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Report Back from the International Solidarity Misson to the Philippines
Report back from the recently concluded International Solidarity Mission (July 24-31)to the Philippines. Chicago Activist Rev. Dan Dale was a participant in this mission and will be speaking about their findings here in Chicago in August and September.
> We would like to share with you some documents in
> the recently concluded
> International Solidarity Mission (July 24-31) in
> Zamboanga, Gen. Santos
> City and Basilan.
>
> The secretariat is still finalizing the main report.
>
> If you want to know more about the ISM, please feel
> free to write us back.
>
> Thank you!
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Grace Saguinsin
> Secretariat, ISM
> International Networking Officer, Bayan Muna (People
> First Party)
>
> ******
>
> STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MISSION
> Against US Armed Intervention in the Philippines
> July 24-31, 2002
>
> We, the 68 participants in the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> coming from the Philippines, Australia, Austria,
> Belgium, Canada, China
> (Taiwan), Japan, south Korea, the Netherlands, and
> the United States have
> visited Zamboanga City, Basilan, General Santos City
> and Manila from July
> 24 to 31, 2002.
>
> We came here on a mission: to gather facts, to
> assess the impact of the
> presence of US troops and to support the Filipino
> people's struggle against
> the US military intervention. We have met hundreds
> of people, both those
> who have suffered serious human rights abuses before
> and during the US-led
> Balikatan 02-1 as well as supporters of US military
> presence.
>
> On our trip we have heard shocking testimony and
> seen sufficient proof that
> allows us to draw the following conclusions:
>
> 1) American soldiers were directly involved in the
> raiding and shooting of
> an unarmed civilian in his home;
> 2) human rights abuses are continuing unabated under
> the Gloria
> Macapagal-Arroyo regime and are abetted by the US
> military forces;
> 3) the US military support operations that displace
> and violate the rights
> of Moro people and other Filipinos, including women
> and children.
>
> The most important case, and the one that has drawn
> national and
> international media attention, is the shooting of an
> unarmed civilian by a
> US soldier in a small village of Tuburan town on the
> island of Basilan. The
> wife, Juraida, and mother, Jalilan, of Buyong Buyong
> Isnijal stood before
> some two hundred people and ISM participants to
> denounce what happened just
> after midnight on July 25 when a composite team of
> Filipino and American
> soldiers raided their home without any warrant. The
> wounded victim was
> taken by the military after the incident and his
> family was left uninformed
> about Isnijal's whereabouts. Other relatives,
> neighbors and medical
> personnel corroborated this information.
>
> Delegates of the ISM decry the fact that US troops
> have been directly
> involved in the raiding, shooting and arresting of a
> civilian. This action,
> whether or not the victim is guilty of any crime, is
> in blatant violation
> of even the spurious Terms of Reference guiding the
> presence of US troops.
> It seems that US soldiers have been given free reign
> to play the role of
> military and even police in local matters, bypassing
> the civilian
> authorities. This portents another Vietnam in the
> making.
>
> The behavior and contradictory statements of the
> Philippine and US military
> and governments only led the delegation to give
> greater credence and weight
> to the testimony we had heard and seen. They at
> first denied outright that
> any such encounter took place, then partially
> admitted it and then, in the
> face of irrefutable evidence, attempted to discredit
> the ISM delegation,
> calling us "monkeys" and insinuating we are Abu
> Sayyaf supporters for
> daring to reveal this serious case.
>
> We have learned that it is not only on the ground
> that US troops are
> involved in human rights abuses. Witnesses told
> stories of US spyplanes
> circling overhead for hours, just before Philippine
> military raided their
> homes to arrest the residents without any charges.
> It was reported that a
> US spyplane provided the information that led to the
> massacre of three
> unarmed fisherfolk in Lantawan. The US planes also
> dropped what appeared to
> be barrels of toxic waste in the coastal waters of
> Basilan and the islands
> of Sulu.
>
> During our trip we visited communities and heard
> from families and victims
> of serious human rights abuses, from the shooting
> death of a young child,
> to the arbitrary arrests, torture and imprisonment
> of dozens of ordinary
> Moro people and other Filipinos. We saw them held in
> a crowded prison, some
> as young as 14 years old, accused of being members
> of the Abu Sayyaf Group
> (ASG), solely on the word of anonymous informers who
> receive rewards of up
> to 1 million pesos for their accusations. The
> minors, along with many other
> prisoners, told us they had been severely tortured
> by the Philippine military.
>
> At great personal risk and despite heavy military
> and police presence at
> all events, dozens of ordinary people including
> fisherfolks, farmers,
> housewives, barangay officials and even police
> officers from Zamboanga
> City, Basilan and General Santos City have taken the
> time to meet with ISM
> members, often inviting us into their homes. They
> told their stories of
> harassment, injury and death of their loved ones
> before and especially
> since the joint US-Philippine military operations
> started in January of
> this year.
>
> At times the emotion was unbearable as tears flowed
> from witnesses overcome
> with grief. One witness was unable to continue as
> she explained how her
> 11-year old child had been abducted by Filipino
> soldiers and was later
> reported killed along with three other purported ASG
> members in what seems
> to be a summary execution. At times the absurdity of
> the stories circulated
> by the Philippine military against the victims was
> blatant, for example
> when an imprisoned Muslim explained that he was
> accused of being an ASG
> member despite the fact his brother had been
> murdered by these bandits.
>
> There were chilling stories of women and minors
> harassed and then arrested,
> thrown in prison on unsubstantiated charges with no
> medical care. At least
> one woman prisoner lost her unborn child. Their only
> "crime" it seems,
> along with the others killed, arrested and
> imprisoned, is that they are
> Moro people who live in an area where thousands of
> Filipino troops and
> hundreds of US troops equipped with tons of the
> latest in military
> equipment are sowing terror among the local
> population.
>
> We the participants in the ISM, also heard
> corroborated testimony of
> collusion between the ASG, the Philippine military,
> and some government
> officials. One very reliable source, Fr Cirilo
> Nacorda, who had been held
> hostage for two months by the ASG, overheard
> discussions and witnessed
> meetings between the ASG and military and government
> officials while in
> captivity.
>
> The most shocking example of this apparent collusion
> was the so-called
> "escape" of Abu Sayyaf members and leaders from the
> Dr. Jose Torres
> Hospital in Lamitan, Basilan on June 2, 2001.
> Witnesses testified that ASG
> members, who were holding hostages in the hospital,
> were apparently
> surrounded by Philippine troops but were given the
> opportunity to walk away
> unharmed in broad daylight with their hostages.
>
> It is widely documented that the original founders
> of the ASG were directly
> recruited and trained by the CIA to fight in the
> US-sponsored proxy war in
> Afghanistan in the 1980s. Reports indicate that the
> ASG was handled by the
> Philippine military from its inception to sow terror
> and discord among the
> Moro population and to discredit legitimate groups.
> On top of this, the
> bandit group continues to provide a convenient
> excuse for US military
> involvement in Philippine internal affairs. The US
> military intervention
> has therefore not put an end to the Philippine
> military's collusion with
> the bandit group.
>
> While in Basilan we witnessed that abject poverty
> and hunger are still
> rampant in the province. The US military's civic
> action, including medical
> missions and infrastructure works, does nothing to
> address the basic
> problems of the people. To the contrary, as part of
> a classic
> counter-insurgency strategy, they serve to gather
> intelligence, appease the
> people, undermine their resilience and seek to make
> them submissive and
> dependent.
>
> The members of the ISM learned that the US military
> will not be leaving as
> promised. It has been announced that 160 Special
> Operations Forces of the
> US military will be staying behind after July 31 in
> Basilan and in Sulu,
> where aerial bombings and massive military
> operations have already led to
> mass evacuations with hundreds of houses destroyed
> and burned.
>
> Moreover, ISM delegates were informed that US troops
> continue to frequent
> other parts of the Philippines, with 1400 US troops
> currently active in
> Central Luzon, carrying out training exercises and
> rest and recreation,
> particularly around the former US bases of Clark and
> Subic. Already there
> are reports of proliferation of prostitution, child
> molestation and
> displacement of indigenous Aeta communities in these
> areas.
>
> In General Santos City ISM participants investigated
> several facilities
> including the local airport, the Makar wharf, the
> fish port, and a new
> luxury hotel and concluded that they are grossly out
> of proportion to the
> actual needs of the people of the city and the
> region. The fact that these
> huge infrastructures were built recently with US
> funding in a region that
> is strategically favorable for military use raises
> the suspicion that they
> were constructed for future use by the US military.
>
> Equally disturbing is the unlawful arrest and
> detention, last April 24, of
> three innocent Moro activists after a brutal raid on
> a clinic that is known
> to be within the network of Bayan and Bayan Muna.
> ISM members visited the
> detainees, known as the GenSan 3, in the General
> Santos City Jail and
> learned that they were linked by the police to the
> ASG, Moro Islamic
> Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People's Army
> (NPA) respectively, in an
> attempt to insinuate links between these groups, to
> instill fear in the
> people and justify state violence and intensified
> military deployment in
> the area.
>
> The ISM is aware that the return of US troops in the
> Philippines on the
> pretext of military exercises and training for
> soldiers of the Armed Forces
> of the Philippines is actually part of the bogus
> "war on terrorism" of the
> Bush administration. Using the September 11 attacks
> as a pretext, the US
> government has intensified repressive policies
> domestically, virtually
> abolishing civil liberties and targeting Muslims in
> particular. Abroad,
> Washington's increasing aggression and the
> borderless "war on terror"
> targets all peoples asserting their sovereignty and
> opposing US economic
> and political dominance.
