Tuesday, April 29, 2014

How reliable are Obama’s words?

Posted by Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 30/04/2014

Activist leaders led by Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate rip apart a US flag in protest of “US imperialist plunder and war” in the Philippines. (Boy Bagwis Pinoy Weekly)


In a news item today, Pres. Barrack Obama said “said that the Philippines had the ‘ironclad’ commitment of the US to help the country in the event of an external attack.but was noncommittal when reporters asked him if the US armed forces–whose presence in the Philippines will increase after EDCA’s signing–will defend the Philippines if attacked by China.

His refusal to give direct answer to the question of defending the Philippines if attack by China, like his unhesitant declaration to defend  Japan in similar circumstance, belied his words. It appear to indicate that his main interest is to have the bases in the Philippines for other reasons other than defending our country.

Let us not forget that Philippine bases are crucial to the  new US strategy of dominating East Asia in the so called Pivot to the orient’ , something that pres BS Aquino  unquestioningly  agreed. Does it mean that Philippine is just a gambit on their plan to dominate this part of the world? And we must also ask Pres. BS Aquino: what asbout the Philippine sovereignity.

The EDCA agreement was handed by BS Aquino almost as a gift for nothing. Is this how servile he is to the US interests to the extent of selling the country for American discarded weapons to ‘modernized the AFP. Let us remember Obama has promised unerringly to defend Japan in caser of attack by China. Japan has its own military capability to defend itself from aggression. It seems clear that theUS interest les on defending its commercial relations to a dominant partner, something that the Philippines is not.

BS Aquino must stop his booth-licking and start to think of the Philippine interests. EDCA and TPPA is all about US reoccupation of  the Philippines militarily and economically and his drive for Cha Cha is tantamount to prostituting the country to foreign powers.




Saturday, April 26, 2014

OWWA and the question of transparency

Posted by Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy, 27/04/2914



In a news item, OWWA is being questiomed by the COA on the missing P21M OFW funds.

Having an overt policy of exporting its human capital for more than three decades, the Philippine government has created institutions that manage almost every aspect of migration. These institutions’ functions and services range from deployment, the welfare of the worker and his/her family while working overseas, to his/her eventual return and reintegration. Thus, the Philippines has been considered globally as a model for managing its continuing influx of overseas workers.

Public policy on overseas labor employment formally started in 1974 when President Ferdinand Marcos issued a presidential decree creating three government institutions within the Ministry of Labor to facilitate the export of workers: the Overseas Employment Development Board (OEDB), the Bureau of Employment Services (BES), and the National Seamen Board (NSB). As overseas employment continue to increase significantly, the Philippine government was not able to manage the upsurge in demand for recruiting and deploying overseas workers. A 1977 White Paper by the Ministry (now Department) of Labor and Employment recommended that the government focus on protecting and promoting the rights and welfare of the rights of Overseas Filipino Workers rather than focus solely on recruiting and placing them.

On September 19, 2003, the OWWA Board of Trustees promulgated Board Resolution No. 38 (Omnibus Policies), providing the guidelines on matters concerning OWWA membership and coverage, collection of contributions, availment of benefits, and the policies on fund management, programs and services, administration , and corporate governance.

OWWA’s objectives include the following: the protection of the interest and promotion of the welfare of OFWs; implementation of the Labor Code that would promote the well-being of OFWs; provision of social and welfare services to OFWs; efficient collection and sustainability of the fund; enhancement of the well-being of OFWS through studies and research; and development and financing of specific projects to promote the welfare of OFWs.

The passage of RA 8042 or the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995” and RA 10022 which amended RA 8042 to further improve the standards of protection and promotion of the welfare of migrant workers and their families, clarified and enhanced the mandate of OWWA to include:

1. Repatriation of workers in cases of war, epidemic, natural or man-made disaster or calamities, and other similar events without prejudice to reimbursement by the employer or the recruitment agency. In cases where the employer or the recruitment agency cannot be identified OWWA shall bear all costs of repatriation. An Emergency Repatriation Fund is created under the administration, control and supervision of OWWA for this purpose. OWWA shall also pay for the repatriation-related expenses such as fines or penalties.

