U.S. Out of the Philippines! Jan. 24 SF Demo Photos

*Emegency Rally* *Distribute Widely*

EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION TO STOP THE US WAR MACHINE IN THE PHILIPPINES! JUSTICE NOT WAR!

THIS SUNDAY, FEB. 3RD, 12:30 PM

Protest Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, avid supporter of
U.S Military Intervention in the Philippines, the next target of
the supposed "War on Terrorism"

SUNDAY, FEB. 3RD, 12:30 PM at the
The Peninsula Hotel
108 E. Superior (Superior is 1 block south of Chicago Ave, between
Rush St. and Michigan Ave.)

Please come out and show your opposition to U.S. military intervention
and the extension of the "War on Terrorism" in the Philippines.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) will be in Chicago
this Sunday atending a "business meeting". GMA has allowed 660 U.S.
troops and 600 U.S military advisors in collaboration with the
Philippine
Armed Forces to engage in "six months to one year" joint military
operations against live targets.

This direct U.S miltary intervention undermines Philippine sovereignty
and completely disregards the Philippine constitution which prohibits
"foreign military troops and equipment" on Philippine soil, unless
covered by a treaty to be concurred in by the Senate.
Direct U.S miltary intervention upon Philippine sovereignty is
unprecedented, if not fantastic, for it might trigger a larger,
protracted war on all fronts.

Will the Philippines be another Vietnam?

*This event is part of coordinated world-wide protests against US
Military Intervention in the Philippines and marking the 103rd
Anniversary of the Filipino-American War where 1/6 of the population of
Luzon perished on the first day of battle.

Join us this Sunday, 12:30 p.m. at 108 E.Superior in opposition to U.S.
military intevention in the Philippines!

Sponsored by the Philippine Solidarity Committee (PSC) and the League
of
Filipino Students (LFS)

For additional information contact LFS at lfs_chicago [at] juno.com or call
Demetrio at 708-466-6508 or Christian at 773-960-1707

For Immediate Release
BAYAN Bay Area
Contact Person: Jane/Roy Comandao (415) 407-0161; Mario Santos (510) 427-2203; Pat (510) 206-3647
January 31, 2002

International protests mark 103rd anniversary of the start of the Filipino-American War

BAYAN International-USA holds US-wide protest actions against US military intervention

BAYAN International-USA based in Los Angeles and its allied organizations all over the US will commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the beginning of the Filipino-American War, February 4, 1899, and protest the escalating US intervention in the Philippines with the start of the BALIKATAN War Exercises in Mindanao. A picket/rally will be held Tuesday, February 5, 2002 in front of the Philippine Consulate at 447 Sutter Street, San Francisco.

Member-organizations of BAYAN Bay Area, such as AnakBayan, Filipino Workers’ Association (FWA) –San Francisco, First Quarter Storm Movement (FQSM) – Northern California, International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) – Bay Area and the Philippine Information Network Services (PINS) are organizing the February 5 action in San Francisco. Many other anti-war solidarity organizations are also participating in the protest action.

In Los Angeles, a rally/vigil will take place a day earlier on February 4 the anniversary date itself in front of the Philippine consulate to be organized by BAYAN International Los Angeles. In Chicago, a picket in front of the Philippine consulate will also be on February 4 led by BAYAN allied organizations like Philippine Solidarity Committee, League of Filipino Students (PSC) and others.

Meanwhile, the multisectoral Inang Bayan is leading a picket on February 3 in time of President Arroyo's participation to the World Economic Forum (WEF), the meeting of the world’s political and corporate elite. BAYAN allied organizations will also take part in two of the largest blocs protesting corporate globalization, the Anti-Imperialist Bloc and the Another World Is Possible (AWIP) coalition.

In Seattle, a forum on US intervention will be held on February 12 at Seattle University to be organized by AnakBayan-Seattle, Filipino Workers’ Action Center and others; while in Washington DC, a TV forum-discussion is being organized by Diwang Iisa sa Wastong Adhikain (DIWA) and other Filipino organizations.

Joe Navidad, BAYAN International-USA National Coordinator said, "We commemorate the Centennial of the Filipino-American War that started on February 4, 1899 when the American troops fired on the Filipino forces guarding the San Juan Bridge. This US military adventurism goaded the US Congress to pass the Treaty of Paris by one vote. The US subsequently annexed the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico and the US became a world power. The Filipinos especially the Muslims in Mindanao dragged the US to military campaigns until 1916. It is reported that 1.4 million Filipinos perished in the duration of the war."

“At present, the US with the connivance of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her defense Secretary General Angelo Reyes deployed more than 600 Special Forces troops in the Philippines in so-called ‘joint military exercises’ and military operations against the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group. To us, this tramples our national sovereignty and our country’s territorial integrity and is a blatant violation of the Philippine constitution," the BAYAN International-USA statement said.

US President Bush himself confirmed in his state of the union address that the US troops are in the Philippines to "train, help and advise" the Filipino troops and warned, "If other nations are not going to do, we will," referring to the campaign against "global terrorism."

"On February 3-5, BAYAN International-USA joins nationalist and progressive forces in the Philippines that are staging nationwide protests against US intervention by launching our own US-wide coordinated mass actions. We demand that President Macapagal-Arroyo stop her puppetry to US interests and instead focus on genuine socio-economic development especially for the country’s poor. She should also free herself from the clutches of the military and pursue genuine peace talks with the CPP-NPA-NDFP and the MILF," the BAYAN statement concluded. #

DRAFT UNITY STATEMENT #4 (Short version)
Out with US Troops Now (OUT NOW!)
February 2002

Uphold Philippine sovereignty!

Despite various questions about its conduct, purpose and legality, the Balikatan 02-01 military exercises goes on in Basilan, Zamboanga and Cebu.

More than 600 US troops and thousands of Filipino soldiers are taking part in this unprecedented “joint military exercise” that involves the use of live ammunition in actual combat zones against live targets – the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

We raise the following major concerns about the alleged exercise:

• Activities under Balikatan 02-01 are not military exercises but are more in the nature of joint combat operations. American troops will stay for prolonged periods, will participate in military operations and may even engage in unilateral actions, including firing back when provoked.
• Such activities are beyond the scope of either the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty or the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999. Thus, Balikatan 02-01 violates the Constitutional ban on the entry of foreign troops and facilities unless under a treaty duly recognized by both countries.
• Balikatan 02-01 was secretly planned and executed, with normal procedures and protocols short-circuited or outrightly ignored. It was launched last Jan. 31 without definite “terms of reference” between the Philippines and the US.
• The primordial issue of collusion among military officials, local politicians, self-styled negotiators and the Abu Sayyaf has yet to be addressed. This is crucial for any effort against the Abu Sayyaf to succeed.
• The involvement of US troops threatens to escalate, complicate and bring to the international arena what is essentially an internal police problem.

We therefore demand the following:

1. That the Macapagal-Arroyo government release to the public the Operation Plan and Orders of Balikatan 02-01 including the mission, situation, objectives, duration, forces, concept of operation and logistics involved and in particular the role of US forces in such exercises;

2. That the review or termination of the 1999 RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) be placed on the agenda to prevent future attempts to justify US armed interventions in our internal affairs;

3. That the government take bold steps to defeat the Abu Sayyaf by first breaking up the group’s collusion with civilian and military officials, politician-warlords and self-styled negotiators.

4. That pending satisfactory resolution of the above issues, the Balikatan 02-01 exercises be suspended and US troops be immediately pulled out.###

Last January 31, the Balikatan 02-01 war exercises
was launched in Zamboanga despite unresolved questions
about its conduct, purpose and legality.

There are those who feel that the exercises are
actually joint combat operations and thus violative of
our Constitution and other laws. Some welcome US help,
but are apprehensive at the secrecy and haste by which
the Balikatan exercises was formulated (to think that
at least four more are coming up). Others are afraid
at the escalation that the entry of US troops may
cause, including the social and environmental costs of
such an eventuality.

The bottomline for most, though, is that the so-called
exercises somehow threaten Philippine sovereignty and
security, and thus should be a concern for all.

In this light, we would like to invite you to the
launching of a broad coalition of various groups and
personalities critical of Balikatan 02-01 and similar
“exercises.” This will be on Wednesday, February 6,
from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Balay Kalinaw, UP
Diliman Campus, Q.C.

Attached is a draft manifesto that will serve as the
coalition’s basis of unity. Signatures will be
solicited at the gathering. If you are unable to come
but agree to sign the manifesto, please inform us
immediately so we can include you in the network.

For details, please call Julie or Jeng at 435-9151 or
922-5211. You may also fax your comments about the
draft manifesto at 922-5211.

Thank you very much and hope to see you on the 6th!




Most. Rev. Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. DD
Bishop of Iba, Zambales

Rep. Satur Ocampo
Bayan Muna Party List



Sr. Mary John Mananzan OSB
Chairperson, GABRIELA

Capt. Danilo Vizmanos PN ret.
Junk VFA Movement

Issue 50 --- Analysis: The Phraseology of Subservience


What is the difference between a treaty and an agreement, or an
agreement and an arrangement? What does military exercise mean? Does the
ongoing Balikatan 02-1 conjure subservience to US interest? It is time to
analyze the phraseology of government pronouncements as regards the
controversial Balikatan 02-1.

BY DANILO ARAÑA ARAO
Bulatlat.com

In communication, concessions may be attained through words and phrases
that make controversial points harmless and acceptable. Through the
years, government has used a phraseology that creates a semblance of
normalcy out of an otherwise volatile situation.

An illusion of economic growth is created by official statistics and
statements that fail to explain high cost of living and low wages, among
others. Government measures the success of its development programs
and projects by the number of industry players and amount of investments
instead of the quality and quantity of jobs created, not to mention
technology transfer to local enterprises.

The government’s treatment of the controversial Balikatan 02-1,
however, shows the lack of mastery of this kind of phraseology.



Balikatan: Military exercise or what?

Government describes the Balikatan 02-1 that started last January 31 as
a “military exercise.” On the surface, this appears to be true if one
considers that there have been annual activities called Balikatan for
the past 18 years.

The current “exercise,” however, is qualitatively different from the
past ones. While the Balikatan 2001 lasted only for 15 days (i.e., April
26 to May 10), the Balikatan 02-1’s timeframe is indefinite since it
could last from six months to one year.

Last year’s activity took place in Cavite, Tarlac and Pampanga, typical
of past exercises which were held in areas where armed groups are not
known to be hiding. This year’s activity is in Zamboanga and Basilan,
the heart of military operations against the Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People’s Army (NPA).

That a shooting war may erupt during the conduct of Balikatan 02-1 has
already been proven by confirmed reports that a MC-130 US Air Force
cargo plane was shot twice while on a training mission flight in Central
Luzon last February 1.

The character of the current Balikatan is also defeated by statements
from government officials like National Security Adviser Roilo Golez who
admit that “the 150-600 U.S. soldiers will be at the rear of combat
sorties in Basilan.”

For his part, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes was quoted as saying,
“When you train, there is such a thing as `live test’ or `field test’.”
That the Balikatan is not just a military exercise is buttressed by
Reyes’s other statement: “In the course of this joint effort, we expect the
Abu Sayyaf neutralized and the hostages rescued.”

Even US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was evasive in directly
answering queries about the US soldiers’ direct involvement in military
operations against the Abu Sayyaf, particularly in rescuing American couple
Martin and Gracia Burnham. Consider this partial transcript of his
January 20 interview with NBC’s Meet the Press:

Q: Will we seek to rescue the missionaries?
Rumsfeld: Who's "we"?

Q: The United States and the Philippines.
Rumsfeld: The Filipinos have four (thousand) or 5,000 troops on Basilan
Island, trying to rescue the missionaries.

Q: Will the United States assist them in that effort?
Rumsfeld: We will be participating in training with them in various
ways, yes. We certainly are anxious to have those missionaries released or
recovered.

VFA: Agreement or treaty?

Government claims that the Balikatan 02-1 is sanctioned by the 1999
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), 1987 Constitution and 1951 Mutual Defense
Treaty (MDT).

Article XVIII, Sec. 25 of the 1987 Constitution states that upon the
expiration of the Military Bases Agreement (MBA) in 1991, foreign
military bases, troops or facilities shall not be allowed in Philippine
territory, except under the following conditions:

1. Under a treaty concurred in by the Senate;

2. When Congress requires, ratified by the people in a national
referendum held for the purposes; and

3. When such treaty is recognized as such by the other contracting
State.

The VFA is not considered a treaty by the US. While the Philippine
Senate ratified the VFA in 1999, the US Congress did not.

It was treated only as an executive agreement by the US government and
was thus signed only by then President Bill Clinton. The same is true
for the counterpart VFA (i.e., VFA 2 which provides for legal treatment
of RP soldiers visiting the US) which was not also ratified by the US
Congress.

One may also ask a practical question: If the 1999 VFA is indeed a
treaty, why is it not titled so (i.e., Visiting Forces Treaty)? Would this
not be more practical in order to put it in the same level as, say, the
1951 MDT?

As regards the MDT, it is true that this provides for the entry of US
troops in the Philippines, but only during times of external aggression.
While Art. II of the MDT provides for the maintenance and development
of “individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack,” this
does not cover capacity building for internal concerns like the presence
of the New People’s Army (NPA), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and
even the bandit group Abu Sayyaf.

Indeed, the operative term here is external aggression.

MLSA: Arrangement or agreement?

The Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) meanwhile, was secretly
signed by Philippine and US defense officials. As early as President
Arroyo’s US state visit in November 2001, there have been media reports
about this arrangement which sources claim to be just “a revised name
for the ACSA.”

The AFP claims that the MLSA only covers the ongoing re-fuelling of US
aircraft and recreation of US troops before they move on to other
destinations." It adds that apart from outlining the policies governing
transit operations by US aircraft and vessels in the Philippines, the
proposed agreement would mean added equipment for the military.

It may not use the terms “pre-positioning” or “forward deployment” of
US forces and “stockpiling” of US supplies and equipment, but it is
clear that in essence, the MLSA and ACSA are the same. It may be recalled
that in November 1994, the proposed ACSA sought to expand the Americans’
limited access to include military rights to supply, refueling and
repairs, storage, certain services on the part of the Philippine military

This simply means that regardless of the terms used, the MLSA implies
the use of Philippine territory as a launching pad for possible US
intervention.

In November 2001, the MLSA was then called an “Agreement,” but the
complete draft leaked to the public in early January 2002 already used the
term “Arrangement.” The latter is apparently a less binding term than
the words “agreement” and “treaty.”

Words fail Arroyo administration

The Arroyo administration realizes that it is politically suicidal to
admit subservience to US interests, hence its decision to hide between
words and phrases in justifying the nature of the arrival of US troops
in Mindanao. But since the administration has miserably failed to
deceive the people with contradicting statements, protest actions are
escalating as the US troops continue to stay in the country.

