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MINDANAO PEOPLES’ MANIFESTO
AGAINST U.S. INTERVENTION 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S.’ anti-terrorism campaign
throughout Southeast Asia.
While the U.S. government continues to paint Mindanao as a terrorist
haven, we are dismayed by the evidences suggesting U.S. 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 their U.S.
counterparts have not rooted out the Abu Sayyaf. They are fighting their
own shadow.
U.S. 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 across the Philippines have become victims of extrajudicial
killings by suspected military agents. The all-out wars and military
operations have displaced hundreds of thousands across Mindanao. While the
U.S. 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. We condemn this duplicity and hold the
U.S. accountable for its complicity.
We demand indemnification for the victims of the growing number of human
rights violations committed at the hands of U.S. military personnel. We
call for justice, and demand that U.S. 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 U.S. military on
its 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 U.S. 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 U.S.
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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.#
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BAGONG ALYANSANG MAKABAYAN
Northern Mindanao . Southern Mindanao . Western Mindanao .
Caraga . Socsksargen
Mindanao Rages:
US Troops, Out Now! Oust Gloria Arroyo!
Mindanao Peoples’ March and Caravan for National Sovereignty, Justice,
and Peace
February 18, 2008
The Mindanao people are outraged by the endless corruption of Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and her puppetry to the US military.
In Manila, huge rallies denouncing Arroyo’s corruption have begun once
again. In Mindanao, protest actions against the corrupt, puppet, and
fascist government have also become widespread.
From North to South, from East to West, broad and simultaneous protest
actions against the Arroyo regime and the US troops are taking place in
Mindanao.
Endless Greed of the Arroyo Regime
Exposed! Jun Lozada and Jose de Venecia III continue to expose the
ruthless greed of the Arroyo family to get monstrous kickbacks from the
ZTE-Broadband deal.
This is only the latest in a series of anomalies through which the
corruption of the Arroyos has been exposed. This includes the fertilizer
fund scam, Diosdado Macapagal Highway, North Rail and South Rail projects,
and the bribery of local officials in the amount of P500,000 at the
grounds of Malacañang.
Monopolizing contracts is not enough for Arroyo. She wants no one to
disobey or investigate these anomalies. That’s why money from Malacañang
flooded the halls of Congress in order to oust Jose de Venecia from his
position as House Speaker, and replace him with an even more trusted
lapdog of Arroyo—Prospero Nograles. Right after this was accomplished,
Arroyo wants to stay in power through charter change.
Blood is the Hands of the Arroyo Government!
Criminal! The Arroyo government wants to blind and silence all of its
critics. Jun Lozada was kidnapped by the police and military to prevent
him from exposing the truth. His office was raided and the documents that
would point to the criminality of the Arroyo family were confiscated.
Arroyo twisted the law in order to prevent members of the Cabinet from
testifying before the Senate. More than 900 activists have been killed and
involuntary disappeared by suspected military agents because of Oplan
Bantay Laya.
The People’s Poverty Increases while Arroyo gets Richer!
There is Hunger! The Filipino people wallow in more poverty as the Arroyo
family amasses more wealth. Arroyo’s boasting that the country’s Gross
Domestic Product has risen 7.5% is an empty reality. Growing numbers of
people instead are living with empty stomachs. It is deception on the part
of this regime to paint the picture of a progressive economy. Rising
prices of basic commodities, oil price hikes, lack of jobs, low wages,
land grabbing—this is the real situation of the people.
Shameless Puppetry of Arroyo to the United States!
Puppet! The Arroyo Regime has relied on the support and direction from the
U.S. government in order to remain in power. Since the threats to her
power from military factions began, the U.S. has not abandoned Arroyo. The
U.S. has continued to back Arroyo in the midst of its stench and isolation
from the people. Arroyo is a trusted puppet of the U.S. This is why Arroyo
was among the first to offer support to the so-called U.S. War on Terror.
This is why Arroyo defends the legality of the Visiting Forces Agreement
and Mutual Logistics Support Agreement.
Using U.S. military aid, the Arroyo Regime and Armed Forces of the
Philippines launched a series of all-out wars against the Moro people and
military operations in the countryside and cities. Arroyo allowed the U.S.
to interfere in the GRP-MILF peace talks, while the U.S. terrorist listing
of the New People’s Army remains a thorny issue that is snagging the
GRP-NDFP peace talks.
After the U.S. troops’ violence was exposed through their violation of
human rights, including the rape of Mindananaon “Nicole”, Arroyo gave in
to the US by allowing again the Balikatan exercises. The U.S. troops are
hiding behind the deceptive smiles and ‘aid’. They are using humanitarian
missions to cover their actual objectives of spying, intelligence
gathering, and maintaining a permanent base in the Philippines, especially
in Mindanao.
But the people cannot be fooled! The preparations for a U.S. military base
where an airport and other infrastructure have been built in General
Santos City are now exposed. The U.S. has spread its projects under US AID
to Lumad, Moro, and Christian communities in order to “win the hearts and
minds” of the peoples and dissuade our opposition to their presence. CIA
agent Michael Meiring remains as a suspect in the series
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