Apec protest groups say ‘all systems go’

From the Daily Tribune (Nov 16): Apec protest groups say ‘all systems go’

“It’s all systems go” for protest actions during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders Summit on Wednesday and Thursday despite the extreme security alert level the government imposed that included a ban on all mass rallies during those days, protest organizers said yesterday.

Militant groups said the government should not equate their movement that would include about 400 foreign activists as threats comparable to the series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

Former Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño said the prevention of terrorism “should not be at the expense of the rights of people to assemble and air their legitimate grievances.”

All units of the Philippine National Police (PNP) nationwide and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were placed on the highest alert status in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Paris last Friday that killed 129 individuals.

Casiño insisted the raised security concerns after the Paris incident should not lead to a ban on protests near or around the venue of the Apec Summit.

“President Aquino and the PNP should not worry. The only threat that our groups pose to Apec and its leaders is the threat of embarrassment for exposing the truth about the disastrous impact of Apec’s imperialist globalization,” he said.

Casiño, who is the lead convenor of the People’s Campaign Against Apec and Imperialist Globalization (PCAIG), said while they’re expecting extreme measures to prevent the holding of rallies, they remain unfazed.

“We know we will be blocked. We know we will be prevented from airing our grievances. But that will not stop us from trying. It’s all systems go for protests,” he said.

Casiño mouths that the main mass action on Nov. 19 will start at Liwasang Bonifacio as they will try to get as close as possible to the venue of the APEC Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

Meanwhile, about 400 activists from 40 countries under the International League of People’s Struggle (ILPS) gathered yesterday in Quezon City vowing their participation with local militants in the planned anti-APEC demonstrations.

Among those present at the ILPS gathering were Palestinian revolutionary leader Leila Khaled, Canadian film director Malcolm Guy and former US legislator Cynthia McKinney.

Khaled, in an interview with the Tribune, denied that her presence along with members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) present in the country should be considered a threat comparable to fundamental extremists under the Islamic State (IS).

“Our presence in the Philippines is not to terrorize but rather join the people’s campaign against the perpetration of imperialism against nations,” Khaled, who gained international attention after hijacking two airlines in 1969 and 1970, said.

Her group, the PFLP, is described as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

The ILPS, on the other hand, also expressed its condemnation of the terrorist attacks.

“Such systematic mass murder of civilians is an unmitigated crime against humanity and can never be construed as a just political act,” it said.

The Islamic State (also called the ISIS or ISIL or the State of the caliphate) or Daesh to the French had claimed responsibility for the attacks and has detailed how it deployed eight operatives with assault rifles and bomb belts to sow mayhem.

The targets included the Bataclan concert hall where most of the victims were killed and the vicinity of the Stade de France where French president François Hollande was watching a friendship football game between France and Germany.

Cabinet security cluster convened

The Palace said President Aquino convened the Cabinet security cluster the other day in the wake of the Paris attacks.

”Yes, the President convened the security cluster in light of the recent developments,” Deputy Presidential spokesman Abigail Valte said.

”President Aquino wanted to ensure that all our preparations are in place and all contingencies have been planned for. As he said, it is better to be over prepared than caught under prepared,” Valte said.

Valte said the meeting, which lasted for an hour and a half, was held at the Bahay Pangarap in Malacanang.

The Cabinet members in the meeting included Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Cesar Garcia and Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ricardo Marquez.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino continues to closely monitor the preparations for the culminating APEC Leaders’ Summit, particularly on security aspect.

”The President continues and is personally monitoring all the aspects particularly on ensuring the security and safety of the public and the APEC leaders and delegates from other countries,” Coloma said.

At least 10,000 delegates, including 3,000 media members, will be coming for the 2015 APEC Summit which the country will host for the first time since 1996.

Meanwhile, Coloma said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) continues to coordinate with the Philippine embassy in Paris to check if there are Filipino nationals who were affected by the terror attacks.

Coloma said the Philippine embassy headed by Ambassador Maria Theresa Lazaro is ready to provide assistance in coordination with the local authorities.

There are up to 60,000 Filipinos currently residing in France and half of them are said to be undocumented. A small Filipino community also exists in the French capital.
Gringo wants terrorism in Apec agenda.

Opposition Vice Presidential bet Sen. Gringo Honasan urged Malacañang to raise the issue of terrorism in the Leaders Summit following the series of terrorist attacks in Paris, France.

Honasan said that security measures for the upcoming forum must be intensified as a response to the horrifying incidents in Paris.

“If the series of terror attacks on Paris is not yet in the APEC formal agenda as a fundamental basis for economic cooperation not only in the Asia-Pacific but among all free democracies, then it should be,” Honasan said.

“The Philippines must be willing and able to take the lead politically, morally, and globally by example, setting aside partisan squabbles and uniting against common enemies of humanity,” the former military man added.

The Philippines, as host, will serve as a moderator of sorts during the event where economic leaders can raise various issues.

Meanwhile, a former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff cautions Malacañang to be very vigilant as the Philippines now turns out to be a vulnerable hot spot due to the presence of prominent international figures in the APEC meeting.

