News Release
Youth groups mobilize on anniversary of the Filipino-American War, slam a history of destruction in greater damage to Tubbataha
Youth groups mobilize on anniversary of the Filipino-American War, slam a history of destruction in greater damage to Tubbataha
2/4/2013
Reference: Michael Beltran 09159230686
Kabataan Partylist along with other progressive groups rallied to the US Embassy on Filipino American War marking the destructive history of our relations with theUnited
States
According to Atty. Terry Ridon, Kabataan Partylist President “these types of incidents have been going on ever since Americans entered the lives of Filipinos. The Fil-Am war which saw 1/6 of the local population wiped out is only one of the destructive events in our relations with theUS
The size of the damage as recently reported is about the size of 10 basketball courts and will now require P96 million. This amount according to the youth groups is not only small, it underscores just what little regard both the administration and theUS
He added that “we don’t subscribe to the fact that the Aquino sponsored Visiting Forces Agreement has nothing to do with US ships doing as they please on our shores as this is exactly what the VFA permit. The USS Guardian has grossly overstayed its welcome.”
The groups also slammed the additional presence of the USS Cheyenne inSubic as reported earlier this week. They pointed out
that this is proof of Aquino’s subservience and support for unfair agreements
such as the VFA even if they continue to violate our sovereignty.
“While the USS Guardian has remains in our territory with the administration practically silent, hindi nakakagulat na may lakas loob ang US na mag port call nanaman sa may Subic” added Ridon.
“Violations of our sovereignty have now come at the price of our environment and national treasure, our World Heritage site. The VFA had previously been at the core of human rights violations, health and militarization of US troops; it persists as a threat to our patrimony” explained Ridon.
Kabataan called on all advocates of nationalism to unite and act on this issue, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) among others have been vocal on the topic. “It is particularly important to recognize the accountability of the regime for maintaining agreements like the VFA which are made to be abused by superpowers” concluded Ridon.
Reference: Michael Beltran 09159230686
Kabataan Partylist along with other progressive groups rallied to the US Embassy on Filipino American War marking the destructive history of our relations with the
According to Atty. Terry Ridon, Kabataan Partylist President “these types of incidents have been going on ever since Americans entered the lives of Filipinos. The Fil-Am war which saw 1/6 of the local population wiped out is only one of the destructive events in our relations with the
The size of the damage as recently reported is about the size of 10 basketball courts and will now require P96 million. This amount according to the youth groups is not only small, it underscores just what little regard both the administration and the
He added that “we don’t subscribe to the fact that the Aquino sponsored Visiting Forces Agreement has nothing to do with US ships doing as they please on our shores as this is exactly what the VFA permit. The USS Guardian has grossly overstayed its welcome.”
The groups also slammed the additional presence of the USS Cheyenne in
“While the USS Guardian has remains in our territory with the administration practically silent, hindi nakakagulat na may lakas loob ang US na mag port call nanaman sa may Subic” added Ridon.
“Violations of our sovereignty have now come at the price of our environment and national treasure, our World Heritage site. The VFA had previously been at the core of human rights violations, health and militarization of US troops; it persists as a threat to our patrimony” explained Ridon.
Kabataan called on all advocates of nationalism to unite and act on this issue, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) among others have been vocal on the topic. “It is particularly important to recognize the accountability of the regime for maintaining agreements like the VFA which are made to be abused by superpowers” concluded Ridon.
PRESS RELEASE
February 4, 2013
Anakbayan to storm US Embassy on Feb. 4
Various groups led by Anakbayan and Kabataan Partylist push to "Save Tubbataha, Junk VFA" and called for a march to the US Embassy this February 4.
The groups will hold a large protest on what has become known as the Filipino-American Friendship Day.
...
"Aquino is not intent on holding theUS Japan
He said the Aquino administration is diverting the issue from the context of the visiting forces agreement.
"Payment for damages is just an excuse for the US Troops to stay here. It covers up the hand of the VFA in criminal immunity of theUS
"They did not even raise the matter during a meeting with us and concerned individuals," Anakbayan National Chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
Anakbayan also pointed out that theUS
notably made so many port calls and airplane landings last year, and that
Aquino had opened the Subic military base once
more to the US Troops.
"Basically, they have Aquino's belsisng and permission to use the base for services ther ships may need," Crisostomo said.
The "Save Tubbataha, Junk VFA" groups warned the government of larger and wider protests if it continues to disregard national sovereignty and care for the country's resources.
"P12,000 per sq meter is not enough, we are talking of 250 years of coral formation and decades of atrocities brought byUS
February 4, 2013
Anakbayan to storm US Embassy on Feb. 4
Various groups led by Anakbayan and Kabataan Partylist push to "Save Tubbataha, Junk VFA" and called for a march to the US Embassy this February 4.