The apologists of US interest cannot be expected to master the art of
deception through words and phrases. Objective social conditions speak
the reality of subservience, notwithstanding the insistent denial of the
powers-that-be. Bulatlat.com

Issue 50 --- ‘Balikatan 02-1’: Warming Up for a Permanent U.S. Armed Presence

The arrival of U.S. special forces in southern Mindanao ostensibly for
‘war games’ is just the start of a long-term, permanent presence in the
Philippines. Making this scenario possible is the controversial
Visiting Forces Agreement which, since 1999, is giving the Americans a bridge
for increased deployments, a permanent stay and actual combat
operations in the country.

BY BOBBY TUAZON
Bulatlat.com



The admission last Thursday by U.S. charge d’affaires Robert Fitts that
four Balikatan war exercises between American and Filipino troops are
scheduled this year confirms patriotic organizations’ fears that,
indeed, U.S. forces are here to stay for good. The U.S. forces’ permanent
presence in the Philippines is guaranteed not only by the onerous Visiting
Forces Agreement (VFA) but by the fact that the Americans are using
this pact to upgrade their presence starting with the frequent scheduling
of war games and ending with actual combat operations.

This is the heart of renewed U.S. armed intervention in the
Philippines, plain and simple.

Long before the Sept. 11 bombings on New York and Washington, American
officials had been eyeing an expanded security presence in the
Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia. In previous articles, Bulatlat.com
had reported that this specific plan is in compliance with a security
doctrine crafted by the Pentagon for an expanded military presence in
Asia-Pacific where America’s vital economic and geo-political interests
must be protected.

In May last year, a Pentagon-sponsored study done by RAND, a think tank
with close connections to the White House, called for “frequent
rotational deployments” to the Philippines that would “allow for
infrastructure improvements and keep facilities ‘warm’ to enable the rapid start of
operations in a crisis.” The RAND study was led by Zalmay Khalilzad,
leader of the transition team at the Pentagon for President Gorge W. Bush
before he was appointed as a senior director at the National Security
Council.

Stars and Stripes, an American daily, quoted a top Philippine official
that the RAND-Pentagon scenario fits well into the arrangement
contemplated by U.S. military forces under the VFA.

A permanent presence

The Philippine official, who asked he not be named, said U.S. troops
would deploy for two to four weeks with a two- to three-day gap before
the next unit arrives. Deployments can often overlap, he said. He also
revealed that this scheme allows the U.S. military to maintain a
permanent presence in the country – a “temporary-permanent arrangement.”

To illustrate, the number of U.S. elite troops participating in the
current Balikatan 02-1 exercise – 650 – may be increased and could go
beyond end-2002, a senior military official in Washington confirmed
recently. According to a report by Elmer Cato, a young foreign affairs
official who headed the VFA Monitoring Committee, since the VFA was ratified
in early 1999, U.S. forces have been arriving in the country in
increasing numbers ostensibly for “war exercises.” But some of such “exercises”
with the use of aircraft were being held unilaterally, whether known or
unknown to their Filipino counterparts. (Cato has since been bumped out
of the committee leadership due to pressures coming from the American
embassy in Manila, it was reported.)

In short, the frequency by which the “war games” are being scheduled
allows the U.S. a virtual permanent presence in the country and the VFA
provides the shield. But, in violation of some provisions of the VFA
itself, the war games have been upgraded into actual combat operations and
actual involvement by U.S. troops in a war scenario - initially against
the small Abu Sayyaf bandit group, now numbering just 80 members, and
eventually, in long-term counter-insurgency operations.

The infrastructures for a permanent presence in the Philippines remain
intact for all the American forces to use. There are, first of all, the
former U.S. air and naval bases in Angeles City and Olongapo City in
Central Luzon. In Mindanao, there is a large airfield in Gen. Santos City
whose construction was financed by the USAID all set for use. Depending
on certain conditions, fears – not unfounded – are that this region is
being developed as the United States’ next staging base for expanded
military presence in the region.

Not first time

Incidentally, it is not at all correct to say that this will be the
first time ever for U.S. forces to engage in actual combat operations
against live targets. At the height of the government’s relentless
campaigns against the New People’s Army (NPA) in Central Luzon, Cordillera and
other regions in the 1970s-1980s, Green Berets and other American
forces, backed by military aircraft from Clark Airbase, were joining Marcos
troops. Those operations could be sustained as a result of increased
U.S. military assistance to the Marcos dictatorship even as military
atrocities against civilians were mounting.

It was also RAND Corporation which called for stronger U.S. military
measures against the Islamic movement in the Philippines as well as in
Malaysia and Indonesia. In its perception, the Islamic religious and
separatist movement – including extremist groups such as Abu Sayyaf –
threatens the stability of America’s allies in the region and, eventually,
the long-term security interests of the United States.

This is the policy line advanced by a RAND senior policy analyst, Angel
M. Rabasa, when he testified before the U.S. House international
relations committee on Dec. 21 last year. The Philippines, he said, faces a
persistent Muslim insurgency (in reference to the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front or MILF) and a “serious terrorist threat.” It is not
surprising, he said, that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo “came out strongly in
support of (Bush’s) war on terrorism.” “Her government allowed U.S.
forces to overfly Philippine airspace and use airfields as transit points
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom,” he went further.

Rabasa said that the Sept. 11 attacks fundamentally changed “the
calculus of U.S. interests.” Therefore, he said, American actions should be
framed by “a strategy of strengthening security structures… and
promoting stability” in the Philippines and the rest of the region.

Integrated regional security

In the new “Integrated U.S. Approach to Regional Security,” Rabasa said
the U.S. should “deepen and widen” its bilateral security alliances and
partnerships to bring about a “comprehensive security network in the
Asia-Pacific region.” This multilateralization of U.S. defense and
security arrangements in Asia should “complement” rather than just serve as a
substitute for its existing bilateral alliances including that with the
Philippines.

In addition, he said, the United States must strengthen its robust
security assistance program to allies in the region, especially the
Philippines, a “front-line state in the war on terrorism.” The $92.3 million
in military assistance promised during Macapagal-Arroyo’s Washington
visit in November last year is a step in this direction, he said.

In return for increased military assistance, the United States should
be allowed to expand and diversify its military access and support
arrangements in the Philippines and throughout the region, to be able to
respond more effectively to “unexpected contingencies.”

Previous to his testimony, the RAND senior policy analyst said an
expansion of military cooperation with the Macapagal-Arroyo administration
could be foreseen, one that “could include an expansion of deployments.”
Bulatlat.com

THE RENEWED PHASE OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTION IN THE PHILIPPINES


ANALYSIS
by Roland G. Simbulan
Professor, University of the Philippines
Author, The Bases of Our Insecurity

- Thursday, 17 January 2002 -

The "war games" or "U.S.-Philippine joint military exercises" (code-named
Kalayaan-Aguila 2002 or Balikatan 02-1) being held in Basilan and Zamboanga
are nothing but an outright military operation by U.S. military forces led
by the Special Operations Forces (SOFs). For the record, Kalayaan-Aguila
2002 marks the largest U.S. military intervention engaged in actual combat
against "real, actual targets" on Philippine soil since the
Philippine-American War (1899-1901). It deploys the largest number of U.S.
troops for combat in the Basilan-Zamboanga area since the Moro Wars
(1901-1911). It should be recalled that the Philippine-American War which
began in 1899 actually raged on with Filipino guerrilla units harrassing
U.S. expeditionary forces till 1913.

Under the guise of an annual Balikatan (Shoulder to Shoulder) Military
Exercise, 1,200 Philippine troops and 660 U.S. troops are engaged in a "six
months to one year" joint military operations against live targets, the Abu
Sayyaf. Previous Philippine-U.S. military exercises in various parts of
Luzon and Mindoro have avoided areas of rebel or dissident operations
obviously to prevent a deeper involvement by U.S. forces in internal
conflicts. Even at the height of U.S. military activity on the U.S. bases
in the 60s and 70s, U.S. military forces have kept a low profile in the
counter-insurgency campaign in the surrounding Central Luzon provinces.

As observed by Associated Press correspondent Pauline Jelinek in an article
on the January 11, 2002 issue of U.S. NAVY TIMES, "...Afganistan is not the
only country where Americans are fighting or plan to fight the
terrorists... U.S. Special Operations Forces already in the Philippines
will spearhead the U.S. effort to bolster the Asian nation's defenses
against radical Muslims ...the dispatch of U.S. forces to the Philippines
is an example of U.S. efforts to take the fight against terror elsewhere
around the globe."

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is already actively courting the
political support of the United States for the 2004 presidential elections,
completely disregards the Philippine Constitution which prohibits "foreign
military troops" on Philippine soil, unless covered by a treaty to be
concurred in by the Senate. All the existing security agreements of the
Philippines and the United States (Mutual Defense Treaty, Military
Assistance Agreement, Visiting Forces Agreement) do not have provisions for
the deployment of foreign military forces, advisers, foreign military
trainers or coordinators in actual combat operations. Philippine
Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Lauro Baja himself admitted that this
form of operation in an actual combat zone is not even covered by any
Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. As it is, President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her spokespersons in the military are
practising gross deception when they claim that this military operation
with live targets is within the scope and ambit of the "military exercises"
covered by the RP-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement. A joint U.S.-Philippine
military exercise for as long as "six months to one year" is unprecedented
if not fantastic, for it might as well be forever and indefinite in its
duration! This author who has researched U.S. and other foreign military
exercises, has never come across any operation with that long duration.

The dispatch of a significant number of U.S. troops including elite U.S.
special operations forces for combat in the Philippines opens a new chapter
in U.S. military intervention in the Philippines. At the height of the
anti-Huk campaign in the 1950s, U.S. military intervention was limited to
CIA psychological operations by a handful of U.S. operatives and covert
agents, and no more than 30 military advisers from the Joint U.S. Military
Advisory Group (JUSMAG).

It should be pointed out that this reality of direct involvement of U.S.
troops in actual military operations against the Abu Sayyaf or what are
perceived as "threats to U.S. interests" could act as a trigger if not a
precedent for more massive U.S. military intervention against both the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front in
Mindanao. Inevitably, these U.S. forces could in the future also be
directed against other "terrorists" or "communist terrorists" (CTs) in the
U.S. list. Currently, the New People's Army (NPA), the military arm of the
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) operates in more than 100
guerrilla zones in at least 50 provinces in Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao.
U.S. economic interests and U.S. military forces are known to represent
"U.S. imperialism", the avowed enemy of the CPP/NPA.

Side By Side: U.S. Lies And Broken Promises
Emil Guillermo, Special to SF Gate
Tuesday, February 5, 2002
©2002 SF Gate

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2002/02/05/eguillermo.DTL

There are two big lies in Filipino-American history worth noting as American troops are being dispatched to the Philippines.

The first involves the Philippine-American War, which marks its 103rd anniversary this week.

For the record, the war began on February 4, 1899. The first shots came in a Manila suburb, when American soldiers shot at "niggers," the term they used for the Filipinos. The nationalists returned fire, and the new war was under way.

If you don't know much about the war, you're not alone. Many Americans don't even know that the sequel to the Spanish-American War ever happened. The Philippine Insurrection, as U.S. history has named it, cast American troops as the heroes in a guerrilla war against "villainous" Filipino nationalists.

But make no mistake, it was a full-fledged war lasting three years, with more than 100,000 Americans involved -- and, depending on the accounts you read, a Filipino civilian death toll that ranges from 250,000 to as high as 1 million casualties from disease or starvation during the conflict.

No wonder we don't want to know.

To many Filipinos, the war was an American betrayal. The nationalists, under Emilio Aguinaldo, had broken off from Spain and, relying heavily on a promise of U.S. support during the Spanish-American War, started their own independent republic in 1898 -- the first in Asia.

That promise was broken when the McKinley administration found value in the Philippines as a colony and tapped into a new patriotic fervor for American involvement overseas.

Some historians believe McKinley actually instigated the Philippine-American war to gain support in Congress to ratify the Treaty of Paris. That's where the U.S. dealt with Spain directly, cutting out the new Philippine leadership. Instead of becoming the independent country it had hoped to be, the Philippines was ceded by Spain to the U.S. for $20 million. And Aguinaldo went from president to insurrectionist, just like that.

The memory of that betrayal is not lost on present-day Filipino nationalists, who uneasily observed the first units of some 600 U.S. Special Forces troops arriving in the Philippines to help fight against a Muslim insurgent group, the Abu Sayyaf, said to be an al-Qaida cell.

Nationalists, questioning the constitutionality of such an arrangement, wonder why the U.S. is even there -- the Philippines is a sovereign nation, after all. Protestors are now carrying signs calling President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo a puppet of the U.S.

Arroyo has said the U.S. troops will be there for six months solely to train Filipino military personnel. Although the U.S. troops won't be fighting side by side with Filipinos, they will be armed and will be allowed to fire in self-defense -- and, considering the combat areas they'll be patrolling, that's a minute distinction.

In his State of the Union Address, President Bush mentioned the troops as "helping." But he also whipped up a little patriotic fervor of his own when he said, "Some governments will be timid in the face of terror. And make no mistake about it: If they do not act, America will."

For President Bush, war is becoming. Is he reaching for a little McKinley-like grandeur?

Naturally, there's some nervousness in the Philippines over any escalation of hostilities. It wouldn't take much for that to happen, either. The Abu Sayyaf gains its notoriety from its suspected link to Osama bin Laden. Before 9/11, it had been considered relatively insignificant compared to the biggest group of Muslim insurgents in the Philippines, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been fighting for an independent Muslim state in the Philippines since 1978.

But things have changed. Over the weekend, the MILF announced that it will shoot Americans who stray into their areas on Basilan Island. The presence of U.S. troops will merely turn the jungle into a tinderbox.

Such is the volatile situation in the Philippines, made even more so by a distrust of American intentions. Said Teodoro Casino, secretary general of the Philippine nationalist political party Bayan in a media statement, "One hundred three years ago, our people were misled into thinking that the U.S. would help speed up the downfall of the Spanish colonizers. Today, the U.S. is doing the same thing with the connivance of the Arroyo regime."

Whom can you trust? History would seem to back Casino.

If anything positive can come out of this whole thing, it may be a move by Filipino-Americans to force the U.S.'s hand in rectifying Filipino-American Lie #2.

That would be the failure of the U.S. to give GI benefits to the thousands of Filipinos who fought alongside American troops in World War II.

On July 26, 1941, President Roosevelt signed an order that conscripted Filipino soldiers to fight side by side with U.S. troops in the Far East. The payoff came in 1944, when GI benefits and eligibility for American citizenship were promised.