2. Establishment of a Replacement and Monitoring Center for returning migrant workers, wherein OWWA, together with the DOLE and the POEA, are tasked to formulate a program that will motivate migrant workers to plan for productive options, such as entry into highly technical jobs and investment of savings, among others.

3. Creation of a Migrant Workers Loan Guarantee Fund to prevent illegal recruiters from taking advantage of workers seeking employment abroad. The OWWA, in coordination with government financial institutions, is mandated to institute financial schemes expanding the grant of pre-departure and family assistance loans.
4. Formulation and implementation of programs for OFWs and their families while they are abroad and upon their return. It shall also ensure the awareness by the OFWs and their families of these programs and other related governmental programs.

Membership in OWWA, upon contribution of US$25.00, is mandatory for migrants going abroad through official channels by enrollment upon processing of a contract at POEA or by voluntary registration of a would-be member at a job site overseas. Membership is valid for a contract of two year duration. For voluntary members who register at a job site, membership does not exceed two years. Membership shall be renewed upon payment of contribution on contract renewal / issuance of new contract. In the case of voluntary membership, coverage shall be renewed upon payment of contribution. OWWA membership is tied to the OFW's work contract.

The cumulative contribution of US$25.00 automatically becomes the OWWA fund - a single trust fund pooled from the membership contributions of foreign employers, land-based and sea-based workers, investment and interest income, and income from other sources. Categorized as a quasi-governmental entity, it is entirely self-funded and receives no budget allocation from the national government.

OWWA’s mandate may be summarized into two: firstly, the delivery of welfare services and benefits to temporary migrant workers, and, secondly, ensuring sustainability and fund viability for the continuous protection of Filipino migrant workers. Consistent with its mandate focusing on the welfare of the OFWs and their families, the main programs of OWWA include (a) health care, disability and death benefits; (b) education and training programs; (c) on-site assistance and services; (d) repatriation; and (e) social services and family welfare assistance.



Is OWWA an insurance scheme, a protection agency, a loan bank, or social security?

If OWWA is an "insurance scheme," it makes sense for it to be a "membership organization." But alternatively, if OWWA is a protection agency, it must be for all OFWs, regardless of status.

What really is lacking are mechanism to ensure transparency.
OWWA must undertake measures to ensure transparency to its members by making available periodically OWWA’s finance statements, annual reports, programs and services

OWWA must create/ensure a mechanism to inform its members and the OFW community in all matters concerning OWWA’s operations

Despite Constitutional requirements for transparency, neither the OWWA funds nor the Board appointments are conducted with adequate transparency. The promulgation of the OWWA Omnibus Policies by the OWWA Board in 2003 without consultation whatsoever with the migrants and the migrant groups was a case in point of severe lack of transparency of OWWA. Certainly, one area that needs to be transparent is the process for policy and decision making of the Board. Minutes of the board meetings are not accessible to its members nor is it available in the website. Thus, there is always a cloud of doubt hanging over the Board’s decision. Whether there is substance to these allegations is difficult to determine due to the lack of transparency in the decision making process.

Under the current Omnibus Policies, an OWWA Board member can elect a proxy to fulfill his/her OWWA duties. This creates a system in which a Board member is neither accountable for attendance nor for Board decisions.

Except for those representing the various government agencies whose representation is automatic by virtue of their position, the President appoints all members of the Board of Trustees. This may seem to be the most practical arrangement given the complex process of consulting OWWA members spread in almost 200 countries. Yet, the question remains: are they accountable to the President who appointed them or will they truly represent the interests of the migrant worker

Source:  Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA)
Migrants Rights Policy Monitor
September 2011



Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Did the Son of God died in vain?

Posted by Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 160420134






The Son of God was executed for preaching love and justice. His persecutors were the righteous rich and powerful of the society. Now, as then, the the righteous men (according to the law) still persist and continue to persecute whoever advocate what is just.