Former AFP Chief Ret. Gen. Dionisio Santiago, in a phone interview, said that though there’s no verified information of any threat yet, the government shouldn’t be too loose on its security measures.

“Manila is an apparent target because the terrorists’ favorite targets are coming here that’s why our security forces should be more extra cautious in hosting the APEC,” Santiago, who’s also an expert in military intelligence, told the Tribune.

Prominent world leaders arriving in the country this week are US President Barack Obama, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, newly elected CanadianPrime Minister Justin Trudeau and 15 others.

Santiago added that the threats may be indirect but still it surely is a “security nightmare and concern”.

“Our military and policemen have been through drills preparing for the worst case scenario but, of course, it will be different if ever anything happens,” he added.

The retired general also reiterated that the militant protesters are “not much of a deadly threat” nor are Moro rebel groups from Mindanao.

“The threat will always come from the outside and never in the inside because, as a matter of fact, Filipinos can’t afford themselves to be suicide bombers,” he added.

Santiago, however, indicated that among the APEC’s side effects, aside from the security threats, is its effect to air travellers in the country throughout the course of the said gathering.

“Never was it known in history that flights for 4 days are cancelled for security’s sake. Yes, APEC’s going to be a window to promising investments but they still remain to be but promises, so why compromise a lot of things?” he added.

Interior Secretary Sarmiento said Aquino has ordered a heightened level of security for the Apec forum delegates and participants this week.

“At present, security forces are positioned in Metro Manila beyond the regular deployment scale. This should add to the peace of mind and level of confidence of our people and provide much optimism for a fruitful and orderly APEC 2015 Summit,” Sarmiento said.

The DILG chief appealed to the public for understanding for some inconvenience during the APEC Summit.

“We would like to forewarn the public to expect heavy traffic that may cause inconvenience in areas where APEC activities will be conducted. We advise them to, as much as possible, avoid APEC venues to include all roads leading to these areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, after the upgrading to red alert status of both the PNP and AFP, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said its personnel are also now on red alert status.

According to MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos, although the agency has no security capabilities, its closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be useful in monitoring the situation and alerting the PNP and the AFP on any untoward developments during the APEC Summit.

He also advised motorists to stay away from the APEC meeting venues because of the limited use of roads leading to such places.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said there is nothing to worry about, and that no delegation has expressed concern about the security measures being undertaken for the leaders’ meeting.

“Of course, our security officials are monitoring and assessing the situation and we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of all delegates in the AELM [APEC Leaders’ Meeting], especially the economic leaders,” he added.

The security agencies would have to assess the situation and beef up security measures as needed.

“Hopefully, by the time of the economic leaders meeting in Manila next week, we are sincerely hoping that situation in Paris, in particular, have turned to normal,” Jose said.

The Philippines is expecting some 17 leaders and three representatives after Russia and Indonesia confirmed the non-attendance of their presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joko Widodo, respectively.

Chinese Taipei will also send a representative in place of President Ma Ying-jeou.

Senator Loren Legarda today underscored the importance of cooperation among nations in the global fight against terrorism following recent vicious attacks of terrorist groups, particularly in the cities of Paris, Beirut and Baghdad.

Legarda earlier joined the French nation and the rest of the world in condemning the November 13 attacks in several public sites in and around Paris that have killed at least 129 individuals and injured hundreds more. But the Senator said that we should also give the same attention to other cities in the world that have been subjected to atrocities carried out by terrorist groups.

Apec equated to economic plunder

The upcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will only set the stage for greater corporate plunder and increased labor exploitation across the region, according to a Quezon City-based labor NGO.

Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research Inc (EILER) said only big multinational corporations and local elites will benefit from APEC’s thrust while workers will suffer from even cheaper wages and flexible work arrangements in a prepared statement said.

“What is not being said about the APEC summit is that it will lay the groundwork for greater corporate plunder by dismantling remaining trade and investment regulations, leveraging public finance to private enterprises through public-private partnerships (PPP), further pushing down on wages, and increasing cost pressures on small local businesses in a region that is home to more than half of the world’s poor,” EILER said in a statement.

EILER said the Philippines’ festive hosting presents stark ironies as the country exemplifies the worst and wide-ranging impacts of APEC’s neoliberal globalization framework.

“More than 3 million workers lost their jobs from 1990 up to present, especially workers in sectors directly affected by trade liberalization such as the garments sector.

Over 12 million are currently jobless or in poor quality of work while another 12 million Filipinos are migrant workers in different parts of the globe,” EILER researcher Carlos Maningat said.

Maningat said among the key subthemes of the APEC 2015 summit is the integration of SMEs into the regional and global value chains (GVCs) which is essentially the continuation of the subcontracting strategy of multinational corporations.

“Under the SME integration thrust, MNCs seek to reduce the procurement, production and distribution costs by shifting the cost pressures and risks to the suppliers and subcontractors, and ultimately, to the workers of the subcontractors. This will lead to shutdown of weaker local enterprises and consolidation of the remaining ones into few relatively big suppliers,” he said.

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