STOP THE U.S. FUNDING OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES!

The Filipino people are protesting the 2023 Balikatan Exercises between an estimated 17,000 US Army troops and Philippine soldiers, the biggest since its inception in 1991, following the construction of multiple U.S. military bases in the country through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The joint military exercise is widely seen as a provocative act by the US against China, as it includes military exercises planned with other countries in the First Island Chain – Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. The protest actions are justified as it defends the Philippines’ right to national sovereignty, a basic human right. We believe that participating in the Balikatan Exercises only drags the Philippines into the worsening US-China tensions and will likely result in more violations of the rights of the Filipino people.
 

Peace-loving citizens in solidarity with the Filipino people’s struggles are calling for an end to using American people’s tax dollars to fund the Philippine military.  We also hold the U.S. government accountable for its complicity in Duterte’s and Marcos’s human rights crimes through its unrestricted aid to the Philippine military and police which amounts to millions and millions of U.S. taxpayers’ dollars. It is outrageous that the Biden administration pursues military dominance of the Asia-Pacific by re-building its military facilities in the Philippines.

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We in Hawai‘i who support the call of the Filipino people do not want any more military abusers and murders and prostitution. We don’t want RIMPAC back in 2024. We do not want another World War. We want international peace and friendship. We reject U.S. military intervention in the Philippines!

Your solidarity with and support for human rights advocates is urgently needed.