PHILIPPINES: Opposition to US troops grows

BY NICK SOUDAKOFF

On January 31, US and Philippines military officials launched the “Balikatan 2002” exercises, which bring together US troops and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). While the exercises are supposedly aimed at crushing the small terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, they will take place in the midst of the long-running war on the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, where the Philippines government is attempting to crush the Moro (Muslim) community's struggle for self-determination.

Approximately 650 American soldiers are to be deployed in Mindanao for six to 12 months. About 490 are for logistical support — air crews, medical evacuation teams and supply units — and about 160 are elite special forces troops, half of which are training sergeants. About 6000 AFP troops will be involved in the operations, including elite Scout Ranger units and Philippines Marines. Field operations will begin in mid-February.

The component of the “exercise” that will take place on Basilan Island, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf terrorists, is called “Kalayaan Aguila” (Freedom Eagle) and is the first of some 16 exercises planned this year. About 2000 US Marines are expected to arrive in April for the next “exercise”.

In the January 31 Philippine Star, it was reported that the US command was arriving in Mindanao with the understanding that US forces was to engage in joint military operations, “not a training exercise”. The start of the exercises were delayed by a week so that the guidelines could be renegotiated.

Washington is also providing Manila with 30,000 assault rifles, eight helicopters, a high-speed naval patrol vessel, hundreds of pairs of night-vision goggles and sophisticated communications and surveillance equipment.

US President George Bush has also promised the Philippines government US$100 million to “fight terrorism”. Along with Abu Sayyaf, the US list of organisations that Washington brands as “terrorists” include the Communist Party of the Philippine's New Peoples Army, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Alex Bocayo Brigade (an urban guerilla organisation based in Manila) and the Pentagon Gang in central Mindanao.

Opposition

According to the latest national IBON Survey, conducted between November and December, the majority of the Philippines' people are not in favour of having US troops on Philippines soil to fight the Abu Sayyaf group.

Asked whether they approve of the direct participation of US troops to fight the Abu Sayyaf, 52.73% of respondents said they disapproved, while 40.32% approved. However, in Metro Manila, 48.44% of the total 450 respondents approved of the participation of US troops, while 42.67% disapproved.

Concerns have also been expressed within the Philippines government. Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former armed forces chief, argued, “All it will take is one bullet fired by an American soldier that [kills] a civilian ... and the political stability of the country will be adversely affected.”

Sonny Melencio, chairperson of Socialist Party of Labour (SPP) told Green Left Weekly that pickets and protests began in earnest as soon as the Balikatan 2002 exercises were launched. At protests outside the US Embassy in Manila, the main chants have been: “Peace and justice now, stop the war in Mindanao!” and “US imperialism, number one terrorist!”

Daily pickets are being organised by a broad coalition, Peace Camp, which includes the Freedom From Debt Coalition, Sanlakas, Task Force Bases Clean Up, Task Force Detainees of the Philippines, Sarilaya, Akbayan, SPP-BMP, BISIG, Resource Centre for Peoples Development and a number of Muslim organisations including Muslim umbrella group Maradeka. Also part of the Peace Camp is the Labour against the War trade union coalition, which is led by left trade union federation Solidarity of Filipino Workers (BMP).

Numerous actions for February are being prepared, including rallies to coincide with the anniversary of the People's Power uprisings that overthrew President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001. Furthermore, Labour against the War will be demonstrating on February 6, with the slogan “Justice for Popoy, Justice for All”, to mark the first anniversary of the assassination of “Popoy” Lagman, BMP chairperson and long-standing leader of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines.

Melencio identified two other “peace blocs” that are organising actions throughout the country. One is the Gathering for Peace, which includes senators and ex senators that oppose US intervention in Mindanao and the Mutual Logistics Servicing Agreement (MLSA) which re-opens Philippines bases for use by US forces. Many of these serving and former senators were involved in the successful campaign to close the US bases in 1992.

The other is the Bayan bloc, composed predominantly of organisations aligned with the Communist Party of the Philippines. Melencio said that while Bayan has not yet agreed to be involved in any joint actions, the Gathering for Peace and the Peace Camp are planning to stage a combined mass mobilisation on International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8.

“The Peace Camp is also calling for IWD to be a regional day of action against the US intervention into the Philippines”, Melencio told GLW. “Our main demands are ‘US troops out now!' and ‘Reject the MLSA!'. We are sending an appeal out and contacting all progressive groups in the Asian region about this project.”

BMP is also calling for May 1 to be an international day of action against the war.

“While the US and the Philippines government states that the Balikatan 2002 joint military operation is focused on Abu Sayyaf, the Peace Camp believes the operation will be a lot broader”, Melencio explained. “The reason that the US is sending troops to help the Philippines military is that ‘war on terror' by the US is primarily aimed at the left. They want to drive back the gains of the mass movements. So they have chosen Colombia, where the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia is a powerful force, Palestine, where the youth continue the intifada, and here in the Philippines, where Washington wants to peg back the revolutionary forces.”

British, Canadian involvement

During the US troop build-up in Mindanao, Philippines President Gloria Arroyo-Macapagal visited Britain, Canada and the US. In London, Arroyo secured an agreement from British Prime Minister Tony Blair for Scotland Yard to train the Philippines National Police to fight “terrorism” and organised crime.

Blair also promised to campaign for more technical and financial assistance to help fight poverty in Basilian and other areas in the Philippines.

In Canada, protesters from the local Philippines community and other anti-war activists confronted Arroyo. The protests, organised by the Philippines Women's Centre and the British Columbia Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines, where held in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.

Arroyo and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien witnessed the signing of five bilateral agreements in which Canada promised at least C$25 million in official development assistance to the Philippines.

[Sonny Melencio will be a featured speaker at the Asia Pacific International Solidarity Conference to be held in Sydney, March 29-April 1. Visit the conference web site at < http://www.global-revolt.org>.]

From Green Left Weekly, February 6, 2002.
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