Filipino workers, peasants, and the urban poor firmly stood in solidarity with the Venezuelan people after the US attacked the country and abducted its president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, on January 3. They marched to the US embassy in Manila on January 5 carrying the calls “US, hands off Venezuela!”, “Down with imperialism!”, and others. They burned the US flag in front of the embassy and urged all Filipinos who cherish democracy and freedom to stand with the Venezuelan people.

“Filipino workers clearly see that Trump’s so-called ‘war on drugs’ is utter nonsense,” Kilusang Mayo Uno said. “This is the same tactic the United States uses when invading many Asian and Middle East nations under various fabricated pretexts, much like its intervention in the Philippines under the guise of ‘countering terrorism’ and ‘delivering peace’.”

KMU salutes the people of Venezuela for their “courage and determination to resist foreign colonizers.”

“Filipino farmers stand in solidarity [with Venezuelans] as these attacks mirror the broader tactic of US-sanctioned violence imposed on us, and all that resist neoliberal plunder,” Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas said. KMP expressed solidarity with the Venezuelans’ struggle for sovereignty free from foreign coercion.

“As urban poor citizens, we clearly see the root of the attacks on Venezuela. This is not a question of democracy but of the imperialist United States’ greedy desire to control the country’s natural resources and economy,” Kadamay said. It added that this is the same system that continues to mire the Filipino people into poverty.

“From the Philippines to Venezuela, imperialism poses the same threat to people’s lives, livelihoods, and dignity!” it declared.

Events in Venezuela once again expose the true nature of US imperialism as “a principal source of war, instability, and repression in the world,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said.

The attack also starkly reminds the Filipino people of the US’ long and bloody record as a war criminal.

“All US military bases and facilities must be immediately removed from the Philippines,” Bayan said. “The presence of US troops, facilities, and military agreements… only strengthens US capacity to wage wars of aggression and drags the Philippines deeper into imperialist conflict.”

The US bombing of Venezuela killed more than 100 people, caused widespread power outages, and disrupted communication systems.