines, but her brutal murder further exposes the daily vulnerability of trans women who regularly suffer systemic violence and hate crimes in a patriarchal-imperialist system,” says Pia Cortez, Co-Chairperson of GABRIELA’s San Francisco chapter.

Despite the long history of Filipinos opposing U.S. military occupation in the Philippines and the ever-increasing number of state-sponsored human rights abuses tied to U.S. military occupation, President Aquino continues to hand over Philippine sovereignty by allowing more U.S. troops to occupy Philippine soil through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the recent Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). At a time when the Obama administration is heightening its position over the Asia Pacific region, more U.S. troops can only mean more cases of violence against women and children.

“Trans women like Jennifer are at a higher risk for violence because we live in a system that delegitimizes their lives,” says Irma Bajar of GABRIELA USA. “Just this summer in the U.S., 8 trans women of color fell victim to hate crimes and murders. Although there is an increase in violence towards trans people worldwide, little is ever done to protect their lives and hold perpetrators accountable. The murder of Jennifer is clearly a hate crime committed by U.S. military personnel, and he must be held accountable by the Philippine justice system!”

GABRIELA USA extends its sympathies to Jennifer’s family, and honors the lives of all trans people who have fallen victim to a system that does not value trans lives and perpetuates a culture of violence. GABRIELA USA will be holding an action in New York and a vigil in San Francisco this Wednesday, October 15th to condemn the murder of Jennifer Laude, and demand for the swift turnover of the U.S. Marine to Philippine authorities.

Justice for Jennifer Laude!

Trans Lives Matter!

U.S. Troops OUT of the Philippines!

JUNK THE VFA!

Scrap EDCA!

Join us to Demand Justice for Jennifer in New York and San Francisco:

New York Wednesday, October 15th, 5 PM

Action and Rally in front of the Philippine Embassy

556 Fifth Avenue, New York

Organized by: BAYAN Queer Caucus, GABRIELA New York, and Barangay New York- LGBTQ Pin@ys

San Francisco Wednesday, October 15th, evening vigil

Time and SF location TBA and posted on www.gabusa.org

Organized by: GABRIELA San Francisco and BAYAN Bay Area Regional Caucus

#Philippines #VisitingForcesAgreement #transgender #Gabriela #USMarineCorpPFCJosephScottPemberton #JenniferLaude #Asia

Reports on Jan. 17 indicate that the USS Guardian, a U.S. navy minesweeper, ran aground within the Tubbataha Reefs, a marine park designated in 1993 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. U.S. naval personnel barred Park rangers from approaching the grounded ship which entered the heritage park without prior authorization.

“The damaging of the Tubbataha reefs underscores the demand of the Filipino people for the immediate abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” said the CPP. “They demand an end to the permanent presence of US troops, the involvement of US advisers in the domestic armed conflict, the participation of American soldiers in local combat operations, the persistent entry and rotational docking of U.S. naval warships and flying of U.S. jet fighters and unmanned drones in Philippine sovereign airspace.”

#Philippines #EnvironmentalJustice #VisitingForcesAgreement #Asia

NDFP-Mindanao challenges Aquino government to heed mounting calls for junking of the VFA

Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, Spokesperson

National Democratic Front of the Philippines-Mindanao

13 September 2010

Following the visit of the US nuclear warships which posed greater danger for the country, the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Mindanao reiterates the mounting call from various sectors to junk the US-RP Visiting Forces Agreement and challenges the Aquino government to heed it.

The NDFP-Mindanao urges individual legislators in the Philippine Congress who still maintain a deep sense of nationalism to make that bold step and push for the immediate abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, heeding strong calls for its rejection in the light of the Joint Resolution 3 filed by Senator Miriam Santiago that Congress can abolish this lopsided and anti-people US-RP relation.

We likewise challenge members of the “civil society” who have professed nationalism to take action, now more than ever, in defense of the Filipino people's sovereign right against intensifying US imperialist interventionism. Nationalist political, religious, and progressive leaders must place themselves at variance with the Aquino government's open policy of allowing the operation in the country of US troops as well as the entry of nuclear vessels, which, even under the scrutiny of the GRP's own laws, is treasonous.

In no time, the unequal treaty will further afflict Philippine soil with its much lopsided provisions, especially now that Mr. Noynoy Aquino is rapidly being unmasked as another puppet of US imperialism, appearing to be no different from his predecessor. After spinning victory and strategically placing him to be their stalwart, Aquino's US imperialist master is now dead set to waylay Philippine sovereignty, and do so with impunity, to protect and preserve their political and economic interests in the Asia-Pacific.

Because of the VFA, presence of US troops in Philippine soil come and go at will, like the 6,000-strong US soldiers recently ferried to the country. The VFA gives consent to stationing more troops in the country, thus advancing further US intervention here and in other neighboring countries. It is public knowledge how these US troops have inflicted damage to hundreds of thousand lives of the Filipino people during the Philippine-American War, and recently creating controversial cases including the rape of a 22-year old Filipina girl, the mysterious death of Filipino interpreter Gregan Cardeno inside a U.S barracks in Marawi City, the murder of Boyongboyong Isnijal in Basilan, and inflicting damage to many civilians as a result of their direct participation in local combat operations, which was recently witnessed in Bukidnon, Compostela Valley and the Bicol Region, and wanton military exercises of U.S soldiers in different parts of Mindanao.

The VFA is an outright affront to our national sovereignty and a violation of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines' own Constitution. The VFA is no less than combat intelligence and surveillance in the local populace vital to the military and economic objectives of US. The humanitarian missions conducted, including the ones which are facilitated by USAID, are merely facades which are actually part of the military and 'communications strategy' of the US to infiltrate deeper.

Despite mounting calls and strong ground for the abrogation of this one-sided and anti-people policy since it came into effect more than a decade ago, the VFA has remained, mocking our national sovereignty and patrimony. Rather than heeding these calls, Aquino has further said that the US troops are here to stay. That Aquino is heading towards the United States for his first diplomatic trip there, Aquino is well-advised to take VFA with him and serve it back to his US imperialist masters.

The VFA has undermined the previous victories of the Filipino people in removing foreign bases in the country. The NDFP-Mindanao calls on all freedom-loving Filipinos, especially those who were once staunch anti-US military bases like Sen. Joker Arroyo, Sen. Miriam Santiago, former Sen. Jovito Salonga, and other political and religious leaders and groups, to oppose policies that promote further US intervention such as the VFA. The Filipino people should fight and defend national sovereignty and patrimony.

The NDFP-Mindanao also calls on the New People's Army to ready themselves to give combat against US soldiers and spies who directly participate in combat operations and espionage in NPA areas in defense of revolutionary forces and of the masses. We likewise call on all the Moro freedom fighters to persevere in their armed struggle for their right to self-determination, and to unite more fervently in the fight against continuing and intensifying US military intervention.

Finally, we call on all American citizens residing in the Philippines and in the United States to manifest their adherence to the respect for the sovereignty of the Filipino nation by helping create a strong lobby for the immediate abrogation of the VFA and for the United States government to pull out its troops from the country. We fear that if the US imperialist power continues to impinge on the Filipino people, this will create the way for open war that will force the revolutionary movement and the Filipino masses to fight back, and its escalation may result in the needless death of more American soldiers, similar to what happened in the Vietnam War and to the current strife in Iraq and Afghanistan.

#Philippines #NationalDemocraticFrontOfThePhilippines #NationalDemocraticFrontMindanao #VisitingForcesAgreement #NoynoyAquino #Asia