[APWSLMembers 498] Workers to Kenney: How dare you! U.S. government not absolved from political killings in R.P. - Anakpawis nominee Joel Maglunsod

[KMU International Department]

>From the office of ANAKPAWIS Partylist nominee Joel Maglunsod
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
No. 56 K-9 Street, West Kamias, Quezon City
Tel Nos. 4269442, 4359402

NEWS RELEASE
February 27, 2007

Workers to Kenney: How dare you! 
U.S. government not absolved from political killings in R.P. - Anakpawis 
nominee Joel Maglunsod


"Ms. Kristie Kenney is acting as if the United States government is not in 
anyway involved in the heightening cases of political killings in the 
Philippines. Kenney's superficial concern on the worsening human rights 
situation will never absolve the Bush government in the spate of killings. 
The Filipino people are well aware that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's 
rhetoric on anti-terrorism is patterned after Bush' post 9/11 
warmongering against sovereign nations," said Anakpawis nominee 
Joel Maglunsod in reaction to the U.S. Ambassador's statement urging 
Malacanang to act on the political killings. 

"How dare you Ms. Kenney to act innocent and concerned on the 
criminal acts committed by the Arroyo government against civilians.  In 
fact, your government is clearly funding the government's 
anti-insurgency campaign which targets even legal democratic 
organizations and progressive partylists. The Bush government is also 
accountable on these crimes. The U.S. government is liable for many 
more war crimes against humanity. Now Bush is even moving heaven 
and earth for the U.S. Congress to approve his request for supplemental 
war budget for Iraq and Afghanistan amounting to US$235 billion," the 
Maglunsod further said. 

"Kenney was forced to make such statements due to the increasing 
local and international pressure on the killing of activists and journalists."

He added that AFP and Malacanang officials in the Cabinet Oversight 
Committee on Internal Security (COCIS) are abiding by US Director of 
National Intelligence John Negroponte's campaign plans on 
anti-insurgency, counterterrorism, counterproliferation, 
counterintelligence in Iran, North Korea, and Cuba, Venezuela and U.S. 
hardest targets. 

"The government is carrying out the so-called anti-terrorism campaign 
plans in the guise of suppressing the legitimate dissent of Filipinos and 
progressive forces who are exposing the anti-people policies and 
corrupt ways of the unpopular Arroyo administration," Maglunsod said. 

Maglunsod challenged the U.S. Ambassador to order the stopping of 
the ongoing Balikatan military exercises in Mindanao and return the 
custody of convicted rapist Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith to the Philippine 
government. "Magnanimous statements from Kenney are not enough. 
We want justice for all the victims of human rights abuse." ###