The groups will hold a large protest on what has become known as the Filipino-American Friendship Day.
...
"Aquino is not intent on holding the
He said the Aquino administration is diverting the issue from the context of the visiting forces agreement.
"Payment for damages is just an excuse for the US Troops to stay here. It covers up the hand of the VFA in criminal immunity of the
"They did not even raise the matter during a meeting with us and concerned individuals," Anakbayan National Chairperson Vencer Crisostomo said.
Anakbayan also pointed out that the
"Basically, they have Aquino's belsisng and permission to use the base for services ther ships may need," Crisostomo said.
The "Save Tubbataha, Junk VFA" groups warned the government of larger and wider protests if it continues to disregard national sovereignty and care for the country's resources.
"P12,000 per sq meter is not enough, we are talking of 250 years of coral formation and decades of atrocities brought by
PRESS RELEASE
January 28, 2012
Noynoy's Tubbataha statements indicate a whitewash is in the works - youth groups
Youth groups are assailing the statements made by President Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III over the weekend as 'indicative' of a whitewash of the U.S warship Guardian's grounding and destruction of a part of the protected Tubbataha Reef.
While claiming that the U.S Navy would be penalized, Aquino claimed that the apology issued by the U.S Navy showed 'sensitivity' on the part of the American military towards Filipinos. He added that since there were no scheduled military exercises in which the erring warship was involved, he saw no reason to involve the controversial Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
"Sensitivity? What sensitivity? Mas sensitive pa yung coral kumpara sa mga U.S troops (The corals are more sensitive than U.S troops). They have no respect for the Philippine national heritage, environment, and people" said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan
According to Terry Ridon, Kabataan Partylist national president, Aquino's statements were calculated to create the false image that 'the Tubbataha crash is an accident, an isolated lapse in judgement', and to remove the growing public awareness on the issue away from the question of the VFA.
"There was no accident. The statements of the Tubbataha management is clear: the Guardian entered Tubbataha Park despite repeated warnings from them, they were arrogantly told to just report the matter to the U.S Embassy, and even barred park rangers from surveying the damage to the corals" he said.
"In fact, Aquino's own statement should raise the question: what was the Guardian doing there if there were no war games during that time?" said the youth leader.
"This is precisely why the VFA should be the center of the discussion. U.S troops, and the virtual blanket immunity granted by the VFA upon them is the reason they act with such arrogance as telling our park rangers to 'just report to the U.S Embassy'" added Crisostomo.
Both leaders said that unless the VFA was scrapped, more and more incidents of environmental degradation involving U.S military forces would occur.
"As always, prevention is better than cure. It will us hundreds of years to regrow back destroyed corals. But it will take just a simple act of the government, in junking the VFA, to prevent the Tubbataha Incident from happening again" reiterated Crisostomo. ###
January 28, 2012
Noynoy's Tubbataha statements indicate a whitewash is in the works - youth groups
Youth groups are assailing the statements made by President Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III over the weekend as 'indicative' of a whitewash of the U.S warship Guardian's grounding and destruction of a part of the protected Tubbataha Reef.
While claiming that the U.S Navy would be penalized, Aquino claimed that the apology issued by the U.S Navy showed 'sensitivity' on the part of the American military towards Filipinos. He added that since there were no scheduled military exercises in which the erring warship was involved, he saw no reason to involve the controversial Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
"Sensitivity? What sensitivity? Mas sensitive pa yung coral kumpara sa mga U.S troops (The corals are more sensitive than U.S troops). They have no respect for the Philippine national heritage, environment, and people" said Vencer Crisostomo, national chairperson of Anakbayan
According to Terry Ridon, Kabataan Partylist national president, Aquino's statements were calculated to create the false image that 'the Tubbataha crash is an accident, an isolated lapse in judgement', and to remove the growing public awareness on the issue away from the question of the VFA.
"There was no accident. The statements of the Tubbataha management is clear: the Guardian entered Tubbataha Park despite repeated warnings from them, they were arrogantly told to just report the matter to the U.S Embassy, and even barred park rangers from surveying the damage to the corals" he said.
"In fact, Aquino's own statement should raise the question: what was the Guardian doing there if there were no war games during that time?" said the youth leader.
"This is precisely why the VFA should be the center of the discussion. U.S troops, and the virtual blanket immunity granted by the VFA upon them is the reason they act with such arrogance as telling our park rangers to 'just report to the U.S Embassy'" added Crisostomo.
Both leaders said that unless the VFA was scrapped, more and more incidents of environmental degradation involving U.S military forces would occur.
