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06 February 2008
Media Release
Lanao
populace to Balikatan:
We Love
Mindanao, US Troops Out Now!
Iligan City – In an
effort to consolidate its stand against the Balikatan Exercises, people of
the two Lanao provinces formed the US Troops Out Now! – Lanao Coalition.
In a press conference today at
the Elena Tower Inn, the coalition declared its “unequivocal opposition”
to the impending deployment of US troops in the Lanao provinces.
The group includes US Troops
Out Now – Lanao Coalition spokesperson Prof. Elizabeth Codilla, Br. Roseal
Cabatcha, TOR, of Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR), Sr. Minda
Obnimaga, RGS, of Sisters Association in Mindanao (SAMIN), and Hanan
Balindong of Liga ng Kabataang Moro (LKM). Bayan Muna National Executive
Vice President Joel Virador was present in the press conference to show
support to the local convenors.
Prof. Codilla, in reading the
group’s manifesto, demanded from the Arroyo Government the “immediate
pull-out of American troops, war materiel, equipment and facilities from
Mindanao and the country.” She also called for the “scrapping of the
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the abrogation of the Mutual Defense
Treaty (MDT).”
Virador challenged the
sincerity of the “humanitarian missions” which the US troops will
undertake in the two provinces. He asserted that sans the supposed
humanitarian missions, the impending deployment of US troops only serves
to cater the economic interests of US in the Lanao Provinces. He cited the
plans for palm oil plantation expansions in Lanao Sur and creation of
transhipment hubs in Lanao Norte as examples.
The coalition presented its
schedule of activities which includes the US Intervention (USI) Watch
Forum Series in Lanao colleges and universities with Jessica Tulloch of
InPeace Mindanao as speaker, a one-week candle lighting dubbed as the 5
o’clock habit by the League of Filipino Students (LFS), and a
Mindanao-wide caravan and rally at Cagayan de Oro City on Feb. 18, which
also marks the start of Balikatan Exercises in Mindanao.###
For
reference:
Kristian
Mark Urbano, Public Information Officer
Cel number
0928-3988-908
Download statement
Students to Balikatan Exercises in Lanao: We Love
Mindanao, US Troops Out Now!
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Mindanao
Peoples’ Manifesto 2008
We, the peoples of Mindanao – Lumads, Moro and Christians – who have long
desired for self-determination, national sovereignty, and lasting peace,
hereby declare our unequivocal opposition to the ongoing U.S. military
expedition in Mindanao.
We believe that the entry of American soldiers, advisers and war
tacticians, including war materiel, equipment, and facilities is neither
Constitutionally nor morally justified.
The US military presence in the Philippines is founded on the Mutual
Defense Treaty (MDT), Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and Mutual Logistics
Support Arrangement (MLSA) which, like the U.S.-R.P. Military Bases Treaty
terminated by the Senate in 1991, does not have any regard for the
provisions in the Constitution barring nuclear weapons, military base
operations, criminal accountability of American soldiers to Philippine
courts, and accountability for damages to the environment caused by toxic
wastes.
Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has allowed the transgression of our own
sovereignty. The lopsided MDT, VFA, and MLSA, which Pres. Arroyo upholds,
reflect the master-and-lackey relationship between the United States and
the Philippines. By invoking these pacts, the Macapagal-Arroyo
Administration hands over limitless powers, privileges and access to U.S.
military forces, turning the Philippines into a virtual US military base.
She has gone so far as to make the Republic of the Philippines a key ally
in the War on Terror, and promoted the US’ anti-terrorism campaign
throughout Southeast Asia.
While the US government continues to paint Mindanao as a terrorist haven,
we are dismayed by the evidences suggesting US covert operatives had a
hand in the series of bombings that have taken place in Mindanao over the
past six years. We condemn the collusion between terrorist groups such as
the Abu Sayyaf and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as attested to by
both Christians and Muslims in Basilan.
It is no wonder that after a series of intensive military operations,
anti-terrorism trainings, and the establishment of the Joint Special
Operations Task Force – Philippines, the AFP soldiers and the US
counterparts have not routed out the Abu Sayyaf. They are fighting their
own shadow.
