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New group P1NAS launched to defend Philippine sovereignty
Political and civil society leaders launched the broad Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya (P1NAS) at Miriam College last October 20, vowing to defend Philippine sovereignty against escalating Chines and US military activities in the West Philippine Sea.
The group revealed they plan to inform US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping of their opposition to their respective country’s military incursions into Philippine territory when they attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meet in November.
Here is a video of the said event.
BAYAN to Pnoy: Hands Off Activists and Human Rights Defenders
Press Statement
July 18, 2015
The increased and widespread harassment and intimidation of government critics and oppositionists in the run-up to Pres. Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) later this month is a dangerous sign that the Aquino government is adopting the tactics of notorious human rights violator Jovito Palparan – with the blessings of the Arroyo administration – in trying to quell anti-government protests.
Within the past three weeks, BAYAN has received alarming reports of soldiers, police and other state agents hounding union leaders and community organizers, human rights defenders and social activists, as well as progressive professionals, in their homes, workplaces and even in public, such as restaurants and on the street. They tell their targets that their activities are being monitored or that they are already identified as members of the CPP/NPA. They make veiled threats of something bad happening if their targets do not stop their social involvements. Invariably, these state agents leave a name and number to contact if and when their targets are ready to “cooperate”.
The victims of this latest spate of harassment and intimidation come from as far south as General Santos City to as far north as Cagayan Valley. Particularly targeted are activists and leaders in BAYAN-affiliated public sector unions, trade unions, youth and student groups, health workers and professionals, urban poor communities and progressive party list groups.
Even church workers and human rights defenders are not spared, like 15 colleagues in SocSarGen and Davao who were recently slapped with trumped-up charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for helping Ata Manobo and Balaan communities flee their militarized areas.
Clearly the objective of this intense harassment from state agents is to intimidate their victims into silence and inaction at a time when Aquino is salvaging whatever is left of his supposed “tuwid-na-daan” legacy, desperately looking for people to drag on his bumpy, crooked path to nowhere.
This is exactly the same kind of vilification and harassment tactics that then Gen. Palparan utilized wherever he was assigned, along with a spike in extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances of people suspected to be CPP/NPA leaders, members and even just sympathizers.
Pres. Aquino and his military and police forces are so desperate to silence his critics and derail the nationwide SONA protests that they have decided to do a Palparan.
Worse, the recent appointment of generals in the Palparan mold, with bloody human rights track records to their name, to head the AFP and the Philippine Army bodes a renewed spate of illegal arrests, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
BAYAN and the Filipino people will not be cowed by this latest fascist rampage under the counterinsurgency program, OPLAN Bayanihan of the Aquino regime. The upcoming SONA protests will be the biggest and most damning ever. We shall continue speaking out against the evils of the current regime presiding over a rotten, dying system and empower our people to struggle for a new and better government and society.###
Big rally set for Aquino’s final SONA
Various groups and critics of the regime are preparing to mount another big rally on the sixth and final State of the Nation Address of President Benigno Aquino III on July 27. Carrying different issues and grievances, this year’s SONA rally will sum-up the more than five years of the Aquino regime.
“For Aquino, the SONA will be his way of trumpeting his so-called achievements to justify the continuation of the already discredited daang matuwid. It will be his last time to use the annual platform in an attempt to fool the public. For the people, Aquino’s final SONA is an event to raise the most pressing issues and hold the regime accountable,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“The President now seems to be more concerned with maneuvering for 2016 than in addressing the problems of the people. Aquino wants the people to forget his many crimes of corruption, puppetry, human rights violations, and all-around neglect of the poor. Aquino is busy finding ways for his party’s presidential bet to win in 2016 and thus protect him from prosecution when his term expires. For example, what kind of a president calls for a meeting on politics and 2016 in the middle of a storm?” Reyes added.
more articles and news at www.bayan.ph
LARAWAN: No to US-Japan Military Alliance
The United States and Japan are using the Philippine dispute with China to justify increased US intervention and the rise of Japanese militarism in the region.