Jesus was a true revolutionary. His beliefs, words and action proved it. He told the rich to share the wealth with the poor and they balked at Him. He preached justice. Then, as now, the powerfuls bend the meaning of justice to punish the victims of their injustices, imprison them and kill them like fastidious insectsa without even the benefit of a trial, or their if victims are tried, they use questionable methods like trumped up charges and willful misinterpretation of the law.


Repentance of sins? Nay, the rich, powerful are not repenting at all. They have even doubled their effort to commit more sins. They have globalized their wickedness. They brand anyone who believe in the teaching of the Lord as ‘communist’ or terrorist so they can have the excuse to persecute them and murder them. And worst, these modern day followers of Satan call themselves good ‘Christians’


The Lord’s revolution against evil did not end with His crucifiction. It continue till now. His struggle is a long, long march lasting more than two millenea. His followers are still in the forests and mountains fighting a guerilla war against the modern day pharisees and money-lenders.


The Son of God has not died in vain. His followers are multiplying in numbers and like him, willing to sacrifice their own lives for humanity, whatever tag the modern devils call them, whatever religion they profess or not profess, they are the modern followers of the Son of God Jesus, history’s greatest revolutionary.




Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Araw ng Kagitingan | Are the Japanese troops a better alternative than the US soldiers?

Posted by Pahayag ng Migrante
09.04.2014

Fall of Bataan (wikiphoto)

A person posted a comment to my blog today asking if the Japanese troops a better alternative that the Americans.

My answer is a resounding NO.

Like the Americans who committed inhuman atrocities to the Filipino civilians when they came victorious and massacred more than a million men, women and children during their ‘pacification’ campaigns, the Japanese may have even surpassed them in hideousness, some, even before my eyes as a child. Wherever the Japanese boots marched, from Manchuria to Indonesia, from Burma to the Phjilippines, their footsteps lined the land with corpses of innocent civilians.

Japanese atrocities in the Philippines (wikiphoto)
WWII is not about human consideration. It is about rich corporate nations fighting for supremacy in the cheap raw materials and labor market. The Germans and their ally Italy with their national socialism started a war that killed more than 50 million civilians to grab terretories and supply of wqheat in eastern Europe and oil in the near-east. The Japanese joined their European counterparts to expand their sphere of commercial supremacy in Asia and Pacific seaboards. We cannot choose an alternative between them. They are all of the same color, the color of money. The same smell: the smell of death. And the same objectives: imperialism.





Monday, April 7, 2014

A disturbing thoughts about the missing Malaysian Airlines 370

Posted by Belarmino Dabalos Saguing                                                                                                                                                  07/04/2014


International searchers failed to find the missing  Boeing 777 carrying 239 people after weeks of intensive attempts to locate it.

Yet, an indication by INTELLIHUB shows that it was hijacked and was forced to land at a remote US base in Diego Garcia Isl. Somewhere in the South Indian Ocean.

According to freelance journalist Jim Stone, one of the American passengers, Phillip Wood, a technical storage executive at IBM, who was aboard the now missing Malaysian Airlines flight, keystered his iPhone 5 in his anus after the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people was hijacked by military personnel while on route to China.

 Stone claims that metadata within the photo yields evidence confirming “100 percent” that Phillip Wood sent the photo, along with a brief voice activated text, from GPS coordinates which put Wood only a few miles away from the U.S. controlled Diego Garcia military base which is located on an island south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. In his post Stone claims that the coordinates may be off by a few miles (see update below post), proving that the iPhone actually sent the otherwise blank black picture revealing nothing else. Stone speculates the picture was taken in a dark room or in some position in which Wood’s hands were bound.
 Stone claims that metadata within the photo yields evidence confirming “100 percent” that Phillip Wood sent the photo, along with a brief voice activated text, from GPS coordinates which put Wood only a few miles away from the U.S. controlled Diego Garcia military base which is located on an island south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean. In his post Stone claims that the coordinates may be off by a few miles (see update below post), proving that the iPhone actually sent the otherwise blank black picture revealing nothing else. Stone speculates the picture was taken in a dark room or in some position in which Wood’s hands were bound.

