A MILITANT students group took to the streets in Cagayan de Oro on Thursday, November 9, to oppose the upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump to the Philippines for the 12th East Asia Summit in Manila next week.
Led by the League of the Filipino Students-Northern Mindanao Region (LFS-NMR), the student-protesters went on destroying and burning an American flag including an image of America's top leader in showing their anger over the US-Philippines partnership and neoliberal policies.
LFS-NMR chairperson Kristine Cabardo said Trump is not welcome in the Philippines.
"For President Trump, first and foremost you are not welcome in the Philippines. We want you to know that the students and the youth here shall not allow imperialist power to plunder and continually kill our people. You have had enough killings for us and we shall not allow you to destroy the Philippines more and more and extract more profit from us at the expense of our own people," Cabardo said.
Cabardo said the meeting of East Asian nation's leaders will only pave the way for the US and other imperial countries to push their economic interest in the Philippines, which will do nothing beneficial for the Filipino people but wars and destruction.
"We know that these countries will only push forward their economic interest to the Philippines at the expense of our people," Cabardo added.
The group calls on President Rodrigo Duterte to nullify all US-Philippines agreements signed in the previous administrations and put a stop on neoliberal policies that for them resulted to socio-economic and political problems.
Cabardo said the unabated price increases in basic commodities including tuition and other school fee hikes, jeepney phase-out in the guise of transport modernization scheme, privatization of basic industries and government institutions like water and electricity are just some of the faces of neoliberal policies that have to be junked.
Cabardo added more is to come with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) which allows the installation of US military facilities in five sites in the country including the Lumbia airport in Cagayan de Oro City.
"The presence of the US military will open the market for prostitution like what happened in Olongapo and Subic which will endanger our women and children. Knowing that US is launching wars all over the world, we face grave threats of going into wars that are not ours," the LFS statement said.
"Walay budget sa edukasyon, aduna lang P8 billion for free tuition apan sa 3 ka adlaw nga Asia summit uban si Trump, mogasto ang gobyerno og P15.5 billion mao makaingon ta nga may pera sa gyera wala sa eskwela," Cabardo added.
The group insists that the Philippines can stand by its own feet because of its natural resources that can feed its people.
Cabardo said more mass demonstrations will likely be staged nationwide during the summit.
"We condemn the government's failure and neglect of its responsibilities towards the Filipino people. We challenge the youth and students and other progressive and concern individuals to stand with us. Be one with our call to ban Trump. Let us show the No.1 imperialist power in the world our greatest indignation and opposition," the group said.