ACTION ALERT: Protest US Secretary of State John Kerry's Visit to the Philippines! US Out of the Philippines!
Nationwide Phone Barrage to Demand an End to US Militarization in the PhilippinesDate: Tuesday, December 17, 2013Time: 1 PM-5 PM Eastern | 10 AM-2 PM Pacific | 12-4 PM CentralLocation: From your very own phone to Sec. of State John Kerry’s Office - (202) 647-5291Under the guise of friendship and humanitarian concern in the wake of the Typhoon Haiyan disaster, Secretary of State John Kerry is visiting the Philippines Dec. 16-18 to meet with senior Philippine officials and tour the devastation in Tacloban. We aren’t fooled! The goal of Kerry’s visit is to push for the signing of a new US-Philippines military agreement— Framework Agreement for Increased Rotational Presence and Enhanced Defense Cooperation--which would usher in thousands of troops, warships, drones and armaments into the Philippines, in violation of the country’s sovereignty and leading to more human rights abuses of civilians. He will also push for the Trans Pacific Partnership--a neoliberal economic agreement that has been dubbed "NAFTA on steroids" and which would have disastrous results on the economies of developing nations and trillions of dollars in benefits for the world's 1%.Join BAYAN-USA and others who believe in promoting peace, not war, in the Philippines in a day of action to condemn further militarization and exploitation of the Philippines.Call U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's office at (202) 647-5291to voice your concern over his visit to the Philippines to discuss a US-RP Access Agreement and to push the Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement!Use one of these sample scripts:"Hi. I'm (say your name), I'm from (say where you're from). Please tell Secretary Kerry I don't want my tax dollars used on a Military Access Agreement with the Philippines."Hi, I’m _____ from ______. I’m concerned about Secretary Kerry’s visit to the Philippines to promote a Military Access Agreement or to affirm more aid to the Philippine military. I object to the Department of Defense using Typhoon Haiyan as an excuse to send more US military to the Philippines. I do not want my tax dollars supporting a government and military with such an atrocious record of corruption and human rights violations.Hi, I’m _____ from ______. I’m concerned about Secretary Kerry’s visit to the Philippines to discuss a Military Access Agreement with the Philippine government. I do not support increasing US military presence in the Philippines and the Asia Pacific Region, which drains money from American tax payers and results in the oppression of people in the Philippines and throughout the Asia Pacific.For quick training video:https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10201584226423386For more information: www.bayanusa.orgLocal actions in Los Angeles, New York, San Jose and San Francisco are also being planned. Check out www.bayanusa.org for updates on where and when.*****Kerry: We say NO to Access Agreement in the Philippines! US Out of the Philippines!Aquino: DEFEND Philippine Sovereignty! No to Access Agreement!We Need Genuine Relief Aid NOT Militarization!Kerry starts two-day PH visit TuesdayBy Kristine Angeli SabilloINQUIRER.net| December 16, 2013 at 4:30 pmTweet FacebookUS Secretary of State John Kerry. AP FILE PHOTOMANILA, Philippines — United States Secretary of State John F. Kerry will arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday to discuss with President Benigno Aquino III the “broadening of economic and security cooperation” between the two countries, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.DFA Spokesperson Raul Hernandez said Kerry, who will visit typhoon-devastated Tacloban City, is expected to tackle issues on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.The US Secretary, in his two-day stay in the country, is also scheduled to meet with Aquino and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario to talk about “cooperation on regional issues.”“Maritime security is an ongoing issue for the Philippines and the region. And this will be addressed by such bilateral (talks),” Hernandez said during the press conference.The bilateral meeting is expected to start Tuesday afternoon.Kerry’s visit coincides with the Philippines government’s standing request for the granting of its Temporary Protection Status (TPS) in light of the devastation wrought by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”Kerry was supposed to visit the country back in October. However, the trip was canceled due to typhoon Santi (international name Nari).- See more at: http://m.inquirer.net/globalnation/?id=94265#sthash.n7ziTsfl.dpuf