 
Photo: Intellihub

The Exif is intact. Exif data gets embedded in every image by every camera and includes the circumstances under which the photo was taken. It can be viewed by saving the image to your desktop, and then right clicking it and selecting image properties. Hit the details tab. You can see that the image was taken on March 18 with an iPhone 5, with the ISO at 3200 and a shutter of 1/15. The coordinates are included in the exif data because the iPhone knows where it is, and the coordinates are for Diego Garcia. THE FIRST TIME A BLANK PHOTO SAID IT ALL.  Exif can’t be rewritten with common software, it can only be added to in fields such as image credits with some advanced applications. It can be erased as well but NOT CHANGED. Photos with the exif intact will hold up in court. If the Exif is hacked and this is not real, the CIA or a really good hacker did this, which is doubtful,

Photo: Intellihub


Interestingly, on March 24, 2014  at 2:30 AM EDT, it was reported by Intellihub News that flight 370 landed at Diego Garcia, a secret U.S. military base leased from the EU, during the early morning hours of March 8, 2014 after a YouTuber by the name of Montagraph put two-and-two together following other reports.
An excerpt from the article reads:
“[...] MH370 most likely landed at Diego Garcia and the plane may have been ushered into a massive “Faraday cage” style hangar to avoid passengers from communicating with the outside world.”
The following information was posted as a tip on Steve Quayle’s website:
Hi Steve,
Re: the black/blank photo from the IBM tech on the lost Malaysian jet. The photo was taken inside a building just off the runways at Diego Garcia. I put the photo into my editing software, grabbed the GPS point and here it is. Try this: go to: itouchmap.com , choose #6, go to the bottom right box and input the info:
-7 18 58.3 LATITUDE
72 25 35.6 LONGITUDE

My google search on thew coordinates resulted in the picture

Photo: Google map


The disconcerting question is why does the US military did it. They, surely did it for a certain purpose, but what? And why?

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Annoiuncement | GPN sponsors Benilde Animation Festival 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Revy Frias
 Communications Officer, GPN
 (02) 437-14-47
+63 906-215-7438
revy@lozatech.com




GPN sponsors Benilde Animation Festival 2014


Global Pinoy Network is proud to be part of De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Art’s (SDA) Animation Festival. The first ever Benilde Animation Festival aims to promote and give recognition to their Animation Program students. The set date of the festival will be on April 4 and 5 to be held on the SDA campus. The two-day event will stage industry talks, exhibits, film and animation screenings, animation competitions, and even cosplay parades and contests too.

GPN and GPNTV along with its affiliate company Mavshack, sponsors the cash prize for the winners. The mentioned entities believe and support talented young Filipinos. That is why, the festival’s animation finalists will be broadcasted globally through: GPNTV inside GPN.ph (www.gpn.ph), GPNTV’s Facebook page (www.fb.com.gpntv), Mavshack.com and Mavshack’s Facebook page (www.fb.com/mavshack).
GPN.ph also provides a CSB group inside their portal, in which Benildeans can join and instantly win a 30-day Mavshack subscription load.

GPN representatives will be there for the industry talk “Benildeans Meets the Industry”, to share how digital industry plays an important role for film makers in the country especially on the matter of distributing, promoting, presenting, and earning from their passion for animation.

On the event proper, GPNTV will set-up a booth to encourage other students of DLS-CSB to submit their produced content and be discovered. All submitted content will also be streamed on the above mentioned channels.  Mavshack subscription load will also be given to industry talk attendees, and to those who will visit the GPNTV booth.


Who are we?
Global Pinoy Network (GPN.ph) is a startup portal which offers different services. Showing original Pinoy content, streaming local radio stations, educational web-based seminars and training, supports crowd-funding projects and more.

Global Pinoy Network TV (GPNTV) inside GPN.ph broadcasts a wide variety of content like independent Pinoy short films, improvisational comedy, campaign videos, and more. GPNTV also produces its own content through event coverage, TVCs, and corporate social responsibility programs.

Mavshack (Mavshack.com) is the global online broadcaster of Asian entertainment which streams over 3000 Filipino, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian titles.


