Malacañang should not expect Filipinos to be hospitable when US President Donald Trump comes to Manila for the ASEAN Summit in November.
Presidential spokesperson Claire Castro says Filipinos should “welcome” foreign leaders during the summit and just air their grievances on another day. We disagree. Trump’s presence in our country is the biggest reason why Filipinos should protest during the summit.
Trump is no ordinary foreign guest. He is responsible for current US wars of aggression and intervention and cruel sanctions that have brought death, hunger, misery and destruction to vast swathes of humanity worldwide. His waterloo in Iran and West Asia, his continuing support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine, the proxy war in Ukraine, and his unprovoked interventions in Venezuela and Cuba, have made the entire world suffer. Trump is a war criminal and plunderer who should be condemned, not welcomed.
Filipinos have compelling reasons to oppose Trump’s policies toward the Philippines. In connivance with the US puppet, Marcos Jr., Trump has transformed the entire archipelago into a forward military base of the US. Through Pax Silica, they now want us to be a hub for its military-industrial-big tech complex. These policies threaten to bind our economy, natural resources and territory even more closely to Washington’s geopolitical and military agenda. Marcos Jr. and President Trump are slated to seal an agreement to establish the Economic Security Zone in line with Pax Silica during the Trump visit.
The ASEAN Summit cannot be made into a protest-free zone for the sake of misplaced hospitality. Peaceful protests during an international summit are legitimate and effective means for our people to tell visiting leaders and our own government where they stand on issues that directly affect their lives, sovereignty and future.
Rather than banning protests, Pres. Marcos Jr. should guarantee the people’s right to peacefully protest within sight and hearing of the summit and its participants. The PNP must not use “security” as an excuse to establish protest-free zones, block lawful assemblies or suppress dissent. In the lead up to the ASEAN Summit, the US-backed Marcos Jr. regime should be exposed and opposed for any and all moves to suppress criticism and dissent.
Our message to Malacañang is simple: Trump is not welcome. The Filipino people have every right to say so, especially while his stooge, Marcos Jr., rolls out the red carpet.