ASEM5 People's Forum

Peace and Security Cluster, 7 Sept. 2004 Asia-Europe People's Forum.

PEACE MOVEMENTS IN ASIA AND EUROPE: THE WAY AHEAD

by Merzi Florencia T. Chan
Iraq Solidarity Campaign-Philippines
(Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya,Movement for National Democracy-Philippines)

Introduction

The Iraq Solidarity Campaign was launched in April 2004 by various peace and anti-war networks and groups in the Philippines in response to the escalating war in Iraq and the Philippine government's all-out support to the war and the occupation.
The coming together of the various organizations was precipitated by at least two very critical events that came to bear on the worsening crisis of legitimacy plaguing the US-led occupation. The first set of events was the Madrid bombings, the defeat of the Aznar Government, and the consequent pull-out of Spanish troops.
The second was the escalation of the conflict, the increased fighting in Falluja and Najaf, which signalled the heightened phase of and changing nature of the resistance.
The US-led occupation was in crisis and the groups saw this an the impetus for a coordinated campaign that would called for the immediate pull-out of Philippine troops from Iraq and an end to the occupation.
The ISC statement calling for an end to the occupation and the pull-out of Philippine troops from Iraq was released on April 23, 2004 signed by the 36 organizations including federation of farmers and fisherfolks, labor groups,women's groups, youth and student organizations, artists and cultural groups, peace centers and networks, progressive political parties and NGOs.
The list of ISC endorsers and supporters have now ballooned to over 100.

The Philippines and the War in Iraq

In justifying the war, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself said that the purpose of sending troops to Iraq is for Filipino businessmen to get a share of the reconstruction contracts and for our overseas Filipino workers (OFWS) can be employed there by reconstruction contractors. In other words, the Philippine government wanted to profit from the occupation of another country.
On a more general level, President Arroyo supported the war as part of her administration's relationship with the United States. Only the US and Arroyo know exactly what's the deal. But as in the past and as in the case with other countries, the US usually gets what it wants from other governments by offering them military aid, loans, trade concessions or other forms of inducement. The US has also been documented to support pro-US candidates during elections and to protect their regimes once in power.
The Arroyo administration is morally ang politically committed to the U.S. government. And so the day the U.S. bombed Iraq on March 20, 2003, Arroyo immediately dragged the Philippines into the war -in concrete terms, being a part of the 'coalition of the willing' and directly sending Philippine troops to Iraq.

But who really wants this war?

Not the Filipinos, especially the 1.5M overseas workers working in the Middle East and their families. Not the Iraqis and the Arab peoples who have the right to their oil resources that the U.S. wants to covet. Not the American people who are being deprived of job and benefits as the U.S. government spends more for destruction and for keeping a huge and complex war machine
It is only the U.S. who wants this war. The U.S. that has the real monopoly of weapons of mass destruction to protect and grab colossal interests in oil and other strategic sources of strategic raw materials. The Arroyo government, at the great risk of the people, adheres to the policies of the U.S. government, thus making her the U.S.' 'most trusted ally in Asia'. But to the people's movements in the Philippines and in real terms, she has become the most enthusiastic neo-colonial supporter of U.S. imperialism in Asia.

ISC launches public actions against the war

• Not Business as Usual

On May 2. 2004, in a posh hotel in Manila's business district, Nesreen Mustafa Siddeek Berwari head of the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works in Iraq spoke in a forum organized by the Asian Institute of Management, about the challenges and opportunities for business in rebuilding Iraq. According to Minister Berwari, Iraq is in transition.The security risks are still there but the situation is not as bad as the media make it appear. The situation is good enough in fact to start discussing prospects for Philippine-Iraq business partnerships in rebuilding her war ravaged country. This demand for stronger Iraqi-Filipino partnership and cooperation resonated throughout the forum in the speeches of Philippine government officials and businessmen. Parallels were drawn between the war and post-war reconstruction experiences of Iraq and the Philippines. All these distinguished people were saying that the rebuilding of a new Iraq is already underway and indeed now is the perfect time to talk business. But how can they talk business when the conflict in Fallujah continues to escalate and the resistance to the US-led occupation grows stronger? How can they talk business amidst news of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners in the hands of their US captors? How can they talk business in the wake of the death of Filipino truck driver Rodrigo Reyes?
Members of ISC disrupted the forum and the presentation of Minister Berwari, calling her a "collaborator" and an "illegitimate" representative of the Iraqi people.

• Exposing the Horrors of Abu Ghraib

On 21 May 2004, with news and images of the atrocities in Abu Ghraib still fresh in the public's mind, anti-war activists in the Philippines denounced the Arroyo administration for its silence over these atrocities committed by US Soldiers against Iraqi prisoners of war.
Stepping up the pressure on the Philippine government to withdraw its support to the illegal war and occupation, activists from ISC marched to the US Embassy with banners and placards calling " Bush, Blair and Arroyo, guilty of war crimes," and "GMA (Gloria Macapagal Arroyo) and BUSH Butchers of Baghdad".
The activists were greeted by a phalanx of anti-riot policemen about two blocks away from the US Embassy. Deciding to hold their ground, the activists conducted a sit-down, street press conference, where the representatives of the Iraq Solidarity Campaign (ISG) delivered their messages.
At this rally, ISC stressed the and made the obvious connection between the war and security risks faced not just by the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent in Iraq but by the 4,000 or so overseas Filipino workers or OFWs working as construction workers, cooks, and truck drivers in Iraq.