The valor of Filipinos has never been in question. But the integrity of the U.S. has. In 1946, Congress passed the Rescission Act, which took back all the promises made and deemed Filipino veterans ineligible for benefits.

Two hundred thousand Filipino veterans, many of whom marched with Americans in the historic Bataan Death March, were suddenly left in the lurch. For their service, for their war injuries, they were entitled to nothing.

Many of those veterans immigrated to America, and 12,900 Filipino vets live in the States (another 35,000 remain in the Philippines). Most are in their late 70s and 80s, though, and it's estimated that every day, two veterans die waiting for equity. For many of them, "equity" means decent VA medical care and a larger stipend to live on. Some now live on less than $600 a month.

For the last 12 years, legislation to provide benefits has been stalled in the House and the Senate, although two bills ask for merely $60 million. "It's just to get the ball rolling," said Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans. He recognizes the betrayals of the past, but he said he feels the presence of U.S. forces in the Philippines could give leverage to get the veterans a line item in Bush's new, defense-heavy budget.

This weekend, Lachica met with President Arroyo while she attended the World Economic Forum. "She promised to work on the issue," he said. "She has to be assertive and follow up with Bush. She has some political capital with him now."

Addressing a 61-year-old betrayal won't make up for everything in the past. But it could help restore some of America's lost credibility among Filipinos here and abroad.

Emil Guillermo can be seen on NCM-TV: New California Media most Friday nights in the San Francisco Bay Area at 7:30p.m. on KCSM-TV (PBS) Ch.60/Cable 17. And in Los Angeles on KLCS-TV 58. E-mail: emil [at] amok.com

Why Are We In The Philippines?
Emil Guillermo, Special to SF Gate
Tuesday, January 22, 2002
©2002 SF Gate

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2002/01/22/eguillermo.DTL

Sending 600 troops to help fight a war on terrorism sounds benevolent enough. Fighting global terrorism is justification for just about anything these days.

So why should it matter that the U.S. is sending military advisers to the Philippines?

Three words: "Little brown brother."

That awkward phrase was born at the turn of the last century, after the Spanish-American War turned into the Philippine-American War and the U.S. tried its hand at imperialism. If the Dutch could have colonies, why not America, right?

We certainly were serious about it. William Howard Taft, the man who would later become our country's 27th president, was the first so-called civil governor of the Philippines. (That's "civil," because clearly anything that came before was just some wild jungle-heathen thing.) Taft is believed to have been the first person to publicly utter the phrase that characterized the patronizing mind-set of the time.

The U.S. has long since given up on empire building in the traditional sense. It did give the Philippines independence and a turn-key democracy. But the country has been troubled by the issue of self-identity ever since.

This is what happens when the U.S. and another country like the Philippines have a "special relationship."

It's within this historical context, then, that we must consider the arrival of 600 military advisers to the Philippines.

For decades, the Philippine government has been battling Muslim rebel forces in the southern part of the country. During this time, most Americans have been paying more attention to the marriage wars of Hollywood celebrities.

But this time a splinter group of the rebel forces fighting for an Islamic state, the Abu Sayyaf, is alleged to have ties to al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden.

Now, suddenly, it's America's business.

For several months before Sept. 11, the Abu Sayyaf -- whose primary strategy is kidnapping for ransom -- held hostages, including Americans in the Philippines. Guillermo Sobrero, an American citizen, was even beheaded early last summer. Where were the Green Berets then? Not in the Philippines.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld last weekend downplayed the recent deployment. "We are working with the Philippines shoulder to shoulder to provide training in a whole host of techniques and things that are appropriate to chasing down terrorists," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

From reading the American press, you might be led to believe the Philippines wants America's help. After all, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did meet with President Bush last November to obtain pledges of assistance to root out terrorism.

The president is one thing. But other elected officials in the Philippines are wondering about the legality of an arrangement that would allow the U.S. military to come in and operate within their country.

Last week, Jovito Salonga, a former president of the Philippine Senate and one of the nationalists who spearheaded the drive to shut down America's Clark and Subic Bay military bases in 1991, was among the first to openly question the validity of the deployment.

If the U.S. troops are involved only in training exercises, then why are the maneuvers being done in the heart of combat, rather than in a nonhostile area? Filipino leaders say that fact turns a training exercise into a real military operation, which brings with it the potential for direct combat. They say that would be a violation of the Philippine constitution, which since 1991 has prohibited foreign military troops and facilities in their country.

Said Salonga to a reporter for the Philippine Inquirer: "In my view, [the mission] will destroy the self-respect of the military...and the respect of our people [too]... This is an internal problem. We wage our own battles."

Salonga suspects the U.S. is looking for a nice, quick hit -- something easier after Afghanistan -- to boost morale during the global effort against terrorism. There is no Tora Bora in Mindanao.

But there are other things.

Filipinos are wary that the U.S. will linger beyond the Abu Sayyaf hostage situation. The Abu Sayyaf is but a subset of a much larger Muslim movement for Islamic self-rule in the Philippines. The other day, 32 people were killed at a pro-Muslim rally -- not a combat operation. If Abu Sayyaf falls, will the U.S. get out then? Or will the American presence only bolster the overall Muslim resistance there, and "force" the Americans to stay?

Salonga believes it will only exacerbate the situation. And then the U.S. troops will be stuck. "They will not [leave]," he said, because "it's an ongoing war on terrorism."

As we all know, lingering is what military advisers seem to do best -- cue reference to Vietnam. Filipinos, however, prefer to go even farther back, to the turn of the century, when the Spanish-American War suddenly turned into the Philippine-American War.

Fighting side by side with the U.S. has never has worked out for the Philippines, World War II notwithstanding. To Filipinos, the mere presence of 600 U.S. soldiers marks the arrival of a new American paternalism and the return of "little brown brother."

Emil Guillermo can be seen on NCM-TV: New California Media most Friday nights in the San Francisco Bay Area at 7:30p.m. on KCSM-TV (PBS) Ch.60/Cable 17. And in Los Angeles on KLCS-TV 58. E-mail: emil [at] amok.com

Please join UP Rage Against US Aggression (UP RAGE)

N.B. - Below is the statement of UP Rage Against US Aggression (UP
RAGE) on the Balikatan 02-1 and US military aggression. UP RAGE is
formally launched as a UP-based broad alliance on February 5, 1 p.m. at
the UP CMC auditorium.

If you want to sign the UP RAGE petition, you may download at
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/contend_up/files/> our two files
<rage.doc> and <petition.doc>. The first is a one-page layout of the
statement, while the second is a one-page signature sheet.

-------------------

No to Balikatan 02-1! No to US Aggression!

The University of the Philippines (UP) has a rich tradition of
denouncing policies that compromise Philippine sovereignty. True to its
role as a social critic, UP has helped mold public opinion through the
years by actively participating in various forms of mass actions.

In the context of US aggression, UP students, faculty and alumni have
campaigned against the extension of the US military bases that resulted
in the historic Senate rejection of the proposed Treaty of Friendship,
Cooperation and Security on September 16, 1991. The same is true for
the Visiting Forces Agreement where UP’s collective rage echoed not
only in UP campuses but also in the streets leading to the Philippine
Senate that unfortunately ratified it on May 27, 1999.

Now is the time to strengthen our commitment to uphold national
sovereignty and denounce US aggression! At present, the expansion of US
military hegemony becomes apparent with the Balikatan 02-1 which
started on 31 January 2002 and may last for six months in Basilan and
Zamboanga (the center of offensive military operations against the Abu
Sayyaf bandit group). More than 600 US troops and thousands of Filipino
soldiers are taking part in this unprecedented “joint military
exercise” that involves the use of live ammunition in actual combat
zones against live targets.

Unlike previous “Balikatan” exercises, the current joint US-RP activity
is held in areas where a shooting war could happen. Despite government
assurances that the Balikatan is good for the country, we are alarmed
by statements of officials like National Security Adviser Roilo Golez
who admits that “US soldiers will be at the rear of combat sorties in
Basilan “ Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, for his part, explains that
“in the course of this joint effort, we expect the Abu Sayyaf
neutralized and the hostages rescued.”

We believe that Balikatan 02-1 is not covered by the 1951 Mutual
Defense Treaty (MDT) and the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). The
MDT only allows the entry of US troops in times of external aggression,
while the VFA is recognized only as an executive agreement (not as a
treaty) by the US. Balikatan 02-01 therefore violates the
Constitutional ban on the entry of foreign troops and facilities in the
absence of a treaty recognized by both the US and the Philippines.

In this vein, we therefore demand the following:

1. That the Macapagal-Arroyo government release to the public the
Operation Plan and Orders of Balikatan 02-1 including the mission,
situation, objectives, duration, forces, concept of operation and
logistics involved and, in particular, the role of US forces in such
exercises;
2. That the review or termination of the 1999 RP-US Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA) and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) be immediately
done to prevent future attempts to justify US armed interventions in
our internal affairs; and
3. That pending satisfactory resolution of the above issues, the
Balikatan 02-01 exercises be suspended and all US troops in the
Philippines be immediately pulled out.

