By MARYA SALAMAT
“It is the experience of every nation that wherever there is a concentration of American soldiers for a prolonged period of time, exploitation and abuse of the local people ensued,” said Emmi de Jesus, secretary-general of Gabriela, the women’s group.
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
In her revelations of the violations committed by US troops while on Philippine soil, former Navy officer Nancy Gadian also affirmed what has always been the core of US expansionism: using its military power to exploit the wealth and resources of another country. This was the core strategy in practically all the wars America had fought. Its so-called “war on terror” in the Philippines is no exception.
Video: VFA@10 — A Decade of Subservience
Has the Visiting Forces Agreement served its avowed purpose? Or has it only reinforced the unequal alliance between the Philippines and the United States, a relationship so tilted in the Americans’ favor that to call the VFA an agreement — with all the word’s connotation of equal rights, benefits and privileges — would be a travesty?
Press Release/ May 26, 2009 In September 1991, I was one of the tens of thousands of jubilant, soaking wet people who gathered outside the Senate when the historic vote was taken to not renew the bases treaty with the US. It was quite a night, marking the culmination of decades of struggle by one…
‘Vanessa’ Narrates How American Raped Her
A 22-year-old student has come out to expose her alleged rape by a US Marine inside a Makati City hotel on April 19. But the victim said she won’t press charges, citing the case of “Nicole.”
Bayan said that under the VFA, US commanders are not required to have their visiting troops subjected to thermal scans, health surveillance and other standard operating procedures that are usually undertaken by host governments in civilian ports of entry. “All the US forces need to present is a declaration of health,” it said.“Even in matters of public health, Philippine sovereignty is undermined by the VFA.”
‘Court of Appeals Prostituted Itself’
CA, Arroyo Slammed for Smith Acquittal
“The Court of Appeals betrayed the Filipinos,” said Joms Salvador, GABRIELA spokesperson, during a protest rally at the US embassy. By acquitting Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith, the CA justices “have trampled on the hard-fought justice of women in the Subic rape case and the fight of all Filipinos to defend our dignity as a people.”
