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Balikatan 2024: Para kanino?

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Ni Nuel M. Bacarra

Lagi’t laging target ng mga mananakop na paluhurin ang Pilipinas sa dayuhang kapangyarihan. Mula sa panahon ng kolonyalistang Español na nagbunsod ng Rebolusyong Pilipino noong 1896, sumunod ang mga nagpabalik-balik na mga Amerikano na bantog sa mga masaker at gera sa umpisa pa lamang ng siglong 1900 at ng mga Hapones naman noong Ikalawang Digmaang Pandaigdig.

Ang estratehikong lokasyon ng Pilipinas sa pandaigdigang istruktuta ng kapangyarihan (o  geopolitics) at ang taglay nitong rekurso sa kalupaan man o sa karagatan ay mga panghikayat sa mga mananakop para sa pamalagiang presensya nila para sa direkta o di-direktang pananakop sa bansa.  Hanggang ngayon, ang pagiging malakolonyal na katangian ng Pilipinas sa ilalim ng imperyalismong US ang ginagamit ng huli para tuluyang lubusin ang kontrol nito sa bansa.

Ang patuloy na paghahamon ng gera ng US sa China para igiit ang hegemonya nito ay kumakaladkad sa Pilipinas sa isang napipintong digmaan sa pagitan ng mga imperyalistang bansang ito.

Nagpakana ng “tulungan” ang US upang hinangin ang garantiya ng Pilipinas sa pang-uupat ng gera sa China bilang piyon. Nangyari ang pulong nitong Abril 11 sa Washington D.C., US kabilang ang Japan bilang katuwang ng US. Tinawag itong Trilateral Summit ng US, Japan at Pilipinas.

Magkakaanyo ang tulungang ito sa pamamagitan ng mga mapanghamong ehersisyong militar o “Balikatan”, paglalayag ng mga barkong pandigma ng iba’t ibang bansa sa exclusive economic zone (EEZ) ng Pilipinas at maging lampas pa sa teritoryal na saklaw ng bansa, ng pagtambak ng mga dayuhang armadong tropa at mga armas at kagamitang pandigma.

Ang anumang pang-ekonomyang kasunduan ng tatlong bansa tulad ng mga proyektong pang-imprastruktura gaya ng Luzon Corridor, proyektong sa teknolohiya, pagharap sa problemang pangkapaligiran at enerhiya ay nilalambungan ng tunay na layon nito na tugunin at harapin ang China na naggigiit ng soberanya nito sa West Philippine Sea (WPS) at kinakikitaan umano ng mapanganib at agresibong gawi rito. Ito ay mga proyekto na inihahanda para sa gera.

Agresibong Balikatan

Bago pa ang Trilateral Summit, pinagtibay na ng US at ni pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noong isang taon ang Bilateral Defense Guidelines na nagpapahintulot sa US na makialam hindi lamang sa Pasipiko kundi maging sa West Philippine Sea. Pinahihintulutan din nito ang pakikialam ng US sa panloob na seguridad at depensa sa ngalan ng paglaban sa “terorismo”.

Samantala, nitong Abril 22, pormal na sinimulan ang Balikatan ng US at Pilipinas. Isa ito sa pinakamalaki sa kasaysayan ng mga ehersisyong militar na kasasangkutan ng 16,000 tropa. Kasangkot din ang 150 sundalo mula sa Australia habang paglalayagin ng Pransiya ang kanilang barkong pandigma sa loob ng EEZ ng Pilipinas habang may 14 pang bansa ang makikisangkot bilang tagamasid.

Mga sundalong Amerikano at Pilipino sa isang nakaraang Balikatan. (Larawan ng US Marine Corps.)

Sa pahayag ni Col. Michael Logico, tagpagsalita ng Balikatan 2024, kaugnay sa ehersisyong militar na tatagal hanggang Mayo 10, aniya: “Ang dahilan kaya naglulunsad tayo ng mga ehersisyo ay upang ipakita ang ating kahandaan sa labanan. Pagpapakita rin ito ng ating komprehensibong konsepto ng depensang pangkapuluan.” Dagdag pa niya, “Ginagawa natin ang mga ehersisyo sa pangunahing dahilan na magmantine ng isang mataas na antas ng kahandaan.”

