G.I. Joes Must Go! - Maza

“The presence of U.S. troops in the country is a blatant intervention to the internal affairs of our country. In fact, their decision to continuously deploy U.S. soldiers in the Philippines not only violates our sovereignty but it also puts our national security under threat. We do not need G.I. Joes to fight our own battles.”

This is the statement of Rep. Liza Maza of Gabriela Women’s party today as the Arroyo administration welcomed the report of the US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to keep an elite 600-soldier counterinsurgency operation deployed in the Philippines.

Maza said that this is a glaring violation of the 1987 Philippine Constitution and cited Sec.25, Art. XVIII of the law that states that “After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.

Maza further stressed  that the  U.S. has not recognized the VFA as a treaty, and has refused to have it ratified by the U.S. Senate until today. According to the Gabriela solon, the Arroyo government shows extreme servility to U.S. interests at the expense of our country’s sovereignty and patrimony.

 “What is their real mission in the country? After the Philippine Senate rejected the treaty extending the stay of US military bases in the country in 1991, US troops have been constantly deployed since 2002 under the pretext of civilian-military operations and counterterrorism trainings,”  Maza said.

 “Harap-harapan na tayong pinagsasamantalahan ngunit pinamumukma pa sa atin na tayo pa ang may utang na loob sa U.S. dahil umano sa mga humanitarian missions nila. Hindi mga bobo at mangmang ang mga Pilipino para maniwalang walang malaking kapalit sa sabwatang ito ni GMA at ng U.S.” Maza added.

Maza recently filed a Resolution in the Lower House questioning the presence of 6,000 troops aboard the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington for their so-called “goodwill” visit to the Philippines the other week. She has also asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to explain the nature and scope of their continued deployment in the land. ###