• The Philippines and the UN Security Council

In early June 2004, the Philippines assumed the presidency of UN Security Council. ISC took this opportunity to demand that the Philippines take a clear stand for global peace and justice in an open-letter to the President and to Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja.
In that letter, ISC demanded that the Philippines insist on and only vote in favor of a resolution that includes:

1. An acknowledgment of the illegality of the invasion and occupation of Iraq
2. A timetable for the complete and unconditional withdrawal of all coalition troops from Iraq.
3. A demand for the United States and members of its coalition to fulfil their obligation as occupying powers in reconstructing Iraq.
4. A genuinely independent and democratic political process for the selection and installation of a government that is truly representative of the Iraqi people.
5. A commitment to the restoration of unconditional and unlimited sovereignty to the Iraqi government by the occupying powers.

The Philippines of course did none of these. Under its watch, the United Nation Security Council passed Resolution 1546 endorsing the formation of a sovereign interim government for Iraq and the process for political transiton and welcoming the end of the occupation.

Angelo dela Cruz and the Hostage Crisis

In the early morning of July 07, 2004, news of the abduction of Filipino worker Angelo dela Cruz reached Manila. Dela Cruz's abductors demanded that Philippine troops pull-out of Iraq in exchange for the Filipino's life.
The hostage- taking puts spotlight not just on the war in Iraq but on the plight of millions of Filipinos working in the Middle East.
ISC and its members hold series of public actions demanding the immediate pull-out of Philippine troops. A series of vigils and rallies were held between 09-12 July hoping to generate public support and force the hand of government to pull-out its troops.
The demand to save Filipino worker's life echoed worldwide with solidarity messages from international groups joining the call for PULL-OUT OF RP TROOPS.
The Filipino people showed overwhelming support for the demand to save the life of Angelo. But the debate over an appropriate response to the crisis raged even within the Philippines. Some very powerful individuals including Ex-General and former President Fidel Ramos were saying the Philippines should not succumb to the demands of the terrorists.
Reacting to this position by Ramos, ISC awards the former President an all-expense paid trip to Baghdad to take Angelo's place and save RP government 'credibility'
The Philippines started pulling out its troops from Iraq in 19 July 2004. As expected this move was met with both praise and criticism.
US and Australia criticizes Philippine government's decision to pull-out troops saying the pullout sends wrong signals to 'terrorists'.
Anti-war activists on the other hand called decision to pull-out - "the right thing to do." "This is not submission nor capitulationism. In the first place, we had no business in sending an armed contingent in support of the U.S. invasion and continued occupation of Iraq."
Support for the illegal war - not pull-out of troops - exposes us to 'terrorism'
The debate spawned by the Angelo dela Cruz crisis touched on a number of critical issues and questions on the real reason for war in Iraq; on the nature of the Iraqi resistance on the one hand and the occupying forces on the other; the costs over the benefits of Philippine support to the occupation; and on the independence or subservience of Philippine Foreign Policy.
The crisis is illustrative of the predicament faced by a developing country like the Philippines, that chose to side with the empire for a share of the spoils.
The crisis pointed out the economic dimensions of the war and occupation of Iraq. Contrary to the US propaganda, which the Philippines and many other countries believed, that the war was justified on the pretext of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction and his links to Al Qaeda, the real reasons behind the war and occupation are oil and profits, strategic control over the middle east, and the quest for new markets.
The saw that the "exit plan' crafted by the Americans supposedly to ensure a smooth "handover" of sovereignty to the Iraqi's, is really just an instrument for securing American corporate interest under post-handover Iraq. And that securing US interests is the paramount objective in the forging of a "new Iraq." The US made sure that a policy environment conducive to its interests had been created before any handover took place.
We've heard of the phrase " Trade: War by other Means " Now we know that its reverse is just as true-that war can be trade by other means. That waging war can be a powerful albeit destructive instrument for opening markets and easing up investment laws. The occupation is over says the United States. Yet the war for profit continues!

The War continues

The war rages in Iraq and its illegal occupation continues despite the sham "handover" of sovereignty last 28 June 2004 and the backing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546 for a political transition in Iraq.
Philippine troops may have pulled-out (temporarily) and the Philippines has been booted out from the "Coalition of the Willing" yet President Arroyo continues to support the US and Bush's "war on terror", vowing to contribute by escalating the war within the country in conflict ridden areas in Southern Philippines.
Within this context, What's next for the Iraq Solidarity Campaign and the larger anti-war movement in the Philippines?
What's next for the Campaign
The ISC's experience over the course of its campaign has shown the importance of education and information work.
The anti-war campaign must reach as many people as possible and organize the broadest constituency as possible.
The war in Iraq and the wars at home must be widely discussed. These issues should matter to a broad cross-section of Philippine society-from farmers, fisherfolks, women, youth and students, migrant workers, the academe, church workers, etc..
The demand for culpability of the Arroyo government for its all-out support for the "War on Terror" must be heightened. The re-sending of Philippine troops to Iraq, even under the guise of the United Nations must be opposed and stopped.
The pressure on the Philippine government must be stepped-up to force it to adopt an independent Foreign Policy that reflects the needs and aspirations of Filipinos, most especially the 8 million Filipino overseas workers scattered all over the world.
Serious effort must be made to not just strengthen linkages but unite under one movement the Anti-Globalization and Anti-War movements .
The events happening in the world today very clearly show the inter-connection between globalisation and militarization and the very issues that threaten world peace and security. It is therefore very important for us to see and understand the link between the two so we could pursue the struggles against globalisation and war as not separate from each other.
Lastly, in order to be genuine agents of real and fundamental change, movements must rise beyond simply protesting or reacting to situations. Movements must consciously and determinedly uphold and act for a system or order that is exactly, thoroughly and directly opposite the present dominant system or order that is creating chaos and disorder all over the world.#