8 U.P. Newsletter
april 2012
Bayan, others slam plans to bring more US troops into the country Philippines becoming a “lynchpin for American imperialism in Southeast Asia through the notorious Balikatan Exercises and other joint military exercises.” According to the CONTEND statement, “the American government has interfered (with) and manipulated our politics, exploited our people and patrimony, supported authoritarian rule, architected the anti-insurgency campaign through low-intensity conflict: ‘Oplan Makabayan,’ ‘Oplan Bantay Laya,’ Groups belonging to the Junk VFA Movement and others gather at the Claro M. Recto Hall to discuss the return of and ‘Oplan Bayanihan’; tolerated countless U.S. Armed Forces troops to the country. human rights violations, and dragged us The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan that Philippine and American interests are into their global wars of aggression.” (Bayan) and other groups belonging to the identical. She then criticized Foreign Affairs Junk VFA Movement organized a forum Prof. Sarah Raymundo in her opening Secretary Albert del Rosario’s call to against the return of more US Armed remarks reiterated this point as one of the maximize the country’s military alliance Forces troops in the country, drawing guiding principles of the forum. with the United States, calling such actions representatives from various sectors of the “It has historically been proven that products of the elite’s neocolonial education. what is good for American expansionist academe and civil society. While remembering the sacrifices of the The forum “Base Militar ng Kano: Ang policy is not necessarily good for our Philippine-American War, Raymundo and Pagbabalik” was held at the Claro M. Recto nation and the world,” said Raymundo as CONTEND-UP intend to “resurrect and Hall, UP Diliman, last February 8, the birth she read the Congress of Teachers and activate these dangerous memories to rouse date of the great nationalist statesman after Educators for Nationalism and Democracy our people to oppose the continuing war of whom the hall is named. (CONTEND)-UP’s official statement aggression of the United States against our Recto’s speech on the “mendicant foreign titled “War is Nothing More Than the people, patrimony and sovereignty.” policy” of the Philippine government Continuation of Imperialism by Other The forum’s first speaker, development delivered at the UP Commencement Means.” studies professor and longtime scholar Recalling the Philippine-American Exercises in 1951 was an inspiration to of Philippine-US relations Prof. Roland the participants as they discussed what War of 1899, Raymundo narrated the Simbulan spoke on the geopolitics was said to be the incorrect assumption historical circumstances that led to the
Nasawing lider-estudyante ng UPM pinarangalan Fred Dabu
Nagtipon ang halos 150 estudyante at kabataan sa UP Manila (UPM) College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Little Theater nitong Marso 21 upang bigyang pugay si Ma. Sheena S. Trinidad, isang dating magaaral ng kursong Behavioral Science at lider-estudyante ng UPM na nasawi noong Marso 8. Nagkaroon ng mga marubdob na paglalahad at kultural na pagtatanghal ukol sa buhay at paninindigan ni Trinidad. Ayon sa mga naging kaklase, kaibigan,
at kasama sa mga organisasyong pangkampus ni Trinidad, siya ay naglingkod sa kapwa mag-aaral at kabataan bilang pangulo ng CAS student council noong 20052006, pangulo ng Alternative Students’
Alliance for Progress-Katipunan ng mga Progresibong Mag-aaral ng Bayan (ASAP-Katipunan) noong 2004-2005 at pinuno ng Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP)-UP Manila chapter noong 2003-2004.
Photo by Fred Dabu
Photo by Misael Bacani
Andre Encarnacion
Nag-alay ng pangkulturang pagtatanghal ang ilang estudyante at kabataang aktibista sa ginanap na parangal para kay Sheena Trinidad, isang dating lider-estudyante ng UP Manila na di-umano’y nasawi sa isang engkwentro noong Marso 8.