Katawa-tawa ito dahil ang pinaghahandaang gera ay hindi natin laban kundi digmang isinasalaksak sa mamamayan ng among imperyalismong US na siyang may napakalaking interes na digmain ang China sa usapin ng ekonomya at panatilihin ang sarili bilang nangungunang imperyalistang superpower sa mundo. Ang sinasabing kahandaan ay isang usok na pangarap dahil ang lakas ng isang bansa sa usapin ng depensa ay nakabatay sa lakas ng lokal na ekonomya at hindi sa pag-asa sa tulong ng dayuhan. Ang lokal na ekonomya ng Pilipinas na nakabatay sa pag-angkat ng mga batayang pangangailangan kailanman ay di makapagsusustine ng gera. Isusubo ang mga sundalong Pilipino sa isang digmaang nasa kumpas ng imperyalismong US. Ang buong bansa ay magiging base militar muli ng US para sa sarili nitong interes, at hindi ng mamamayang Pilipino.

Ang kontra-insurhensyang programa ng gubyerno mismo ay bigo laban sa mga rebolusyonaryong pwersa. Bigo ang itinakdang paglansag sa mga larangang gerilya ng New People’s Army (NPA) na diumano ay dapat mangyari sa unang kwarto ng taon at durog na diumano sa katapusan ng Hunyo ang mga bertikal na pormasyon nito habang lulusawin ang lahat ng komiteng rehiyon ng Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas bago matapos ang taon.

Sa 39 na ehersisyong militar mula 1991, ang Philippine Coast Guard ay lalahok sa kauna-unahang Multilateral Maritime Exercise ng Balikatan. Ang Balikatan ay gaganapin sa Luzon at Palawan na katatampukan ng pagpapalubog ng barko at una rin ito sa mga ehersisyong militar na lalampas sa 12 nautical miles na teritoryal na hangganan ng Pilipinas.

Bangkaroteng patakarang panlabas

Ayon mismo sa rehimeng Marcos Jr., ang patakarang panlabas ng Pilipinas ay nangangailangan ng pagbalanse sa China at sa US. Sinasaklaw ng China ang bahagi ng West Philippine Sea (WPS) habang pabor ang rehimen sa malaya at hayag na pananaw ng US sa Indo-Pasipiko.

Kung ito ang susundan, sinusunod ng rehimen ang kapritso ng US sa pagtatayo ng mga base militar sa bansa at sa pagsasagawa ng mga ehersisyong militar para sukatin ang kakayanan ng China gamit ang Pilipinas. Mapanganib ito sa bansa dahil inilalarga ng US ang mga balak nito gamit ang ating kalupaan at karagatan na nagsasapeligro sa Pilipinas sa isang gerang di naman natin ginusto.

Sa kasalukuyang galaw ng rehimeng Marcos Jr, lantad ang kiling nito sa imperyalismong US at sa kongkretong pagdalo sa trilateral summit at sa mga nakakasang Balikatan sa bansa hindi dahil gusto nitong isabak ang bansa sa isang gera bilang piyon ng US o bilang pagsalungat sa dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na itsurang maka-Tsiina.

Nangunguyapit ang rehimeng Marcos Jr. sa US na bukod pa sa pinakamalakas na kapangyarihan ito sa mundo sa usapin ng ekonomya at militar, nais niyang iparating sa buong mundo na nalinis na ang pangalan ng mga Marcos na dating bantog sa daigdig bilang pasistang diktador at mandarambong dahil sa pagkandili sa kanya ng US.

Nilalabag din ng rehimeng Marcos Jr. ang probisyon sa Konstitusyon sa Artikulo II, Seksyon 7 kaugnay sa independyenteng patakarang panlabas na dapat binibigyang kahalagahan sa pakikipagrelasyon sa ibang estado ang pambansang soberanya, teritoryal na integridad, pambansang interes at karapatan sa pagsasarili. Ang pagbibigay-kaluwagan sa mga pagtatayo ng mga base militar ng US sa ilalim ng Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement o EDCA ay taliwas sa probisyong ito dahil walang hurisdiksyon ang Pilipinas sa mga base military o sa mga sundalong dayuhan.

Dagdag pa rito, ang mga haligi diumano ng patakarang panlabas ng Pilipinas ay ang pagpapaunlad ng pambansang seguridad, ang pagkakamit ng pang-ekonomyang seguridad at ang proteksyon sa mga karapatan, kagalingan at interes ng lahat ng Pilipino sa ibayong dagat. Hindi pagpapaunlad ng pambansang seguridad ang presensya ng sundalo ng US sa bansa na mananatili sa mga base militar ng US habang hindi interes ng mamamayan ang kagutuman, kawalang-hanapbuhay, mababang sahod, mataas na presyo ng mga produktong petrolyo na sanhi ng pagtaas din ng batayang bilihin at iba pa. Ito ang mga saligang usaping dapat kinukompronta ng rehimeng Marcos Jr.

