------------------------- Via Workers World News Service Reprinted from the Feb. 21, 2002 issue of Workers World newspaper -------------------------
FILIPINOS SAY: U.S. TROOPS NOT WELCOME Don't Want Repeat of Century of Occupation By Lydia Bayoneta The recent appearance of U.S. combat troops and Special Forces in the Philippines under the guise of "fighting terrorism" has evoked a vociferous and growing resistance movement. It is reminiscent of the movement that forced the U.S. to abandon its bases in the Philippines nearly a decade ago. Although the U.S. troops have so far been limited to Zamboanga on Mindanao in the south, protests have occurred across the country, especially in Manila and the island of Luzon, where memories of U.S. bases and the havoc they created are vivid. The Philippine Constitution forbids the presence of foreign combat troops. In fact, both a lawsuit and an investigation by the Philippine Senate are underway challenging the constitutionality of the current U.S. operations. Presidential spokesperson Rigoberto Tiglao has admitted that even Vice President Teofisto Guingona has raised questions over the plans to deploy U.S. troops. The Filipino people are not relying on these legal challenges alone. On Jan. 30, a leader of the New Peoples Army--a long-established national liberation organization founded by the Communist Party of the Philippines in 1969-- warned that U.S. troops would face armed resistance if they ventured into areas under their control. NPA leader Gregorio Rosal said his group would not go out of its way to seek U.S. troops and attack them. "It is possible that they would not enter our territories," Rosal said during a recent local radio broadcast interview. He cited statements by both the U.S. and Filipino governments that the operations would be limited to areas where the Abu Sayyaf operates. Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic group opposed to the central governments' control over the Moro people in the south. However, should the U.S. troops venture into the main southern island of Mindanao, "they may stray into NPA guerrilla zones," Rosal said. "Naturally, if they enter these areas armed, they will be facing an armed force as well." Rosal, head of units operating in provinces south of Manila, said the NPA "strongly opposes" the U.S. military deployments. "If this military intervention escalates, we will resist it because the Abu Sayyaf is not the real target," he said, repeating previous assertions from the left that the U.S. troops could eventually turn their attention to the NPA. THE REAL TERRORISTS George Bush has arrogantly added the NPA to the U.S. government's list of so-called "terrorist organizations." However, the valiant struggle waged by the NPA against U.S. imperialism and for social justice in the Philippines has earned it the respect of progressives, not only in the Philippines, but internationally. It is this respect from the masses of Filipinos, combined with the appalling conditions of poverty and inequality that exist throughout the country, that led the Philippine government recently to insist that the U.S. forces be placed under Filipino commanders. Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes made these demands during the course of discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell over the "terms of reference" (TOR) that are supposed to govern the U.S. engagement. As of Feb. 12, the U.S. government had refused to ratify this provision, delaying the scheduled beginning of the operations against Abu Sayyaf. (Philippine Inquirer, online edition, Feb. 12) Significantly, Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr. has said he wants to speak with Powell before signing the TOR to ensure that the war games will be confined to Basilan and not involve operations against the large separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the communist New People's Army. The Bush administration has announced with great fanfare that it is at war with "terrorism," which it defines as attacks on unarmed civilians--those who cannot fight back. But the real terrorism in the Philippines, and in many other countries around the world, is U.S. imperialism and international agencies such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, whose policies cause not only misery but real terror and death. Almost half the population of the Philippines lives below what the World Bank describes as the "absolute poverty" line. They cannot meet the most basic needs of food and shelter. UNICEF reports that 52.8 percent of the Filipino population of 78 million is under 20 years of age, 40 percent under the age of 14. An estimated 75,000 street children live in Manila alone; 1.2 million nationwide. An estimated 5 to 7 million children work as vendors on dangerous streets and as scavengers, some in huge landfills. The NPA and other groups are fighting to change these conditions, as well as to defend their country's sovereignty. And the U.S. government would like to strengthen its hegemony in Southeast Asia as well as the Middle East. The "war on terror" is a convenient excuse. But growing numbers of Filipinos and people around the world are not fooled. They agree with Gregorio Rosal, leader of the NPA, who said, referring to the U.S. troops in the Philippines, "The Americans are the number one terrorists." - END - (Copyright Workers World Service: Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document, but changing it is not allowed. For more information contact Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011; via e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For subscription info send message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://www.workers.org) ------------------ This message is sent to you by Workers World News Service. 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