MJM
19th March 2002, 08:21
From: http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/wpnz/mar12-...philippines.htm (http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/wpnz/mar12-02philippines.htm)
US ‘joint military exercises’ in the Philippines
The Spark 12 March 2002
Earlier this year 650 US soldiers with sophisticated military equipment and eight combat helicopters (part of a $4.2 million military package) were installed in the Philippines for the purpose of breaking progressive forces, establishing a US tactical base for adventures throughout the Pacific, and continuing the exploitation of resources and workers. The stated aim of the venture was to train the Philippines army - outwardly justified by the present climate of so-called anti-terrorism. The campaign against Abu Sayyaf is the latest in Washington’s ‘terrorism’ hysteria. The tone of official propaganda has changed since January, ‘training’ has grown into ‘joint military exercises’.
The U.S military are not proceeding in the style of commando units seeking out the small forces of Abu Sayyaf who number just 100 or so individuals. They know they have larger and more important targets - namely 100 guerrilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA) led by the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The NPA have been fighting a protracted people’s war for over three decades, their forces continue to build as the people struggle against pro-imperialist Philippine governments, which never sweat a drop for the masses but concentrate their efforts on appeasing foreign capitalist oligarchies. The NPA struggles for new democratic revolution—to put industries into Filipino hands and launch socialist revolution to sweep away hunger and inequality—are well known to people in the Philippines.
Recently the NPA and MILF have announced that they will defend each other against the latest efforts of the US-backed Philippines army. The MILF are fighting for the self-determination of the Mindanao region, this does not suit the U.S imperialists who wish for one compliant state to reign over the region. It was the CIA that previously set up the current U.S media bogey-man (Abu Sayyaff) in order to undermine the Moro liberation fighters.
Shots have been fired in Central Luzon , the most northern island of the Philippines on which the capital Manila is situated. Some 25 guerrillas of the NPA clashed with 50 Philippine Army soldiers in a battle lasting five hours. The guerrillas reported that at least two armed and uniformed US soldiers were with the state forces. This conforms to the style of US operations - directing armed conflict while using others to do it’s dirty work, to be its’ cannon fodder. It also shows that US imperialism is playing an active role to put down genuine peoples’ revolution as it has done on countless occasions throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
Indeed, the U.S rulers look like they will have another Vietnam on their hands if they wish to persist with the policy of intervention in the Philippines. Soldiers in the Philippines army are merely paid servants of their ruling class, they will not want to fight their own people for too long - when it comes down to the combat, their wages mean less to them than liberation does to the Filipino masses.
Eventually US imperialism will have to place forces of a much bigger scale into the Philippines - still they will not defeat the New People’s Army. History shows that reactionary forces win and lose battles until they lose, the people however, win and lose battles until they win.
US ‘joint military exercises’ in the Philippines
The Spark 12 March 2002
Earlier this year 650 US soldiers with sophisticated military equipment and eight combat helicopters (part of a $4.2 million military package) were installed in the Philippines for the purpose of breaking progressive forces, establishing a US tactical base for adventures throughout the Pacific, and continuing the exploitation of resources and workers. The stated aim of the venture was to train the Philippines army - outwardly justified by the present climate of so-called anti-terrorism. The campaign against Abu Sayyaf is the latest in Washington’s ‘terrorism’ hysteria. The tone of official propaganda has changed since January, ‘training’ has grown into ‘joint military exercises’.
The U.S military are not proceeding in the style of commando units seeking out the small forces of Abu Sayyaf who number just 100 or so individuals. They know they have larger and more important targets - namely 100 guerrilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA) led by the Communist Party of the Philippines, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The NPA have been fighting a protracted people’s war for over three decades, their forces continue to build as the people struggle against pro-imperialist Philippine governments, which never sweat a drop for the masses but concentrate their efforts on appeasing foreign capitalist oligarchies. The NPA struggles for new democratic revolution—to put industries into Filipino hands and launch socialist revolution to sweep away hunger and inequality—are well known to people in the Philippines.
Recently the NPA and MILF have announced that they will defend each other against the latest efforts of the US-backed Philippines army. The MILF are fighting for the self-determination of the Mindanao region, this does not suit the U.S imperialists who wish for one compliant state to reign over the region. It was the CIA that previously set up the current U.S media bogey-man (Abu Sayyaff) in order to undermine the Moro liberation fighters.
Shots have been fired in Central Luzon , the most northern island of the Philippines on which the capital Manila is situated. Some 25 guerrillas of the NPA clashed with 50 Philippine Army soldiers in a battle lasting five hours. The guerrillas reported that at least two armed and uniformed US soldiers were with the state forces. This conforms to the style of US operations - directing armed conflict while using others to do it’s dirty work, to be its’ cannon fodder. It also shows that US imperialism is playing an active role to put down genuine peoples’ revolution as it has done on countless occasions throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.
Indeed, the U.S rulers look like they will have another Vietnam on their hands if they wish to persist with the policy of intervention in the Philippines. Soldiers in the Philippines army are merely paid servants of their ruling class, they will not want to fight their own people for too long - when it comes down to the combat, their wages mean less to them than liberation does to the Filipino masses.
Eventually US imperialism will have to place forces of a much bigger scale into the Philippines - still they will not defeat the New People’s Army. History shows that reactionary forces win and lose battles until they lose, the people however, win and lose battles until they win.