UP Rage Against US Aggression (UP RAGE)
February 5, 2002

> Uphold Philippine sovereignty!
>
> STATEMENT OF UNITY
> OUT NOW! (OUT WITH US TROOPS NOW!)
>
> Despite serious questions about its conduct, purpose and legality,
the
> Balikatan 02-01 military exercise goes on in Basilan, Zamboanga and
Cebu.
>
> More than 600 US troops and thousands of Filipino soldiers are taking
part
> in this unprecedented “joint military exercise” that involves the use
of
> live ammunition in actual combat zones against live targets the Abu
Sayyaf
> bandits.
>
> We raise the following major concerns about the alleged exercise:
>
> · Activities under Balikatan 02-01 are not military exercises
but are
> more in the nature of joint combat operations. American troops will
stay
> for prolonged periods, will participate in military operations and
may even
> engage in unilateral actions, including firing back when provoked.
> · Such activities are beyond the scope of the 1951 Mutual
Defense
> Treaty. Thus, Balikatan 02-01 violates the Constitutional ban on the
entry
> of foreign troops and facilities unless under a treaty duly
recognized by
> both countries. Moreover the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement of 1999
itself
> does not allow the participation of US troops in combat operations.
> · Balikatan 02-01 was secretly planned and executed, with
normal
> procedures and protocols short-circuited or out rightly ignored. It
was
> launched last Jan. 31 without definite “terms of reference” between
the
> Philippines and the US.
> · The primordial issue of collusion among military officials,
local
> politicians, self-styled negotiators and the Abu Sayyaf has yet to be
> resolved. This is crucial for any effort against the Abu Sayyaf to
succeed.
> · The involvement of US troops threatens to escalate,
complicate and
> bring to the international arena what is essentially an internal
police
> problem.
>
> We therefore demand the following:
>
> 1. That the Macapagal-Arroyo government release to the public the
Exercise
> Plan and Terms of Reference of Balikatan 02-01 including the mission,
> situation, objectives, type of training exercise, duration, area,
forces,
> concept of training and logistics involved. In particular we want to
know,
> the role of US forces in such exercises;
> 2. That bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US,
including
> the 1999 RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the 1951 Mutual
Defense
> Treaty (MDT) be reviewed to prevent US armed intervention in our
internal
> affairs;
> 3. That the government first resolve the issue of the Abu Sayyaf’s
> collusion with civilian and military officials, politician-warlords
and
> self-styled negotiators;
> 4. That pending satisfactory resolution of the above issues, the
Balikatan
> 02-01 exercises be suspended and US troops be immediately pulled out
> especially in Zamboanga and Basilan.
>
> February 6, 2002
> University of the Philippines
> Diliman, Quezon City
>
> Initial List of Signatories
>
> 1. Most Rev. Deogracias Iñiguez, Bishop of Iba, Zambales
> 2. Capt. Danilo P. Vizmanos PN ret.
> 3. Sr. Mary John Mananzan OSB
> 4. Rep. Satur Ocampo
> 5. Rep. Crispin Beltran
> 6. Rep. Liza Maza
> 7. Ex-Sen. Wigberto Tañada
> 8. Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca Jr. MD
> 9. Teodoro Casiño
> 10. Bishop Rolando J. Tria Tirona, OCD, DD, Bishop of Malolos,
Bulacan
> 11. Amado Gat Inciong
> 12. Pete Lacaba
> 13. Bienvenido Lumbera
> 14. Fr. Joe Dizon
> 15. Dr. Elmer Ordoñez
> 16. Gil Portes
> 17. Carlito Siguion Reyna
> 18. Mel Chionglo
> 19. Bibeth Orteza
> 20. Isabel Lopez
> 21. Soc Jose
> 22. Ricky Lee
> 23. Joel Lamangan
> 24. Atty. Arthur Lim, former IBP president
> 25. Public Interest Law Center
> 26. Iloilo Legal Law Center
> 27. Dr. Joseph Carabeo
> 28. Atty. Rom-Voltaire Quizon
> 29. Atty. Rachel Pastores
> 30. Atty. Edre Olalia
> 31. Atty. Pete Meliza
> 32. Atty. John Baterna
> 33. Atty. Mario Sanfelix
> 34. Atty. Domingo Añonuevo
> 35. Atty. Josephine Sidiangco
> 36. Atty. Claire Padilla
> 37. Atty. Dennis Gorecho
> 38. Atty. Perfecto Caparas III
> 39. Atty. Manuel Tan
> 40. Atty. Nenita Mahinay
> 41. Dr. Huda Lim
> 42. Abdulah Kamlian, Islamic Welfare Society of the Philippines
> 43. Leto Villar
> 44. Roy Velarde, Coalition of Bank Unions
> 45. Manny Sarmiento, Kilusang Mayo Uno
> 46. Douglas Dumanon, Kilusang Mayo Uno
> 47. Sr. Lita Navarro
> 48. Prof. Felipe de Leon
> 49. Shane Lumbera
> 50. Tita Ordoñez
> 51. Prof. Raul Segovia
> 52. Prof. Ed. Villegas
> 53. Joey Papa
> 54. Dr. Cora Rivera
> 55. Romy Abaya
> 56. Malou Turalde
> 57. Prolabor
> 58. Carlton Palm, Presbyterian Church USA
> 59. Dean Lito Manalili, UP College of Social Work and Community
> Development
>
> 1. PEOPLE’S ORGANIZATIONS (54)
>
> 1. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)
> 2. Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU)
> 3. Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)
> 4. Anakbayan
> 5. League of Filipino Students (LFS)
> 6. Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)
> 7. National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)
> 8. College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)
> 9. Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (KARATULA)
> 10. Kalipunan ng Kabataang Kristiyano sa Pilipinas (KKKP)
> 11. Gabriela
> 12. Moro Christian People’s Alliance (MCPA)
> 13. Muslim Sariah
> 14. United Youth of the Philippines (UNYPHIL)
> 15. Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY)
> 16. Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK)
> 17. Samahan ng Malayang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa (SAMAKANA)
> 18. Pambansang Pederasyon ng Kababaihang Magbubukid (AMIHAN)
> 19. Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
> 20. Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and
Democracy
> (CONTEND)
> 21. Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of
Government
> Employees (COURAGE)
> 22. Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD)
> 23. Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace (EMJP)
> 24. Alliance for the Advancement of Peoples’ Rights (KARAPATAN)
> 25. Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at Para sa
Amnestiya
> (SELDA)
> 26. Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya (PAMALAKAYA)
> 27. Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR)
> 28. Migrante International
> 29. Kabataang Migrante para sa Bayan (KAMIYAN)
> 30. Kalipunan ng Migranteng Pilipino at Pamilya (KMPP)
> 31. Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas (KAMP)
> 32. Tunay na Alyansa ng Bayan Alay sa Katutubo (TABAK)
> 33. Kabataan para sa Tribong Pilipino (KATRIBU)
> 34. Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines (PROGAY)
> 35. Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (KALIKASAN)
> 36. Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa
Sambayanan
> (AGHAM)
> 37. AGHAM Youth
> 38. Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC)
> 39. Sentro para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (SENTRA)
> 40. National Network of Agrarian Reform Advocates (NNARA)
> 41. NNARA Youth
> 42. Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns (SALINLAHI)
> 43. Children’s Rehabilitation Center (CRC)
> 44. Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor
Nationwide
> (PISTON)
> 45. Center for Health and Development (CHD)
> 46. Alliance of Health Workers (AHW)
> 47. First Quarter Storm Movement (FQSM)
> 48. August Twenty One Movement (ATOM-BAYAN)
> 49. Sinagbayan
> 50. Amado V. Hernandez Resource Center (AVHRC)
> 51. Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP)
> 52. Musicians for Peace
> 53. Sining Bugkos
> 54. Sining Lila
>
> SECTORAL ALLIANCES (3)
>
> 1. CHURCH PEOPLE CRY: OUT WITH US TROOPS NOW! (CRY OUT NOW!)
> 1. Most Rev. Tomas Millamena
> Supreme Bishop
> Iglesia Filipina Independiente
> 2. Most. Rev. Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. DD
> Bishop, Iba, Zambales, and Vice Chairperson
> Ecumenical Commission on Ecumenical Affairs
> Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
> 3. Bishop Elmer Bolocon
> General Secretary
> United Church of Christ in the Philippines
> 4. Bishop Solito Toquero
> Resident Bishop, Manila Episcopal Area
> United Methodist Church
> 5. Bishop Gabriela Garol
> Spokesperson
> Ecumenical Bishops Forum
> 6. Bishop Alan Ray Sarte
> Co-Chairperson
> Promotion of Church People’s Response
> 7. Sharon Rose Joy Ruiz Duremdez
> General Secretary
> National Council of Churches in the Philippines
> 8. Sr. Pat Fox
> National Coordinator
> Rural Missionaries of the Philippines
> 9. Rev. Fr. Allan Arcebuche OFM
> Coordinator, OFM Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation
> Spokesperson, Promotion of Church People’s Response
> 10. Rev. Fr. Oliver Estor SOLT
> Spokesperson
> Kairos Philippines
> 11. Rev. Fr. Wilfredo Ruazol
> Coordinator, National Priests’ Organization
> Iglesia Filipina Independiente
> 12. Rev. Fr. Charlie Ricafort OSC
> Task Force Urban Conscientization
> 13. Rev. Ruby Nell Estrella
> District Superintendent, Manila Episcopal Area
> United Methodist Church
> 14. Sr. Conchita Valerio RVM
> Coordinator, Campus Social Ministry
> St. Mary’s Academy, Bulacan
> 15. Lilith Usog
> National Coordinator
> Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians
> 16. Darlene Marquez Caramanzana
> Executive Secretary, Board of Women’s Work
> United Methodist Church
> 17. Bayani Alonzo
> Chairperson
> Student Christian Movement of the Philippines
> 18. Norma Dollaga
> General Secretary
> Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan
> 19. Amie Dural
> Deputy Secretary
> Promotion of Church People’s Response
> 20. Rev. Fr. Rex Reyes
> Ecumenical Bishops Forum
> 2. ANTI-IMPERIALIST MOVEMENT OF THE YOUTH (AIM OF THE YOUTH)
> 1. Anakbayan
> 2. League of Filipino Students (LFS)
> 3. Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)
> 4. National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP)
> 5. College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)
> 6. Kabataang Artista para sa Tunay na Kalayaan (KARATULA)
> 7. Kalipunan ng Kabataang Kristiyano sa Pilipinas (KKKP)
>
> 3. KABATAAN LABAN SA AGRESYON AT GIYERA (KALASAG-NCR)
>
> Philippine Christian University
> Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila
> Pamantasan ng Makati
> Mapua Institute of Technology
> Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Tchnology
>
>
>
> REGIONAL ALLIANCES (3)
>
> 1. CENTRAL LUZON ALLIANCE FOR A SOVEREIGN PHILIPPINES (CLASP)
> 1. Atty. Jose Suarez
> Chairperson, CLASP
> 2. Bishop Alberto Ramento
> Diocese of Tarlac and Western Pampanga
> Iglesia Filipina Independiente
> 3. Hon. Pat Laderas
> Board Member, 1st Dist., Bulacan
> 4. Hon. Ernesto Mendoza
> Board Member, 2nd Dist., Bulacan
> 5. Hon.. Tony Ligon
> Board Member, 3rd Dist, Bulacan
> 6. Hon. Abel Ladera
> Councilor, Tarlac City
> 7. Pastor Ruel Mendoza
> Chairperson, Central Luzon Ecumenical Council
> 8. Dr. Virginia Madred MD
> Secretary-General, Health Alliance for Democracy-Central Luzon
> 9. Sr. Alice Sobrevinia, OSB
> Holy Family Academy, Angeles City
> 10. Sr. Conchita Valerio, Rvm
> Chairperson, Gabriela-Central Luzon
> 11. Fr. Luisito Egnan
> Diocese of Rizal and Pampanga
> Iglesia Filipina Independiente
> 12. Fr. Marcelito Paez
> Chairperson, BAYAN-Nueva Ecija
>
> 2. PANAY MOVEMENT FOR NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY (PMNS)
>
> 3. OUT OF MINDANOW!-DAVAO CITY
>
> OTHER REGIONAL SIGNATORIES
>
> Negros
>
> 1. Rev. Reuel Marigza
> UCCP-Dumaguete City
> 2. Rev. Fr. Everett Mendoza
> 3. Pastor Reuel Marvosa
> Divinity School, Siliman University
> 4. BAYAN-Negros Oriental
> 5. National Federation of Sugarworkers-Negros Oriental
> 6. Makataong Organisasyon ng mga Tsuper at Operators (MOTOR)
> 7. Negros Rural Assistance Program (NRAP)
> 8. Farmers Development Center - Negros Oriental
>
> Baguio City
>
> 1. Hon. Leandro Yangot, Baguio City councilor
> 2. Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA)
> 3. Dinteg
> 4. Tongtongan ti Umili
>
> Cebu
>
> 1. Kahugpungan sa Nasudnong Kaugalingnan (KNL)
>
> Cagayan de Oro
>
> 1. Atty. Beverly S. Musni, Karapatan
> 2. Fr. Antonio Ablon, PCPR and IFI
> 3. Nero Vallar, Bayan Muna Regional Coordinator
> 4. Domitilo Chong, Anakbayan
> 5. Ryan Guerrero, Bayan-Cagayan de Oro
> 6. Lalae P. Garcia, Gabriela-CDO Misamis Oriental
> 7. Sining Lumaban Para sa Bayan (SILAB)
> 8. LFS
> 9. SCMP
> 10. MOFA-KMP
> 11. Kadamay

> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
> February 6, 2002
>
> BROAD ANTI-BALIKATAN alliance formed;
> Arroyo urged to act on four demands
>
> Disproving President Arroyo’s claims that only a handful of
communists are
> opposing the entry of US troops and that critics are merely resorting
to
> rhetorics, various personalities and groups launched an alliance
dubbed OUT
> NOW! in a gathering this morning at Balay Kalinaw, University of the
> Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
>
> In a unity statement read by OUT NOW! convenor and Gabriela
chairperson Sr.
> Mary John Mananzan OSB, members of the new alliance demanded the
following:
> 1. That the Macapagal-Arroyo government release to the public the
Exercise
> Plan and Terms of Reference of Balikatan 02-01 including the mission,
> situation, objectives, type of training exercise, duration, area,
forces,
> concept of training and logistics involved. In particular we want to
know,
> the role of US forces in such exercises;
> 2. That bilateral relations between the Philippines and the US,
including
> the 1999 RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the 1951 Mutual
Defense
> Treaty (MDT) and the Military Assistance Agreement (MAA) be reviewed
to
> prevent US armed intervention in our internal affairs;
> 3. That the government first resolve the issue of the Abu Sayyaf’s
> collusion with civilian and military officials, politician-warlords
and
> self-styled negotiators; and
> 4. That pending satisfactory resolution of the above issues, the
Balikatan
> 02-01 exercises be suspended and US troops be immediately pulled out
> especially in Zamboanga and Basilan.
> Initially, Mananzan said OUT NOW! will proclaim as “US troops-free
zones”
> various ports, urban poor communities, schools, factories and
offices. A
> protest fluvial parade has been set tomorrow by militant fisherfolk.
>
> OUT NOW! comprises about 75 prominent individuals, 54 people’s
> organizations, three regional coalitions and three sectoral
alliances,
> making it the biggest assembly of groups and individuals fighting US
> military intervention in Philippine affairs.
>
> Broad array of forces under OUT NOW!
>
> Apart from Sr. Mananzan, other convenors include the Most Rev.
Deogracias
> Iñiguez Jr. DD, Catholic bishop of Iba, Zambales and vice
chairperson of
> the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs of the Catholic
Bishops
> Conference of the Philippines; former AFP Inspector-General and Junk
VFA
> Movement spokesperson Capt. Danilo Vizmanos PN (ret.); and Bayan Muna
> party-list representative Satur Ocampo.
>
> They led more than 100 initial signatories to the OUT NOW! unity
statement
> which includes ex-Sen. Wigberto Tañada; movie directors Gil Portes,
Carlito
> Siguion Reyna, Joel Lamangan and Mel Chionglo; actress Isabel Lopez;
> writers Pete Lacaba and Bibeth Orteza; Ramon Magsaysay Awardee
Bienvenido
> Lumbera; and Julie Po, secretary-general of the Concerned Artists of
the
> Philippines (CAP);
>
> Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca Jr. of the Health Alliance for Democracy; Fr.
Allan
> Arcebuche OFM of the Churchpeople’s Cry: US Troops Out Now! (CRY OUT
NOW!)
> and Bishop Rolando Tria Tirona of Malolos, Bulacan; MNLF founding
member
> Abdula Kamlian and Amirah Ali Lidasan of the Moro Christian People’s
> Alliance;
>
> UP Dean Lito Manalili and Prof. Judy Taguiwalo ; Dr. Elmer Ordoñez of
the
> Lyceum; members of the newly-formed UP Rise Up Against Aggression
(UP
> RAGE); and representatives of two youth alliances dubbed
Anti-Imperialist
> Movement of the Youth (AIM OF THE YOUTH) and the Kabataan Laban sa
Agresyon
> at Giyera (KALASAG);
>
> Lawyers led by former IBP president Arthur Lim and Public Interest
Law
> Center managing counsel Edre Olalia, Jayson Lamchek, Rom-Voltaire
Olalia,
> Rachel Pastores, Pete Meliza, Nenita Mahinay,Domingo Añonuevo,
Josephine
> Sidiangco, Dennis Gorecho, Perfecto Caparas III, Manuel Tan John
Baterna
> and Claire Padilla.
>
> Hall of Shame
>
> A Hall of Shame -- with pictures of Uncle Sam, President Arroyo,
Defense
> Sec. Angelo Reyes, National Security Adviser Sec. Roilo Golez,
Presidential
> Spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao and Justice Sec. Hernando Perez -- was
> displayed by convenors to symbolize “unmistakeable acts of treason
> committed by these officials in allowing US troops to reenter the
> Philippines and engage in highly questionable actions.”
>
> The gathering was capped by the singing of Bayan Ko, a patriotic song
> dubbed as the nation’s national anthem. ###
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> OUT NOW! (Out with US troops now!)
> Office: 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
> Quezon City, Philippines 1101
> Tel. Nos. [632] 4359151, 9225211
> Telefax Nos. [632] 9225211
> ----------------------------------------------

Unity Statement
4 February 2002


Church People Cry: Out with US Troops Now! Uphold Philippine Sovereignty
“Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ
has made us free
and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
(Galatians 5:1)

We, peace advocates and freedom-loving Christians,
join the various sectors in opposing the entry and
operations of 66o US troops in the guise of “war
games” that actually involve use of live bullets and
high-tech weaponry in actual combat zones in the
country.

The terrorism of Abu Sayyaf Group is repeatedly
invoked to justify the entry of US troops in Mindanao.
But we are not convinced that “US assistance” will
save the people from the ASG bandits. The real
challenge is for the Macapagal-Arroyo administration
to decisively break up the collusion of military and
government officials with the ASG as attested by a
Catholic priest and local parishioners in Basilan.

Direct US military intervention pose a serious threat
in the escalation of military abuses in the area
rather than solve this internal matter. Apart from the
constitutional/legal issues, we stand firmly against
US military presence as we want to spare our nation,
especially the women and youth, from further
degradation due to abuses, prostitution and other
social ills previously suffered in the former military
bases.

For a nation supposedly free and able to assert its
sovereignty in the community of nations, any move that
would demean and lessen this freedom must be resisted
by all means. No self-respecting nation would bend
its back and willingly take a yoke of slavery upon
itself without losing its national dignity and without
degrading its own people in the process.

The current moves of the Macapagal-Arroyo to justify
the re-entry of US troops, facilities and possible
rebuilding of permanent bases, expose the capitulation
and subservience of the government to the US President
Bush’ administration’s war on terrorism, which is
interventionist and disrespectful of the sovereignty
of the target nations.

Time and again, in various contexts, the pages of
Scripture warn us of returning to our former condition
of being in bondage. The Apostle Peter even puts it
in a nauseatingly graphic form: “A dog returns to its
vomit” and “a sow, having washed, returns to her
wallowing in the mud.” (2 Pet. 2:22).

At the time of Moses, in the wilderness journey,
several Hebrew leaders attempted to sway the people to
return to Egypt— the place of their former bondage –
rather than take a bold step of faith into the
possibilities of freedom. These leaders played on the
people’s fears as well as their longing for security
by offering the false security and seeming stability
of renewed enslavement. For this vacillation and
fear, the blessings of full liberation were withheld
from them for another generation. Eventually, with
the people’s resolve, the march to full freedom was
achieved.

