The militant Partido Manggagawa (PM)
today welcomed the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the
United States despite it being ended by President Rodrigo Duterte as a
retaliation for the cancellation of the visa of ally Senator Bato dela Rosa.
“Militant workers and women workers do not
shed a tear for the death of the VFA even if it was terminated for the wrong
reason by President Duterte. We look forward to no more Jennifer Laudes killed
and Nicoles raped by US soldiers in the Philippines,” stated Judy Ann Miranda,
PM secretary-general.
PM was active in the campaign for
justice for Nicole, the accuser in the so-called Subic rape case by a US Marine
in 2005. Then in 2014, another US Marine killed transgender Jennifer Laude in
Olongapo.
Miranda averred that “Moreover, we demand
that aside from the VFA, the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense
Cooperation Agreement be abrogated too. We stand for an independent foreign
policy founded on preserving and protecting our country’s sovereignty and national
interest, and cooperation with other nations on the basis of common concerns.”
The termination of the VFA and other
pressing social issues in the country will be the subject of an assembly by PM
this afternoon. More than a hundred union, urban poor, women and youth leaders
in the NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon are meeting in QC Memorial Circle for
a discussion of the national situation. PM is also celebrating its 19th
anniversary.
Miranda added that “We would have wanted
President Duterte to tear up the VFA because he stood up for Philippine
sovereignty. But that is wishful thinking of a President who also cannot defend
our country against China’s incursions.”
“Those who argue that the VFA is needed
to defend ourselves from China are wrong. The VFA did not stop China from militarizing
the West Philippine Sea. It is not war or warmongering that will resolve the
WPS dispute. Instead the Philippines needs to muster a coalition of Southeast
Asian nations for a multilateral agreement on the WPS,” Miranda explained.
The group also took to task the senators
who are trying to save the VFA. “It would have been better if these senators had
agreed with the termination of the VFA on the right basis of advancing
Philippine sovereignty. But again it is too much to ask of these weak-kneed
politicians. Apparently their loyalty to Tatay Digong ends where their loyalty
to Uncle Sam begins,” Miranda insisted.
February 12, 2020
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