Alliance-Philippines (AJLPP) Statement in Response to Philippine President Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23

Los Angeles ---The Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) or Alliance-Philippines, , strongly denounce Bush “ally” Philippine president Gloria Arroyo for going forward with the implementation of an Anti-Terror Law (ATL), euphemistically called the Human Security Act, in the Philippines.

Arroyo’s Puppet Hypocrisy and US Intervention

AJLPP strongly denounce the hypocrisy of the US- Arroyo regime for painting a rosy picture of the Philippines while poverty, corruption and repression grips the land. The Arroyo regime pretends to be interested in resuming peace talks with both the Philippine revolutionary movement represented by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while it ordered an attack against the MILF. The fascist regime continues its alarming spree of extra-judicial killings (now more than 870 since Arroyo took office in 2001) against political opponents and critics, and unleashes legalized fascism against the entire Filipino people through the implementation of the Anti-Terror Law.

We condemn the Bush administration for its continuing intervention in the internal affairs of the Filipino people and for abetting the Arroyo regime’s war of terror against the Filipino people fighting for national and social liberation. Arroyo’s terrorism would not be possible without the steady and unbroken stream of US advisers, weapons, equipment, training and millions of dollars flowing from the US government.

Resume Peace Talks Now

We call on the Philippine government (GRP) to have the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA) and Prof. Jose Maria Sison, the NDFP chief consultant, all removed from the so-called “foreign terrorist list” of the US and of the European Union so that the peace negotiations with the NDFP can proceed without any obstacles.

We call on the GRP to stop its death squads from committing even more extra-judicial killings, and have those who are responsible for committing heinous crimes against the people brought before the bar of justice.

As a confidence-building measure, the GRP must release the 200 political prisoners who continue to languish in Philippine jails, and surface the more than 200 missing activists, including 15 missing NDF peace consultants. The GRP must, furthermore, release the billions recovered from the Marcoses, and indemnify the victims of the Marcos dictatorship who have long been denied their rightful compensation.

Lastly, we will continue to work for an enduring peace with justice when the Filipino people are eventually free from foreign bondage and attain full social and national liberation.

No Justice, No Peace! Oust Arroyo! Stop Political Killings, Resume Peace Talks!

AJLPP-USA

National Secretariat

July 23, 2007