A respected Filipino political analyst and a militant group have slammed the Philippine-U.S. military partnership, saying that this is a blatant infringement of the country's sovereignty and independence.
In an interview with Xinhua, Jose Cortez, a political
strategist and veteran journalist, said the Philippine-U.S. joint amphibious
landing exercise that would start next week in various parts of the Philippines is another case of U.S. interventionist policy toward the Philippines
Troops from the U.S. 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (3d
MEB), the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the Armed Forces of the
Philippines will participate in the Philippine Amphibious Landing Exercise,
called Phiblex 2016, from Sept. 21 to Oct. 9.
Phiblex 2016 will involve some 650 U.S. servicemen based in
Okinawa, Japan, and Philippine sailors and marines working side-by- side to
conduct a command post exercise, field training exercises, amphibious
operations, combined arms training, civil-military operations as well as
humanitarian and civic assistance projects.
Cortez, who writes analytical articles in the Philippine
Graphic, a local weekly newsmagazine, said allowing U.S. forces to temporarily
stay in the country in the guise of joining military exercises is a travesty of
Philippine territorial integrity.
He called anew for the abrogation of the Philippine-U.S.
Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which is used as the basis for the joint
military training.
According to Cortez, it is during these joint military
exercises that some U.S.
servicemen committed crimes against Filipinos, citing in particular the murder
last year of a Filipino transgender by a U.S.
serviceman in Olongapo City , some 150 km north of Manila
U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton has been
charged with the killing of Filipino transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer "
Laude at a motel in Olongapo
City
Since the death penalty has been abolished in the Philippines Olongapo City
"If the VFA is scrapped, the killing of Laude and
several crimes against Filipino women in the past could have been
prevented," Cortez said.
Earlier on Wednesday, militant groups led by the Bagong
Alyansang Makabayan or Bayan (New Nationalist Movement) held protest rallies at
the Supreme Court and the U.S.
embassy in Manila
The Philippine Senate rejected the renewal of the bases
agreement on Sept. 16, l991.
In a statement carried by its website, Bayan Secretary
General Renato Reyes said they were protesting against the continuing U.S. intervention in Philippine affairs and the
plan to revive U.S.
During the protest rally, Bayan called on the Supreme Court
to resolve several petitions questioning the EDCA which were filed last year.
Petitioners included former senators, party-list lawmakers, activists,
academics and church leaders.
Bayan assailed EDCA for allowing the United States
"EDCA should be declared unconstitutional for bringing
back de facto U.S.
According to Reyes, the Philippines
"We cannot be truly free if foreign troops are
stationed on our shores and our domestic policy is in the service of the U.S.
In the House of Representatives, several legislators have
also opposed the EDCA and called for the scrapping of the VFA.
Earlier on Wednesday, youth groups led by the League of
Filipino Students also held a lightning rally and threw paint at the seal of
the U.S.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=302804
Anti-US military propaganda from CPP front group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-New Patriot Alliance) and from a leftist journalist, Jose Cortez, whose statements tow the CPP propaganda line.
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