These things we recall as we look at the state of our
nation that has been subjugated by the US on its
foreign policy directions. In 1991, we said NO to the
extension of the US-RP Military Bases Agreement, but
the votes of senators allowed our sovereignty to be
trampled anew by allowing the presence of US troops
all over the country through the 1999 US-RP Visiting
Forces Agreement (VFA).

Recently, the draft Mutual Logistics Support
Arrangement (MLSA) was secretly signed by Gen.
Diomedio Villanueva, AFP Chief of Staff and Admiral
Dennis Blair, commander-in-chief of the US Pacific
Command, in the presence of Gen. Angelo Reyes,
Secretary of National Defense. This onerous
“arrangement” practically aims to reinstall US bases
by providing support services such as “communication
services, billeting and construction of bases for
operations” in the Philippines.

The lessons of history are worth remembering. In the
Vietnam War, the US government started sending
military advisers who eventually laid the groundwork
for sending troops and war materiel then turned
Vietnam’s internal strife into a full-scale war. Over
600,000 Filipinos were killed in the US war of terror
that was launched on the pretext of quelling bandits
and insurgents.

In the final analysis, it is not for the best
interest of the Filipino people that the US landed on
Philippine soil, but only its own. We are the ones
who bear the sufferings as the US pursues its
interests. As peoples of faith, we therefore unite to
oppose the wholesale trampling of our rights as a
sovereign people and demand the following:

1. Immediately pull-out US troops and uphold the
provisions in the Philippine Constitution banning
foreign military bases, troops and facilities on
Philippine territory.
2. Seriously investigate, prosecute and punish all
military and government officials who serve as
protectors of the Abu Sayyaf Group and other terrorist
syndicates.
3. Review and junk the 1999 US-RP Visiting Forces
Agreement and the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT)
that are repeatedly invoked to justify US military
intervention in the country.
4. Reject the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement
(MLSA) and other overt and covert attempts to justify
direct US military presence and operations in the
country.


Church People Cry: Out with US Troops Now!

“BEHOLD AND SEE OUR DISGRACE” (Lam. 5:1)
Statement on the RP-US Balikatan Exercise
February 4, 2002

Disturbing events in the last few days compel the
Ecumenical Bishops Forum to join the various sectors
of society in denouncing the entry of interventionist
US troops through the RP-US Balikatan Exercise 02-1.

The Macapagal-Arroyo government is courting war. By
welcoming hundreds of US troops with their live
ammunitions and high-tech weaponry, it has totally
disregarded the people’s rejection of US military
presence. It has not learned the lessons of history as
it continues to play deaf to the anguished cry of
those who abhor the social ills and abuses brought by
foreign military occupation of the country. We are
greatly saddened by this betrayal.

The government is not heeding the spirit of People
Power II. Instead, it goes about its divisive ways,
pitting the people of this country against each other
by forsaking the dignity and sovereignty of our nation
in the guise of anti-terrorism. We strongly advise the
Manila government to address the collusion among local
government and military officials with the Abu Sayyaf
bandits and other local terrorist groups rather than
depend on the US troops to solve our internal
problems.

Balikatan 02-01 clearly violates the Constitution. It
reflects the lack of the government’s political will
and trust in the capacity of the Philippine Army and
Police to defend and secure the country. The
government’s enthusiastic approval and blatant all-out
campaign to advocate it in public is repugnant. It is
a sure sign of subservience.

We dread the violations on human rights that will
escalate in the long term as a result of this
dangerous experiment. At stake is the peace and
justice that all of us yearn for. We fear that
whatever gains we have towards achieving peace will go
to naught. Above all, we are deeply concerned by
signals coming from the United States that this is a
portent of graver things to come. With a draft Mutual
Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) that is full of
loopholes and in the absence of clear Terms of
Reference (TOR), the presence of US armed forces in
our country is a clear imposition to protect U.S.
interests here and elsewhere in the world. This we
believe is the ultimate goal. Not the elimination of
the Abu Sayyaf, not the new lessons of war U.S.
soldiers can teach Filipino soldiers, not the war
against terrorism.

We therefore urge our people to be steadfast in
denouncing this mockery of our nationhood. Our
dignity and integrity as a nation is neither for sale
nor are they abstract. They are as real as proven by
the great men and women who shed blood and tears to
ensure that we in our time shall enjoy the blessings
of such heritage.

Even as we commit you and this country to God’s mercy
and protection, we urge you to remain vigilant. Be
discerning and not be carried by emotions. It has
been said, “Do not just look at one tree, look at the
whole forest”. Be constant in prayer and remember;
“Christ has set us free; stand, and do not submit
again to the yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5.1)



BISHOP GABRIEL A. GAROL
Spokesperson, EBF

Critical question about US military in Mindano

US military intervention against the Abu Sayyaf in
Basilan raises critical and disturbing questions. It
goes beyond the usual political and legal aspects. It
strikes at the very roots of our national identity:

What kind of a people are we?
What kind of a nation are we?
Where is our national dignity and selfrespect?

National sovereignty, territorial integrity and
national dignity are not mere rhetorical abstractions.
They are concrete expressions of our capacity as a
people to solve our internal problems; of our ability
to stand up and walk without the need of crutches; of
our right to gain the respect of other nations; of our
confidence in our soldiers!

Inviting foreign investments, economic assistance and
technical expertise is understandable. It is a norm in
international relations. But allowing foreign military
forces to intervene and deal with an internal problem
like the Abu Sayyaf is something else.

President Gloria Macapagal﷓Arroyo and Defense
Secretary Angelo Reyes seem to have lost confidence in
their own armed forces. Perhaps they believe that the
situation has become desperate to warrant US military
intervention in the Abu Sayyaf episode.

I beg to disagree. I still believe that the Filipino
soldier can solve the Abu Sayyaf problem eventually.
And I am convinced that US military intervention is
not the solution to the problem. There is a solution
highly unorthodox and seemingly incredible it may be.

In combat operations, platoon leaders, company and
battalion commanders and their staff can get killed or
incapacitated. But the platoon or company or battalion
will continue to function, perhaps even more
effectively. This is because the
non﷓commissioned officers (NCOs) will take
over.

NCOs (army and Marine sergeants and Navy petty
officers) are the backbone and workhorses of combat
and operating units. They are the ones who actually
perform the spadework in military operations. I know
this from my experience as commanding officer of
operating units and as APP inspector general in Camp
Aguinaldo for seven years.

I therefore propose:
· That all officers of combat units in Basilan be
given a leave of absence of at least 30
days.
· That NCOs be allowed to conduct unimpeded combat
operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

· Withdrawal of all US forces from Basilan and the
rest of the country.

So why did President Macapagal and Secretary Reyes
meekly accede to US military intervention in the
country? The most plausible explanations are : It was
in consideration of a promise of an undisclosed amount
of US financial and material assistance from President
George W. Bush.

· The Abu Sayyaf and theBurnhams’ rescue operations
are merely peripheral and transitional factors.

· In furtherance of US economic interests in Mindanao
and the southeast Asian region.

· In furtherance of US geo﷓political interests
in the Asia﷓Pacific region.

The last two are not mere speculations. They were
spelled out as early as 1995 in the East Asian
Strategy Report of the US Department of Defense as
follows:

“(This report) reaffirms our commitment to maintain a
stable forward presence in the region, at the existing
level of about 100,000 troops, for the foreseeable
future ... for maintaining forward deployment of US
forces and access and basing rights for US and allied
forces. If the American presence in Asia were removed,
our abilility to affect the course of events would be
constrained, our markets and our interests would be
jeopardized.


CAPT. DANILO P. VIZMANOS, PN (ret.); convenor, Junk
VFA Movement

OUT WITH THE AMERICAN TROOPS NOW!

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who pin
their hopes on cavalry, putting their trust in
chariots because they are many, relying on horsemen
because they are strong. Why did they not look to the
Holy one of Israel or consult the Lord.”
Isaiah 31:1

The Kapatirang Simbahan para sa Bayan (KASIMBAYAN)
strongly rebukes the presence of 660 US troops in
Philippine soil. In the guise of “joint military
exercises” dubbed as “Kalayaan – Agila 2002,” the
arrival and prolonged stay of US troops threatens to
escalate the military abuses and social ills suffered
by the Filipino people. The renewed US military
presence displays the arrogance of the United States
and is by far the most blatant revelation of President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s puppetry to the US
government.

President Arroyo’s act of servility to foreign rule
brings humiliation to our nation.

Our history witnessed the terrorist attacks of the US
against our people. The acts of treachery of American
soldiers are recorded in our collective memories. We
cannot and must not forget their deceptive schemes in
ruling our country:

· On August 13, 1898, Filipino revolutionaries were
refused entry to Intramuros after the surrender of the
Spanish garrison;
· On February 4, 1899, American soldiers fired at
Katipuneros in San Juan then started the
Filipino-American war where more than 600,000
Filipinos were massacred;
· On March 10, 1901, Easter Sunday, American soldiers
ambushed and killed 406 Filipinos whom they referred
as “insurrectos” in Lonoy, Jagna Bohol. According to
the relatives of the few survivors, the Americans shot
even those who were surrendering and they were
bayoneted repeatedly and mercilessly;
· On June 12, 1946 “Philippine Independence” was
declared only after the inclusion of the “parity”
amendment to the Philippine constitution and
acceptance of the US-imposed Military Bases Agreement.

Have we heard their apologies for such treachery and
atrocities?

Instead of taking lessons from the US track record
that has been a history of deception and impositions,
Pres. Arroyo and her military advisers choose to be
willing instruments of US acts of aggression that
grossly violate national sovereignty and patrimony.

The presence of the US military troops is a violation
of the Philippine Constitution with regard to the
provisions of banning the presence of foreign military
troops after the abrogation of RP-US Military Bases
Agreement (MBA) in 1991. The arrival of US troops in
the country in full battle gear is an obvious parade
of US military might.

As a church people’s organization, the KASIMBAYAN’s
commitment to expose and oppose unequal treaties and
agreements that manifest foreign control and
domination has prompted us to criticize and reject the
draft Mutual Logistics and Support Arrangement (MLSA)
together with the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),
the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and other US-imposed
agreements that must be abrogated.

Out with the US troops now !!!
February 4, 2002

Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 21:50:30 -0800
From: Eduardo Capulong <capulong [at] Stanford.EDU>
Subject: FEBRUARY 19: ALL OUT FOR IMMIGRANT AIRPORT WORKERS!

***PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY***

ALL OUT FEBRUARY 19!

DAY OF ACTION AT ALL BAY AREA AIRPORTS TO CALL FOR:

JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANT AIRPORT WORKERS, SAFETY FOR PASSENGERS!

Immigrant baggage screeners are not to blame for 9/11. Yet thousands of
them stand to lose their jobs because of a post-9/11 federal law that
requires all screeners to be U.S. citizens. In the Bay Area, 1,200 mostly
Filipino workers face termination.

Join hundreds of workers, allies and supporters at simultaneous rallies and
press conferences February 19, the day the federal government takes over
airport security. Protest this racist law and draw the line on the attacks
on all immigrants and our civil rights and liberties post-9/11! Call for
the retention of all immigrant airport workers here and across the country!

SIMULTANEOUS RALLIES & PRESS CONFERENCES:

SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT, 12-2 PM, Old International (Central) Terminal,
Domestic Departure Area
OAKLAND AIRPORT, 12-2 PM, Terminal 1 & 2
SAN JOSE AIRPORT, 12-2 PM, Terminal A & C

For information, call Daz Lamparas, 415/575-1740 x.116 (SF), Kawal Ulanday,
510/465-9876 x.01 (Oakland), or Pablo Romero, 415/820-1557 (San Jose).

*Join us at a general organizing meeting this Monday, February 11, 2002,
7:00-8:30 PM, at the SEIU Local 790 offices, 1390 Market (corner 9th St.),
11th floor, San Francisco, to finalize plans for these events.

In solidarity: Service Employees International Union Local 790, Filipinos
for Affirmative Action, Philip Vera Cruz Justice Project, Committee for
Human Rights in the Philippines, Filipino Workers Association,
International Socialist Organization, San Francisco Labor Executive
Council, Labor Immigrant Organizing Network, Arab American
Anti-Discrimination Committee, INS Watch, La Raza Centro Legal, Filipino
Bar Assoc. of No. CA, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 2,
Services, Immigrants and Education Network, Ray Quan, SEIU 790, Jack
Heyman, International Longshore and Warehouse Workers Union Local 10, Labor
for Peace and Justice, Town Hall Committee Against War and Hate, Left
Party, Global Exchange, Incite, Stanford Labor Action Coalition, Socialist
Workers Party, International Action Center, Workers World Party, Filipinos
for Global Justice Not War, SOMA Community Action Network, API Coalition
Against War, Anakbayan, First Quarter Storm.

