Statement on Marcos – Kishida meeting
We oppose the planned Philippines-Japan military access agreement which is another version of a “visiting forces agreement” that would allow Japanese troops to join military exercises in the Philippines, including those with the US. The security agreement is part of the entire US network in the region, with Japan serving as a junior partner of the US and the Philippines playing a role as a vital cog of the US war machine in the region. We are being made to believe that all these military exercises are intended to protect us from China, when the reality is that these are all meant to advance US hegemony in the region.
Instead of another security arrangement for war preparations, Marcos should be pressing Japan on its apology and reparations for Filipino comfort women during World War 2. How can we in good conscience as a nation invite Japanese troops to the Philippines when Filipinos abused during the war have not received justice?
In a 19-page decision issued last March 2023, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women found that the Philippines violated the rights of victims of sexual slavery perpetrated by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War by failing to provide reparation, social support and recognition commensurate with the harm suffered.
It is time for the Philippine government to stop relying on the promises of imperialist countries like the US and Japan in order to secure Philippine or territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. The US has been involved in failure after failure in its interventionist actions, from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Ukraine and now Palestine. Why would we entrust our security to an interventionist power and its junior partner?
We oppose China’s aggressive actions and claims over the West Philippine Sea. But this does not mean our only option is to side with imperialist powers who are also responsible for other wars and conflicts. We should develop our own capacity for defense and our own economy.
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