Globama meet reaffirms the worst of RP-US relations

US Pres. Obama’s appointment of the Philippines as “chief coordinator” of US relations with the ASEAN, a mere reiteration of the designation given by George BushII to country, could only be read as an expression of support for Mrs. Arroyo’s most hated regime. The question is: In exchange for what?

By supporting an anti-people, corrupt and fascist regime, US Pres. Obama has shown his true political colors on this issue. Filipinos are learning first-hand that his administration is no different from previous ones.

Obama’s praise for Arroyo as making “such good progress on dealing with counterterrorism issues” is a thumbs up to Mrs. Arroyo’s ugly human rights record, to her policy of carrying out extrajudicial killings, abductions and other human rights violations. Obama seems to pursue a photocopy of Bush II’s faulty conterterrorism blueprint that is discredited worldwide.

We are troubled by the interest Pres. Obama has shown to the peace process in Mindanao, and his desire for “peace and stability” in the country’s second biggest island, as this jibes with the publicized interest of the US in investing big time in Mindanao and in establishing military bases there.

It appears that Mrs. Arroyo got US support in exchange for her commitment to securing US economic and military interests in the country, and in Mindanao especially.

Part of the reasons why Arroyo is so courageous and stubborn in refusing to give categorical statements rejecting term extension is because she has just been reassured of support by the imperialist leader. And her greatest gift in exchange is her Charter Change which will sell out the entire country to Obama’s monopoly-capitalist masters.

Those two regimes will gain the greatest isolation from the peoples of our country and the world. They should be wary of continuing to pursue their selfish interests, the rest of the world is always on the watch

Obama and Arroyo also talked publicly about their common stand on the issue of Burma, ignoring the fact that the Philippines, while still not a Burma, is somewhere near it in the level of political repression and human rights violations.

We are also reminded of Pres. Obama’s handling of the Israel conflict at the start of his term. People were asking: why isn’t he issuing statements? The answer, of course, is that he is pro-Israel, and speaking up on the issue will only cause the disillusionment of a section of his support base. #