>
> As ISM delegates shared during a public forum, the
> people of Palestine,
> Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan, Cuba, and other
> countries have suffered
> greatly from this intensified belligerence.
> Meanwhile the "war at home" is
> targeting migrant workers, immigrants, people of
> color, workers and
> activists in Korea, Japan, the US and other
> countries that are falling in
> line with Bush's policies. They also testified,
> however, about the brave
> and heightening resistance by the peoples of these
> countries.
>
> US military presence in the Philippines is directed
> against all domestic
> forces opposed to US domination and exploitation,
> including the New
> People's Army (NPA), the Moro Islamic Liberation
> Front (MILF), factions of
> the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and even
> the legal democratic
> mass movement. Over the past months, for example, 23
> members of the legal
> political party Bayan Muna have been murdered and 6
> have disappeared.
>
> At the same time, Washington's military intervention
> in the Philippines is
> part of an intensified drive for further
> consolidation of US world
> hegemony. It is intended to secure and tighten US
> corporate control of
> land, markets and natural resources in Mindanao, the
> rest of the
> Philippines and Asia. Its agenda is the
> establishment of permanent military
> presence and bases so the Philippines can be used as
> a launching pad for
> attacks against the peoples of Asia and beyond.
>
> US Foreign Secretary Colin Powell is expected to
> finalize the new
> US-Philippines Mutual Logistics Support Agreement
> (MLSA) during a trip to
> the Philippines August 2 and 3. This will extend,
> expand and consolidate
> the growing US presence in the archipelago and
> secure the stationing of US
> military troops and war materiel.
>
> The ISM participants believe the government of
> Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is
> responsible for submitting to the Bush regime's plan
> to export its bogus
> "war on terror" to the Philippine soil and giving
> the American military
> free rein to directly intervene in internal affairs.
> She is likewise
> accountable for the massive violations of human
> rights and the sovereign
> and democratic rights of the Filipino people.
>
> Just over 10 years ago the Filipino people were
> victorious in driving out
> the US bases and all US troops. The Filipino people,
> with assistance from
> the peoples of the world, can and will drive the US
> troops out of their
> country once again. It is just a matter of time!
>
> Therefore we, the ISM delegates, in concluding our
> mission today, July 30,
> 2002, resolve to maintain and strengthen the
> solidarity links that have
> been forged and to develop concerted initiatives to
> end US military
> intervention and to heighten worldwide resistance to
> US imperialism in the
> Philippines and around the world. We unite to fight
> for:
>
> ü the immediate, total and permanent withdrawal of
> all US troops from the
> Philippines;
> ü justice for the Filipino people and all victims of
> human rights
> atrocities committed by US and Philippine troops;
> ü an end to US-led aggression and intervention under
> whatever pretext it
> occurs.
>
> With this in mind we have adopted the following plan
> of action:
>
> ü to demand the prosecution of US soldiers involved
> in the Tuburan shooting
> and other human rights violations;
> ü to campaign for the unconditional freedom for the
> Basilan 73 detainees
> and the GenSan 3;
> ü to organize protest actions against the upcoming
> Balikatan;
> ü to oppose the approval and implementation of the
> MLSA;
> ü to launch coordinated and broad information
> campaigns (fora, workshops,
> publications and other grassroots actions) in our
> respective countries and
> localities to expose and oppose US aggression and
> armed intervention in the
> Philippines;
> ü to create and popularize websites and publications
> that will monitor US
> troops in the Philippines and other related
> information;
> ü to strengthen our links and solidarity with the
> people of Basilan,
> Zamboanga, and Sulu, Bayan affiliated people's
> organizations and
> people-oriented service institutions;
> ü to undertake networking with solidarity groups,
> international solidarity
> formations and in particular the International
> League of People's Struggles
> (ILPS), human rights organizations, church
> institutions and individuals,
> peoples of color, progressive political parties,
> international conferences,
> anti-war/anti-racist alliances, and other solidarity
> groups such as those
> working for Palestine, Colombia, Iraq, etc.;
> ü to conduct and organize militant mass actions in
> front of US embassies to
> condemn US armed intervention;
> ü to launch internationally-coordinated actions on
> the issue of US armed
> intervention in the Philippines and US aggression in
> other countries.
>
> **********
>
> News Release
> July 23, 2002
>
> ANTI-BALIKATAN MISSION KICKS OFF TOMORROW
>
> After Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos declaration
> that she wants a 'strong
> republic' which is based ,among other factors, on
> enhanced strategic ties
> with the United States through military cooperation,
> the Bayan Muna
> political party announced their intent to launch
> the International
> Solidarity Mission against the Balikatan series of
> military exercises and
> the Macapagal-Arroyo government's plans to launch
> 'sustained program of
> security cooperation and assistance."
>
> The Mission kicks off tomorrow, July 24, 2002, with
> a pressconference at
> the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City from 10:30am to
> 11:30am. The ISM's
> fact-finding mission component will take place in
> Zamboanga, Basilan,
> General Santos City beginning July 25 to July 31.
>
> Over 35 foreign participants from the US, Canada,
> South Korea, Australia,
> Malaysia and Japan representing a broad various
> church-based organizations,
> anti-nuclear power groups, human rights associations
> and peoples groups
> unite with the Filipino people in the struggle to
> defend Philippine
> sovereignty and territorial integrity.
>
> The program, drafted and endorsed by the Mutual
> Defense Board (MDB) of the
> Philippines and the United States is comprised of
> military exercises,
> exercise-related construction activities, personnel
> exchange and ship
> visits, security assistance activities, conferences,
> workshops and
> symposia, civic action projects, and a partnership
> program between the AFP
> and the Hawaii and Guam national guard.
>
> Out Now! Convenor Ret. Navy Capt. Danilo Vizmanos
> said that the MDB's
> endorsement of a 5-year sustained military program
> between the US and the
> Philippines lays to rest all doubts of the intent of
> the United States to
> re-establish and reinforce its military stranglehold
> over the Philippines
> and thus strengthen influence over the entire
> Asia-Pacific region. He
> accused the top brass of the Armed Forces of the
> Philippines and President
> Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of attempting to muddle the
> public's understanding
> regarding the Balikatan , the 5-year plan being put
> together by the MDB and
> the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).
>
> He said that the government is purposely trying to
> confuse the public by
> making it appear that all these military plans are
> separate from one
> another, each one pertaining to a different
> arrangement, a product of
> separate negotiations. "There's no difference
> between extending the current
> Balikatan exercises and beginning a new one. It all
> amounts to the same
> thing: the US troops, their warships and their
> facilities will be staying
> to the detriment of the country's sovereignty,
> security and human rights
> situation," he said.
>
> Meanwhile, Bayan Muna President and Representative
> Satur Ocampo said that
> Pres. Arroyo is making unilateral decisions on
> matters that concern the
> country's international security and subsequent
> future. "She is bypassing
> the entire process of consultations with the other
> branches of government,
> and more importantly, with the rest of the Filipino
> people. Protests in
> various forms continue to be lodged and launched
> against the Balikatan, yet
> Mrs. Arroyo maintains a defiant stance. The US
> troops could be here for
> the long haul, or at least so long as this
> administration is in power," he
> said.
>
> "The jig is up. The US troops are not here to help
> the AFP defeat the Abu
> Sayyaf or to rescue hostages; neither are they here
> impart genuine military
> expertise to the local troops. Their intentions are
> not at all altruistic
> and much more strategic to the US' geopolitical and
> economic agenda The
> explanations that the US troops will also conduct
> socio-civic work do not
> wash clean: the roads, bridges, telecommunication
> lines and towers and
> other infrastructure they're going to build are for
> their own use and
> benefit, not for the people of Mindanao," he said.
>
> Meanwhile, American professor and member of the
> Philippine International
> Forum Carlton Palms said that the US' return to the
> Philippines, much like
> US President George Bush's newest threats against
> North Korea, is also an
> effort to assert U.S. influence in East Asia, as
> China rises as a global
> power and other Asian economies recover from
> financial crises. He said that
> by analyzing the US wars in the past decade -- in
> the Persian Gulf,
> Somalia, the Balkans, or Afghanistan or even at
> Bush's new "axis of evil"
> of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, the same common
> themes will be realized.
>
> "The U.S. military interventions can nearly all be
> tied to the U.S. desire
> to build or rebuild military bases. The goal is not
> to end "terror" or
> encourage "democracy," and Bush will not accomplish
> either of these
> claimed goals. The short-term goal is to station
> U.S. military forces in
> regions where local nationalists had evicted them.
> The ultimate goal is to
> establish new American spheres of influence, and
> eliminate any obstacles--
> religious militants, secular nationalists, enemy
> governments, or even
> allies--who stand in the way," he said.
>
> Bayan chairperson Rafael Mariano meanwhile said
> that Filipinos should not
> allow the country to be used as staging ground for
> US wars of aggression
> in the world. He said that there was also an
> immediate need to assess the
> impact of the Visiting Forces Agreement and the
> Balikatan exercises these
> past six months.
>
> Bayan Muna and Bayan along with other patriotic
> people's organizations will
> embark on the International Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> to the Philippines on
> July 24-31, 2002. Its main features are a three-day
> fact-finding mission
> and conference; and a six-day Peoples' Caravan in
> Mindanao, Southern
> Philippines.
>
> The objectives of the ISM are: a) to investigate the
> real nature,
> objectives and extent of US military involvement in
> the Philippines; b)
> assess the impact of US armed intervention in the
> country; and c) forge
> international solidarity links and cooperation in a
> common quest for global
> peace free from wars of aggression and intervention.
