Friends of the Filipino People

1. US Militarization of the Philippines

The Visiting Forces Agreement (“VFA”): In 1991, the Philippine Senate terminated the military bases agreement with the US after years of opposition from electoral and nationalist leaders and national movements. In 1999, a new agreement was reached between the US and Philippine Governments, the Visiting Forces Agreement, or “VFA”, despite strong opposition throughout the country. Prof. Roland G. Simbulan, National Chair of the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition, describes the VFA as follows:

“The VFA will restore the role that the Philippines had when the US bases were here -- as an accomplice in operations of intervention and aggression by US forces anywhere in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, or any part of the world. This would be in gross violation of the constitutional ban of removing war as a means in the settlement of disputes.”

Security Engagement Board (SEB): Currently, a new RP-US “security arrangement” is being proposed by US and RP governments, which forms a Security Engagement Board (SEB) that will intensify American military presence in the country by using “international terrorism” as a pretext to allow more US troops in the country. According to the IBON Foundation, “The new arrangement is clearly meant to forward US interests in the country by projecting its continued hegemony in Asia and ensure its economic and political dominance in the region. As such, it presents a further threat to the country’s sovereignty, which has already been compromised by pacts like the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement, and should be opposed by Filipinos”.

Action:

Support Filipino People in their opposition to the VFA and the SEB. The US Congress has control over operational functions for the VFA through the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. Funding for the VFA is controlled by the Defense Appropriations Subcommittees in both House and Senate. The Mutual Defense Treaty, under which the VFA falls, is overseen by Senate and House Armed Services Committees (The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has oversight over all treaties). For current membership on these key committees and subcommittees, go to www.congress.org. For updates on the SEB, see www.ibon.org

2. Human Rights

The death squads, imported to the Philippines by the CIA in the 1950’s, are connected to the Philippine security forces and protected by the government. In 2004, the Arroyo government received $4.6 billon for military and economic assistance and $30 million for counterinsurgency exercises from the U.S. government. Over 800 persons have either been assassinated or have “disappeared” under the Macapagal-Arryo government. The government’s counter-insurgency program, “Oplan Bayan”, is the Philippines contribution to the US government’s “war on terror”, and has unleashed unabated killings.

Action:

Contact human rights groups Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (www.parha.org) and Asian Human Rights Commission (www.ahrchk.net) to receive their daily updates and call for action. Contact your Senators and Representatives protesting US military aid to the Macapagal Government.

3. Labor Solidarity:

Multinational corporations dominate the Philippine economy through cheap labor and unequal trade relationships. Many of those targeted for assassination are labor activists who advocate for collective bargaining rights, better work conditions, and livable wages. Sweatshop conditions abound for many Filipino workers in multinational factories. Gelmart Industries serves as an example of multinational exploitation of cheap Philippine labor. Their facilities in the Philippines are reported to operate under conditions that violate ILO standards and Philippine labor laws. Gelmart assembles intimate apparel for companies such as Kmart/Sears and Wal-Mart. Workers are paid less than the national minimum wage, forced to work as many as 22 hours during peak seasons in order to keep their jobs; conditions in the factories have reportedly endangered employee health (BehindTheLabel.org, 02/23/2005).

Action:

IBON Foundation maintains a website with facts and figures that includes labor and trade issues, www.ibon.org. Sweatshop conditions are well documented by groups like “Behind the Label” (www.behindthelabel.org). Target appropriate House and Senate committees for international trade issues and exploitive trade agreements. Friends Committee for National Legislation (www.fcnl.org) is also a good source for this information.

4. Environment:

The Philippines is caught in the web of globalization and worldwide environmental destruction. Corporations continue to pollute waterways, forests are denuded by logging companies, leaving the Philippines with one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. US Military Bases also left behind massive amounts of toxic wastes that have contaminated water and land resources of local communities.

Action:

For more information on the toxic legacy of US bases, see: The Toxic Legacy of U.S. Bases in the Philippines By Jorge Emmanuel. FFP Bulletin (Winter 1993). Copyright © 1993 Jorge Emmanuel. All rights reserved at www.boondocksnet.com/centennial/sctexts/emmanuel93a.html. Friends of the Earth International (www.foei.org) has reports on the Philippines, including political killings of environmental activists.

5. Oppose all US wars and Military Interventions:

In 1991, when the US started the Gulf War, FFP issued a statement, “The US and the War for Oil”, authored by Boone Schirmer. Just prior to his passing in April of 2006, Boone wrote of the current US policies in the Middle East: “The present Bush Administration represents the most extensive and heavily armed empire in history. America’s economic capacity gives it influence that is nearly global in entirety. Guarding this is an unparalleled military establishment of global reach and frightful military potential. Under cover of the war on terrorism, Washington carries on its hegemonic policies. It is attempting to establish its military domination…as a stepping stone for US military intervention in Asia and the Middle East.”

Action:

United for Peace and Justice (www.unitedforpeace.org), Peace Action (www.peace-action.org) (formerly Sane Freeze), and Friends Committee for National Legislation (www.fcnl.org), are among the many groups offering information, updates, and resources on the Iraq war, militarization, and anti imperialist actions and organizations.