PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines

Bush "rewards" to GMA spell more militarism and US intervention
May 21, 2003

The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly denounced the interventionist and militarist US government for "giving more inducements to the Arroyo government for further US military and political interference in Philippine affairs and for the further intensification of the puppet government's all-out military campaigns of suppression in Mindanao and elsewhere."

"All this only means more US military and political intervention", said Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesperson of the CPP. Rosal was reacting to Bush's reward to the Arroyo government of $30 million US military aid, 30 choppers and other hand-me-down military equipment for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, more "joint military trainings" to fight the Abu Sayyaf, and the new US interest to directly intervene in the peace talks with the MILF.

Macapagal-Arroyo is currently in the US for a state visit. In his speech, Bush underlined the growing militarist orientation of the Arroyo government by declaring the Philippines as the US' no. 1 military partner in Southeast Asia and a major non-NATO military partner.

Rosal scoffed at the "rewards" as "mere panderer's wages" in exchange for the the "total sell-out of Philippine sovereignty by the Arroyo regime and its abject servility to every US imperialist and militarist design. Rosal cited Arroyo's all-out support to the US invasion and occupation of Iraq as only the "latest exhibition of this abject servility." Rosal said that "the 'rewards' are actually meant to bolster the militarism of the puppet regime and grease further US military and political intervention in the Philippines."

Rosal blasted the US' dubious interest to intervene in the peace talks with the MILF. He said that the US is not in a position to mediate in the talks as it is totally foreign to the question. It has also all along regarded the MILF as terrorist and has been giving all-out support to the AFP's campaign of suppression against the Moro people.

"How can the US serve as mediator when it has long been wanting to deploy its combat troops against the MILF and is in the same breath threatening the MILF with US outright military intervention if its (the US') intercessions fail?", Rosal added.

Rosal warned against "heightened militarism of the puppet regime and more pervasive US intervention in the internal political and military affairs of the country."

Rosal called on all "freedom-loving Filipinos to unite, expose and fight the interventionist and militarist ulterior motives of the US-Arroyo collusion."

Reference:
Anne Buenaventura
Media Officer
Cellphone Number: +63910-240-3553



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