In the Philippines, the Fourth of July is celebrated as U.S.-Philippines
Friendship Day. But protesters who resent America’s ongoing military presence
in the Philippine archipelago used the holiday to highlight what they see as a lopsided relationship between the two countries.
In the photos below, taken on Friday, July 3, demonstrators from the women’s
group Gabriela marched to the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
Protesters shout slogans during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Manila. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
Clark AFB and Subic Bay Naval Base were closed in 1991/1992. They were reopened, at the invitation of the Philippine government, in 2012. Perhaps the protesters should be protesting outside the Malacañan Palace
What a bunch of poor deluded people! Unable to deal with the corruption that is plaguing their country and affecting every single Filipino from birth to old age, they go marching against the USA. I know the US (like much of the Western world and China and Japan) has done some pretty despicable things around the world, but what exactly are these protesters talking about?
They are obviously concerned citizens, and should be marching against the nonsense their system calls “requirements”, which must be met before you can APPLY for a low-paying job that will conveniently be terminated just before the 6th month anniversary, thus ensuring that no benefits can come your way; at that point, you have to repeat the process, something that is very expensive and hard for people who have very little to begin with, and which is a system fully approved by the government.
They could be marching against Binai, who is ostensibly the guy who will be the next president, and who it seems, has decided he must become richer than God; they could be marching against the Catholic church, which has such a strong hold over their everyday lives that a woman in an abusive relationship can only look on in horror as her husband brings in additional women right into her home as he beats and otherwise maltreats her, because divorce is illegal. And I could go on and on.
Fact is, these demonstrations probably make the participants feel good that they are doing something to denounce Big Bad America, but the reality is that they are mere distractions, with the demonstrators unwittingly being useful idiots serving those who don’t want them to face their real problems, or the roots thereof.
I had no idea The Philippines was such a mess. Sounds like the Marcos gang never went away, just got a new face.
I wonder if these protesters would like Chinese troops better?
I guess war crimes beget some very long lasting and intense hatred. If we don’t like what we’re getting back from people, we might a) never do it again, and b) try to practice forgiveness ourselves.
Fine. Let’s leave. They will soon find out just how much our military puts into their economy while protecting them.