Sa mga insidente ng pagiging agresibo ng China sa WPS kontra sa mga Pilipinong Coast Guard na ilang beses nang binomba ng tubig para itaboy at sa huling pangyayari ay mga nasugatan, lumalabas ngayon na tila may sinandalang pader ang rehimeng Marcos Jr. dahil sa Trilateral Summit ng US, Japan at Pilipinas. Ang dalawang imperyalistang kapangyarihan na dating nangolonya sa bansa ay pinapalabas na kapanalig ngayon ng Pilipinas.

Samantala, mahigit 70 kasunduan sa depensa ang naisara ng Japan sa US. Kabilang dito ang network ng missile defense system. Magsiserbisyo din ang Japan sa mga barko ng US sakaling may mga kailangang kumpunihin. Gayundin, ang mga diplomatikong kasunduan ng Japan at Pilipinas kaugnay ng magkatugong akses sa mga base militar ay dapat mapagkasunduan. Nangangahulugan ito ng papayagan ng Pilipinas ang mga pwersang militar ng Japan sa mga base militar ng Pilipinas.

Mga makabayang kabataang tutol sa presensiya ng dayuhang militar sa teritoryo ng Pilipinas. (Larawan ni N. Bacarra/Kodao)

Sa huli, sa mga ganitong kasunduan, lagi’t laging todo-bigay ang Pilipinas sa kapritso ng mga dayuhan. Pwedeng makialam ang mga dayuhan sa internal na usapin ng bansa. Sa kasaysayan ng mga base militar, hindi makatutuntong ang mga Pilipino sa mga baseng ito na nakatirik sa kalupaan natin.

Nasa estratehikong lokasyon ang pakat ng mga base militar ng US sa ating bansa. Pawang nakapakat ito laban sa China. Isusubo ng imperyalismong US ang Pilipinas bilang pambitag sa China. Imperyalistang bansa rin China na may kakayanang makipaggera at may napakalakas at matatag na ekonomya.

Ang Trilateral Summit ng US-Japan at Pilipinas kung gayon ay kapulungan ng mga imperyalista bansa sa presensya ng isang tutang estado. Wala itong pakinabang sa mamamayan, kung kaya marapat na tutulan at wakasan ng mamamayang Pilipino. #  

‘Dapat tayong maka-Pilipino’

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“Hindi pwedeng ang Pilipinas ay lumuhod sa US ngayon sa ilalim ni Marcos, matapos lumuhod si Duterte sa Tsina. Dapat ang ating gobyerno ay hindi maka-Amerikano, hindi maka-Tsino, kundi maka-Pilipino.”–ATTY. NERI COLMENARES, Bayan Muna Chairperson

Relying on bullies to de-escalate tensions

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WHY WE CANNOT RELY ON THE UNITED STATES IN DE-ESCALATING THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA TENSION:

“The US, like China, also wants to control the oil and gas resources of the South China Sea for its energy needs. We cannot rely on the US as that would be tantamount to taking out one bully, but allowing another bully to come in.”–ATTY. NERI COLMENARES, Bayan Muna Chairperson

US reveals military nature of trilateral summit; NDFP denounces BBM’s sellout of PH sovereignty

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United States President Joe Biden revealed plans for a more aggressive military presence in the Indo-Pacific region at the start of the US-Japan-Philippine trilateral summit in Washington DC, seen as a warning to Beijing that it will not surrender its dominance in the area.

Launching the summit at the White House on Thursday, April 11, Biden said the Cold War-era Mutual Defense Treaty between Washington and Manila requires the US to respond to an armed attack on the Philippines in the South China Sea.

 “United States defense commitments to Japan and to the Philippines are iron clad,” he said.

The agreement “extends to armed attacks on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft—to include those of its Coast Guard— in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea,” a White House readout reads.

Biden is hosting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a first-of-its-kind summit between Manila and two of its former invaders.

Beijing on the other hand said the meeting is an interventionist attempt by the US to escalate tensions in the region as it maintains its claims over an inordinate expanse of the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea, even those that fall on the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). China ratified the convention a month later on December 1982.

China however refuses to honor the 2016 international arbitral ruling rejecting its claims and have since attacked Southeast Asian fishing boats and coast guards in the region.