Letter to the Editor
San Francisco Chronicle
February 8, 2002
REBUTTAL OF F. SIONIL JOSE’S RED-BAITING
Dear Editor,
Last February 5, 2002, several scores of Filipinos and Americans
demonstrated in front of the Philippine Consulate to remember the 103rd
anniversary of the start of the nearly forgotten Filipino-American War.
The bloody and shameful war of re-colonization saw nearly 1.4 million
Filipinos and Moros perish in the hands of US troops from 1899 – 1916.
The protesters also denounced Philippine President Macapagal-Arroyo’s
policy to allow US combat troops into the Philippines, because it is
not
an infringement of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
but also a blatant violation of the country’s constitution, which
disallows foreign military troops and bases unless provided in a
treaty.
The fact is none of the treaties and agreements between the US and the
Philippines, whether the Mutual Defense Treaty or the Visiting Forces
Agreement lawfully allows the re-entry of US military forces.
The excuse provided for the US troops is that they are there to help
quell the terrorist Abu Sayyaf. What the public is largely unaware of
is
that the CIA and the Philippine military helped to create the Abu
Sayyaf
group as a way to split the Moro insurgency from within. When the Moro
National Liberation Front surrendered to the Manila government in 1996,
both sponsors abandoned the ASG to its own devices and it turned to
banditry and kidnapping in a big way.
It is not surprising that more than 7,000 Filipino soldiers cannot seem
to quell these terrorists numbering no more than 100 encircled in an
area
no bigger than Los Angeles. Fr. Cirilo Nacorda—a Filipino priest twice
held hostage by the ASG—and many residents of Basilan attest to the
active connivance between the local military commanders, local
politicians and the Abu Sayyaf. The Macapagal-Arroyo administration has
chosen to whitewash the investigation into rampant military and police
corruption. Instead, Macapagal-Arroyo has opted to bring back the US
military.
However, far from abating rising criminality, the introduction of US
forces will only complicate an already explosive mix. The Green Berets,
Navy SEALs and Special Forces will be brought into actual combat areas
and allowed to fire live ammunition "in self defense." Worse, Defense
Secretary Gen. Angelo Reyes has stated that, "after the Abu Sayyaf, the
New People’s Army is next." The protesters are rightly concerned that
this US intervention in internal Philippine matters will merely serve
as
a dangerous tripwire for a ever-widening war of US aggression similar
to
what happened in Vietnam some 30-40 years ago.
Finally, the demonstrators demanded that the US government and the city
of San Francisco take down the Union Square "Victory" Monument because
it
celebrates the dispatch of US troops to re-colonize the Philippines
after
Filipinos already wrested control from their Spanish colonial rulers at
the turn of the century. The protesters saw it as a "monumental insult"
to Filipinos.
F. Sionil Jose who yesterday commented on the protest disparages
Filipino
nationalists when he dismisses the protesters simply "as
communist-inspired or alienated from reality." He needs to do better
than
employ the worn-out, red-baiting antics reminiscent of Dictator Marcos.
The fact is a survey conducted by Ibon Databank in the Philippines last
November-December 2001 reveals that a majority of Filipinos are opposed
to the introduction of US troops into the volatile political situation
in
the Philippines.
In recent weeks, growing numbers of Filipinos coming from all walks of
life—from youth, women, indigenous people, church people, laborers,
farmers, environmentalists, and even government officials—have come
forward as they have in 1991 (when the bases were forced out). This
time,
they are clamoring for the immediate removal of the US troops. Those
who
question the validity and legality of the US troop deployment, in fact,
not only include opposition and administration solons, but also Vice
President Teofisto Guingona himself.
He also insults the overseas Filipinos and Americans who see through
the
Bush Doctrine of open-ended, unlimited war as being nothing more than a
terrorist ploy to perpetuate its domination of countries like the
Philippines.
Genuine peace will be at hand when the US superpower stops meddling and
plotting to make a full military comeback and respects the right to
self-determination of the Filipino and Moro peoples.

Mario Santos
BAYAN (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan) Bay Area
_________________________________________________________________
FILIPINO PROTESTERS
Editor – While visiting San Francisco I watched, on TV, a demonstration
before the Philippine Consulate on Sutter Street. The demonstrators,
perhaps Filipino Americans or Filipinos, were shouting the same tired
slogans about imperialism and demanding withdrawal of the few American
troops in the Philippines to help the government fight the terrorist
network Abu Sayyaf.
The American troops are in the Philippines at the behest of President
Gloria Macagapal Arroyo to train our army in anti-terrorist tactics and
provide our military with the latest military hardware. Their presence
is
approved by the majority of Filipinos. Those demonstrators at Sutter
were
either Communist-inspired or alienated from Philippine reality.
We know that there will be no development in Mindanao until the Abu
Sayyaf is destroyed and the Moro problem can be resolved peacefully.
To paraphrase our national hero Jose Rizal, the fight for Philippine
freedom is not in the United States but in the Philippines.

F. SIONIL JOSE
Manila

OUT NOW! launched


Nationalists vow aggressive education campaign vs. US military presence in RP


By Alfred A. Araya Jr.

http://www.CyberDyaryo.com

Friday, 8 February 2002




"It is not sufficient that we, who have long worked [against US intervention], be the ones again to rise up and be active. The challenge to us [now] is how we strengthen our ranks and get the support of the majority of the people," said Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Liza Maza, at a gathering that included activists who were veterans of both the campaigns against extending the lease of US military bases in 1991 and passage of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) in 1999. The event was the launch of OUT NOW! (Out With US Troops Now!), the newest multi-sectoral alliance formed to oppose the Balikatan joint military exercises. It was held at the Balay Kalinaw of the University of the Philippines in Diliman on Wednesday, February 6.


The launch, which was marked by nationalist statements, pep talks and impromptu chanting (Hey, hey, ho, ho/ US forces got to go!), took place amid apparent public support for US involvement in the Philippines’ own campaign against domestic terrorism.


According to a Social Weather Station survey, 84 percent of the population approves of availing of US assistance in handling the Abu Sayyaf Group. The survey, however, was done in November of last year, before details of the Balikatan joint military exercises were finalized and publicized.


Maza maintained that this "support" is "because the issues surrounding the Balikatan are not yet clear" to the Filipino people. That is why it is important for progressive groups to apply "all possible means to raise the awareness of the people," Maza added.


‘Statement of Unity’


The alliance's "statement of unity" was signed by more than 50 individuals from the religious sector, the legal profession, the movie industry, the academe, the labor sector, and activists who participated in the anti-US bases and anti-VFA campaigns.


Among them are Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, Sr., Iba, Zambales Bishop and vice chairperson of the Episcopal Commission on Ecumenical Affairs of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines; Sister Mary John Mananzan, OSB, Gabriela chairperson; Bayan Muna representatives Satur Ocampo, Crispin Beltran, and Liza Maza; Capt. Danilo Vizmanos PN (ret.), writer Pete Lacaba, Professor Bienvenido Lumbera, former labor undersecretary Amado Gat Inciong, and former senator and congressman Wigberto Tañada.

Tañada is a convenor of Gathering for Peace, another recently formed multi-sectoral coalition opposed to the return of US troops in the country. Maria Socorro Diokno, Chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), and a co-convenor of Gathering for Peace, was present at the OUT NOW! launching.


Lawyer Arthur Lim, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, who filed a taxpayer's suit before the Supreme Court seeking a temporary restraining order to stop Balikatan, was also a signatory.


Also part of OUT NOW! are an initial 54 people's organizations led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), as well as additional sectoral and regional alliances in Central Luzon, Baguio, Davao, Negros, Cebu, Cagayan de Oro.


"We need to show and explain that the sovereignty of the nation is important [and] that the presence of US troops in the country has adverse effects," said National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP) national president Cristina Palabay who presented the alliance's future plans.

In its "statement of unity" read by Sr. Mananzan, GABRIELA chairperson and president of St. Scholastica's College, the alliance raised questions on the Balikatan's conduct, purpose and legality. It called for the suspension of Balikatan pending the resolution of the issues, and the withdrawal of US troops.


Not military exercises, more like joint combat operations


"Activities under Balikatan 02-1 are not military exercises but more in the nature of joint combat operations. American troops will stay for prolonged periods, will participate in military operations and may even engage in unilateral actions, including firing back when provoked," the alliance said.


It charged that the joint RP-US military training exercise "was secretly planned and executed, with normal procedures and protocols short-circuited or out rightly ignored." Balikatan was formally opened Jan.31 without definite "terms of reference (TOR)."


It urged the President to release the TOR which should contain the do's and don’t’s of the military war games. "In particular, we want to know the role of US forces in such exercises."


The alliance warned that the involvement of the US troops threatens to "escalate, complicate, and bring to the international arena what is essentially an internal police problem."


The Arroyo government has pushed for the Balikatan 02-1 military exercises, which will be held in Zamboanga and Basilan. It will involve more than 600 US troops who will provide training for Filipino soldiers to hunt down the Abu Sayyaf. The President has said the training exercises are provided under the Constitution and the under the VFA. She has repeatedly emphasized that the US soldiers will not engage in combat.


During the launch, the speakers said they were vindicated on the necessity for the progressive forces to oppose the ratification of the VFA in 1999. It appeared that the VFA opened the door for US troops to return to the country after they were kicked out in 1991.


A nightmare that became a reality


According to Reynaldo Lesaca, spokesperson of the Junk the VFA Movement, Balikatan is the "nightmare [during the anti-VFA campaign] that became a reality."


What is more "worrisome," he said is the argument used by President Arroyo that the entry of US troops in the country will mean be the end of the Abu Sayyaf. Apparently, this is okay with Filipinos. It's like pointing out that "security is more important than sovereignty."


"Why do we have to let them (US troops) do our soldiers' job?" Diokno asked in her talk. "Why do we have to put in the hands of American soldiers the security of our country?"


Touching on the nationalist bent of Filipinos, she said, "Tila wala na po tayong pag-galang sa ating mga sarili. Tila di na po natin pinangangalagaan ang ating pagiging Pilipino (It is as if we have no more self-respect. It is as if it no longer means anything to be Filipino)."


What to do now? Reporting on future actions of OUT NOW!, Palabay emphasized the need for a nationwide education campaign to offset the "different ways" used by government to sanitize ("pabanguhin") the entry of US soldiers.


Civil society groups nationwide are encouraged to form local chapters of OUT NOW!

A "special project" to form and launch an OUT NOW! chapter in Basilan is being worked on to show that residents are opposed to the holding of the military exercises in their area.


Plans for a "big mobilization," against the US troops are already underway for the commemoration of the People Power I anniversary on Feb.25, Palabay disclosed.


Individual advocacy efforts


During the launch, representatives of sectors reported updates on their individual advocacy efforts as well as future plans.


Catholic priest Fr. Allan Jose Arcebuche OFM, spokesperson of the church-based Promotion of Church People's Response, said Cry OUT NOW! (Church People Cry: Out with US Troops Now!), an ecumenical formation of church people, including bishops, members of the clergy, and lay leaders from Protestant and Catholic churches opposed to the entry of US troops in the country was launched on Feb. 4.


Aside from its education drive among church people on the Balikatan issue, the group is also launching a signature campaign calling for the immediate pullout of US troops, and an investigation of the alleged collusion of military officials, local politicians and the Abu Sayyaf. Chapters of Cry OUT NOW will be organized in local churches nationwide.


Another church-based group composed of heads of women's organizations belonging to the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, called Ecumenical Women's Forum will celebrate International Women's Day on March 8 with a protest march towards the US embassy carrying the theme, "Ecumenical Church Women Say No to US Troops," said Carmencita Peralta-Karagdag, representative of the group.


Emmy de Jesus of GABRIELA, said the first convenors' meeting of the "Women Say Out Now!" composed of women church workers, environmentalists, professionals, Muslims, educators, and victims of prostitution, would be held Feb. 7 to map out plans for the mobilization on March 8.


The medical sector came up with its own organization, RX: US Troops Out, which plans to conduct fora and education campaigns in medical schools, said Dr. Reynaldo Lesaca, president of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD).


Manny Sarmiento of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) said the formation of a new workers' group opposed to Balikatan called Alliance of Labor Against American Intervention is already in the works.


The youth group, Anti-Imperialist Movement of the Youth (AIM), has already been formed, said its spokesperson UP student councilor Rommel Romatu who also reported that KALASAG (Kabataan Laban sa Agresyon at Giyera), another youth group composed of representatives of five universities in Manila was launched Feb.5.


UP-CURE, a UP-based group composed of students, teachers, and personnel who campaigned last year for the ouster of President Estrada, was revived into a new alliance called UP Rage Against US Aggression. CyberDyaryo

New alliance of gov’t workers formed against presence of US troops

By RHODINA VILLANUEVA, Reporter
TODAY
February 8, 2002 12:01:00 PM
A BROAD alliance of government employees yesterday said it might be
forced into paralyzing operations of government agencies if the present
administration will not heed its call to pull out United States
military
troops in the country.
RAGE, or Rise All Government Employees alliance, also pointed out that
it
will launch simultaneous mass actions to pressure the government into
putting an end to the ongoing US military exercises in the territory.
Ferdinand Gaite, RAGE convenor and national president of the
Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government
Employee (COURAGE), said that members of courage and other allied
organizations are ready to make sacrifices to send signals to the
Arroyo
administration that they will not tolerate the US military activities
in
the country.
"We will try to avail ourselves of what we call union leaves and even
petition the management to recognize our rights to air grievances,"
Gaite
said.
RAGE noted that President Arroyo has violated the Constitution and
Republic Act 6714, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public
Officials and Employees, for her alleged unbridled puppetry to the US.
"She [Arroyo] has violated the check-and-balance in governance. She has
become a negative example of public service, good governance and
patriotism. Her invitation for the US military exercises here removed
all
the masks of her pretense as a Filipino," the alliance’s statement
read.
COURAGE noted that nationally coordinated actions, which are expected
to
mobilize more than 300,000 protesters, will take place. On February 14,
Gaite said the alliance will stage a protest action in Malacañang, and
on
the 25th a bigger rally is set to commemorate the EDSA 1 revolt.
Gaite added that besides the rank-and-file employees, they have also
been
successful in tapping middle managers to participate in the planned
activities.
RAGE is a broad alliance of government employees from national
government
agencies, government-owned-and-controlled corporations, local
government
units, the judiciary and legislative branch of the government and local
officials, who are protesting US intervention and demanding the
immediate
pullout of the US military troops. •

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 9, 2002



BAYAN REBUTTS ARROYO ON US TROOPS


The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today rebuffed President Arroyo’s remarks that branded as “not Filipino” and “coddlers of terrorists” oppositors to the Balikatan war exercise and US intervention. The group called it “a case of a fly feeling taller than the carabao.”

Bayan Spokesperson Renato M. Reyes Jr. said that “Arroyo is only fooling herself if she believes that talking tough like Bush would make her get away with bloody murder. Mimicking Bush does not make her correct; it makes her stand out as a mindless US puppet.”

“Rather, her statements are examples of Arroyo’s high pro-Imperialist Quotient, her desperation to please Uncle Sam and her contempt to the intelligence of the people.”

Reyes said that “Arroyo seems to be under extreme pressure from the White House due to her failure in convincing the entire government and the public on US intervention and the Balikatan.”

“Acting like a true-blue pro-US rah-rah girl who will do and say anything that will please her boss, Arroyo resorts to such antics because she knows that her government is expendable. If she cannot let in the US troops, Uncle Sam may get another president who can do the job,” said Reyes.

Reyes said that “Arroyo is talking tough in line with her grand dream of ensuring lasting US support for her government as well as for her electoral campaign in 2004.”

Parodying Mrs. Arroyo, the Bayan leader said that: “You are not Filipino if you have no confidence in the Filipino's capability to defeat the Abu Sayyaf. You are not Filipino if you always depend on the US in crushing terrorism and every other local problem.
You are not Filipino if you do not consider as violations of Philippine sovereignty the US intervention and the Balikatan.”

Reyes bewailed that “it is a national shame to have such an arrogant president whose extra-closeness to the AFP has blinded her eyes to the unabated conspiracy between high military officials and the Abu Sayyaf. The people know that Arroyo has miserably failed to stop the collusion and for this we have to suffer the violation of sovereignty. Her government’s failure has become a pretext for US intervention and now she uses fallacious statements to cover it all up.” ###





----------------------------------------------
BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN
[BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance]
Office: 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
Quezon City, Philippines 1101
Tel. Nos. [632] 4359151, 9225211
Telefax Nos. [632] 9225211
Email: bayan [at] pilnet.com
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/bayanorg/

Volume 2, Number 1
February 10 - 16, 2002
Quezon City, Philippines

President Arroyo Should Go Back to School' --- UP RAGE

A new UP-based alliance against the Balikatan 02-1 urges President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to relearn and unlearn the country’s history of US-RP military relations. If she does not, then she will learn her lesson the hard way.

