On the sixth anniversary of the United States invasion of Iraq, hundreds of Filipino activists held a protest near the US embassy in Manila. The groups were assailing the “lack of change” in the Bush policies both in Iraq and in the Philippines. “It has been six years since the brutal US invasion of a sovereign nation. It has been six years when we were lied to by Bush about the presence of alleged weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There have been more than 1.32 million deaths resulting from the continuing occupation of Iraq and the deaths keep rising,” said Bayan chair Carol Araullo.
“The world marched and protested the Iraq invasion in 2003. We have not stopped marching and protesting because the US occupation has not ended, even under the Obama administration. The most urgent thing to do now is to immediately and unconditionally pull out US troops in Iraq. It is clear that the invasion was meant to advance US economic and political interests and nothing else,” she said.
In 2003, Bayan was part of a global campaign protesting the Iraq war. The Philippine protests culminated in a “Peace” rally in Luneta.
“Special mention should be given to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who dragged the Philippines into the Iraq war by sending Filipino troops to Iraq. Had it not been for the kidnapping of Filipino worker Angelo dele Cruz, the Arroyo government would not have pulled out Filipino soldiers in Iraq. The unrepentant Arroyo must be made accountable for her support for the Bush war on Iraq,” Araullo said.
Unchanged relations with the Philippines
The rally on the anniversary of the Iraq invasion coincides with another controversial issue involving US troops. Protesters at the US embassy were also demanding the abrogation of the controversial Visiting Forces Agreement which allows the presence of the US forces in the Philippines and gives them certain special privileges when it comes to criminal prosecution.
”If Mr. Obama will be pulling out US troops from Iraq as he promised, he should also pull out US troops stationed in the Philippines. He should also end the annual Balikatan war games involving thousands of US troops. Honestly, we don’t see any of the changes he promised. We don’t see the departure from the Bush foreign policies, as far as the Philippines is concerned,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, JR. said.
“If the Obama phone call to Arroyo is any indication, it appears that the US troops want to stay for good in the Philippines. It would be the second time Obama has expressed support for the grossly unequal VFA. The first time was during Arroyo’s visit to the US when Obama was still running for president,” Reyes added.
Bayan said that Filipino Americans in the US also joined the protest actions and demanded the scrapping of the VFA. An international petition is being organized by Bayan –USA to demand an end to the controversial military pact.
“How can Obama say there is change when the US continues to have virtual military bases in the Philippines and when Filipinos are treated as second-class citizens in their own country? How can we say there is change when a convicted American rapist is being kept by the US government outside the custody of the Philippine government?” Reyes asked. ###