Marcos selling out PH sovereignty

The international office of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP International) meanwhile called Marcos Jr.’s participation in the summit “an utter and complete sell-out of Philippine sovereignty to US war designs in Asia.”

“Marcos Jr. is willingly offering the Philippine archipelago to serve as a ‘theater of war’ by allowing the US to position its military arsenal on land, sea, and air. The Philippines is a crucial piece in the ‘US Island Chain strategy’ to contain China,” NDFP International said.

Also scornful of China’s aggression against Filipino fisherfolk and ships as well as occupation of land features within the Philippine EEZ, NDFP International added that Marcos Jr. is allowing US to constrict regional waterways and position readily deployable military air power in close proximity to China.

“In order to achieve its objectives, the US is escalating war preparations in the region by encouraging Japan and other imperialist allies to join the geopolitical chess game,” the group said.

NDFP International also said that the forthcoming Balikatan Exercises later this month shall be the biggest in history with at least 16,000 troops.

“The Balikatan war games this year aims to test the so-called ‘Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept (CDAC)’ patterned after US imperialist war plans in the region. These actions form part of the US strategy to provoke China into ‘firing the first shot’ demonstrating the US government’s bloodthirst,” it said.

Marcos Jr.’s actions prove his outright subservience to US imperialist war preparations and his readiness to drag the Filipino people in the middle of a brewing inter-imperialist conflict. Marcos Jr. must be held accountable for his reprehensible sell-out of Philippine sovereignty and his blatant disregard for the lives of the Filipino masses, the group said.

NDFP International also said it denounces Biden for his government’s continued exportation of wars of aggression from Ukraine to Palestine and now using the Philippines as a pawn against China. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

BAYAN leads rallies vs. foreign military buildup in PH, trilateral summit in DC

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Anti-imperialist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) led a protest rally at the Chinese consulate on Tuesday, demanding foreign troops within the Philippine territory to stop militarizing the West Philippine Sea.

The group again denounced China’s incursions into Philippine maritime territories as well as repeated harassment of Filipino fisherfolk and ships in what has become an annual rally held every Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

“China’s bully behavior and continued aggression against its neighbors is the reason for its increasing isolation. It claims to maintain friendly relations but its provocative actions betray its real intent of dominating the whole of South China Sea even if it contravenes international rules and undermines the territorial integrity of its neighboring countries,” BAYAN said.

Day of Valor symbolizes the commitment of Filipinos to resist foreign aggressors, marking the day when the Philippines fell in the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army in 1942.

BAYAN pointed out that China also endured suffering during the Second World War, adding that its arrogance against the Philippines is a “shameful betrayal of how it fought foreign invaders in the past.”

“We call on China to move out of the West Philippine Sea, dismantle its illegal structures, recognize the 2016 arbitral ruling, and to stop harassing Filipino fisherfolk and Philippine supply missions,” it said.

BAYAN said it continues to call for the demilitarization of the West Philippine Sea, saying Philippine resistance against Chinese aggression should not lead to foreign military buildup and the “recolonization” of the Philippines through the installation of American military facilities across the country.

It also condemned the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government for turning the West Philippine Sea into a staging ground for foreign troops led by the US.

“Marcos Jr. is needlessly dragging the country into an escalation of conflict that will inflict more suffering among our people. We should not be a cannon fodder in the inter-imperialist rivalry and war between China and the US,” BAYAN said.

Police prevent anti-imperialist activists from conducting a protest rally in Manila. (Photo by N. Bacarra/Kodao)

Trilateral Summit to polarize region further

On Thursday, April 11, BAYAN also led a rally at he US Embassy in Manila, condemning the US-Japan-Philippines trilateral summit to be held at the White House.

In a statement, BAYAN also said the summit in Washington DC today is pushing existing tensions to a critical level.

BAYAN accused the summit as an escalation of the “US-led imperialist economic and military warfare” that will devastate the lives of working peoples in the region and squander the people’s money away from much needed services and welfare.

Caricature images of Biden, Kishida and Marcos Jr. at an anti-imperialist rally in Manila. (Photo by N. Bacarra/Kodao)

President Marcos is attending the summit, announced as the strengthening of security ties though joint military exercises among the three nations.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is representing Japan while US President Joe Biden serves as host.

“What is obfuscated in Washington’s war propaganda is the fact that these military exercises are happening only in the Philippines with the US-Marcos regime’s increased subservience to the US through additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation (EDCA) sites or bases, and the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between Japan and the Philippines, similar to the 25-year long RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” BAYAN explained.