"As always, prevention is better than cure. It will us hundreds of years to regrow back destroyed corals. But it will take just a simple act of the government, in junking the VFA, to prevent the Tubbataha Incident from happening again" reiterated Crisostomo. ###
Media Release
2 February 2013
Learn from Tubbataha incident, ban US ships – KMU
National labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned the docking of another US nuclear attack submarine at the former US naval base in Subic Bay, Zambales saying the US is blatantly violating our national sovereignty and threatening our environment.
KMU also condemned the Aquino government for upholding the Visiting Forces Agreement which it said is being used by theUS
The USS Cheyenne is a nuclear attack submarine which arrived in the country for what the US Embassy said was a “routine port visit.” The sub would travel the same route as the USS Guardian, the minesweeper that scraped the Tubbataha coral reefs.
“They haven’t even removed USS Guardian from Tubbataha, yet here they come again and with a nuclear-powered vessel. They haven’t been held accountable for the damage that they have caused to our environment, yet here they come again arrogantly barging in and violating our country’s sovereignty,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.
“The problem is that the Aquino administration is being a shameless US lackey in continuing to allow US vessels to enter our national territory and undermine our integrity as a sovereign nation at will. The one-sidedness of the VFA as an agreement is swiftly being exposed by the entry of US military forces into the country and Aquino’s puppetry,” he added.
KMU also said that the Aquino administration should have learned from the Tubbataha incident and totally ban US naval vessels from entering our seas so as to prevent them from destroying our national treasures.
“If he really takes the country’s status as a sovereign nation seriously, Aquino should have learned from the Tubbataha incident that US ships pose a threat to our environment. He could have implemented a total ban of US ships at least until the investigation on the USS Guardian is finished,” Labog said.
“Aquino’s callous permission for and defense of the entry of this nuclear powered submarine into our country shows the world just how unthinking his obedience to theUS US
“We would have never dicovered the damage in our coral reefs had the USS Guardian not been stuck there. The new submarine would be travelling the same route and we fear that it could cause more damage to our environment without us knowing,” he added.
Reference: Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson, 0908-1636597
2 February 2013
Learn from Tubbataha incident, ban US ships – KMU
National labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno condemned the docking of another US nuclear attack submarine at the former US naval base in Subic Bay, Zambales saying the US is blatantly violating our national sovereignty and threatening our environment.
KMU also condemned the Aquino government for upholding the Visiting Forces Agreement which it said is being used by the
The USS Cheyenne is a nuclear attack submarine which arrived in the country for what the US Embassy said was a “routine port visit.” The sub would travel the same route as the USS Guardian, the minesweeper that scraped the Tubbataha coral reefs.
“They haven’t even removed USS Guardian from Tubbataha, yet here they come again and with a nuclear-powered vessel. They haven’t been held accountable for the damage that they have caused to our environment, yet here they come again arrogantly barging in and violating our country’s sovereignty,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.
“The problem is that the Aquino administration is being a shameless US lackey in continuing to allow US vessels to enter our national territory and undermine our integrity as a sovereign nation at will. The one-sidedness of the VFA as an agreement is swiftly being exposed by the entry of US military forces into the country and Aquino’s puppetry,” he added.
KMU also said that the Aquino administration should have learned from the Tubbataha incident and totally ban US naval vessels from entering our seas so as to prevent them from destroying our national treasures.
“If he really takes the country’s status as a sovereign nation seriously, Aquino should have learned from the Tubbataha incident that US ships pose a threat to our environment. He could have implemented a total ban of US ships at least until the investigation on the USS Guardian is finished,” Labog said.
“Aquino’s callous permission for and defense of the entry of this nuclear powered submarine into our country shows the world just how unthinking his obedience to the
“We would have never dicovered the damage in our coral reefs had the USS Guardian not been stuck there. The new submarine would be travelling the same route and we fear that it could cause more damage to our environment without us knowing,” he added.
Reference: Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson, 0908-1636597
http://www.arkibongbayan.org/2013/2013-02Feb04-FilAmWar/FilAMwar2013.htm
Various CPP front groups come together to conduct an anti-U.S. demonstation at the U.S. embassy on the occasion of what they consider to be the anniversay of the Philippine-American War. As evident in the statements and photos above CPP front group leaders roll "Save Tubbataha" and "Junk VFA" themes into the protest action as way of exploiting/emphasizing key current issues.
ReplyDeleteThis is a key date in historical RP-US relations that CPP front groups routinely mark with roboust protest activity. Another similar date is the RP-US Friendship Day on July 4.
This photo essay also included a number of anti-U.S. military "atrocity" photos that purportedly took place during the Philippine insurgency against U.S. colonial forces at the turn of the 20th century.