For more information or questions, please visit www.gpn.ph or contact:

Jerry Lozano
CEO and President
jerry@lozatech.com
Office:  +63 (02)437-1447
Cell: +63 999-563-7928

Revy Frias
Communications Officer
revy@lozatech.com
Office:  +63 (02)437-1447

Cell: +63 906-215-7438

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Bayan Online |Salubungin ng protesta ang pagbisita ni Obama!

Bayan Online, 31 March 2014







Matapos maunsyami noong nakaraang taon, inanunsyo na darating sa Abril ang pangulo ng US na si Barack Obama.

Ang pagdalaw ni Obama ay unang nabanggit ni US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel noong dumalaw ito sa bansa noong nakaraang taon pero ito ay nakansela noong Nobyembre bunga ng fiscal crisis at government shutdown. Si US Secretary of State John Kerry dapat ang pumalit pero kahit ito ay nakansela din.

Ayon sa pinakahuling anunsyo, si Obama ay dadalaw sa Japan, South Korea, Malaysia at panghuli sa Pilipinas. Nasa adyenda ng kanyang byahe ang pagsusulong ng US military “pivot” at ang Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

Ang pagbisita ni Obama sa Pilipinas ay itinaon sa nagaganap na negosasyon sa pagitan ng US at PH para sa access sa mga base at pasilidad sa Pilipinas.  Ito ay nauna nang inilako ng US bilang insentibo sa rehimeng Aquino para bilisan ang negosasyon at pirmahan sa kasunduan.

Ang pagbisita ni Obama ay layon pang pahigptin ang neo-kolonyal na relasyon sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at US at basbasan ang papet na estado at rehimeng Aquino. Ito ay pagpapatibay ng relasyong Amo at Tuta. Hindi ito magdudulot ng anumang pakinabang sa mamamayan bagkus ang dala nito’y pawang panganib at paglubha lalo ng pamalagiang krisis ng malapyudal at malakolonyal na lipunang Pilipino. Gagamitin pa nga itong panakip sa mga eskandalong kinasasangkutan ng rehimeng Aquino lalo na sa usapin ng kurapsyon at patronage politics sa sistemang pork barrel, ang inutil, palpak at kontra-mamamayang relief and rehabilitation ng gobyerno sa mga nasalanta, at ang mga isyung pang-ekonomiya na nagpapahirap sa mamamayan. Sasamantalahin ng rehimeng Aquino ang photo-ops kay Obama para makakuha ng panibagong basbas mula sa imperyalismong Amerikano.

Access agreement, de facto basing

Sa ngayon ay pinapabilis na ang negosasyon at pirmahan sa tinaguriang “access” ng tropang Kano sa teritoryo at mga pasilidad sa Pilipinas. Bahagi ito ng estratehiya ng US na“rebalancing” ng pwersang militar nito tungong Asya. Hangad ng US i-deploy sa Asya ang 60% ng mga barkong pandigma nito sa loob ng 10 taon. Ginagamit din ng US ang mga tratadong militar nito sa mga bansa tulad ng Japan, South Korea, Pilipinas, Australia at Singapore para lalong mapalakas ang presensyang militar ng US sa rehiyon. Ang “rebalancing” ay nagsusulong ng pang-ekonomiya, pampulitika’t pang-seguridad na interes ng imperyalismong US sa Asya. Iginigiit ng US ang sarili nito bilang “Pacific power” na kokontra sa maaaring maging karibal nito sa pagdodomina pangunahin ang Tsina. Nais palibutan ng US ang Tsina para mas maitulak ang mga naghaharing-uri dito na maging taga-sunod sa mga imperyalistang dikta.

Noong Agosto 2013 ay inihayag ng DFA na magaganap ang negosasyon kaugnay ng “Framework Agreement on Increased Rotational Presence and Enhanced Defense Cooperation” (FA-IRPEDC). Ito raw ay ayon sa isang “patakaran” na napagkasunduan ng US at Pilipinas noong 2012, matapos ihayag ng US ang estratehiya ng rebalancing. Nagkaroon na ng tatlong round ng negosasyon noong nakaraan 2103 mula buwan ng Agosto. Nitong maagang bahagi ng Marso 2014 ay natapos na ang ika-6 na round ng negosasyon sa US at inaasahang magaganap ang ika-7 na round sa Maynila sa pagtatapos ng Marso, o ilang linggo bago ang pagbisita ni Obama. Pilit ihinahabol ang negosasyon para sa pirmahan ni Aquino at Obama sa Abril.

