While Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was arraigned today in the Regional Trial Court Branch 74 at Olongapo City, a militant women’s rights solon reiterated her position for the total abrogation of the military basing agreements with the United Stated entered into by the government.
Mon, 02/23/2015 – 15:22 – Press Release
While Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton was arraigned today in the Regional Trial Court Branch 74 at Olongapo City, a militant women’s rights solon reiterated her position for the total abrogation of the military basing agreements with the United Stated entered into by the government.
“Patuloy tayong makakaladkad sa giyera at walang katarungang maaasahan para sa biktimang si Jennifer Laude, pati na sa mga sibilyan at armadong nagbuwis ng buhay sa Mamasapano, habang umiiral ang VFA at EDCA. Sakaling magbitiw na sa pwesto si Pangulong Aquino, ang transition council na pansamantalang uupo bilang gobyerno ay dapat maging mapagpasiya na isulong ang soberanya ng bansa, para hindi na mag-alay ng buhay ng mga Pilipino sa walang saysay na war on terror ng imperyalistang Estados Unidos,” Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Emmi De Jesus said.
De Jesus directly pinned the deaths of Laude and the Mamasapano casualties on the unequal provisions of the Visiting Force Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreements that allowed American troops and civilian contractors to deploy their presence and military force with no regulation from the Philippine government. The Gabriela solon cited Pemberton’s shore leave that led to his rampage in Olongapo’s prostitution district.
As for the police-military operations in Mamasapano, De Jesus said persistent reports of identified alien personnel directly discharging orders and physically involved in the neutralization of the targets Marwan and Usman may be evidence that Americans themselves are violating the limits listed in the VFA banning involvement of foreigners in local combat.
The Gabriela Women’s Party which also supports the formation of a representative transition council as an antidote to a failure-ridden Aquino regime said that the abrogation of VFA and EDCA is a priority measure to ensure the protection of women and children from the ravages of prostitution in areas around American bases and towns where they hold the Balikatan military exercises.
Source : www.gabrielawomensparty.net