US military aid in the form of joint training exercises, monetary and
material support, and regular military advice has led to an increase of
human rights violations. Hundreds of Moro civilians have been wrongly
accused and arrested for being supposed terrorists. Nearly nine hundred
activists have become vicitms of extrajudicial killings by suspected
military agents. The all-out wars and military operations have displaced
hundreds of thousands across Mindanao. While the US government promotes
itself as a protector of democracy and an advocate of human rights, these
crimes against the people are made possible through its military aid to
the Philippines. We condemn this duplicity and hold it accountable for
its complicity.
We demand indemnification for the victims of the growing number of human
rights violations committed at the hands of US military personnel. We
call for justice, and demand that US soldiers be given the same treatment
under the law as any other perpetrator. We cannot let another woman be
raped, nor let another farmer be hit by stray bullets and shrapnel at the
hands of foreign aggressors.
We call on Congress to conduct an immediate and comprehensive
investigation into these violations. We call on its appropriate committees
to probe beyond the ‘amicable’ settlements imposed by the US military on
victims. We call for protection of these victims so that they may be able
to testify freely, and attain justice and indemnification.
We are outraged at the trampling of our laws by the US government through
its engagement in combat operations, and building its own military
infrastructure. We call on our Senators and Representatives to also
conduct a thorough investigation of the violations of our laws, and to
conduct a critical review of the agreements and treaties governing US
military presence such as the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Mutual
Logistics Support Agreement, and the Mutual Defense Treaty.
We expose the humanitarian missions conducted by the US military as a way
to sugar coat the permanent presence of its special operations forces in
the Philippines after losing its bases in 1992. Such missions are part
and parcel of a larger military objective which will ultimately endanger
our lives and communities.
The current economic decline hitting the U.S. has generated a desperate
scramble to salvage its economy. While the Philippine government foots the
bill for the military war games, the U.S. is given the opportunity to
promote the exhibition and sale of its latest weapons to countries in the
Southeast Asian region. The presence of U.S. troops also strengthens
American economic interests in Mindanao where U.S. corporations have
billions of dollars of investments.
We look back to our history and recognize the long-drawn
struggle of the peoples of Mindanao against foreign invaders. In the
hands of American troops, thousands of Muslims were massacred, the .45
caliber pistol was created for the Muslim insurgents, deception and
back-handed tactics were employed through the Kiram-Bates Treaty— all to
quell Muslim resistance to colonization. Bangsamoro and Lumad alike have,
for more than a century, valiantly fought against the blades and guns of
the colonizers in defense of our sovereign right over land and life.
Peace in Mindanao cannot be achieved through shortcut and death-giving
solutions like the interference of U.S. military troops. Peace can only be
achieved by genuinely responding to the most basic aspirations of the
Bangsamoro, Lumads and Christians for land to till, just wages and working
conditions, respect for human rights and self-determination.
We, therefore, demand from the Arroyo Government the immediate pull out of
American troops, war materiel, equipment and facilities from Mindanao and
the country. We call for the scrapping of the Visiting Forces Agreement
and the abrogation of the Mutual Defense Treaty.
These are trying times for our island. We call on the peoples
of Mindanao to express our resistance to US military presence through
broad and militant means. We, the peoples of Mindanao, shall not shirk
from this great historical responsibility to uphold true peace,
self-determination, and national sovereignty.#
Download manifesto
Suara Bangsamoro to join march protest vs. balikatan
this february!
Suara Bangsamoro supports Sulu people’s opposition
to ID system!
Ilulunsad na Serye ng Balikatan sa Mindanao |
Press Statement
January 30, 2008
Ilulunsad na Serye ng Balikatan sa Mindanao, Tutulan!
Sigaw ng Kabataang Moro, Edukasyon hindi Gyera!
Mahigpit na naninindigan ang Liga ng Kabataang Moro (LKM) laban sa
napipintong paglunsad ng Balikatan Exercises sa iba’t-ibang parte ng
Mindanao ngayon 2008.
Para sa Kabataang Moro, Edukasyon hindi Gyera ang dapat na prayoridad ng
administrasyong Arroyo sa Mindanao sapagkat magdudulot lamang ito maraming
bilang ng human rights violations.