The Filipino people should be wary because the ongoing military exercises between the US, Japan and the Philippines are nothing a ploy to project US military power in the region as part of its pivot to Asia. The US is merely exploiting the PH dispute with China by presenting a false “united front” against China.
The naval exercises are meant to promote US and Japan imperialist interests in the region. These two powers do not care for Philippine sovereignty nor territorial integrity.
The situation of the Philippines and Japan with respect to territorial and maritime claims vs China are quite different. Japan’s claims to Diaoyu islands are questionable because the islands were annexed by Japan as war booty in the aftermath of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95. The islands should rightfully be returned to China in the same way Japan returned other annexed territories after World War 2. Japan refuses to do so and is supported in its claim by the United States.
Meanwhile, the Philippine claims to the Scarborough or Panatag Shoal, Mischief Reef and other islands are lawful. The Philippines sovereign right to its exclusive economic zone are also lawful. Unlike Japan, the Philippine does not enjoy the support of the US in these claims. The US only feigns support so that it could justify the return of US bases and increase the number of stationed troops in the Philippines.
As a US treaty partner, Japan is part of the US military umbrella in the region. It wishes to assert its military might outside its borders but only as a junior partner of the US. The Abe regime, despite broad opposition from the Japanese people, now wishes to change provisions of its Peace Constitution to allow Japan to more actively join the US in imposing its military might in Asia and other parts of the world.
The Philippines must reject US intervention and rising Japan militarism. Neither are out to serve our national interest. The naval exercises themselves do very little to develop our own capability for external defense. We’ve had so many with the United States yet our armed forces remain undeveloped. The avowed goal of interoperability is a sham considering the backwardness of our own Navy when compared to the US and Japan. All things considered, we are merely being used by big powers for their own geopolitical interest.
To counter China, the Philippines must develop its own economy and defense capability, independent of the dictates of the United States, Japan or any other imperialist power. Our continued dependence on these big powers is what undermines are capacity to defend our sovereignty against the incursions of China. ###
Bayan
Press Statement
June 23, 2015
P1NAS: Hands off Philippines, independence day twin rally
A twin rally was held last June 12, 2015, independence day in front of China embassy at Makati City and US embassy at Manila, to calls on the Filipino people to stand in defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity against the foreign powers that seek to tear the Philippines apart.
Chinese Consulate to US Embassy
June 12, 2015
LARAWAN: Defend Philippine Sovereignty
Chinese Consulate to US Embassy
June 12, 2015
Organizations and personalities launch alliance for sovereignty
In light of Chinese incursions into Philippine territory and proposals from the Aquino government that US military bases should again be allowed in the Philippines, various organizations and personalities formed and launched an alliance to defend Philippine sovereignty at the National Press Club this morning.
This video shows Bayan Muna representative Neri Colmenares explaining the basis and objectives of P1NAS – Pilipinong Nagkakaisa para sa Soberanya (People’s Unity for National Sovereignty).
He is joined by former Senators Rene Saguisag, Leticia Ramos Shahani, and Victor Ziga. Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Law Dean Ernesto Maceda Jr represented his father, former Senator Ernesto Maceda who, like Senators Saguisag and Ziga were part of the so-called Magnificent 12 who voted against the extension of the US Military Bases Agreement in 1991.
Organizations present in the launch included Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Kilusang Mayo Uno, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Pamalakaya, Migrante International, the National Union of Students of the Philippines, the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines, the Student Christian Movement of the Philippines, and others.
Artists Bibeth Orteza, Mae Panel, and Heber Bartolome were also present.
Groups hold protest at Chinese consulate in Manila
more news at www.bayan.ph
Chinese Embassy, Makati City
June 4, 2015
Protest vs China’s incursions
Asserting the people’s independent foreign policy, mass organizations from the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and the Philippines chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS-Phils) marched towards the Chinese embassy and held a picket to protest China’s incursions into the West Philippine Sea and US imperialist transgressions on Philippine sovereignty. Among the speakers were Renato Reyes of BAYAN and Elmer Labog of the ILPS-Phils.