Bayan to Lead Anti-VFA Protests in Manila and Bicol

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan will lead protest actions tomorrow calling for the abrogation of the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement and a stop to the Balikatan exercises. The mass actions will be held in Manila and in Legazpi City in Albay. The Bicol protest will be in coordination with the Bicol Alliance For Nationalism Against Balikatan. In Manila, protesters will march towards the US embassy in Roxas Boulevard.

�Contrary to what the US ambassador says, now is the best time to revisit and abrogate the VFA. The Smith incident is a continuing insult to our sovereignty. And the fact that US war games will be allowed despite this unresolved issue is an even greater insult,� said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

Bayan said that May 27, 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the ratification of the VFA. �How can a review be too early? It�s been ten years. There is no better time than now. It�s time to sort the myth from the facts in our relations with the US. It is time to make a comprehensive assessment of this one-sided agreement en route to its abrogation,� Reyes said.

�The US government is trying to conjure the illusion of reciprocity and mutuality in the VFA by claiming that it values the agreement as a binding treaty. The Philippine government on the other hand keeps on harping on the supposed benefits from the VFA. There is an apparent collusion between the two governments in trying desperately to justify the continued implementation of this one-sided agreement,� Reyes said.

The Arroyo government has claimed that the country benefits immensely from the VFA. Bayan argued that the so-called benefits from the VFA are not worth compromising our sovereignty for. �The benefits from the VFA are highly debatable. The counter-terror trainings or even the military aid have not helped modernize our AFP. We�re still heavily dependent on the US. The humanitarian missions on the other hand merely cover up the military operations being carried out by the US troops in Philippine territory,� Reyes said.

�Yet for these token gains, the Philippine government is willing to have its sovereignty undermined and its judicial system violated,� Reyes added.

Since Sunday, hundreds of protesters in the Bicol region have been facing roadblocks and checkpoints from the police and military. The protesters have complained of harassment and illegal searches by the Philippine Army who are conducting alleged counter-insurgency operations. Fully-armed elements from the military have used dump trucks and fire trucks to delay the advance of the protest caravan headed for Legazpi City.

Petitioners in the Supreme Court case vs the VFA are also expected to file their Motion for Reconsideration this week.

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