Activists ready protests for Hillary Clinton's Nov. 15 visit

Activists are preparing protests against the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the visit of US State Secretary Hillary Clinton to the Philippines on next Tuesday. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), an umbrella group of activist groups, said Clinton's upcoming visit on November 15 will mark the 60th anniversary of the RP-US MDT. “There is no reason to celebrate 60 years of the Cold War relic that is the MDT. This agreement is a lasting testament to the unequal and one-sided ties that bind our two countries. This pact has no value for national security and sovereignty. We are better off without it," said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. Reyes reiterated the VFA should also be scrapped as it has been used not just for brief visits but also for the permanent stationing of US troops in the Philippines. Foreign relations Reyes said the Aquino administration should stand for sovereignty "and do away with mendicancy in its foreign relations." According to Bayan, the MDT anniversary may be used to drum up US support for the Philippines and its claims on the Spratlys. “The reality is that the US will NOT automatically go to war with China on the basis of the MDT alone. Military action would first require US congressional approval, which would be difficult considering America’s economic ties with China," Reyes said. He said mutuality and reciprocity "are the biggest myths fostered by the MDT and the VFA." "These instruments are in place primarily to secure support for US hegemonic interests in the region and not for anything else. The PH government should wake up from the pipe-dream that we are treated as equals and with respect by the US," he added. - VVP, GMA News