Sa pinakahuling round, binago na ang pamagat ng kasunduan mula sa FA-IRPEDC, tinanggal ang katagang “increased rotational presence” at pinanatili na lang ang “enhanced defense cooperation”.  Sadyang pinagtatakpan ang layuning dagdagan at pahabain ang presensyang militar ng US sa bansa.

Ang “access agreement” ay pinalalabas na isa lamang “executive agreement” na hindi kinakailangan ng pagsang-ayon ng Senado.  Ito raw ay implementasyon lamang ng mga naunang kasunduan tulad ng RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) at RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).  Pero sa katanuyan, lagpas pa ang kasunduang ito sa anumang itinatakda ng MDT at VFA.  Nagpapahintulot ito ng paggamit ng US sa pasilidad militar ng Pilipinas, pagtatayo ng sariling pasilidad ng US sa loob ng mga pasilidad militar ng Pilipinas, at pag-iimbak ng mga kagamitang militar at armas ng US sa mga pasilidad na ito.  Nagpapahintulot na ito ng de facto pagbabase ng mga tropang Kano sa bansa.

Ang “increased rotational presence” ay nangangahulugan ng karagdagang pwersang militar ng US na itatalaga sa Pilipinas. Sa ngayon ay may 600 rotational troops na nakatalaga na sa Mindanao, sa Zamboanga at Sulu, mula pa 2002. Ang ibig sabihin nito ay palagiang may di bababa sa 600 tropang US na nananatili sa bansa kahit na labas-masok ang iba’t-ibang tropang ito.  Walang malinaw na timetable kung hanggang kalian sila mananatili sa Mindanao.

Ang “rotational presence” ay ang pagpapalit ng mga pwersang naka-deploy sa isang lugar upang makamit ang nagpapatuloy ay permanenteng presensyang militar. Sa ilalim ng bagong kasunduan, walang tiyak na bilang, walang tiyak na lugar at walang taning ang paglagi ng mga papasok na tropang Kano. Idadaan daw ito sa mga “approved activities” na pahihintulutan diumano ng gobyerno ng Pilipinas subalit pawang boladas lamang ito tulad ng ginagawa nila sa ilalim sa VFA.

Sa bagong kasunduan, ibubukas sa access ng mga tropang Kano ang mga pasilidad ng AFP sa buong bansa at maging ang mga dating base militar ng US sa Clark at Subic. Maaaring gamiting himpilan ng mga tropang Kano at mga sasakyan nila ang mga pasilidad na ito. May plano na rin ang Pilipinas na magtayo ng “mini-Subic”sa Oyster Bay sa Palawan, 550 km mula sa Maynila, na magsisilbi diumanong daungan ng dalawang Hamilton class cutters ng Pilipinas, pero sa totoo’y magsisilbing  himpilan ng mga barkong pandigma ng US.

Pinapahintulutan din ng “access agreement” ang US na magtayo ng sariling mga pasilidad sa loob ng mga tinaguriang pasilidad ng Pilipinas, bagama’t panandalian lang daw at dapat baklasin o di kaya’y ilipat sa pag-aari ng Pilipinas matapos ang pinahintulutang aktibidad. Subalit sa karanasan sa Zamboanga, ang mga pasilidad ng US sa loob ng Camp Navaro ay permanenteng mga pasilidad na at eksklusibong nasa kontrol ng US. Hindi maaaring pasukin basta basta ng mga Pilipino ang mga pasilidad na ito.

Nagkaroon kamakailan ng usapin sa negosasyon hinggil sa kung sino ang dapat may kontrol o awtoridad sa mga pasilidad na itatayo ng US sa loob ng mga pasilidad ng Pilipinas. Magkakaroon daw ng “access”   ang mga Pilipino sa mga pasilidad ng US pero ito ay nakabatay pa sa mga “operational safety at security consideration” na itatakda ng US. Malinaw na lalabagin nito ang soberanya ng bansa, tulad ng nangyayari ngayon sa Mindanao.