>
>
> Mariano shared that mission will be composed of
> peace advocates, human
> rights defenders, parliamentarians, academicians,
> artists and
> representatives of peoples' organizations and NGOs
> from US, Canada,
> Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America,
> Africa, Europe and the
> Philippines. The ISM intends to investigate the
> reasons and consequences of
> a sudden and expanding military commitment between
> the Philippines and the
> US.
>
> "Already, the stepped up involvement is creating not
> just political
> problems such as the infringement of sovereignty or
> threatening potential
> conflicts with the Philippines' neighbors, like
> Malaysia or Indonesia.
> There are other less critical but nonetheless
> important issues such as the
> return of the sex trade catering to US troops or
> violation of land rights
> in the acquisition of training sites," said Mariano.
> #
>
> News Release
> July 25, 2002
>
> Rep. Ocampo says 'No Way' to Anti-Terrorism Bills
>
> Zamboanga City - International Solidarity Mission
> (ISM) spokesperson and
> Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo reiterated
> his strong opposition to
> the anti-terrorist bills now pending in the Senate
> and Lower House.
>
> ""The Arroyo government can't expect nationalist
> groups to be pacified and
> satisfied with its assurances that there really are
> no hidden dangers in
> the anti-terrorist bills that it's pushing in
> Congress. We simply cannot
> and will not take the government's word for it.
> Such measures by their
> very nature pose serious threats against civil
> liberties and democratic
> rights; and the government, with its repressive
> character is certain to use
> the law to stifle legitimate dissent," he said.
>
> Ocampo said that the Arroyo government is determined
> to fast-track all
> measures that will legitimize a virtual crackdown
> not so much on terrorist
> and criminal groups, but also on progressive and
> militant organizations
> vocal in their criticism against the administration
> and its all-out support
> to the US' anti-terrorist campaign. According to
> him, the provisions of the
> bills are too encompassing and targets just about
> anyone. "Anyone could be
> suspected of terroristic activities, and the
> consequences are dire. The
> anti-terrorist issue has been totally blown out of
> proportion, exaggerated
> to the maximum so that it can justify the
> enforcement of Gestapo-like
> measures like wire-tapping, surveillance which are
> infringements on the
> right to privacy," he said.
>
> He made an appeal to all civil libertarians and
> freedom-loving Filipinos
> to oppose what he termed to be the government's
> attempts to curtail the
> freedom of political belief. "Pres. Arroyo and her
> militarist advisers want
> everyone to dance to the same tune that they do -
> that is, the
> anti-terrorist jingle that the US has come up with
> it to justify its
> militarist and expansionist agenda. These
> anti-terrorism bills should not
> be allowed to be passed into law. To do so would be
> tantamount to imposing
> a death sentence on civil rights," he said.#
>
> News Release
> July 26, 2002
>
> International fact-finding mission exposes human
> rights violations, toxic
> waste dumping related to Balikatan exercises
>
> Zamboanga City - Members of the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> sponsored by the Bayan Muna political party and the
> Bagong Alyansang
> Makabayan (BAYAN) have begun their data-gathering
> and fact-finding mission
> regarding the impact of the continued presence of
> US military forces in
> Mindanao.
>
> Representatives Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Bayan Muna
> secretary general and
> Caloocan City councilor Nathaniel Santiago along
> with leaders of the
> Moro-Christian People's Alliance (MCPA) and US Troop
> Out Now! Coalition and
> Karapatan Alliance for Human Rights led the
> 40-strong ISM delegation in
> conducting the fact-finding mission in Zamboanga and
> Basilan. A separate
> group conducted similar activities in General Santos
> City.
>
> Reps. Ocampo and Maza yesterday had an audience with
> Southern Mindanao
> Command deputy commander Gen.Rodolfo Diaz regarding
> the ISM. Ocampo said
> that Gen. Diaz was very cautious in answering
> queries from the ISM
> delegates , particularly questions regarding the
> seriousness of the Abu
> Sayyaf threat, and whether there is truth to claims
> that the military is
> behind rampant human rights violations in the area
> perpetrated in the
> course of their supposed pursuit of the Abu Sayaff.
>
> On its third day, the ISM has already managed to
> compile and document a
> series of events and cases pertinent to the conduct
> of Balikatan 02-1
> exercises in Zamboanga and Basilan, as well as
> related incidents in nearby
> Sulu island from February to June this year.
>
> During the plenary session of the conference, ISM
> delegates presented their
> respective reports composed of interviews with
> residents, local baranggay
> and municipal officials, as well as their own
> observations. They also
> included in their reports the articles which came
> out in the local
> newspapers, accounts which did not reach the pages
> of Manila-based national
> newspapers nor reported over tv and radio news
> programs.
>
> Among the most significant findings of the team is
> that of the Commission
> on Human Rights in Zamboanga's statement that there
> has been a marked
> increase in the number of cases filed before them
> since the start of the
> Balikatan exercises in the area. They receive
> complaints almost everyday.
>
> Incidents monitored by ISM range from cases of
> outright murder and even
> massacres (2 cases of massacre where seven civilians
> fell victim); forced
> evacuation and demolitions involving residents of
> Zamboanga (in Brgy.
> Limpapa) and Basilan (Sitio Lipid, Tuburan) in
> separate incidents; to at
> least 13 so-called encounters between Philippine
> troops and alleged Abu
> Sayyaf Group (ASG) members.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that a number of the reported
> firefights proved to be, at
> the very least, dubious since direct investigations
> conducted by the ISM
> yielded totally different stories. "It appears that
> several encounter
> reports the media has released came directly from
> the military. These
> 'encounters' are now being exposed as cover-ups for
> blatant human rights
> violations being committed not against ASG members
> but against innocent
> civilians," he explained.
>
> Cases of raids, illegal arrests, arbitrary detention
> and looting were also
> documented. Eight such cases revealed that
> civilians, again, and not ASG
> members were the prime casualties of these
> operations. This even includes
> the illegal raid of Tuburan, Basilan town mayor Dore
> Kalahal last April 8,
> 2002 by elements of the 18th Infantry Battalion of
> the AFP. Kalahal said
> that the 29 soldiers who barged into his home could
> not produce neither a
> search warrant nor a warrant of arrest when he
> accosted them. The mayor was
> wrongly accused of being a supporter of the ASG.
>
> 18th IB commander Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero claimed
> that warrants were issued
> by one Judge Danilo Bucoy; but when interviewed,
> Bucoy denied having
> issued the two warrants.
>
> Prostitution
>
> The ISM received reports that two prostituted women
> died after having sex
> with American soldiers at Basilan, according to the
> doctor who checked on
> the women. One of them had intercourse with three
> American soldiers and
> later on bled to death.The issue did not reach the
> media because the
> victims' families were allegedly intimidated into
> silence and given bribes.
>
> The group also found out that local prostitutes from
> Maluso and Isabela
> visit the military camp areas particularly Maluso,
> Lantawan and Isabela.
> Meanwhile, a restaurant in Lamitan offering batchoy
> is said to be actually
> serving as a front for prostitution. Filipino and
> American soldiers
> allegedly frequent the area.
>
> "Because of intense poverty, Zamboangenas and
> Basilenas are being forced
> into prostitution, and the US troops and their local
> counterparts are
> taking advantage of this. Prostitution dens crop up
> like mushrooms in the
> rainy season wherever foreign troops are deployed.
> It's an outrage that
> the US troops are getting away with such
> reprehensible behavior. Not only
> is their very presence in the country a severe
> violation of Philipine
> sovereignty, but it places Filipina women and
> children under the threat of
> prostitution," she said.
>
> Meanwhile, environmental concerns have also been
> raised by the ISM in light
> of reports that barrels containing toxic waste from
> military ships and
> airplanes have been dumped in Sulu coastal areas.
> Last March 23, 2002 and airplane was seen to drop a
> silver-coated drum in
> Mt. Sinomaan, Patikul, Sulu. Residents within the
> periphery of the mountain
> were alarmed and were forced to evacuate for fear
> that the dropped barrel
> might contain explosive devices. Many believe that
> the area has been
> targetted as a place for waste or chemical disposal.
>
> Last April 13, US spy planes dropped barrels of
> waste into the coastal
> waters of Baranggay Etub-Etub, Sumisio Town. Basilan
> Gov. Wahab Akbar said
> that the spy planes dropped barrels into the coastal
> waters. Immediately
> after, after which children in the area begun
> started experiencing nausea,
> vomitting and diarrhea.
>
> Earlier, Sulu Rep. Hussin Amin who, along with Rep.
> Satur Ocampo has been
> investigating alleged human rights violations in
> Mindanao, said that
> American P3 Orion planes were dropping what appeared
> to be drums of toxic
> chemicals in at least three towns in his province.
> Amin said that residents
> of Patikul, Luuk and Indanan towns in Sulu were
> apprehensive about the
> airdrops. But US spokesperson Maj. Cynthia Terramae
> denied the Americans
> were dumping anything and challenged Amin to produce
> evidence.
>
> Live Bullets
>
> Firing exercises began last April 19 in Tabiawan,
> Basilan. Philippine and
> US troops are said to use live ammunition in their
> trainings, causing
> residents great fear and anxiety. Violations arising
> from the military
> trainings directly attributed to US troops
> themselves have been, in
> general, kept from media. Majority of the cases
> monitored naturally, cite
> the Philippine Army as the perpetrators precisely
> because the US soldiers
> are supposedly disallowed from engaging in direct
> combat.
>
> Despite the absence of US troops in the so-called
> encounters, however,
> residents in affected areas themselves believe that
> the attacks against
> their communities are part of the training given by
> the American troops to
> the Philippine Army. The annihilation of the
> notorious ASG has been exposed
> to serve more as a cover for the real targets of the
> exercises, namely the
> Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the New
> People's Army (NPA).
