TWO SENATORS belonging to the "Magnificent 12" who cast
the historic vote in 1991 opposing the extension of the presence of
the United States' military installations in the country, joined militant
groups in marking July 4, Filipino-American Friendship Day, in calling
for the protection of the country's interests from foreign intrusion
and domination.
As Vice-President Teofisto Guingona and former Sen. Wigberto Tañada
rallied for the preservation of the country's national sovereignty
and patrimony, militant groups reminded Filipinos to be wary of "special
US-Philippine relations".
"I, for one, will say no! Never!"
Birthday celebrator Vice President Teofisto Guingona rails
against Charter Change proposals which threaten national patrimony
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According to the vice-president, multinationals and "rich industrialized
countries" such as the US, Japan, and European Union member states
have conveyed "officially and unofficially" to the Philippines
to open up the country's national patrimony.
Guingona maintained his opposition to moves in Congress to amend
the 1987 Philippine Constitution, which he said might allow rights
to foreigners to own land in the country and will be detrimental to
the country's interests.
Protect National Patrimony
"There is a move now in Congress for the opening up of the national
patrimony of the nation, but I, for one, will say no, never,"
Guingona said, drawing applause all around at a forum co-convened
by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran
in Intramuros in Manila on Friday, July 4.
Guingona said the country would be at the losing end if protectionist
provisions in the Constitution were to be removed via charter change,
and foreign ownership of land allowed.
The country's patrimony-its land, minerals and marine resources-"is
our gift from God, it is our legacy from destiny and providence",
Guingona asserted.
"This is our protection, the basis and foundation to become
a strong republic," which should not be opened up to foreigners,
he added.
"They tell us, 'You are poor, you do not have money, you do
not have the technology, open up so that your country will progress'.
Pero para kanino? Para sa kanila. Hindi naman para sa kabutihan ng
Pilipino (But for whom? For them. Not for the benefit of the Filipino),"
he lamented.
Former Senator Wigberto Tañada, Letran
students (above) and Rey Casambre of the Philippine Peace
Center (below) sign the Panata ng Bayan.
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He said that at present, the Philippine Constitution already allows
foreigners the right to lease land in the country and invest in the
production and development of mineral and marine resources through
such schemes as "co-production, co-service contracts, joint-venture",
in partnership with Filipinos.
But Section 2, Article 12 of the Constitution limits the exploration,
development and utilization of the country's natural resources to
corporations that are at least 60 per cent Filipino owned.
Dependence on Foreign Aid, Policy
Tañada, who represented the civil society group Fair Trade
Alliance, said that it is time the country learns to stand up on its
own without depending so much on external factors, such as international
financial institutions, and economic polices drawn up by foreign powers.
Supporting his fellow former senator, Tañada pointed out that
the country's past experience with being too dependent on foreign
help and on foreign policies, has not been beneficial to the Philippines.
Leaders vow to continue the fight for national
sovereignty..
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"From 1962, our addiction to borrowing had grown deeper and
deeper. And just as our borrowing from [international financial institutions
like] the IMF (International Monetary Bank) World Bank, and ADB (Asian
Development Bank), grew deeper, so did their interference in our country's
domestic policies."
After decades of IMF-WB supervision, Tañada asked, "Aren't
there sufficient indications that their programs for us are not right
and are not doing us any good? Sa halip na bumuti, lalo tayong nalugmok
sa utang at kahirpan (Instead of things getting better, we are deeper
in debt and suffering)."
In contrast, he pointed to other Asian countries such as Japan, China,
Malaysia, Korea, Australia, Singapore and Thailand - "All of
them developed out of their own hard work and sacrifice," Tañada
said.
"No country will develop if it is solely dependent on foreigners,"
Tañada said.
The Philippines' entry into trade agreements such as World Trade
Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
in 1994 has also been detrimental to country. The trade agreements
have led to the lowering of tariffs on imports, causing local manufacturing
industries to close down due to competition from cheaper imported
products.
"We should sign (to the International
Criminal Court) and see to it that Americans will be responsible
for their actions."
Rep. Apolinario Lozada of Negros discusses the issue of the
U.S. bases' return via the Visiting Forces Agreement, Balikatan
and other schemes.
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Economic Nationalism
"We need to awaken the vision of economic nationalism that will
guide us to rise above poverty," Tañada said, explaining
that such would be a "balanced and progressive national economy
with a strong agro-industrial base."
He continued, "Here, we need a new generation of Filipinos ready
to compete with the support of the government. Here we need, a new
generation of entrepreneurs who are nationalists supported by nationalist
researchers and scholars."
The country, he said, should learn from its neighbors. "If they
did not unite and believe in their own capacity, they (Asian countries)
wouldn't have improved."
Pastor Boy Saycon, who stood in for Prof. Emmanuel Yap of the newly
formed People's Patriotic Movement (PPM), said, "Any president,
without fundamentally overhauling and rectifying [the Philippines']
pro-colonial character, is bound to fall and fail the people."
The PPM, according to Saycon, is "an idea being communicated
to all Filipinos, the idea that all of us should broaden our understanding
of historical facts that caused the nation's great problems, and to
rise above our narrow interests so we can reconcile and unite to be
a strong nation".
Subservience to US Interests
While July 4, 1946, was the day the US granted the Philippines its
independence after the Japanese occupation of the country during World
War II, this only symbolized the country's continuing subservience
to the US at the expense of the interests of the Filipino people,
said Raymond Palatino, president of the National Union of Students
of the Philippines (NUSP).
The historical error was corrected in the early Sixties, when then-President
Diosdado Macapagal, father of the current President, declared June
12 as the official Philippine Independence Day and July 4, which is
also the US Independence Day, as Philippine-American Friendship Day.
Initiated by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Colegio
de San Juan de Letran, People's Patriotic Movement and Bayan
Muna, the activity was held at Colegio de San Juan de Letran
Gym in Intramuros, Manila last July 4. Speakers included Guingona,
Tañada, Lozada, Bayan Muna Rep. Crispin Beltran, Bayan's
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo, Pastor Boy Saycon and student leader
Raymond Palatino.
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"The Philippine-American friendship day is one of the biggest
lies of the history of the country," Palatino pointed out, adding,
"The friendship of the US and the Philippines is not between
two equal brothers but more like that of a spotted hyena and a rabbit
in the wild."
He lamented that the President Gloria Macapgal Arroyo, like her predecessors,
continues to be a "puppet" of the US. This puppetry, he
said, has been noted when the President gave unsolicited advice and
support for the US in its attack on Iraq.
This was also evident in the agreements entered into by the Philippine
government with the US such as the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement
(MLSA), and the Balikatan joint military exercises, "for the
solution of domestic [security] problems".
Along this line, leaders of Bayan and its affiliated groups said
that "US interventionist policies" supported by past and
present Philippine administrations, have hindered the country's attainment
of prosperity and development.