Pinapahintulutan na rin sa kasunduan ang “prepositioning” o pag-iimbak ng mga kagamitang militar ng US sa mga pasilidad ng Pilipinas. Ito raw ay sa kundisyon na ang Pilipinas pa rin ang may kontrol sa mga pasilidad.  Sa katunaya’y magsisilbi lamang na security guard ang mga Pilipinong tropang Kano at mga kagamitan nila. Hindi papayag ang US na ang may kontrol sa mga imbakan ay mga Pilipino.  Di rin malayong gawing imbakan ng mga ipinagbabawal na armas tulad ng nuclear weapons at iba pang weapons of mass destruction ang Pilipinas dahil wala naman kapangyarihan ang ating gobyerno na inspeksyunin ang mga barko at mga kagamitang militar ng US na pumapasok sa ating mga daungan.

Ang prepositioning ng kagamitang militar sa katunayan ay paghahanda ng imperyalismong US para sa gera. Katuwang ito ng “forward” at “rotational deployment” ng mga tropang US. Nais ng US ang mabilisang deployment ng tropa at kagamitan para sa anumang gera sa rehiyon at maging sa labas ng rehiyon.  Babala ito sa pangunahing karibal ng US sa Asya -ang  Tsina.

Balatkayo lang ang sinasabing paghahanda para sa Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response dahil hindi naman ito ang pangunahing papel ng mga tropang Kano.  Maaalalang matapos ang deployment ng US sa Visayas sa panahon ng bagyong Yolanda, ginamit agad na katwiran ng DFA ang disaster response para sa pagpapatibay ng bagong kasunduang militar.

Ang malakihan at pangmatagalang presensya ng US ay magdudulot din ng malaking problema sa pagtambak ng toxic wastes sa ating mga dagat at kalupaan tulad ng naging karanasan sa dating mga base militar ng US sa bansa. Malaking panganib ito para sa kalusugan ng mamamayan at maging sa kalikasan.  Hindi pa nagbabayad ang US ng danyos para sa nawasak nitong 2,000 sq.m. na Tubbataha Reef noong Enero 17, 2013. Wala ni isang sundalong Kano ang nanagot sa ilaim ng ating batas. Di rin binayaran ng US ang pinsala sa kalikasan sa dating mga base nito sa Subic at Clark dahil wala daw silang obligasyon sa naunang Military Bases Agreement.

Sinasabing maaaring walang tiyak na haba ang bagong kasunduan. Maaaring ito’y walang taning tulad ng VFA.  May nagsasabi naman na maaaring mas maiksi sa 20 taon ang kasunduan subalit ang puntong ito’y sinesekreto sa atin.

Walang pakinabang ang mamamayan sa“access agreement”na ito lalo’t ito’y naglilingkod lamang sa agenda ng imperyalismong US. Hindi ito magreresulta sa“modernisasyon” ng AFP at pagkakaroon ng “minimum credible defense posture”.  Sa kabila ng mga pagsasanay militar at permanenteng presensya ng US sa bansa, nananatiling mga pinaglumaang mga sasakyan at gamit pandigma ang natatanggap ng Pilipinas mula sa US.  Isang halimbawa ang Hamilton Class Cutter na binili ng Pilipinas sa US na sa panahon pa ng Vietnam War ginamit ng Kano.  Binili ito sa halagangP423 milyon (mula sa Malampaya Fund), samantalang ang dry dock at maintenance cost nito ay umabot na ng P881 milyon o doble pa ng acquisition cost. Bukod sa luma na ang barko at mataas ang maintenance at fuel cost, tinanggal din ng US ang lahat ng mga hi-tech na kagamitan na dati ay bahagi ng barko bago iturn-over sa Pilipinas.

Ganito ang klase ng “military aid” ang napapala natin sa US kung kaya’t hindi uunlad ang ating kapasidad para sa external defense. Lalo lang tayong ginagawang pala-asa ng US sa kanila habang pinagkakakitaan pa sa sinasabing mga pinaglumaang kagamitan.

