Democratic organizations protested in Cebu City on May 27 to once again call for the scrapping of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and US imperialists. This coincides with the 25th anniversary since the Senate under the Estrada regime ratified such agreement on May 27, 1999. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan)-Central Visayas led the action.

The VFA was passed several years after the Military Bases Agreement expired and was abrogated by the Senate in 1991. It granted the US the right to enter any part of the land, sea and airspace of the Philippines, transforming the country into a large military base.

The VFA is an instrument in the US’s contempt for Philippine sovereignty because it allows the Philippines to be used as a base for a foreign force. Under the VFA, the US maintains a permanent presence of hundreds of troops in various parts of the country and its surrounding waters, interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

“In its 25 years of existence, Bayan and other progressive groups have launched continuous resistance,” Renato Reyes Jr, Bayan national chairman said. It also includes their call to scrap the lopsided military agreements including the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.