The group also recalled that both the US and Japan invaded the Philippines last century.

“We call on peace advocates and anti-imperialist formations in these three countries to play a lead role in arousing, organizing and mobilizing against US-led militarism, interventionism and aggression by mounting protest actions that expose and oppose the April 11 Trilateral Summit to be held in the White House,” BAYAN said. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Int’l coalition slams Blinken visit, US military expansion in the PH

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International human rights defenders praised the rallies held in Manila against State Secretary Antony Blinken’s visit, opposing the Philippines’ involvement in the United States’ preparations for war against China.

The International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP) said it salutes the protests organized by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) last Tuesday, March 19, against the extension of US military installations in the Philippines.

“The Filipino people don’t want to be a battlefield for a great power war, and ICHRP urges all nations in the region – South East Asia and North East Asia – to deescalate the frightening military buildup towards war,” ICHRP Chairperson Peter Murphy said.

In his meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at Malacanan Palace last Tuesday, Blinken said he reiterated the US’ “ironclad commitment” to defend the Philippines as tensions with China over South China Sea disputes continue to rise.

In a joint press conference with his Philippine counterpart Foreign Affairs secretary Enrique Manalo, Blinken said that under the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty Washington is bound to defend Manila from “armed attacks on the Filipino armed forces, public vessels, aircraft – including those of its coast guard – anywhere in the South China Sea.”

Shifting from the pro-China stance of the previous Rodrigo Duterte government, the Marcos Jr. administration in February 2023 agreed to provide four more military installations to the US under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (EDCA).

These are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Balabac Island in Palawan; and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan.

Three of the four are oriented towards Taiwan, the flashpoint for a potential war by the US against China, ICHRP said.

Filipino anti-imperialist activists protest against US State Secretary Antony Blinken’s visit.
(Photo by Nuel Bacarra/Kodao)

On its own, the US maintains a strong presence in the South China Sea, with military aircraft overflights, so-called freedom of navigation operations, and naval patrols.

It also conducts regular military exercises with the Philippines and other allies, the biggest of which was held in April last year that China sees as an escalation of US aggression in the region.

ICHRP said it opposes US military expansion in the Philippines, also accusing Australia, Canada and Japan remaining silent on gross human rights violations under the Marcos Jr. government in favor of deepening military cooperation and arms sales to the Philippines.

This is part of the countries’ broader China containment strategy, the coalition added. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

Fil-Ams join largest pro-Palestine rally in US history

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Hundreds of Filipinos joined the largest pro-Palestine rally in United States of America (USA) history held in Washington DC last Saturday, November 4, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN USA) reported.

Over 300 Filipinos for Palestine members and allies participated in the historic National March on Washington for a Free Palestine event attended by over 300,000 protesters as Israel’s punitive action against Gazans enters its second month.

The Filipino-Americans said they demand an immediate ceasefire between Hamas and the State of Israel, for the latter to end its siege on Gaza, and for the US and the Philippines to end its support for Israel.

“As Filipinos, we know what it’s like to struggle against foreign occupation and domination, what it is like to fight for national liberation across generations,” BAYAN USA said.

“Long Live Gaza!” Filipinos for Palestine participants to the US|National March on Washington for a Free Palestine shout. (Photo by Malaya Movement-New Jersey)

“Philippine and Palestinian liberation are inextricably linked because we have a common enemy. So let us rise up and link arms across our movements and build anti-imperialist solidarity,” the group added.

The latest conflict began after Palestinian group Hamas conducted military strikes against Israel last October 7 that also killed civilians, including four overseas Filipino workers.

Hamas took as prisoners hundreds of Israelis they said they shall be freed in exchange for thousands of Palestinian political prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

The State of Israel responded with massive air and ground strikes against all 2.2 million Gazans.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that at least 9770 people, 4,008 of whom were children, have been killed in nearly a month of Israeli strikes.

The massive rally in Washington came after the US government last October 18 vetoed the Brazil-led resolution at the United Nations (UN) calling for a ceasefire in Palestine.

The Philippine government abstained from voting on the resolution, the only Southeast Asian government that did not support the proposed measure. 

This prompted BAYAN in the Philippines to spearhead a protest action at the Israeli Embassy in Manila last Tuesday, October 31.

At the Manila rally, BAYAN president Renato Reyes revealed the Philippines had been the third largest buyer of Israeli weapons from 2018 to 2022 used among others in former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody drug war that is under investigation by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Netherlands.