Hindi rin totoo na tutulong sa atin ang US at direktang makikilahok kung magkaroon ng digmaan o armadong labanan sa pagitan ng Tsina at Pilipinas. Walang automatic retaliation provision sa Mutual Defense Treaty. Anumang paglahok ng US sa digmaan ay kailangan pang idaan sa Konggreso nito. Gayunpaman masyadong malaki ang pang-ekonomiyang interes ng US sa Tsina (kasama na ang  $1.28 trilyong utang ng US sa Tsina) para sumubo ito sa direktang armadong komprontasyon sa huli.

At kapag ang US ang nasangkot sa anumang digmaan, tiyak na makakaladkad naman tayo dahil sa Pilipinas naka-istasyon ang mga tropa at kagamitang militar ng US. Ganito ang nangyari sa mga digmaan ng US sa Korea, Vietnam at unang Gulf War noong 1990.

Ang “access agreement” ay katumbas ng de facto na pagbabase sa teritoryo ng Pilipinas. Ito ay pagbabalik ng mas maraming salot na tropang Kano sa bansa dala ang samu’t saring problema kaugnay ng paglabag sa soberanya, pagkawasak ng kalikasan, prostitusyon at iba’t ibang krimen,  at paglabag sa karapatang pantao.

Patitindihin din ng US “pivot” ang panghihimasok ng US sa internal na usapin ng bansa. Ang dagdag na $50 milyon na US military assistance ay gagamitin para suhayan ang pasistang counter-insurgency program na Oplan Bayanihan. Ang mga drones na pinalilipad ng US sa bansa ay bahagi  ng counter-insurgency operations. Ang Joint Special Operations Task Force ng US sa Mindanao ay kalahok  sa mga counter-insurgency operations dito.

Imperyalismo at ang papet na rehimen

Mahaba ang rekord ng imperyalismo sa pagtataguyod ng mga kurap na diktadura di lamang sa Pilipinas kundi sa iba’t ibang mga kolonya’t malakolonya sa mundo.  Ang pasistang diktadurang Marcos at ang pasistang rehimeng Arroyo ay parehong sinuportahan ng imperyalismong US.

Ang ayudang militar, pampulitika’t pang-ekonomya mula sa US ay para isulong ang interes ng imperyalismo, suhayan ang mga papet na rehimen at mga naghaharing-uri sa bansa,at para supilin at linlangin ang mamamayang Pilipino.  Gagamitin ni Aquino ang pagbisita ni Obama para makuha ang panibagong basbas mula sa Among imperyalista, habang pagtatakpan naman ang lumalalang krisis ng naghaharing sistema. Ibibida nila ang di umano’y ispesyal na relasyon sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa. Kapalit ng di umano’y ayudang US, susuportahan ni Aquino ang imperyalistang agenda ng kanyang amo sa Asya at sa mundo. Magpapahayag ng suporta si Aquino sa US “pivot” at sa neo-liberal na imposisyon sa ekonomiya.

Ang imperyalistang paghahari sa bansa ang dahilan ng pagkabansot at pagdarahop ng Pilipinas sa mahabang panahon kung kaya’t dumaranas ang lipunang Pilipino ng permanente at palagiang krisis. Tanging ang pagpapabagsak sa imperyalistang paghahari sa bansa ang magbibigay daan sa tunay na pag-unlad, at ganap na kalayaan.

Hindi solusyon ang pagkapit sa saya ni Uncle Sam para itaguyod ang pambansang interes ng bansa. Hangad natin ang ganap na paglaya mula sa kuko ng imperyalismo. Hangad natin ang tunay na pag-unlad at hustisyang panlipunan, kasama ang isang nagsasariling patakarang panlabas.

Labanan ang imperyalistang gera, base at pandarambong!

Palayasin ang mga tropang Kano! Tutulan ang bagong kasunduang militar para sa access at base!

Ibasura ang Mutual Defense Treaty at Visiting Forces Agreement!

Labanan ang pakanang Charter change! PH not for sale!

Ipaglaban ang tunay na kalayaan at demokrasya!