>
> "These incidents reveal the mercenary character of
> the Philippine soldiers
> under the tutelage of the Americans. Looting,
> destruction and burning of
> houses, cold-blooded murder of civilians and passing
> them off as bandits
> show the degree of violence being committed against
> the people.
> The certainty is : the US-backed military operations
> in Southern
> Philippines are spawning more and more human rights
> violations reminiscent
> of the wars of aggression launched by Spanish and
> American forces against
> the Filipino natives in the 15th century and onto
> the Second World War,"
> Ocampo said.#
>
> News Release
> July 26, 2002
>
> News Flash!
> American soldier shoots Moro civilian in own home,
> in front of wife and
> children; Bayan Muna solons demand investigations
> into incident
>
> A 27-year old Muslim of the Lakan tribe today sought
> the help of Bayan Muna
> solons Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza, saying that
> soldiers - two Filipinos and
> one African-American- broke into their house
> around midnight last night,
> Thursday, July 25, and shot her husband without
> provocation.
>
> The Bayan Muna Reps were talking to an audience of
> 200 Basilan residents in
> a symposium which is part of the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> when the young woman arrived with coordinators of
> the Muslim-Christian
> People's Alliance (MCPA). Ocampo, Maza and Public
> Interest Law Center
> (PILC) lawyer Edre Olalia immediately proceeded to
> listen to her narrative
> and plea for help.
>
> The woman, Jurida Isnijal, said that she and her
> family composed of her
> husband Buyong Buyong Isnijal, their children and
> Isnijal's mother were in
> their respective beds sleeping when the troops
> suddenly broke the door down
> and began shooting. Jurida had her flashlight out
> and she distinctly saw
> the face of the African American soldier who carried
> a long fire-arm,
> perhaps an M-16 or M-15 rifle. She described the
> man as around 6 feet,
> stocky in built, and had a distinctly aquiline nose.
> He also wore a
> jungle-fatigue bandana wrapped around his head. The
> man took aim at Buyong
> Buyong and shot him in the left leg.
>
> Panicking, Jurida stood up and tried to rush out
> for help. The
> African-American then told her to "shut up and sit
> down."
>
> By then the entire Isnijal family was awake and the
> children were crying.
> The soldiers, particularly the two Filipino troops,
> explained that they
> had found a Garrand rifle in the house of Hadji
> Saud, who lived 300 meters
> away. Buyong Buyong, bleeding, denied that he owned
> a gun or that he knew
> of any rifle that belonged to any of his neighbors.
>
> The soldiers then began cleaning Buyong-Buyong's
> wound. As the rest of the
> family watched, the soldiers then took Buyong-Buyong
> out of the house and
> said that they will take him to Lantawan District
> Hospital. Jurida tried
> to follow but the soldiers said that she can come to
> see her husband in the
> morning. That was the last time she saw her husband
> because when she went
> to the hospital a few hours later, she was informed
> that the soldiers had
> already taken him to the SouthCom barracks-offices.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that if Jurida's experience is true
> then there is really
> should be no more debate about the correctness of
> allowing US troops to
> remain in the country. "This is in direct and brutal
> violation of the very
> Terms of Reference (TOR) they signed. An armed
> American soldier has forced
> himself into the home of a civilian family, shooting
> a civilian and then
> virtually abducting him. This is an outrage for
> which the American and
> Philippine governments should take responsibility
> for," he said.
>
> Rep.Maza said that the trauma suffered by Jurida,
> the old mother-in-law
> (who also gave her testimony to what happened) and
> the two children cannot
> be immediately erased. "These troops especially the
> African-American Jurida
> saw should be court-martialed
> and jailed. We demand that the Southern Mindanao
> Command immediately
> surrender these three soldiers and return
> Buyong-Buyong to the safety of
> his family."
>
> The two representatives said that they will
> immediately call for
> congressional investigations into the incident. #
>
>
>
>
>
> News Release
> July 27, 2002
>
> Rep. Ocampo: "Expanding US presence in the
> Philippines contribution to US'
> military agenda in Southeast Asia"
>
> On the 4th day of the International Solidarity
> Mission in Mindanao covering
> the provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan and General
> Santos City, Bayan Muna
> Representative and ISM spokesperson Satur Ocampo
> said that signs that the
> US was bent on expanding its military presence in
> the Philippines were all
> over Mindanao.
>
> "Construction projects are being fast-tracked to
> meet the requirements of
> the US troop, their facilities and equipment.
> Residents say that before the
> arrival of the US troops, there was little interest
> in developing the roads
> and other infrastructure despite the local
> population's obvious need for
> them. Now, because of the planned long-term
> deployment of American military
> and the entry of their war equipment and facilities,
> immediate deadlines
> for the projects are being set," he said.
>
> "The US military, local government officials and the
> Arroyo government
> itself are trying to pass off these projects as
> among the benefits of
> having bilateral military arrangements. But in fact,
> what this issue
> exposes is the government's gross neglect of the
> infrastructure needs,
> among other needs, of the population. The US
> military and the government
> are taking advantage of this, turning it around and
> exploiting it to
> justify the continued presence of US troops in the
> country ," he said.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that the immediate objective in
> what appears to be a
> 5-to-10-year military plan for Southeast Asia is to
> use the "war on
> terrorism" as a springboard for a deeper and wider
> U.S. military presence
> in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. This and
> the creation of a
> regional security partnership with Southeast Asian
> governments, Ocampo
> said, will pave the way for a well-entrenched
> American military
> domination in the region with serious continental
> implications.
>
> "The military and even police forces of Southeast
> Asian countries will be
> virtually integrated in a comprehensive security
> network that will bolster
> existing bilateral military agreements. What we will
> be seeing is the
> increasing strength of the military and its
> influence over supposedly
> civilian governments," he said.
>
> At this very moment, several continuing joint
> military exercises are under
> way in Southeast Asia particularly in Thailand,
> Singapore, Australia and
> the Philippines with the objective of providing a
> "permanent-temporary"
> stay of U.S. ground forces and thus complementing
> U.S. air and naval access
> privileges. "Military exercises and trainings
> combine with an increase in
> military aid and arms sales to the region that would
> eventually result in
> the formation of a multilateral/regional security
> force, resembling the
> defunct South East Asian Treaty Organization
> (SEATO)," he said.
>
> Ocampo said that the forces that will come together
> to build this military
> formation will come from the ASEAN Regional Forum
> (ARF), a project of
> Admiral Dennis Blair, when he was still
> commander-in-chief of the Pacific
> Command (CINCPAC). Already the ARF has made possible
> the establishment of a
> counter-terrorist coordinating body by the
> Philippines, Indonesia and
> Malaysia last April.
>
> Finally, Ocampo said that the US wants to recover
> the military advantage
> that it once enjoyed in Southeast Asia, and it can
> only do so by
> establishing a fixed military base. "The US. has had
> no direct military
> presence in Southeast Asia since its defeat in the
> Indochina war and the
> withdrawal of its military installations from Subic
> Bay and Clark airfield
> in 1992. Possible sites for a new military base are,
> aside from the
> Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. Because
> tensions continue to mount in
> Okinawa, Japan where the presence of the US bases is
> being opposed by a
> strong anti-base movement exist; and in the Korean
> Peninsula, the US is
> desperate to relocate its permanent facilities
> elsewhere. Pres. Arroyo is
> determined to help the US in this regard, at the
> serious expense on
> national sovereignty, security, and territorial
> integrity," he said.#
>
>
> News Release July 28, 2002
>
> ISM stands firm on US troops' involvement in
> shooting of civilian;
> challenges military, DFA and DOJ to initiate
> full-blown investigations into
> issue
>
> The 40-strong International Solidarity Mission led
> by the Bayan Muna
> political party and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
> (BAYAN) today and the US
> military command now in Zamboanga for attempting to
> dismiss the ISM's
> findings that American troops were involved in the
> shooting and illegal
> arrest of civilian Buyong Buyong Isnijal at about
> midnight of July 24
> (24:00).
>
> ISM spokespersons and Bayan Muna Representatives
> Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza
> assailed SouthCom head Gen. Ernesto Carolina's
> dismissive attitude towards
> the ISM's findings and attempts to justify the
> shooting by saying that
> Isnijal was an Abu Sayyaf member. The SouthCom and
> the US military in
> Zamboanga have also issued conflicting and
> inconsistent reports that
> Americans were not involved in the incident; that
> the Americans were
> involved but they were there only to provide
> 'humanitarian medical aid' to
> Isnijal when he was shot; that there was a shooting
> but that it was
> Filipino soldier who did it; and that there were no
> American troops at all
> during incident.
>
> Yesterday, the Southcom denied all knowledge of the
> incident and said that
> the ISM's story was pure fabrication. Today,
> however, it's issuing
> different explanations. In a heated 15-minute live
> interview with DZBB's
> Arnold Clavio at 9:00 am today, Ocampo firmly
> disputed Carolina's
> allegations. Ocampo's points of arguments are as
> follows:
>
> On the involvement of US troops in the incident:
>
> There are enough witnesses to attest that American
> soldiers were in fact
> involved in the incident. Juraida Isnijal stated
> under oath that he was
> with her husband Buyongbuyong Isnijal when an
> American soldier, an
> African-American, shot her defenseless husband in
> the left leg. Juraida
> attempted to wrest the armalite from the said
> American soldier, and in the
> process, burned her right palm on the hot metal and
> her face by the end of
> the gun barrel. She also sustained bruises on her
> forehead, the bridge of
> her nose.
