“While we welcome all aid extended to our brothers and sisters in the Visayas, we don’t see the necessity of deploying missile cruisers and missile destroyers and, amphibious assault vehicles and other warships.” – Cristina Palabay, Karapatan
“What is our government doing to ensure that the right to privacy of communications and correspondence of citizens is being protected? Is the US Embassy violating existing laws such as the Anti-Wiretapping Act and the E-Commerce Law, particularly the prohibitions on hacking and unauthorized access to data? If yes, what is our government going to do about it?” – ACT Rep. Antonio Tinio
“US troops have a history of environmental crimes in the Philippines that have remained unaddressed with impunity.” – Dr. Giovanni Tapang, Agham
“Don’t our officials feel betrayed? We are being bullied by China, we go to the US for help. In return, they sold us junk materials at a very high price, only to find out that US is also talking to China about possible mutual defense arrangements.” – Bayan Muna Rep.
How can the US proclamation that it intends to intervene militarily in Syria to protect civilians from chemical warfare be taken seriously, when the US has slaughtered and poisoned hundreds of thousands with chemical weapons itself, in Vietnam, Iraq and elsewhere?
“The US government is trying to hide behind the technicality that they would not set up a permanent military base or that their troops would only have increased rotational presence here, but as it is, US troops will always be in the country on a war footing and they can use any of our military camps to attack other countries.” – Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares
See also: Framework Agreement, new paradigm, same operations
“Strategic choices being made today will help ensure that this [US military superiority] continues into the future.” – US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Neri Colmenares said the ‘increased rotational presence’ being ironed out by the Philippine and US governments would only make Filipinos “cannon fodder and no different from how the US treated Filipino war veterans during World War II.”
“The terms are so broad that we can assume that US forces will have unlimited access and indefinite stay in the Philippines, alongside the opportunity of being granted effective control of certain PH facilities for the storage of equipment and weapons and billeting of troops. All that is basing even if they don’t admit to it.” – Renato Reyes, Bayan
See also: ‘Treachery, lies,’ slammed in Malacañang’s justifications for increased US troop presence
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Analysis Two issues present major challenges to the Aquino administration, which is now on the second half of its term. The first issue involves 97 mayors, five senators and 23 representatives of the Lower House, as of the last count. The P10 billion ($232 million) pork barrel scam could have provided the…
“I told them: ‘Don’t put your drones there because that thing blows up, and Davao will also blow up if they are in there.” — City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte