Karapatan warns of more human rights violations with the recent pronouncement of P-Noy that more US troops are coming ‘on rotation’ and through ‘increased military training exercises and port calls’.
Karapatan warns of more human rights violations with the recent pronouncement of P-Noy that more US troops are coming ‘on rotation’ and through ‘increased military training exercises and port calls’.
Karapatan spokesperson, Cristina Palabay said that “the deployment of more US military forces in the Philippines will surely increase the long list of unresolved human rights violations under PNoy’s administration. The joint military exercises are essentially meant to prop up the implementation of Oplan Bayanihan, P-Noy’s version of the US counter-insurgency guide. As it is, Oplan Bayanihan has already wrought terror and violence among the populace. At the expense of, and in exchange for, the people’s rights and the country’s sovereignty, US military troops and aid are welcomed by PNoy to instigate further rights violations on the ground.” .”
Palabay added that the “Balikatan exercises have resulted to the exploitation among women and children, akin to the time when the US military bases are still in the country.”
In 2005, a Filipina was abused and raped by US military men in Olongapo City. “We do not want another case of ‘Nicole’ where the perpetrators go unpunished by virtue of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA),” stressed Palabay.
“In effect, the US bases are back, despite the government’s denial and its insistence that these troops are only in the country for short periods of time. This is a clear encroachment on our sovereignty and a violation of our Constitution. Also, the United States’ new defense strategy called “Rebalance to Asia” is but a euphemism for economic domination and political repression not only in the Philippines, but also in the Asia Pacific region,”