>
> Her niece and mother-in-law corroborated Juraida's
> the recently concluded
> International Solidarity Mission (July 24-31) in
> Zamboanga, Gen. Santos
> City and Basilan.
>
> The secretariat is still finalizing the main report.
>
> If you want to know more about the ISM, please feel
> free to write us back.
>
> Thank you!
>
> In solidarity,
>
> Grace Saguinsin
> Secretariat, ISM
> International Networking Officer, Bayan Muna (People
> First Party)
>
> ******
>
> STATEMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY MISSION
> Against US Armed Intervention in the Philippines
> July 24-31, 2002
>
> We, the 68 participants in the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> coming from the Philippines, Australia, Austria,
> Belgium, Canada, China
> (Taiwan), Japan, south Korea, the Netherlands, and
> the United States have
> visited Zamboanga City, Basilan, General Santos City
> and Manila from July
> 24 to 31, 2002.
>
> We came here on a mission: to gather facts, to
> assess the impact of the
> presence of US troops and to support the Filipino
> people's struggle against
> the US military intervention. We have met hundreds
> of people, both those
> who have suffered serious human rights abuses before
> and during the US-led
> Balikatan 02-1 as well as supporters of US military
> presence.
>
> On our trip we have heard shocking testimony and
> seen sufficient proof that
> allows us to draw the following conclusions:
>
> 1) American soldiers were directly involved in the
> raiding and shooting of
> an unarmed civilian in his home;
> 2) human rights abuses are continuing unabated under
> the Gloria
> Macapagal-Arroyo regime and are abetted by the US
> military forces;
> 3) the US military support operations that displace
> and violate the rights
> of Moro people and other Filipinos, including women
> and children.
>
> The most important case, and the one that has drawn
> national and
> international media attention, is the shooting of an
> unarmed civilian by a
> US soldier in a small village of Tuburan town on the
> island of Basilan. The
> wife, Juraida, and mother, Jalilan, of Buyong Buyong
> Isnijal stood before
> some two hundred people and ISM participants to
> denounce what happened just
> after midnight on July 25 when a composite team of
> Filipino and American
> soldiers raided their home without any warrant. The
> wounded victim was
> taken by the military after the incident and his
> family was left uninformed
> about Isnijal's whereabouts. Other relatives,
> neighbors and medical
> personnel corroborated this information.
>
> Delegates of the ISM decry the fact that US troops
> have been directly
> involved in the raiding, shooting and arresting of a
> civilian. This action,
> whether or not the victim is guilty of any crime, is
> in blatant violation
> of even the spurious Terms of Reference guiding the
> presence of US troops.
> It seems that US soldiers have been given free reign
> to play the role of
> military and even police in local matters, bypassing
> the civilian
> authorities. This portents another Vietnam in the
> making.
>
> The behavior and contradictory statements of the
> Philippine and US military
> and governments only led the delegation to give
> greater credence and weight
> to the testimony we had heard and seen. They at
> first denied outright that
> any such encounter took place, then partially
> admitted it and then, in the
> face of irrefutable evidence, attempted to discredit
> the ISM delegation,
> calling us "monkeys" and insinuating we are Abu
> Sayyaf supporters for
> daring to reveal this serious case.
>
> We have learned that it is not only on the ground
> that US troops are
> involved in human rights abuses. Witnesses told
> stories of US spyplanes
> circling overhead for hours, just before Philippine
> military raided their
> homes to arrest the residents without any charges.
> It was reported that a
> US spyplane provided the information that led to the
> massacre of three
> unarmed fisherfolk in Lantawan. The US planes also
> dropped what appeared to
> be barrels of toxic waste in the coastal waters of
> Basilan and the islands
> of Sulu.
>
> During our trip we visited communities and heard
> from families and victims
> of serious human rights abuses, from the shooting
> death of a young child,
> to the arbitrary arrests, torture and imprisonment
> of dozens of ordinary
> Moro people and other Filipinos. We saw them held in
> a crowded prison, some
> as young as 14 years old, accused of being members
> of the Abu Sayyaf Group
> (ASG), solely on the word of anonymous informers who
> receive rewards of up
> to 1 million pesos for their accusations. The
> minors, along with many other
> prisoners, told us they had been severely tortured
> by the Philippine military.
>
> At great personal risk and despite heavy military
> and police presence at
> all events, dozens of ordinary people including
> fisherfolks, farmers,
> housewives, barangay officials and even police
> officers from Zamboanga
> City, Basilan and General Santos City have taken the
> time to meet with ISM
> members, often inviting us into their homes. They
> told their stories of
> harassment, injury and death of their loved ones
> before and especially
> since the joint US-Philippine military operations
> started in January of
> this year.
>
> At times the emotion was unbearable as tears flowed
> from witnesses overcome
> with grief. One witness was unable to continue as
> she explained how her
> 11-year old child had been abducted by Filipino
> soldiers and was later
> reported killed along with three other purported ASG
> members in what seems
> to be a summary execution. At times the absurdity of
> the stories circulated
> by the Philippine military against the victims was
> blatant, for example
> when an imprisoned Muslim explained that he was
> accused of being an ASG
> member despite the fact his brother had been
> murdered by these bandits.
>
> There were chilling stories of women and minors
> harassed and then arrested,
> thrown in prison on unsubstantiated charges with no
> medical care. At least
> one woman prisoner lost her unborn child. Their only
> "crime" it seems,
> along with the others killed, arrested and
> imprisoned, is that they are
> Moro people who live in an area where thousands of
> Filipino troops and
> hundreds of US troops equipped with tons of the
> latest in military
> equipment are sowing terror among the local
> population.
>
> We the participants in the ISM, also heard
> corroborated testimony of
> collusion between the ASG, the Philippine military,
> and some government
> officials. One very reliable source, Fr Cirilo
> Nacorda, who had been held
> hostage for two months by the ASG, overheard
> discussions and witnessed
> meetings between the ASG and military and government
> officials while in
> captivity.
>
> The most shocking example of this apparent collusion
> was the so-called
> "escape" of Abu Sayyaf members and leaders from the
> Dr. Jose Torres
> Hospital in Lamitan, Basilan on June 2, 2001.
> Witnesses testified that ASG
> members, who were holding hostages in the hospital,
> were apparently
> surrounded by Philippine troops but were given the
> opportunity to walk away
> unharmed in broad daylight with their hostages.
>
> It is widely documented that the original founders
> of the ASG were directly
> recruited and trained by the CIA to fight in the
> US-sponsored proxy war in
> Afghanistan in the 1980s. Reports indicate that the
> ASG was handled by the
> Philippine military from its inception to sow terror
> and discord among the
> Moro population and to discredit legitimate groups.
> On top of this, the
> bandit group continues to provide a convenient
> excuse for US military
> involvement in Philippine internal affairs. The US
> military intervention
> has therefore not put an end to the Philippine
> military's collusion with
> the bandit group.
>
> While in Basilan we witnessed that abject poverty
> and hunger are still
> rampant in the province. The US military's civic
> action, including medical
> missions and infrastructure works, does nothing to
> address the basic
> problems of the people. To the contrary, as part of
> a classic
> counter-insurgency strategy, they serve to gather
> intelligence, appease the
> people, undermine their resilience and seek to make
> them submissive and
> dependent.
>
> The members of the ISM learned that the US military
> will not be leaving as
> promised. It has been announced that 160 Special
> Operations Forces of the
> US military will be staying behind after July 31 in
> Basilan and in Sulu,
> where aerial bombings and massive military
> operations have already led to
> mass evacuations with hundreds of houses destroyed
> and burned.
>
> Moreover, ISM delegates were informed that US troops
> continue to frequent
> other parts of the Philippines, with 1400 US troops
> currently active in
> Central Luzon, carrying out training exercises and
> rest and recreation,
> particularly around the former US bases of Clark and
> Subic. Already there
> are reports of proliferation of prostitution, child
> molestation and
> displacement of indigenous Aeta communities in these
> areas.
>
> In General Santos City ISM participants investigated
> several facilities
> including the local airport, the Makar wharf, the
> fish port, and a new
> luxury hotel and concluded that they are grossly out
> of proportion to the
> actual needs of the people of the city and the
> region. The fact that these
> huge infrastructures were built recently with US
> funding in a region that
> is strategically favorable for military use raises
> the suspicion that they
> were constructed for future use by the US military.
>
> Equally disturbing is the unlawful arrest and
> detention, last April 24, of
> three innocent Moro activists after a brutal raid on
> a clinic that is known
> to be within the network of Bayan and Bayan Muna.
> ISM members visited the
> detainees, known as the GenSan 3, in the General
> Santos City Jail and
> learned that they were linked by the police to the
> ASG, Moro Islamic
> Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People's Army
> (NPA) respectively, in an
> attempt to insinuate links between these groups, to
> instill fear in the
> people and justify state violence and intensified
> military deployment in
> the area.
>
> The ISM is aware that the return of US troops in the
> Philippines on the
> pretext of military exercises and training for
> soldiers of the Armed Forces
> of the Philippines is actually part of the bogus
> "war on terrorism" of the
> Bush administration. Using the September 11 attacks
> as a pretext, the US
> government has intensified repressive policies
> domestically, virtually
> abolishing civil liberties and targeting Muslims in
> particular. Abroad,
> Washington's increasing aggression and the
> borderless "war on terror"
> targets all peoples asserting their sovereignty and
> opposing US economic
> and political dominance.
>
> As ISM delegates shared during a public forum, the
> people of Palestine,
> Iraq, Colombia, Afghanistan, Cuba, and other
> countries have suffered
> greatly from this intensified belligerence.
> Meanwhile the "war at home" is
> targeting migrant workers, immigrants, people of
> color, workers and
> activists in Korea, Japan, the US and other
> countries that are falling in
> line with Bush's policies. They also testified,
> however, about the brave
> and heightening resistance by the peoples of these
> countries.
>
> US military presence in the Philippines is directed
> against all domestic
> forces opposed to US domination and exploitation,
> including the New
> People's Army (NPA), the Moro Islamic Liberation
> Front (MILF), factions of
> the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and even
> the legal democratic
> mass movement. Over the past months, for example, 23
> members of the legal
> political party Bayan Muna have been murdered and 6
> have disappeared.
>
> At the same time, Washington's military intervention
> in the Philippines is
> part of an intensified drive for further
> consolidation of US world
> hegemony. It is intended to secure and tighten US
> corporate control of
> land, markets and natural resources in Mindanao, the
> rest of the
> Philippines and Asia. Its agenda is the
> establishment of permanent military
> presence and bases so the Philippines can be used as
> a launching pad for
> attacks against the peoples of Asia and beyond.
>
> US Foreign Secretary Colin Powell is expected to
> finalize the new
> US-Philippines Mutual Logistics Support Agreement
> (MLSA) during a trip to
> the Philippines August 2 and 3. This will extend,
> expand and consolidate
> the growing US presence in the archipelago and
> secure the stationing of US
> military troops and war materiel.
>
> The ISM participants believe the government of
> Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is
> responsible for submitting to the Bush regime's plan
> to export its bogus
> "war on terror" to the Philippine soil and giving
> the American military
> free rein to directly intervene in internal affairs.
> She is likewise
> accountable for the massive violations of human
> rights and the sovereign
> and democratic rights of the Filipino people.
>
> Just over 10 years ago the Filipino people were
> victorious in driving out
> the US bases and all US troops. The Filipino people,
> with assistance from
> the peoples of the world, can and will drive the US
> troops out of their
> country once again. It is just a matter of time!
>
> Therefore we, the ISM delegates, in concluding our
> mission today, July 30,
> 2002, resolve to maintain and strengthen the
> solidarity links that have
> been forged and to develop concerted initiatives to
> end US military
> intervention and to heighten worldwide resistance to
> US imperialism in the
> Philippines and around the world. We unite to fight
> for:
>
> ü the immediate, total and permanent withdrawal of
> all US troops from the
> Philippines;
> ü justice for the Filipino people and all victims of
> human rights
> atrocities committed by US and Philippine troops;
> ü an end to US-led aggression and intervention under
> whatever pretext it
> occurs.
>
> With this in mind we have adopted the following plan
> of action:
>
> ü to demand the prosecution of US soldiers involved
> in the Tuburan shooting
> and other human rights violations;
> ü to campaign for the unconditional freedom for the
> Basilan 73 detainees
> and the GenSan 3;
> ü to organize protest actions against the upcoming
> Balikatan;
> ü to oppose the approval and implementation of the
> MLSA;
> ü to launch coordinated and broad information
> campaigns (fora, workshops,
> publications and other grassroots actions) in our
> respective countries and
> localities to expose and oppose US aggression and
> armed intervention in the
> Philippines;
> ü to create and popularize websites and publications
> that will monitor US
> troops in the Philippines and other related
> information;
> ü to strengthen our links and solidarity with the
> people of Basilan,
> Zamboanga, and Sulu, Bayan affiliated people's
> organizations and
> people-oriented service institutions;
> ü to undertake networking with solidarity groups,
> international solidarity
> formations and in particular the International
> League of People's Struggles
> (ILPS), human rights organizations, church
> institutions and individuals,
> peoples of color, progressive political parties,
> international conferences,
> anti-war/anti-racist alliances, and other solidarity
> groups such as those
> working for Palestine, Colombia, Iraq, etc.;
> ü to conduct and organize militant mass actions in
> front of US embassies to
> condemn US armed intervention;
> ü to launch internationally-coordinated actions on
> the issue of US armed
> intervention in the Philippines and US aggression in
> other countries.
>
> **********
>
> News Release
> July 23, 2002
>
> ANTI-BALIKATAN MISSION KICKS OFF TOMORROW
>
> After Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyos declaration
> that she wants a 'strong
> republic' which is based ,among other factors, on
> enhanced strategic ties
> with the United States through military cooperation,
> the Bayan Muna
> political party announced their intent to launch
> the International
> Solidarity Mission against the Balikatan series of
> military exercises and
> the Macapagal-Arroyo government's plans to launch
> 'sustained program of
> security cooperation and assistance."
>
> The Mission kicks off tomorrow, July 24, 2002, with
> a pressconference at
> the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City from 10:30am to
> 11:30am. The ISM's
> fact-finding mission component will take place in
> Zamboanga, Basilan,
> General Santos City beginning July 25 to July 31.
>
> Over 35 foreign participants from the US, Canada,
> South Korea, Australia,
> Malaysia and Japan representing a broad various
> church-based organizations,
> anti-nuclear power groups, human rights associations
> and peoples groups
> unite with the Filipino people in the struggle to
> defend Philippine
> sovereignty and territorial integrity.
>
> The program, drafted and endorsed by the Mutual
> Defense Board (MDB) of the
> Philippines and the United States is comprised of
> military exercises,
> exercise-related construction activities, personnel
> exchange and ship
> visits, security assistance activities, conferences,
> workshops and
> symposia, civic action projects, and a partnership
> program between the AFP
> and the Hawaii and Guam national guard.
>
> Out Now! Convenor Ret. Navy Capt. Danilo Vizmanos
> said that the MDB's
> endorsement of a 5-year sustained military program
> between the US and the
> Philippines lays to rest all doubts of the intent of
> the United States to
> re-establish and reinforce its military stranglehold
> over the Philippines
> and thus strengthen influence over the entire
> Asia-Pacific region. He
> accused the top brass of the Armed Forces of the
> Philippines and President
> Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of attempting to muddle the
> public's understanding
> regarding the Balikatan , the 5-year plan being put
> together by the MDB and
> the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA).
>
> He said that the government is purposely trying to
> confuse the public by
> making it appear that all these military plans are
> separate from one
> another, each one pertaining to a different
> arrangement, a product of
> separate negotiations. "There's no difference
> between extending the current
> Balikatan exercises and beginning a new one. It all
> amounts to the same
> thing: the US troops, their warships and their
> facilities will be staying
> to the detriment of the country's sovereignty,
> security and human rights
> situation," he said.
>
> Meanwhile, Bayan Muna President and Representative
> Satur Ocampo said that
> Pres. Arroyo is making unilateral decisions on
> matters that concern the
> country's international security and subsequent
> future. "She is bypassing
> the entire process of consultations with the other
> branches of government,
> and more importantly, with the rest of the Filipino
> people. Protests in
> various forms continue to be lodged and launched
> against the Balikatan, yet
> Mrs. Arroyo maintains a defiant stance. The US
> troops could be here for
> the long haul, or at least so long as this
> administration is in power," he
> said.
>
> "The jig is up. The US troops are not here to help
> the AFP defeat the Abu
> Sayyaf or to rescue hostages; neither are they here
> impart genuine military
> expertise to the local troops. Their intentions are
> not at all altruistic
> and much more strategic to the US' geopolitical and
> economic agenda The
> explanations that the US troops will also conduct
> socio-civic work do not
> wash clean: the roads, bridges, telecommunication
> lines and towers and
> other infrastructure they're going to build are for
> their own use and
> benefit, not for the people of Mindanao," he said.
>
> Meanwhile, American professor and member of the
> Philippine International
> Forum Carlton Palms said that the US' return to the
> Philippines, much like
> US President George Bush's newest threats against
> North Korea, is also an
> effort to assert U.S. influence in East Asia, as
> China rises as a global
> power and other Asian economies recover from
> financial crises. He said that
> by analyzing the US wars in the past decade -- in
> the Persian Gulf,
> Somalia, the Balkans, or Afghanistan or even at
> Bush's new "axis of evil"
> of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, the same common
> themes will be realized.
>
> "The U.S. military interventions can nearly all be
> tied to the U.S. desire
> to build or rebuild military bases. The goal is not
> to end "terror" or
> encourage "democracy," and Bush will not accomplish
> either of these
> claimed goals. The short-term goal is to station
> U.S. military forces in
> regions where local nationalists had evicted them.
> The ultimate goal is to
> establish new American spheres of influence, and
> eliminate any obstacles--
> religious militants, secular nationalists, enemy
> governments, or even
> allies--who stand in the way," he said.
>
> Bayan chairperson Rafael Mariano meanwhile said
> that Filipinos should not
> allow the country to be used as staging ground for
> US wars of aggression
> in the world. He said that there was also an
> immediate need to assess the
> impact of the Visiting Forces Agreement and the
> Balikatan exercises these
> past six months.
>
> Bayan Muna and Bayan along with other patriotic
> people's organizations will
> embark on the International Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> to the Philippines on
> July 24-31, 2002. Its main features are a three-day
> fact-finding mission
> and conference; and a six-day Peoples' Caravan in
> Mindanao, Southern
> Philippines.
>
> The objectives of the ISM are: a) to investigate the
> real nature,
> objectives and extent of US military involvement in
> the Philippines; b)
> assess the impact of US armed intervention in the
> country; and c) forge
> international solidarity links and cooperation in a
> common quest for global
> peace free from wars of aggression and intervention.
>
>
> Mariano shared that mission will be composed of
> peace advocates, human
> rights defenders, parliamentarians, academicians,
> artists and
> representatives of peoples' organizations and NGOs
> from US, Canada,
> Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Latin America,
> Africa, Europe and the
> Philippines. The ISM intends to investigate the
> reasons and consequences of
> a sudden and expanding military commitment between
> the Philippines and the
> US.
>
> "Already, the stepped up involvement is creating not
> just political
> problems such as the infringement of sovereignty or
> threatening potential
> conflicts with the Philippines' neighbors, like
> Malaysia or Indonesia.
> There are other less critical but nonetheless
> important issues such as the
> return of the sex trade catering to US troops or
> violation of land rights
> in the acquisition of training sites," said Mariano.
> #
>
> News Release
> July 25, 2002
>
> Rep. Ocampo says 'No Way' to Anti-Terrorism Bills
>
> Zamboanga City - International Solidarity Mission
> (ISM) spokesperson and
> Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo reiterated
> his strong opposition to
> the anti-terrorist bills now pending in the Senate
> and Lower House.
>
> ""The Arroyo government can't expect nationalist
> groups to be pacified and
> satisfied with its assurances that there really are
> no hidden dangers in
> the anti-terrorist bills that it's pushing in
> Congress. We simply cannot
> and will not take the government's word for it.
> Such measures by their
> very nature pose serious threats against civil
> liberties and democratic
> rights; and the government, with its repressive
> character is certain to use
> the law to stifle legitimate dissent," he said.
>
> Ocampo said that the Arroyo government is determined
> to fast-track all
> measures that will legitimize a virtual crackdown
> not so much on terrorist
> and criminal groups, but also on progressive and
> militant organizations
> vocal in their criticism against the administration
> and its all-out support
> to the US' anti-terrorist campaign. According to
> him, the provisions of the
> bills are too encompassing and targets just about
> anyone. "Anyone could be
> suspected of terroristic activities, and the
> consequences are dire. The
> anti-terrorist issue has been totally blown out of
> proportion, exaggerated
> to the maximum so that it can justify the
> enforcement of Gestapo-like
> measures like wire-tapping, surveillance which are
> infringements on the
> right to privacy," he said.
>
> He made an appeal to all civil libertarians and
> freedom-loving Filipinos
> to oppose what he termed to be the government's
> attempts to curtail the
> freedom of political belief. "Pres. Arroyo and her
> militarist advisers want
> everyone to dance to the same tune that they do -
> that is, the
> anti-terrorist jingle that the US has come up with
> it to justify its
> militarist and expansionist agenda. These
> anti-terrorism bills should not
> be allowed to be passed into law. To do so would be
> tantamount to imposing
> a death sentence on civil rights," he said.#
>
> News Release
> July 26, 2002
>
> International fact-finding mission exposes human
> rights violations, toxic
> waste dumping related to Balikatan exercises
>
> Zamboanga City - Members of the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> sponsored by the Bayan Muna political party and the
> Bagong Alyansang
> Makabayan (BAYAN) have begun their data-gathering
> and fact-finding mission
> regarding the impact of the continued presence of
> US military forces in
> Mindanao.
>
> Representatives Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Bayan Muna
> secretary general and
> Caloocan City councilor Nathaniel Santiago along
> with leaders of the
> Moro-Christian People's Alliance (MCPA) and US Troop
> Out Now! Coalition and
> Karapatan Alliance for Human Rights led the
> 40-strong ISM delegation in
> conducting the fact-finding mission in Zamboanga and
> Basilan. A separate
> group conducted similar activities in General Santos
> City.
>
> Reps. Ocampo and Maza yesterday had an audience with
> Southern Mindanao
> Command deputy commander Gen.Rodolfo Diaz regarding
> the ISM. Ocampo said
> that Gen. Diaz was very cautious in answering
> queries from the ISM
> delegates , particularly questions regarding the
> seriousness of the Abu
> Sayyaf threat, and whether there is truth to claims
> that the military is
> behind rampant human rights violations in the area
> perpetrated in the
> course of their supposed pursuit of the Abu Sayaff.
>
> On its third day, the ISM has already managed to
> compile and document a
> series of events and cases pertinent to the conduct
> of Balikatan 02-1
> exercises in Zamboanga and Basilan, as well as
> related incidents in nearby
> Sulu island from February to June this year.
>
> During the plenary session of the conference, ISM
> delegates presented their
> respective reports composed of interviews with
> residents, local baranggay
> and municipal officials, as well as their own
> observations. They also
> included in their reports the articles which came
> out in the local
> newspapers, accounts which did not reach the pages
> of Manila-based national
> newspapers nor reported over tv and radio news
> programs.
>
> Among the most significant findings of the team is
> that of the Commission
> on Human Rights in Zamboanga's statement that there
> has been a marked
> increase in the number of cases filed before them
> since the start of the
> Balikatan exercises in the area. They receive
> complaints almost everyday.
>
> Incidents monitored by ISM range from cases of
> outright murder and even
> massacres (2 cases of massacre where seven civilians
> fell victim); forced
> evacuation and demolitions involving residents of
> Zamboanga (in Brgy.
> Limpapa) and Basilan (Sitio Lipid, Tuburan) in
> separate incidents; to at
> least 13 so-called encounters between Philippine
> troops and alleged Abu
> Sayyaf Group (ASG) members.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that a number of the reported
> firefights proved to be, at
> the very least, dubious since direct investigations
> conducted by the ISM
> yielded totally different stories. "It appears that
> several encounter
> reports the media has released came directly from
> the military. These
> 'encounters' are now being exposed as cover-ups for
> blatant human rights
> violations being committed not against ASG members
> but against innocent
> civilians," he explained.
>
> Cases of raids, illegal arrests, arbitrary detention
> and looting were also
> documented. Eight such cases revealed that
> civilians, again, and not ASG
> members were the prime casualties of these
> operations. This even includes
> the illegal raid of Tuburan, Basilan town mayor Dore
> Kalahal last April 8,
> 2002 by elements of the 18th Infantry Battalion of
> the AFP. Kalahal said
> that the 29 soldiers who barged into his home could
> not produce neither a
> search warrant nor a warrant of arrest when he
> accosted them. The mayor was
> wrongly accused of being a supporter of the ASG.
>
> 18th IB commander Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero claimed
> that warrants were issued
> by one Judge Danilo Bucoy; but when interviewed,
> Bucoy denied having
> issued the two warrants.
>
> Prostitution
>
> The ISM received reports that two prostituted women
> died after having sex
> with American soldiers at Basilan, according to the
> doctor who checked on
> the women. One of them had intercourse with three
> American soldiers and
> later on bled to death.The issue did not reach the
> media because the
> victims' families were allegedly intimidated into
> silence and given bribes.
>
> The group also found out that local prostitutes from
> Maluso and Isabela
> visit the military camp areas particularly Maluso,
> Lantawan and Isabela.
> Meanwhile, a restaurant in Lamitan offering batchoy
> is said to be actually
> serving as a front for prostitution. Filipino and
> American soldiers
> allegedly frequent the area.
>
> "Because of intense poverty, Zamboangenas and
> Basilenas are being forced
> into prostitution, and the US troops and their local
> counterparts are
> taking advantage of this. Prostitution dens crop up
> like mushrooms in the
> rainy season wherever foreign troops are deployed.
> It's an outrage that
> the US troops are getting away with such
> reprehensible behavior. Not only
> is their very presence in the country a severe
> violation of Philipine
> sovereignty, but it places Filipina women and
> children under the threat of
> prostitution," she said.
>
> Meanwhile, environmental concerns have also been
> raised by the ISM in light
> of reports that barrels containing toxic waste from
> military ships and
> airplanes have been dumped in Sulu coastal areas.
> Last March 23, 2002 and airplane was seen to drop a
> silver-coated drum in
> Mt. Sinomaan, Patikul, Sulu. Residents within the
> periphery of the mountain
> were alarmed and were forced to evacuate for fear
> that the dropped barrel
> might contain explosive devices. Many believe that
> the area has been
> targetted as a place for waste or chemical disposal.
>
> Last April 13, US spy planes dropped barrels of
> waste into the coastal
> waters of Baranggay Etub-Etub, Sumisio Town. Basilan
> Gov. Wahab Akbar said
> that the spy planes dropped barrels into the coastal
> waters. Immediately
> after, after which children in the area begun
> started experiencing nausea,
> vomitting and diarrhea.
>
> Earlier, Sulu Rep. Hussin Amin who, along with Rep.
> Satur Ocampo has been
> investigating alleged human rights violations in
> Mindanao, said that
> American P3 Orion planes were dropping what appeared
> to be drums of toxic
> chemicals in at least three towns in his province.
> Amin said that residents
> of Patikul, Luuk and Indanan towns in Sulu were
> apprehensive about the
> airdrops. But US spokesperson Maj. Cynthia Terramae
> denied the Americans
> were dumping anything and challenged Amin to produce
> evidence.
>
> Live Bullets
>
> Firing exercises began last April 19 in Tabiawan,
> Basilan. Philippine and
> US troops are said to use live ammunition in their
> trainings, causing
> residents great fear and anxiety. Violations arising
> from the military
> trainings directly attributed to US troops
> themselves have been, in
> general, kept from media. Majority of the cases
> monitored naturally, cite
> the Philippine Army as the perpetrators precisely
> because the US soldiers
> are supposedly disallowed from engaging in direct
> combat.
>
> Despite the absence of US troops in the so-called
> encounters, however,
> residents in affected areas themselves believe that
> the attacks against
> their communities are part of the training given by
> the American troops to
> the Philippine Army. The annihilation of the
> notorious ASG has been exposed
> to serve more as a cover for the real targets of the
> exercises, namely the
> Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the New
> People's Army (NPA).
>
> "These incidents reveal the mercenary character of
> the Philippine soldiers
> under the tutelage of the Americans. Looting,
> destruction and burning of
> houses, cold-blooded murder of civilians and passing
> them off as bandits
> show the degree of violence being committed against
> the people.
> The certainty is : the US-backed military operations
> in Southern
> Philippines are spawning more and more human rights
> violations reminiscent
> of the wars of aggression launched by Spanish and
> American forces against
> the Filipino natives in the 15th century and onto
> the Second World War,"
> Ocampo said.#
>
> News Release
> July 26, 2002
>
> News Flash!
> American soldier shoots Moro civilian in own home,
> in front of wife and
> children; Bayan Muna solons demand investigations
> into incident
>
> A 27-year old Muslim of the Lakan tribe today sought
> the help of Bayan Muna
> solons Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza, saying that
> soldiers - two Filipinos and
> one African-American- broke into their house
> around midnight last night,
> Thursday, July 25, and shot her husband without
> provocation.
>
> The Bayan Muna Reps were talking to an audience of
> 200 Basilan residents in
> a symposium which is part of the International
> Solidarity Mission (ISM)
> when the young woman arrived with coordinators of
> the Muslim-Christian
> People's Alliance (MCPA). Ocampo, Maza and Public
> Interest Law Center
> (PILC) lawyer Edre Olalia immediately proceeded to
> listen to her narrative
> and plea for help.
>
> The woman, Jurida Isnijal, said that she and her
> family composed of her
> husband Buyong Buyong Isnijal, their children and
> Isnijal's mother were in
> their respective beds sleeping when the troops
> suddenly broke the door down
> and began shooting. Jurida had her flashlight out
> and she distinctly saw
> the face of the African American soldier who carried
> a long fire-arm,
> perhaps an M-16 or M-15 rifle. She described the
> man as around 6 feet,
> stocky in built, and had a distinctly aquiline nose.
> He also wore a
> jungle-fatigue bandana wrapped around his head. The
> man took aim at Buyong
> Buyong and shot him in the left leg.
>
> Panicking, Jurida stood up and tried to rush out
> for help. The
> African-American then told her to "shut up and sit
> down."
>
> By then the entire Isnijal family was awake and the
> children were crying.
> The soldiers, particularly the two Filipino troops,
> explained that they
> had found a Garrand rifle in the house of Hadji
> Saud, who lived 300 meters
> away. Buyong Buyong, bleeding, denied that he owned
> a gun or that he knew
> of any rifle that belonged to any of his neighbors.
>
> The soldiers then began cleaning Buyong-Buyong's
> wound. As the rest of the
> family watched, the soldiers then took Buyong-Buyong
> out of the house and
> said that they will take him to Lantawan District
> Hospital. Jurida tried
> to follow but the soldiers said that she can come to
> see her husband in the
> morning. That was the last time she saw her husband
> because when she went
> to the hospital a few hours later, she was informed
> that the soldiers had
> already taken him to the SouthCom barracks-offices.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that if Jurida's experience is true
> then there is really
> should be no more debate about the correctness of
> allowing US troops to
> remain in the country. "This is in direct and brutal
> violation of the very
> Terms of Reference (TOR) they signed. An armed
> American soldier has forced
> himself into the home of a civilian family, shooting
> a civilian and then
> virtually abducting him. This is an outrage for
> which the American and
> Philippine governments should take responsibility
> for," he said.
>
> Rep.Maza said that the trauma suffered by Jurida,
> the old mother-in-law
> (who also gave her testimony to what happened) and
> the two children cannot
> be immediately erased. "These troops especially the
> African-American Jurida
> saw should be court-martialed
> and jailed. We demand that the Southern Mindanao
> Command immediately
> surrender these three soldiers and return
> Buyong-Buyong to the safety of
> his family."
>
> The two representatives said that they will
> immediately call for
> congressional investigations into the incident. #
>
>
>
>
>
> News Release
> July 27, 2002
>
> Rep. Ocampo: "Expanding US presence in the
> Philippines contribution to US'
> military agenda in Southeast Asia"
>
> On the 4th day of the International Solidarity
> Mission in Mindanao covering
> the provinces of Zamboanga, Basilan and General
> Santos City, Bayan Muna
> Representative and ISM spokesperson Satur Ocampo
> said that signs that the
> US was bent on expanding its military presence in
> the Philippines were all
> over Mindanao.
>
> "Construction projects are being fast-tracked to
> meet the requirements of
> the US troop, their facilities and equipment.
> Residents say that before the
> arrival of the US troops, there was little interest
> in developing the roads
> and other infrastructure despite the local
> population's obvious need for
> them. Now, because of the planned long-term
> deployment of American military
> and the entry of their war equipment and facilities,
> immediate deadlines
> for the projects are being set," he said.
>
> "The US military, local government officials and the
> Arroyo government
> itself are trying to pass off these projects as
> among the benefits of
> having bilateral military arrangements. But in fact,
> what this issue
> exposes is the government's gross neglect of the
> infrastructure needs,
> among other needs, of the population. The US
> military and the government
> are taking advantage of this, turning it around and
> exploiting it to
> justify the continued presence of US troops in the
> country ," he said.
>
> Rep. Ocampo said that the immediate objective in
> what appears to be a
> 5-to-10-year military plan for Southeast Asia is to
> use the "war on
> terrorism" as a springboard for a deeper and wider
> U.S. military presence
> in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia. This and
> the creation of a
> regional security partnership with Southeast Asian
> governments, Ocampo
> said, will pave the way for a well-entrenched
> American military
> domination in the region with serious continental
> implications.
>
> "The military and even police forces of Southeast
> Asian countries will be
> virtually integrated in a comprehensive security
> network that will bolster
> existing bilateral military agreements. What we will
> be seeing is the
> increasing strength of the military and its
> influence over supposedly
> civilian governments," he said.
>
> At this very moment, several continuing joint
> military exercises are under
> way in Southeast Asia particularly in Thailand,
> Singapore, Australia and
> the Philippines with the objective of providing a
> "permanent-temporary"
> stay of U.S. ground forces and thus complementing
> U.S. air and naval access
> privileges. "Military exercises and trainings
> combine with an increase in
> military aid and arms sales to the region that would
> eventually result in
> the formation of a multilateral/regional security
> force, resembling the
> defunct South East Asian Treaty Organization
> (SEATO)," he said.
>
> Ocampo said that the forces that will come together
> to build this military
> formation will come from the ASEAN Regional Forum
> (ARF), a project of
> Admiral Dennis Blair, when he was still
> commander-in-chief of the Pacific
> Command (CINCPAC). Already the ARF has made possible
> the establishment of a
> counter-terrorist coordinating body by the
> Philippines, Indonesia and
> Malaysia last April.
>
> Finally, Ocampo said that the US wants to recover
> the military advantage
> that it once enjoyed in Southeast Asia, and it can
> only do so by
> establishing a fixed military base. "The US. has had
> no direct military
> presence in Southeast Asia since its defeat in the
> Indochina war and the
> withdrawal of its military installations from Subic
> Bay and Clark airfield
> in 1992. Possible sites for a new military base are,
> aside from the
> Philippines, Singapore and Indonesia. Because
> tensions continue to mount in
> Okinawa, Japan where the presence of the US bases is
> being opposed by a
> strong anti-base movement exist; and in the Korean
> Peninsula, the US is
> desperate to relocate its permanent facilities
> elsewhere. Pres. Arroyo is
> determined to help the US in this regard, at the
> serious expense on
> national sovereignty, security, and territorial
> integrity," he said.#
>
>
> News Release July 28, 2002
>
> ISM stands firm on US troops' involvement in
> shooting of civilian;
> challenges military, DFA and DOJ to initiate
> full-blown investigations into
> issue
>
> The 40-strong International Solidarity Mission led
> by the Bayan Muna
> political party and the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan
> (BAYAN) today and the US
> military command now in Zamboanga for attempting to
> dismiss the ISM's
> findings that American troops were involved in the
> shooting and illegal
> arrest of civilian Buyong Buyong Isnijal at about
> midnight of July 24
> (24:00).
>
> ISM spokespersons and Bayan Muna Representatives
> Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza
> assailed SouthCom head Gen. Ernesto Carolina's
> dismissive attitude towards
> the ISM's findings and attempts to justify the
> shooting by saying that
> Isnijal was an Abu Sayyaf member. The SouthCom and
> the US military in
> Zamboanga have also issued conflicting and
> inconsistent reports that
> Americans were not involved in the incident; that
> the Americans were
> involved but they were there only to provide
> 'humanitarian medical aid' to
> Isnijal when he was shot; that there was a shooting
> but that it was
> Filipino soldier who did it; and that there were no
> American troops at all
> during incident.
>
> Yesterday, the Southcom denied all knowledge of the
> incident and said that
> the ISM's story was pure fabrication. Today,
> however, it's issuing
> different explanations. In a heated 15-minute live
> interview with DZBB's
> Arnold Clavio at 9:00 am today, Ocampo firmly
> disputed Carolina's
> allegations. Ocampo's points of arguments are as
> follows:
>
> On the involvement of US troops in the incident:
>
> There are enough witnesses to attest that American
> soldiers were in fact
> involved in the incident. Juraida Isnijal stated
> under oath that he was
> with her husband Buyongbuyong Isnijal when an
> American soldier, an
> African-American, shot her defenseless husband in
> the left leg. Juraida
> attempted to wrest the armalite from the said
> American soldier, and in the
> process, burned her right palm on the hot metal and
> her face by the end of
> the gun barrel. She also sustained bruises on her
> forehead, the bridge of
> her nose.
>
> Her niece and mother-in-law corroborated Juraida's
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