By “Expose and oppose imperialism.” This was the message the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) conveyed to the Filipino people on Independence Day. On said day, different organizations from various sectors gathered in their respective localities and held protest actions to register their call to end US imperialist oppression in the Philippines and around the world.
According to Raymond Palatino of BAYAN, the United States remains the biggest threat to Philippine sovereignty because it maintains military bases in the Philippines that escalate tensions with its rival China. He added that despite being a free nation on paper, the military presence and influence of the US in politics are proof that the Philippines is not yet truly free.
“The US is the main imperialist power in the Philippines, while China is a rising imperialist power and current rival of the US. Between the two imperialist powers competing for dominance in the region, it is US imperialism which has deeper roots and greater influence in the Philippines economically, politically, culturally and militarily. It is the US which has a long track-record of colonialism and neo-colonialism in our country,” said BAYAN.
There are nine Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country, hosting the largest number of war games in the nation’s history through the extensive Balikatan Exercises. Over 16,000 troops from the US and the Philippines participated in these exercises.
On Independence Day, the call also carried the demand to stop US aggression in Palestine through Israel’s genocide and China’s involvement in 90% of the West Philippine Sea territory. It is known that since October last year, Israel has continued its genocide against Palestine. China also continues to harass Filipino fishermen by enforcing its ‘Trespass Rule’ in its imaginary claim to the West Philippine Sea.
BAYAN called on the Filipino people to fight for genuine freedom and democracy in the Philippines. “We hail all our heroes who have fought for the genuine independence from colonialism, from the revolutionaries of the Katipunan to the freedom-fighters of the present struggle,” said BAYAN./PT
