MOURN FOR THE VICTIMS... STAND FOR PEACE... WORK FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE! (part 2 of 2)

If US foreign policy does not fundamentally change, we must all fear for our lives even more so. For it is certain that more aggrieved militants will take it upon themselves to retaliate. Now that President Gloria Arroyo has committed Philippine lands and resources to support the US, the Philippines is also a likely target of attack. Vice President Guingona has further offered to let the US use again their former military bases, Clark and Subic. This is an insult to the memory of the great Filipino patriots Recto, Tanada and Diokno who fought to remove these dangers to the Filipino nation, on top of the injury the toxic wastes in these bases have caused our people (for which the US government refuses to acknowledge any responsibility).

The Filipino people have long suffered under foreign rulers and, even today, 75 percent of the population is the victim of poverty in a land of plenty. The economic policy of globalization, led by the US government, has forced the Philippines to convert lands to export products and resorts causing more and more farmers to migrate to the cities in search of income. US government policies have insisted that wages be kept low to attract foreign investors. The minimum wage in the Philippines is a mere P250 when even the government admits a family of six needs more than double that to survive!

In this crucial time it is of utmost importance that we call for an end to the cycle of violence and say no to retaliation that would cause more suffering of innocent civilians. We must reject all forms of racism and now,.. more than ever, we are called to support even more those in our community who are most oppressed and disadvantaged.

"The American people do not deserve to suffer the penalties of its government's transgressions against the right to self-determination of peoples of other countries, in as much as the people of Japan need not be mass slaughtered by the US government's atomic bomb. The American people do not deserve to be victimized by attacks of transnational terrorists in as much as the people of Palestine, Yugoslavia, El Salvador, Peru, Vieques and the Philippines do not deserve to be slowly killed by US-sponsored governments and dictatorships." Marie Hilao-Enriquez, National Secretary General, KARAPATAN -Philippines (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights)

END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE! PREVENT FURTHER DEATHS OF THE INNOCENTS!
STOP BLIND, RETALIATORY ACTIONS BY THE US FORCES!
NO TO RACIST SCAPEGOATING! CONDEMN ANTI-IMMIGRANT ATTACKS!

The INANG BAYAN (Motherland) MOVEMENT is a multi-issue campaign center uniting Filipinos, Filipino-Americans and solidarity friends working for social justice, understanding, and lasting peace in the Philippines and for Filipinos worldwide. Recent campaigns and activities include "Estrada Resign!" "Justice for the Gavina Brothers!" "Amnesty for all Undocumented Immigrants!" Philippine Independence Day Parade, and Racial Justice Day.

INANG BAYAN MOVEMENT Member Organizations: Philippine Forum, Filipino Workers Center, DAMAYAN Domestic Workers Organization, MAKABAYAN, Filipino Organization for Women's Advancement, Rights and Dignity [FORWARD], Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines [NISPOP] and Kinding Sindaw