In
The Philippines Bush's War On Terror Has Become A War Of Terror
By Brian Mcafee
01 May, 2007
Countercurrents.org
In
the Philippines Bush's War On Terror has become a War Of Terror. Last
week Elias Mabundas, 25, and Auling Bugahod, 50, both left wing activists
were gunned down by the philippine military as they were driving down
a freeway. On Wednesday, April 18, Carmelo Palacios, 41, became the
51st journalist to be killed since Gloria Macapagal Arroyo came to power
in 2001. Two days prior to the Palacios killing Willie Jerus, 43, a
member of the National Peasant Movement (KMP) and a local organizer
was gunned down in front of his wife by an unidentified gunman. He was
the 843rd leftist to be killed, usually by the same proverbial unidentified
gunman/gunmen since Arroyo came to power. In addition to those known
killed an additional 210 are reported as missing. Most on the left place
full responsibility for the killings and disappearances on the military,
the Arroyo government And the Bush administration because of its close
ties to Arroyo and the Philippine military.
Rebuked by the UN and the
Permanent Peoples Tribunal over human rights abuses and the ongoing
killings Arroyo and the U.S. have begun to be held to account. Those
murdered have been from every region of the Philippine archipelago and
represent a cross section of society. They include priests, journalists,
farmers, human rights workers, union leaders and those in the health
field among others. Two weeks prior to the for mentioned killings two
other KMP activists were found shot, stabbed and placed in garbage bags.
Arthur Orpilla and Dionisio Baltad were found 240 miles north of Manila
near a military base. The list of deaths has been compiled by Karapatan,
the Philippines most prominent human rights organization.
Among those killed about
ten percent have been women and a large number of the disappeared have
been women.
On March 31, Grecil Gelacio,
nine years old, was gunned down by members of the Philippine Army's
101st Infantry Brigade. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as
a whole, the Arroyo administration and the U.S. government needs to
be held accountable for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people across
the Philippines that have occurred over the past 6 years.
The U.S. Military has had
a long time training program with the Philippine Military and Philippine
National Police. The U.S. Embassy in Manila provides information on
the most pertinent joint training program between the U.S. Military
and the Philippines, an except from this program description reads-
"The International Military Education and Training (IMET) program
is an important component of U.S. efforts to professionalize the AFP.
The IMET program strives to strengthen the AFP's professionalism, commitment
to human rights, discipline and technical expertise. IMET graduates
populate top AFP ranks and actively promote close and professional U.S.
and Philippine military-to-military relationships." Philippine
Military assistance from the U.S. went from $14.6 million in 2001 to
$86.5 million a year in 2005. The U.S./Philippine joint military training
includes small unit and sniper training. The only suspension that occurred
of this joint training was when a rift developed between the two countries
when a U.S. Marine was tried and convicted of raping a Philippine national.
The U.S. government upset that their rapist was put in a Philippine
jail suspended the joint exercises
until he was transfered to the U.S. Embassy. Raul Gonzalez, Arroyo's
justice secretary was pivotal in making sure the U.S. was accommodated
in this case and generally seems side with the U.S. government over
the well being of his own people.
The War Of Terror the U.S.
is inflicting on the Philippine people through its blanket support for
Arroyo and the Philippine Military and National Police is also a War
On The Poor as the targets are generally those concerned with the poverty
issue and the beneficiaries of the killings would seem to be those that
don't want change, the rich and foreign capital or corporate interests.
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