Pinatotohanan rin ng kanyang mga kaanak na si Trinidad ay “mabuting anak, masayahing kapatid, mapagkalingang tiyahin, maasahang kaibigan at butihing asawa.” Iniulat ni Cleve Arguelles ng UPM University Student Council na tumungo sila noong Marso 16 sa Camarines Norte, Bicol upang makiramay sa pamilya at makipaglibing. “Nabuhay si Sheena ayon sa kanyang prinsipyo,” ani Arguelles. “Naging huwaran siyang lider-estudyante. Pinili niyang makipamuhay at maglingkod sa hanay ng mga magsasaka.” Ayon sa mga ulat sa midya, si Trinidad ay isa sa apat na gerilya ng New People’s Army (NPA) na nakasagupa at napatay ng mga sundalo ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) sa Bongabon, Nueva Ecija nitong nakalipas na Pandaigdigang Araw ng mga Kababaihan. Nananawagan ang mga kaanak ni Trinidad, kasama ng mga organisasyong kinabilangan niya noon, para sa isang kagyat na multi-sektoral na imbestigasyon sa kasong ito. Ayon sa pahayag ng pamilyang Trinidad, “puno ng tama ng bala (ang katawan ni Sheena) na batay sa inisyal na autopsy ay naging sanhi ng kanyang pagkamatay. Durog ang kanyang paa at bakas ang larawan ng pagpapahirap.” Nananawagan din si Dianne Kristel Asuelo, lider ng SCMP, sa Komisyon ng Karapatang Pantao ng Pilipinas upang imbestigahan nito ang nasabing insidente.
underlying the return of US troops to the country, and gave a comprehensive picture of the complex relationship between the Philippines and the US. He cited the January 2012 release of the “Priorities for 21 st Century Defense” by the US Department of Defense, which adjusts the foreign policy of the Untied States to cope with the budget crisis and current realities in America, while retaining fullscale dominance. Simbulan explained that while the US maintained some 752 military facilities around the world, there was a slow growth to military spending under the Obama administration compared to his predecessor in the White House. Simbulan noted the Obama administration’s emphasis on the use of “soft power” which involves the use of aid, trade, diplomacy, alliances and new media to maintain dominance as opposed to conventional warfare and outright aggression. The Philippines, according to Simbulan, has become an increasingly strategic location for the US due to China’s rise as a global economic superpower and its increasing influence in Asia and the Pacific. He then gave examples of US initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Gulf Cooperation Council as means to neutralize the threatening influence of both China and Iran. Saying that the US would prefer that the Chinese economy be integrated with the US global economy, Simbulan said the Philippines is once again a key position for the US in this regional jockeying. According to Simbulan, Mindanao was used as a laboratory for counter-insurgency by the United States, with many of the techniques used in Iraq and Afghanistan first utilized there. The military advantage it has and the control exerted by the US over the country’s resources has “undermined our capabilities as a sovereign state,” he said. Similarly, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. criticized the US effort to regain lost ground in the country in his presentation “The Trouble with Goodbyes.” Reyes pointed out that 600 US Special Forces troopers have been based in Mindanao for the past 10 years. And the rebalancing of forces toward Asia-Pacific announced last January 3 means that more are likely to be deployed. “US economic and security interests are inextricable from these developments,” Reyes said. Reyes mentioned a Febr uar y 4 Bloomberg report that 4,000 troops in Okinawa were to be rotated to the Philippines and Australia, utilizing Subic Bay and “perhaps a smaller base.” Reyes claimed that the US “wants to bring its ships back to Subic and have the capability to deploy from (there).” Reyes also dispelled “myths” surrounding the arrival of US troops and the increase in joint exercises, such as the temporary nature of US presence, the modernization of the AFP that it supposedly brings, the noncombat role of US forces and the belief that an increased US presence will serve as a deterrent against Chinese incursion. In response to the question “The Yanks are back?” Reyes answered “but they never left… and they will never say goodbye.” Reyes advised concerned citizens to “expose and oppose plans to bring more US troops, ask government to disclose details of negotiations before the March ministries meeting in Washington, and ask Congress to probe the terms of reference of the deal to bring more US troops.”