BY BULATLAT.COM

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should go back to the University of the Philippines (UP) to relearn and unlearn the complexity of Philippine society.

In a press conference last February 9, the newly formed alliance UP Rage Against US Aggression (UP RAGE) issued this call as President Arroyo branded those who are against the Balikatan 02-1 military exercise as “protectors of terrorists, partners of murderers and lovers of the bandit group Abu Sayyaf.”

“It is unfortunate that President Arroyo, a former UP economics professor, is not fully aware of the long history of US aggression,” UP RAGE member Danilo Arao (UP Journalism Department) said. “This could explain why she sees the US as a friendly country instead of a dangerous enemy.”

He stressed that at present, the choice is not between US military support and the Abu Sayyaf. “One only needs to look at the past to realize that both have wreaked havoc on the people’s lives and livelihood,” he said.

UP RAGE convenor Dr. Roland Tolentino (UP Film Department) said that the President’s adventurism “has placed the country in treacherous waters.” He denounced the prevailing culture of mendicancy, which he said “provokes the acceptance of a culture of war and aggression, colonial mentality and maldevelopment.”

Another UP RAGE convenor, Rommel Romato (UP Student Council) explained, “If President Arroyo refuses to understand the lessons of the past, then she will learn her lesson the hard way as anti-Balikatan protests escalate in the coming days.”

UP RAGE reminded President Arroyo that UP students, faculty, research and extension personnel (REPS), employees and alumni were part of the movement against the stay of the US military bases in the country which culminated in the historic Senate voting against the extension of the 1947 Military Bases Agreement (MBA) on September 16, 1991.

The new UP alliance also argued that its current members and supporters also “campaigned against the Visiting Forces Agreement which the Senate unfortunately ratified on May 27, 1999. Our collective rage echoed not only within the UP campus but also in the streets leading to the Philippine Senate.”

Consistent with past actions, UP students, faculty, REPS, employees and alumni have also declared their commitment to continue the fight against US aggression in the country by opposing Balikatan 02-1.

In its founding assembly last February 5, UP RAGE declared: “We oppose Balikatan 02-1 since the more than 600 American troops and thousands of Filipino soldiers will use live ammunition in Mindanao, an actual combat zone. Balikatan 02-1 has real targets: the Abu Sayyaf and other groups labeled as “terrorists” by the United States.”

UP RAGE also said that the Balikatan is “an external military aggression and a violation of Philippine sovereignty. It is an intervention into the internal affairs of the country.”

The convenors of this newly formed alliance are Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera (Arts and Letters), Dr. Mel Luna (Social Work and Community Development), Dr. Roland Tolentino (Mass Communication), Rommel Romato (UP Student Council), JPaul Manzanilla (Student Regent) and Clodualdo Cabrera (All-UP Workers Union). Bulatlat.com

News Release No. 1
February 14, 2002



Unsigned “Terms of reference” a slur on the nation,
contains poisonous provisions Bayan


As its partners in the broad OUT NOW! alliance staged rallies in Mendiola, the US Embassy and in Davao City, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today questioned the “legality, binding character and poisonous provisions” of the Terms of Reference reportedly approved yesterday by US and Philippine officials.

Bayan Spokesperson Renato M. Reyes Jr. said “only the minutes of Vice President Teofisto Guingona’s meeting with a functionary of the US State Department were approved with the TOR relegated to a mere appendix.”

“Would this be binding on both parties? Is this not an insult to our sovereignty? Does this not open the floodgates to misinterpretations by the US troops?” asked Reyes.

Reyes said that Part A Number 8 of the TOR “gives US troops a blanket authority to fire when they see fit and under the pretext of self-defense.”

“This provision has the terrifying vagueness that may be given a different meaning by US troops. This might render useless assurances that they will not fight members of the Moro and Communist armed revolutionary movements,” said Reyes.

“Besides, the TOR and statements issued by Philippine government officials have admitted that the Balikatan will use the Abu Sayyaf as live and legitimate targets without any formal treaty or agreement governing it and in direct violation of sovereignty,” he said.


Other way out


Bayan, Junk VFA Movement and OUT NOW! are batting a “solution to the Abu Sayyaf problem without resorting to US military intervention.”

Reyes said that “the most important step is being missed and glossed over by Malacañang. This is putting a stop to the collusion between the Abu Sayyaf and certain military and civilian officials who cash in on ransom payments and have allowed the bandits to break free from repeated encirclements.”

“Unfortunately, the puppet character of the Arroyo government has taken precendence over the resolution of this festering problem of collusion,” said Reyes. ###







----------------------------------------------
BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN
[BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance]
Office: 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village
Quezon City, Philippines 1101
Tel. Nos. [632] 4359151, 9225211
Telefax Nos. [632] 9225211
Email: bayan [at] pilnet.com
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/bayanorg/

FROM: OUT NOW!
(Out With US Troops Now!)
outnow [at] edsamail.com.ph


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2002




Broad alliance marks Feb. 14 with patriotic protests
“Love of country is absent in Arroyo who has Uncle Sam for a date”


The broad US Forces Out Now! (OUT NOW!) alliance marked Valentines Day today with rallies from morning to afternoon in front of the US Embassy and Mendiola in Manila and a big mass demonstration in Davao City.

“President Arroyo should be ashamed in having Uncle Sam as her six-month date for Balikatan,” said retired Navy Capt. Danilo Vizmanos, convenor of OUT NOW!

“Unfortunately, under Arroyo, love of country has been twisted into obeisance to US intervention. Tomorrow is a good day to make the country remember that Arroyo has no right to insult the long history of patriotism best exhibited by our ancestors’ heroic struggle against colonial rule,” said Vizmanos.

Formed on Feb. 6, OUT NOW! is composed of over 67 personalities, 56 people’s organizations, four sectoral alliances and two regional formations all fighting the Balikatan exercise and US intervention.


Schedule of actions


At 9:00 am, various groups gathered at Kowloon Restaurant in West Ave., Quezon City for the formation of Alyansang Nagtatanggol sa Inang Bayan (ANIB) to be composed of workers.

At 10:00 am, artists, writers and cultural led by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) showcased their talents and views against the Balikatan and US intervention in a colorful march from T. M. Kalaw cor. Taft Avenue to the US Embassy.

Peasant and fisherfolk from the Solidarity of Peasants Against US Intervention (STOP) staged their own rally in front of the US Embassy at 1:00 pm.

At Mendiola, the Rise All Government Employees Against US Intervention (RAGE) also staged a 1:00 pm demonstration.

In Davao City, the newly-formed OUT OF MINDANOW! alliance of Mindanao-based personalities and people’s organizations led 5,000 people in a dramatic display of Mindanaoans’ opposition to US presence in the island. ###

N.B. - Please find below the Final terms of reference for Balikatan 02-1 which was signed last February 13 (Wednesday). UP RAGE

Some Points of Reflection:

1. Item A.3 does not state who will shoulder the expenses for the temporary structures to be built in relation to Balikatan 02-1.

2. Item A.4 uses the term authority instead of "command" in reference to the supervision of the AFP chief of staff vis-a-vis the RP-US military exercise. It is even explicit in the last sentence that the US unit commander retains "command" over the US forces "under the authority of the Exercise Co-Directors."

3. Item A.8 implies that US troops can engage in combat operations if they need to defend themselves. "Self-defense" has not been operationalized.


------------------------

(start)

ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES - US PACIFIC
AREA COMMAND BALIKATAN 02-1 HQ
Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines

TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) FOR RP-US EXERCISE BALIKATAN 02-1

A. POLICY LEVEL

1. The Exercise shall be consistent with the Philippine Constitution and all its activities shall be in consonance with the laws of the land and the provisions of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement. (VFA)

2. The conduct of this training Exercise is in accordance with pertinent United Nations’ (UN) resolutions against global terrorism as understood by their respective parties.

3. No permanent US basing and support facilities shall be established. Temporary structures such as those for troop billeting, classroom instructions and messing may be set up for use of RP and US forces during the Exercise.

4. The Exercise shall be implemented jointly by RP and US Exercise Co-instructors under the authority of the Chief of Staff, AFP. In no instance will US Forces operate independently during field training exercises (FTX). AFP and US Unit Commanders will retain command over their respective forces under the overall authority of the Exercise Co-Directors. RP and US participants shall comply with operational instructions of the AFP during the FTX.

5. The Exercise shall be conducted and completed within a period of not more than six months, with the projected participation of 660 US personnel and 3,800 RP forces. The Chief of Staff, AFP, shall direct the Exercise Co-Directors to wind up and terminate the Exercise and other activities within the six months Exercise period.

6. The Exercise is a mutual counter-terrorism advising, assisting and training Exercise relative to Philippine efforts against the ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group), and will be conducted in the island of Basilan. Further advising, assisting and training exercises shall be conducted in Malagutay and the Zamboanga area. Related activities in Cebu will be for the support of the Exercise.

7. Only 160 US troops organized in 12-man Special Forces Teams shall be deployed with AFP field commanders. The US Teams shall remain at the Battalion Headquarters and, when approved, Company Tactical Headquarters where they can observe and assess the performance of the AFP forces.

8. US Exercise participants shall not engage in combat operations, without prejudice to their right of self-defense.

9. These Terms of Reference are for the purposes of this Exercise only and do not create additional legal obligations between the US Government and the Republic of the Philippines.

B.EXERCISE LEVEL

1. TRAINING

a. Exercise shall involve only the conduct of mutual military assisting, advising and training of RP and US forces with the primary objective of enhancing the operational capabilities of both forces to combat terrorism.

b. At no time shall US forces operate independently within RP territory.

c. Flight plans of all aircraft involved in the Exercise shall comply with the local air traffic regulations.

2. ADMINISTRATION AND LOGISTICS

a. RP and US participants shall be given a country and area briefing at the start of the exercise. This briefing shall acquaint US forces on the culture and sensitivities of the Filipinos and provisions of the VFA. The briefing shall also promote the full cooperation on the part of the RP and US participants for the successful conduct of the Exercise.

b. RP and US participating forces may share, in accordance with their respective laws and regulations, in the use of their resources, equipment and other assets. They will use their respective logistics channels.

c. Medical evacuation shall be jointly planned and executed utilizing RP and US assets and resources.

d. Legal liaison officers from each respective party shall be appointed by the Exercise Co-Directors.

3. PUBLIC AFFAIRS

a. Combined RP-US Information Bureaus shall be established at the Exercise Directorate in Zamboanga City and at GHQ, AFP in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

b. Local media relations will be the concern of the AFP and all public affairs guidelines shall be jointly developed by RP and US forces.

c. Socio-Economic Assistance Projects shall be planned and executed jointly by RP and US forces in accordance with their respective laws and regulations, an in consultation with community and local government officials.

(end)

Cal Philippines forum builds OUT NOW! movement in the U.$.

UC BERKELEY—February 13, 2002—The Revolutionary
Anti-Imperialist League (RAIL) hosted a forum on U.$.
terrorism in the Philippines at U.C. Berkeley February
13 with a standing room only crowd of over 60 people.
The event opened with a powerful spoken word piece,
imploring people to get involved in fighting for
humanity. Musical performances by the Filipino
activist band Diskarte Namin interspersed
presentations by speakers from the Maoist
Internationalist Movement (MIM), the Committee for
Human Rights in the Philippines (CHRP) and BAYAN-Bay
Area. This important forum kicked off a growing
movement on campus opposed to u.s. imperialism in the
Philippines. Students expressed their resolve to build
an educational and activist presence in the Cal
community in solidarity with the struggles of the
Filipino people for self-determination.

The speaker from MIM opened up the forum by pointing
out that the 600 u.s. troops deployed and $100 million
in military aid the u.s. promised the Philippines in
January are just the latest round of u.s. occupation
of that country. The pretext for this invasion is the
so-called war on terrorism so the speaker provided
some global context by offering the united states'
definition of terrorism which includes, "The use of
biological agents, chemical agents or nuclear weapons
or devices or use of explosive or firearm, with intent
to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one
or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to
property." Clearly this definition is so vague it can
be used to justify anything. The speaker went on to
argue that in fact the united states falls squarely
under its own definition as a terrorist, offering as
evidence the blockade of food and medicine to Iraq,
killing half a million or more children just to affect
political leadership.

Offering more global context, the MIM speaker went on
to define the various forms of involvement in other
countries employed by the united states. This includes
both direct colonialism and indirect colonialism or
neo-colonialism. Examples ranged from supporting the
overthrow of democratically elected governments, to
financing and arming militias to undermine popularly
elected governments, to direct military aggression, to
arming and financing puppet governments. We call this
military and economic involvement in other countries,
imperialism—the stage of capitalism characterized by
colonialism and monopoly corporations and the export
of capital abroad for higher profits. Being a good
capitalist corporation means bringing home lots of
profits by setting up shop in countries where wages
are very low, there are no labor laws, no
environmental regulations and natural resources are
there for the taking.

The MIM speaker pointed out that the standard of
living in the united states is significantly higher
than in the Third World because of all these profits
brought home. But MIM believes that all peoples of the
world should be equal. This is called
internationalism. Internationalism is opposed to
racism and national chauvinism. Internationalism is
why we in this country, who benefit from the
exploitation and oppression of people around the
world, have a responsibility to support the just
struggles of peoples around the world for
self-determination. The MIM speaker implored the
audience to think about how they could be
internationalists while listening to the subsequent
presentations on the situation in the Philippines.

Speakers from CHRP outlined the reasons for the u.s.
involvement in the Philippines and the people’s
resistance movement to this colonialism. One speaker
discussed the wealth of natural resources, workers and
military positioning that makes the Philippines
desirable. She also addressed the long history of
lackey governments which signed treaties giving the
u.s. rights to occupy Filipino land and further u.s.
interests. The result of these treaties has been
immense poverty in the Philippines.

The CHRP speakers discussed the National Democratic
movement in the Philippines which is seeking agrarian
reforms, national industrialization, liberation from
foreign domination and changes in leadership in the
government. As the BAYAN speaker pointed out, this is
a protracted struggle, it began 100 years ago and is a
fight for self-determination.