Hindi kaila sa aming mga kabataang Moro na ang presensya ng mga sundalong
Amerikano sa Mindanao ay nangangahulugang dagdag na deployment ng mga
sundalo sa aming mga lugar, at kahit na nagsasagawa sila ng mga
“humanitarian missions” para sa amin ito ay parte lamang ng kanilang
panawagan para sa gyera.
Matagal ng humihingi ng hustisya ang hanay ng kabataang Moro para sa mga
kapatid at mga magulang na naging biktima ng iba’t-ibang porma ng paglabag
sa karapatang pantao. Subalit, tilang paslit na bibigyan na lamang ng
kendi upang matigil sa iginigiit na hustisya sa pamamagitan ng paglulunsad
ng mga “humanitarian missions” na dala ng Balikatan.
Magmula sa “all-out war policy” sa Mindanao ng mga rehimeng Estrada at
Arroyo na nailunsad partikular sa mga lugar ng mamamayang Moro, hindi na
mabilang ang mga paglabag sa karapatang-pantao.
Ang mga nailunsad na Balikatan sa mga nakalipas na taon sa mamamayang Moro
tulad ng Sulu, Basilan at Carmen, North Cotabato ay lumikha lamang ng
maraming kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang-pantao sa mga mamamayang Moro.
Hanggang sa ngayon ay hindi pa rin nabibigyan ng hustisya ang mga biktima.
Malinaw sa LKM na ang Balikatan ay katumbas din ng all-out war sa
sambayanang Moro. Hindi na makakapayag ang hanay ng kabataang Moro na
muling maranasan pa ang hagupit ng mga anti-Moro policies at “war games”
ng rehimeng US-Arroyo.
Tinadtad na ng bala at bomba ang komunidad ng mamamayang Moro sa panahon
ng all-out war. Sa taong 2007 pa lamang, malaking bilang ng mga biktima
dulot ng forcible evacuation o displacement na umabot sa bilang na 77,701
ay ang mga kabataang Moro.
Dulot ng gyera ng sundalong Pilipino at Amerikano ang maraming bilang ng
mga eskwelahan sa Mindanao na ginawang mistulang mga detachment o kampo
kung saan lagi pinaglulunsaran ng Balikatan at all-out war laban sa mga
“teroristang grupo”. Ang ilan naman ay nagsilbing evacuation center na
syang dahilan ng pagkaantala o pagtigil sa pag-aaral ng maraming bilang ng
kabataan apektado ng operasyon.
Hanggan sa ngayon, wala pa rin malinaw na programa ang rehimeng Arroyo
para sa Edukasyon ng mga Kabataan. Malinaw na ang pagliit ng bilang ng mga
State Universities and Colleges (107 SUCs na lamang ang bilang sa ngayon)
at kakarampot na badyet para sa mga ito at sa kabuuan ng basic education
ay indikasyon lamang ng pagtalikod sa kanyang responsibilidad sa edukasyon
at mga kabataan.
Malinaw sa mga kabataang Moro na hindi kasagutan sa problema ng
sambayanang Pilipino at Moro ang panghihimasok ng Estados Unidos sa
larangan ng militar, politika at ekonomiya.
Hindi Balikatan ang tunay na hinihingi ng kabataang Moro sa kanilang mga
lugar bagkos kabuhayan at edukasyon para sa lahat. ###
Labanan ang Interbensyon ng Estados Unidos!
Tutulan ang Balikatan! Edukasyon para sa lahat!
For reference: Michael Dumamba and Fahad Macarimbor
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NEWS RELEASE
06 February 2008
WestMinCom should be
accountable for the massacre
of civilians in Maimbung, Sulu
Suara Bangsamoro condemns the massacre of eight civilians, among them a 4
year-old child, as a result of an indiscriminate firing of the Philippine
Navy under the Western Mindanao Command in Bgy. Ipil, Maimbung Sulu on
February 4, 2008.
Amirah Ali Lidasan, national president of Suara Bangsamoro, belies the
claims of the Western Mindanao Command that the incident in Bgy. Ipil last
Monday was a “legitimate encounter” between the Philippine Navy’s Special
Warfare Group and the Abu Sayyaf who are holding as a kidnap victim a
Chinese woman from Tawi-Tawi.