In Manila, pro-Palestine independence advocates protested at the Israeli Embassy last October 31. (Photo by Altermidya)

In Washington DC, BAYAN USA stated they demand an immediate end to the purchasing of weapons from Israel it said funnels hundreds of millions of dollars toward death rather than the needs of Filipinos.

“The Marcos administration’s silence on Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people is unacceptable. It is also a death sentence for the tens of thousands of overseas Filipino workers in occupied Palestine, who are also seen as ‘collateral damage’ by Israel in its attacks against Palestine,” BAYAN USA said.

The Filipinos for Palestine contingent was organized by BAYAN USA, Malaya Movement, Kabataan Alliance, Anakbayan USA, and GABRIELA USA that were among the over 500 endorsers of the march. # (Raymund B. Villanueva)

ON PALESTINE: If you continue the struggle, you will be free–Leila Khaled

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War again rages in Palestine. Initial media reports parroted the narrative that it was started by a “terrorist attack” by Palestinians and that the Zionist government of Israel is only retaliating.

In November 2015, Palestinian struggle for freedom icon Leila Khaled visited the Philippines and granted Kodao an exclusive interview. In this video, she explains the Palestinians’ fight to reclaim their homeland from the imperialist-designed occupation by Zionists.

[Interviewer: Raymund B. Villanueva]

VIEWFINDER: Arian Nu Muddulo (You Are Not Welcome)

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This month marks the 72nd anniversary of the signing of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the Philippines and the United States of America. The agreement has been opposed by patriots such as Claro M. Recto, Lorenzo Tanada and Jose W. Diokno as a surrender of Philippine patrimony and sovereignty.

Seventy-seven years after the country’s supposed independence from the US, the Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government agreed to the establishment of four more sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) where American soldiers could operate to continue its military and imperialistic dominance in the Western Pacific region.

In this Kodao Viewfinder report, watch how a province in Northern Philippines opposes the decision to have two more US military sites in their home. ARIAN NU MADDULO [You Are Not Welcome] is a look at how the usually welcoming people of Cagayan resists the coming of United States of America forces to their province. Aside from not being consulted in the decision to build two new EDCA sites in two of their towns, they oppose becoming pawns in a conflict between imperialist powers.

This video may also be viewed on Cinemata: https://cinemata.org/view?m=4Xs3Vbjfp&fbclid=IwAR0OMAVd_jSBmkpvCahMa6g8tLEf_g9HCy6SyNbou7n_Ne8mQnezyNohaXE

DC police arrests 4 Fil-Am activists at ‘lavish’ Marcos dinner

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By Nuel M. Bacarra

Another picket protest hounded a dinner organized for Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr., his party, and Filipino billionaires at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Washington DC last Tuesday, leading to the arrest of four Filipino-American activists.

Continuing their series of rallies against the president’s official visit to the United States, activists chanted “Marcos is not welcome here!” both inside and outside the Fiola Mare restaurant where Marcos was set to dine with billionaires Enrique Razon Jr., Lance Gokongwei and Sabin Aboitiz.

House of Representatives Speaker Martian Romualdez and former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were among the president’s party to the dinner.

The four activists chanting their slogans inside the restaurant were the ones arrested by the police, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-USA (BAYAN-USA) said.

The four has since been released from jail, Kodao sources said.

The group refused to disclose the names of the arrested activists, saying they were so advised by their lawyers.

Anakbayan-USA said those arrested are their members. The group has since launched an online appeal for donations for their defense.

In a statement, Anakbayan-USA said it salutes its members “for facing off against the cowardly and fascist US-backed Marcos II regime.”

“Anakbayan USA condemns the arrests of four, brave Anakbayan members after rightfully disrupting an excessive and lavish dinner between President Marcos, his cabinet secretaries, and some of the Philippines’ richest billionaires,” the group said.

The Marcoses are the ones who should be arrested, the youth group added.

Malaya Movement’s Julie Jamora said the police arrested the wrong persons.

“If you want to arrest someone, arrest the thieves inside. The only reason Marcos was not detained when he stepped foot inside this country is because of diplomatic immunity,” Jallora told the police during the rally.

Marcos Jr. and his mother Imelda were held in contempt by a US court in 1995 for “contumacious conduct causing direct harm to [a class of human rights victims].”

The continuing contempt offense already amounted to US$353 million in 2011.

Marcos Jr.’s ongoing visit is his first in decades, allowed by diplomatic immunity that he gained after assuming the presidency in 2022. # (with reports from RB Villanueva)