This latest invasion under the pretext of fighting
terrorism is just an excuse to attack the people’s
resistance movement. A CHRP speaker described a
meeting with a member of the Filipino government in
July of 2001 when he admitted the Abu Sayyaf is small
and insignificant. As the BAYAN speaker pointed out,
the u.s. military is not needed to fight 60 bandits.
The only reason this Abu Sayyaf gang has not yet been
defeated is that the corrupt politicians are in
cahoots with them, splitting ransom money from
kidnappings.
There has been a strong response to the recent
invasion of u.s. troops in the Philippines. As one
CHRP speaker explained, the National Democratic
movement includes groups for a broad range of sectors
including churches, scientists, labor, peasants,
youth, and many other people. On January 18th, these
groups organized a lightening rally in Manila to
oppose the u.s. troops in the Philippines.

Since then, a broad new alliance has formed to fight
the latest u.s. invasion. This alliance is called OUT
NOW!. According to a BAYAN press release, "OUT NOW!
comprises about 75 prominent individuals, 54 people's
organizations, three regional coalitions and three
sectoral alliances, making it the biggest assembly of
groups and individuals fighting US military
intervention in Philippine affairs."

As all the speakers stressed, the situation in the
Philippines is urgent. People are dying because of
u.s. imperialism. And this latest invasion could turn
into an outright war of aggression. A war fought
against the people of the Philippines who are
demanding their right to peace, food, shelter,
medicine, education, national culture, territorial
autonomy, and self-determination. The people should
have a right to take up arms in self-defense, and this
is what they have done. The people’s movement in the
Philippines represents the interests of more than 90%
of the people, and it is successful and growing.

We in the united states have a responsibility to
demand that the united states end its imperialist
chokehold on the Philippines.

A Call for Solidarity and Support from Friends Abroad On the Campaign vs. US troops in the Philippines


ANAKBAYAN, or the Sons and Daughters of the People, in
the Philippines is calling for solidarity abroad for
its campaign against the presence and operations of US
troops in the country.

US troops are on Philippine soil!

The Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo regime allowed the
deployment of 660 US troops in the Philippines in the
guise of its support for the United States’ war
against terror. The Philippine government, according
to President Arroyo, should accept the military
assistance extended by US President George Bush so
that it could wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, a supposed
section of the Al Quada network of Osama Bin Laden.

The 660 US troops include 160 US Special Forces that
are here allegedly to conduct joint military exercises
under the Balikatan 02-1, so that the Filipino
soldiers could be trained and finally be capable of
defeating the Abu Sayyaf.

Defense Secretary General Angelo Reyes disclosed that
the military exercises would be conducted in combat
areas, like in Zamboanga and Basilan where the Abu
Sayyaf operate. The US troops, according to Reyes,
will join government military operations only as
advisers and not as combatants. Reyes however
admitted that the US troops could fire in
‘self-defense’.

Alongside the entry of the US troops is the signing of
the Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA)
between the AFP Chief-of-Staff and the
Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Command. The
MLSA provides for logistics support, including basing
operations of US military personnel in the
Philippines.


The entry of US troops in the Philippines is an
affront to our sovereignty!

The entry of 660 US troops is a clear attack on the
Philippines’ sovereignty and the Filipino people’s
dignity. It violates Section 25 of Article XVIII of
the Philippine Constitution, as it states, “After the
expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the
Republic of the Philippines and the United States of
America concerning Military Bases, foreign military
bases, troops or facilities shall not be allowed in
the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred
in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires,
ratified by a majority of the voted cast by the people
in a national referendum held for that purpose, and
recognized as a treaty by the contracting State.”

More so, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), though
ratified by the Philippine Senate, could not be used
as a legal basis for the so-called ‘military
exercises’ since it is only considered as an executive
agreement by the US government.

The US military’s participation in the operations
against the Abu Sayyaf is basically US intervention in
Philippines’ internal affairs. With the 6-month to
one-year duration of the ‘military exercises,’ the US
troops’ presence actually requires military bases.
The mere presence and magnitude of US military
personnel and facilities in the Philippines already
pose an aggression in the Philippines.


The Filipino people do not want another Vietnam!

The Filipino youth fought against the Vietnam War in
the 60’s and the US Military Bases in the 80’s until
their removal in 1991; and we vow to continue the long
history of the Filipino youth’s anti-US imperialist
tradition.

The deployment of US troops in the Philippines is
clearly an act of aggression and serves only the
interest of US imperialism in its strategic
geo-political positioning in the South-East Asian
region and in the world. We could never allow the
Philippines to be used as the US staging ground for
its wars of aggressions on other nations.

The Filipino youth is one of the most active sectors
in the Philippines resisting the entry and prolonged
stay of the US troops. ANAKBAYAN has led several
militant protest actions at the US Embassy and in
front of the Presidential Palace (Malacañang) in
Manila. Almost everyday, the Filipino youth could be
seen in the streets in protest of the US troops’
presence in the Philippines. In fact, the youth’s
actions (what we call, lightning rallies) in front of
Malacañang are always met with violent dispersals by
the police. Youth protesters would be arrested, but
soon more youth would storm the police headquarters to
call for the release of their colleagues.

ANAK0BAYAN is now spearheading series of educational
discussions, forum and other active propaganda
education in schools and communities to develop the
campaign against the US troops into a higher level.
ANAKBAYAN regards education and raising of an
anti-imperialist consciousness among the youth as
important components for a solid and sustained
campaign.

ANAKBAYAN is also involved in the formation of the
Anti-Imperialist Movement of the Youth or the AIM of
the YOUTH, a nationwide alliance spearheading the
anti-US troops' campaign among the youth. ANAKBAYAN
would also like to initiate a fact-finding mission in
Zamboanga to follow a line of investigation on the
activities of the US troops designated there.


We ask for your solidarity and support

ANAKBAYAN encourages youth groups abroad to launch
solidarity actions at the Philippine Embassy or/and
the US Embassy in your locality. Your group could
synchronize your protest-actions with major
mobilizations set here in the Philippines.

February 22 – Launching of AIM OF THE YOUTH / Torch
Parade to US Embassy
February 25 – Anti-Imperialist People’s Mobilization
March 17 – International Day of Action against the US
Troops in the Philippines

ANAKBAYAN would also like to request your
organization’s solidarity message for our campaign
here. You could send your messages to
anakbayan [at] mailcity.com. You could also write letters
to Malacañang and the US Embassy here in the
Philippines.

ANAKBAYAN would also like to seek financial support
for our sustained campaign and day-to-day operations.
Please inform us through anakbayan@mailcity if you are
willing to do a bank transaction to send your support.
We hope that you could consider our difficult
situation and the urgency of our need in the middle of
this very important campaign against the US troops.


US Troops out of the Philippines!
Uphold national sovereignty!
No to the return of US military bases in the
Philippines!
Fight US military intervention!


The National Executive Committee
February 14, 2002

MARIE HILAO-ENRIQUEZ
9 February 2002



President Arroyo's silly tirades against the Balikatan protesters is an act of desperation


President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is at it again. In an incredible
display
of audacity and impudence, she says the people's organizations and
patriotic individuals protesting the ongoing Balikatan exercises cannot
call themselves "Filipinos." She lashes out at those opposed to US
military
intervention, calling us "cohorts of murderers."

This recent tirade of President Arroyo is a new high in absurdity for
her.
It further exposes her utter desperation to defend US imperialist
aggression in the country amidst raging mass protests nationwide.
Having
clearly run out of arguments to justify her barefaced complicity with
US
wars of aggression, she has resorted to silly demagoguery and
name-calling.

Yet calling us "terrorists" can never erase the validity of the
arguments
we raise against Balikatan and the US military presence in the country.
Branding our protests "un-Filipino" will not negate the facts: that
Arroyo's consent to the US military "exercises" in Mindanao and
elsewhere
is an obvious affront to the Constitution and tramples upon our
sovereignty
as a nation. Arroyo's use of McCarthyist rhetoric in a frantic effort
to
discredit us cannot undo the enormous social costs throughout history
of
having the US military troops in the Philippines.

As a matter of fact, it is the AFP and the US military who have been
engaging in state-sponsored terrorism in the country and the world. We
strongly urge her to investigate various accounts of human rights
violations by the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Basilan, even
before
US troops came to our shores. We strongly urge Arroyo to study the US
military's bloody historical record of wars and interventions
throughout
the globe. We strongly urge her to reexamine her own militarist
policies
that have been the bane to millions of Filipinos in war-torn Mindanao
and
the rest of the country.

Indeed, the only act that can assuage the intensifying anti-imperialist
sentiments of the people is for President Arroyo to immediately call on
the
pullout of all US military troops in the country. Her harebrained
name-calling, merely exposes to the Filipino people her utter despair
in
defending the indefensible, her truly "un-Filipino" puppetry to US
imperialist interests.###

KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)
NATIONAL OFFICE

Office: 23-D Mabuhay St., Central District
Diliman, Quezon City 1101, PHILIPPINES
Tel. Nos. (+632) 434-1865 / 9267877
E-mail: krptn [at] philonline.com; karapatan [at] edsamail.com.ph

PRESS STATEMENT

February 17, 2002


Bayan reacts to Tiglao statement: Stop redbaiting and being a ‘Denial King’; Answer issues squarely

By Renato M. Reyes, Jr., BAYAN spokesperson


Presidential Spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao has never answered an issue
squarely and insults the public with hysterical denials, wornout
red-baiting tactics and crude deception. He fits the role as Malacañang’s undisputed “Denial King”.


While Malacañang, through Tiglao, continues to deny any plans of having
permanent US bases in the country, their actions show otherwise. They may deny to death and to their hearts’ content the return of permanent US basing in the country but Malacañang and Tiglao owe the public
explanations on the following:

President Arroyo’s permission for US troops access to their former bases in Clark and Subic when the US conducts its military operations in Asia. The US enjoys this exclusive right even in the obvious absence of a treaty. Through this action, it is Tiglao and Arroyo who are insulting the same Senate who rejected the bases treaty in 1991.

The deletion in the final draft of the Balikatan Terms of Reference of a provision in the original draft regarding the “withdrawal of US troops” when the Exercise winds up. By deleting this provision, the TOR grants the US unlimited stay in the country even after the Exercise has been concluded. It now appears the US intends to stay in the country longer than the 6 months exercise period. and Malacañang is all too willing to let them do so.

The existence of the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement (MLSA) as confirmed by US State Department, AFP Chief of Staff Gen Diomedio Villanueva and Philippine Defense Secretary Gen. Angelo Reyes. Only Malacañang, again through Tiglao, denies the MLSA’s existence.


Fifty years of having US military bases did not create a stronger and better AFP. What makes you think that 6 months of US training in Basilan would do the trick?

We challenge Tiglao to stop being hysterical, deceptive and
partial to the use of red-baiting tactics because the public has a right to know the truth. ###


BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN

[BAYAN, New Patriotic Alliance]

Office: 23 Maamo Street, Sikatuna Village

Quezon City, Philippines 1101

Tel. Nos. [632] 4359151, 9225211

Telefax Nos. [632] 9225211

Email: bayan [at] pilnet.com

Webpage:
http://www.geocities.com/bayanorg/>http://www.geocities.com/bayanorg/

Press Statement-BAYAN
Wednesday, 20 February 2002

US troops here to stay. Important provision deleted in final Terms of Reference (TOR)

US troops are here to stay even after the Balikatan has been completed.
This was revealed today by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) as it
presented to media its study of the new Balikatan Terms of Reference
(TOR) that shows, among others, the deletion from the original draft of
an important provision mandating the swift withdrawal of forces when
the
war exercise winds up.
It also warned against an "escalation of conflict, with an expanded war
against other ‘enemies’ of the US and Philippine governments possibly
swallowing the whole of Mindanao and the entire country."
According to BAYAN, the original draft of the TOR released by Vice
President Teofisto Guingona had a provision stating:

"The Exercise shall be conducted and completed within a period of not
more than six months, with the projected participation of 660 US
personnel and 3,800 Philippine forces. The Chief of Staff, AFP, shall
direct the Exercise Co-Directors to wind up the Exercise and other
activities and the withdrawal of US forces within the six months
Exercise
period."
In the final draft, the entire phrase regarding the withdrawal of US
troops was deleted.
It now reads: "The Chief of Staff, AFP, shall direct the Exercise
Co-Directors to wind up and terminate the Exercise and other activities
within the six months Exercise period."
"Why was this important section deleted in the final TOR? Does this
mean
that the US troops can stay in the country even after the Balikatan’s
completion? If so, then the Arroyo administration has been lying when
it
said that US troops will be here for only 6 months," remarked BAYAN
spokesperson Renato. M. Reyes, Jr.
BAYAN assailed the new provision of the TOR saying it gives the US
"practically unlimited stay in the country."
According to BAYAN, this is no longer covered even by the Visiting
Forces
Agreement (VFA) which only contemplates the temporary stay of US troops
in the country for the sole reason of joint military exercises.
"Not specifying the withdrawal of US troops means there is a chance for
the US to prolong their stay in the country. Allowing foreign troops to
stay in the country for reasons other than joint military exercises is
a
clear violation of the constitution and even the VFA. This only fuels
our
long suspicion that there is more to this Balikatan than just the Abu
Sayyaf. We have just opened the floodgates for the return of the US
bases
and US military intervention in our internal affairs," Reyes said.
According to BAYAN, President Arroyo is currently contemplating the use
of US troops for other combat operations beyond the Abu Sayyaf. In a
dialogue with Protestant church leaders last week, Arroyo was said to
be
considering the future deployment of US troops in other areas of
conflict.
"It now appears that Arroyo is preparing to escalate the armed conflict
in the country by deploying US troops in other regions where the enemy
is
no longer the Abu Sayyaf. She’s setting the stage for another Vietnam,"
Reyes warned.
The New People’s Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF)
maintain mass bases in Mindanao, with the latter having an active
presence in Basilan and Western Mindanao where US troops are now
present.
The NPA, meanwhile, has been tagged recently by the US State Department
in its "Terrorist Exclusion List."
"An escalation of conflict is highly probable given the deceptive
statements, contrary actions and the US government’s independent
reading
of the Philippine situation."
BAYAN continued its scathing criticism of President Arroyo’s plans of
allowing permanent US military presence in the country through such
schemes as the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and joint
military exercises.
Reyes pointed out that, "Only Arroyo and her sidekick ‘denial king’
Rigoberto Tiglao are denying the existence of an MLSA that is already
confirmed by the US State Department, the US Pacific Command, the AFP
Chief of Staff and the Philippine Secretary of National Defense."
"Arroyo is out to circumvent and violate every law prohibiting the
return
of US bases. Touted as chief architect of the country’s foreign policy,
she has been riding roughshod over the Senate by allowing the prolonged
stay of foreign troops in our country. She should be held fully
accountable for such a treasonous acts," Reyes said.
BAYAN is all set to mount bigger protest actions in the coming days. A
big rally will be held on February 25, the 16th anniversary of EDSA 1
which toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
"There will be no let up in the protest actions, not when the present
administration has proven to be an inveterate liar and puppet of US
interests," said Reyes. #