Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. INQUIRER file photo
Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Sunday lambasted President Benigno Aquino III’s administration, claiming it should not rely on the United States to defend Philippine territory and modernize the military.
“Stand up to China, we must. But let’s not delude ourselves that the US is our protector. The US is only after its own agenda,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement.
He said the Philippines is “getting the short end of the stick” by again inviting the US into its territory through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The eighth round of negotiations on the EDCA between the two countries was concluded on Friday. Once signed by the Philippine and US government, it will give the US military access to facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia assured the public that the US will have to get the consent of the government before bringing in anything. He also said it will make it easier for the US to aid the AFP in its modernization program.
But Reyes said the Philippines’ previous experience with the US belies such claims.
“There is also no empirical evidence to support the assertion that giving US forces access to our facilities will modernize our AFP. During the time of the US bases, and even under the VFA, the same argument was used yet our AFP still remained backward,” he said.
Reyes said that instead of the Philippines benefiting from the agreement, it is the US that is taking advantage of the situation.
“The US pivot to Asia involves US allies shouldering the cost of hosting US forces. The US fiscal crisis is making it increasingly difficult for the US to sustain its self-appointed role of global policeman. It is why countries like Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Australia are being asked to share the burden by providing bases and access to bases,” the Bayan secretary general pointed out.
Bayan said it will hold protests against the EDCA this week and in time for the visit of US President Barack Obama by the end of the month. Reyes said they already “linked up with anti-bases activists in the US, Japan and South Korea.”
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Javier Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate said their group is considering questioning the EDCA before the Supreme Court.
“This early we are already studying the option of questioning the EDCA at the Supreme Court because it is a clear violation of our Constitution particularly Sections 3 and 7 and possibly Section 8 of Article II. We are also of the position that this is not a mere executive agreement but a treaty and should be scrutinized by the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Colmenares said.
Section 3 of the Philippine Constitution states that “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.”
Meanwhile, Section 7 states that “The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination.”
Section 8 of Article II pertains to the Philippine police “of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.”
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/593986/years-of-us-presence-did-not-modernize-afp-bayan
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN-New Patriotic Alliance) is the main Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) umbrella front organization with chapters active in the Philippines and overseas. (There is even a branch active in the United States). BAYAN consistently tows the CPP propaganda line and Renato Reyes, Jr. is a long-time CPP front group organizer who has risen through the ranks from his early days as a student activist.
ReplyDeleteBAYAN consists of the following organizations, many of whom can be expected to participate in anti-US/anti-Obama protests later this month when President Obama visits the Philippines:
Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement Labor Center)
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Peasant Movement of the Philppines)
Anakbayan • (All-youth National Democratic mass organization)
League of Filipino Students (LFS)
Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)
Gabriela (National Alliance of Women’s Organizations)
Kilusan ng Manggagawang Kababaihan (KMK, Women Workers’ Movement)
Amihan (peasant women’s association)
Samahan ng Malayang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa (Samakana, urban poor women association)
Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD)
Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace (EMJP)
Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)
Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya, fisherfolk association)
Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Govt. Employees (Courage)
Promotion for Church People’s Response (PCPR)
Kalipunan ng Katutubong Mamamayan sa Pilipinas (Kamp, National Minorities’ Association)
Migrante International
First Quarter Storm Movement (organization of veterans of the FQS of 1970)
Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay, organization of urban poor and unemployed)
Take from the BAYAN Website. See the following URL: http://www.bayan.ph/site/member-organization/
By the way, contrary to the propaganda line of Renato Reyes Jr., during the heyday of the US bases the Philippine military was quite well-equipped and was considered the envy of many Asian nations. The failure of the Philippine government to invest in the military in the post-bases era, saw the rapid decline of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in terms of equipment and external defense capability.
ReplyDelete