She says that local leaders in Jolo, Sulu denies any presence or camps of
Abu Sayyaf in Bgy. Ipil and that one of the prominent families in the said
baranggay is even related to Sulu Governor Sakur Tan.
Lidasan said that the military should be held responsible for the massacre
of the civilians and that local leaders in Sulu should immediately conduct
and investigation to the incident.
Temugen “Cocoy” Tulawie chairman of Bawbug-Sulu and Consortium of
Bangsamoro Civil Society in Sulu, gave the list of civilians killed in the
incident as the following: Eldisin Lahim, 35 yrs. Old, male; Kera Lahim,
40, male; Ibnol Lahim 30, male; Narsiya Ben, 28, female; and her husband
Ben, 33; Alnalyn Kira, 21, female, Duni Lahim, male; Sernalyn Kimar,
female, around 4-5 yrs old.
Lidasan re-echoes reports coming from different civil society
organizations in Jolo, Sulu that the incident was more of a fight between
two warring families who vied for baranggay leadership last election.
Yet to be confirmed reports from witnesses claim that one of the warring
families sought the help of the military by reporting that they were
members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Lidasan also points out the claims of Cocoy Tulawie that members of US
soldiers were seen by local residents accompanying the military in the
mission.
Lidasan calls for the senate and congress to hear the testimonies of the
people of Sulu about the involvement of the US troops in military
operations in Sulu that has affected a number of civilians.
She also calls for the Western Mindanao Command to stop using the Abu
Sayyaf presence in Sulu as a pretext for military operations in Sulu, and
by condoning the massacre of civilians and participation of US troops in
the carnage. #
Download statement
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NEWS RELEASE
13 February 2008
For Reference: REP. LUZVIMINDA C. ILAGAN 0920-9213221
Jang Monte (Public Information Officer) 0915-6463009
MINDANAO SOLONS SEEK US-RP BALIKATAN SUSPENSION
"To insist on conducting the US-RP Balikatan military exercises in
Mindanao would be courting war and bloodshed in the strife-torn island
of
Mindanao."
Thus said Gabriela Women's Party Representative Luz Ilagan in support
of the resolution authored by Rep. Faysah Dumarpa and Rep. Balindong
both of Lanao del Sur, the chosen site of this year's Balikatan. The
resolution also states that there should be consultations with local
government officials when such activities are to be undertaken in any
part of Mindanao.
In the resolution approved today by the Committee on Mindanao Affairs
urging the US and Philippine governments to immediately suspend the
US-RP Balikatan military exercises, it was further emphasized that the
GRP MILF talks be continued and that the suspension of the Balikatan
Exercises should be upheld pending resolution of the stalled GRP-MILF
negotiations.
"We cannot further underscore the possible impact of the presence of
US troops in this country especially in Mindanao. We hope for the
immediate passage of this resolution in the plenary and the consequent
response that this should evoke from Malacanang and the US government."
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Ilagan who hails from
Mindanao said there have been too many
unresolved incidents of human rights violations committed by US troops
in the course of their stay in Mindanao. "The reported involvement of
US personnel in the massacre of civilian residents, including women
and children in Maimbung, Sulu, the closure of the district hospital
in Panamao and the vehicular accident involving a tricycle driver and
a vehicle boarding US troops are but the latest in the long line of
complaints against US troops in
the island."
"Their interference into the delivery of basic services, government
and military operations and their encroachment into the lives and the
territories is an outright display of contempt towards Constitutional
provisions on Philippine sovereignty and disrespect for the rights of
our people," said Ilagan.
Last January 24, the women's partylist group led the filing of House
Resolution 417 "Directing the House Committee on Foreign Affairs
investigate the apparent blatant disregard of our Philippine
sovereignty and Constitution when American Soldiers who are in the
country through the RP – US Visiting Forces Agreement reportedly
ordered the closure of Panamao District Hospital in Sulu and recommend
measures towards the termination of the VFA in the light of said
incident and other violations of Human Rights committed against the
Filipino people and the Philippine Constitution by the U.S military
forces" # |
