Filipino Advocates Fight US Military Aid
In Which: Government violence in the Philippines continues, Your tax dollars fund a fascist regime, And Eric Swalwell remains silent on funding human rights abuses.
Written by Malaya Union City
The Philippines is one of the deadliest countries for land defenders, journalists, and trade unionists. The Anti-Terror Law, passed in 2020 under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte Duterte, unfairly labeled activists, journalists, and anyone expressing dissent towards the government as “terrorists.” Those that were so-called “red-tagged” faced harassment, were illegally arrested, and killed.
Over 30,000 people were killed killed under the Duterte regime, infamous for its deadly war on drugs. However, since 2016, the U.S. has provided $550 million dollars in military aid to Duterte and implemented paltry human rights restrictions and oversight. Malaya Union City, with local ally organizations, visited Congressman Eric Swalwell’s office on August 20, 2024 to talk about the Philippine Human Rights Act (PHRA).
The PHRA was created in response to the deadly war on drugs, a crisis waged by Duterte and fueled by US military aid since 2016. It would introduce legislation “to suspend United States security assistance with the Philippines until such time as human rights violations by Philippine security forces cease and the responsible state forces are held accountable.”
A History Of Violence Continues
The Philippines has had an extensive history of foreign intervention. Starting with Spanish colonization with Catholicism from 1565-1898, U.S. colonization from 1898-1946, and the Japanese occupation from 1941-1945. Despite the claim of Philippine independence and freedom from foreign presence, their own elected presidents, formerly Duterte and currently Marcos Jr., have found ways to continue targeting and threatening Filipino people.
The Philippine human rights situation has only worsened under the current Marcos-Duterte administration, which is why progressive Filipinos and allies have continued to call for Congress to pass the PHRA and reject the Philippine Enhanced Resilience Act (PERA).
The PERA seeks to provide more military aid to Philippine police and armed forces, which have a long record of human rights abuses. Under the guise of “modernization” and strengthening the Philippines, the PERA aims to authorize annual foreign military aid of $500 million– which heightens American militarized presence among Filipino civilians.
This façade of foreign assistance is used to target vulnerable groups like urban poor, indigenous, environmental activists, and government critics by a regime steeped in human rights abuses. This includes an assassination attempt by state military forces on Asian-American environmental activist and journalist Brandon Lee, after he was harassed and surveilled for years.
Malaya Union City Takes Action
Since 2020, Malaya Union City has urged Rep. Swalwell to endorse the PHRA. He endorsed the 2020 and 2022 versions due to advocacy from Malaya Union City. We met with Swalwell’s staff again to urge him to endorse the current version of the PHRA.
We were joined by members of East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, Hayward Community Coalition, and Pilipino American Society for Education in Swalwell’s Castro Valley district office. We met with Desiree Broom, District Chief of Staff and Foreign Affairs Advisor for Congressman Swalwell’s office in Castro Valley and Mallory De Lauro, Senior Advisor/Counsel in their Washington DC office.
Violence Fueled By US Aid
During the meeting, Malaya member Jordan talked about the human rights situation in the Philippines and corruption under the current Marcos Jr. administration. In the early part of 2024, Jordan went to visit the Philippines with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines. He conducted interviews with victims of human rights atrocities and recounted stories from farmers, fisherfolk, and everyday Filipinos, who provided testimonies of being red-tagged, assaulted, witnessing family members arrested and, in some cases, killed.
Jordan provided details on the Marcos Jr. administration’s worsening human rights violations in the Philippines. A recent report from the University of the Philippines said there were 342 people killed in Marcos Jr.’s first year as president, under the same “War on Drugs” policies that Duterte enacted.
Malaya member Kristiana talked about the organization’s work with migrant Filipinos and how they can benefit from money being redirected military aid. She said that U.S. tax dollars spent on increasing military and security aid could be used to address underfunded public services that meet the basic needs of Filipinos in Union City.
She described low-wage Filipino workers that Malaya supports—people who work in food, service, and childcare industries—and how they would benefit from material support like better wages, benefits, and labor protections. Kristiana said “We shouldn’t be directing our tax dollars toward security aid, when we could be prioritizing the well-being of the Filipino community.”
The indigenous peoples of Mindanao in the southern region of the Philippines, who are known as Lumad, have been under attack from multinational corporations, local landowners, and the Philippine government for years. In 2017, former President Duterte threatened to bomb Lumad schools, and targeted Lumad students, teachers, health workers, and advocates, using state forces to kidnap, torture, imprison, and execute them.
Chad Booc, a Lumad teacher who was killed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines last year, speaks to the threat posed by US military aid: “The [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and other paramilitary forces continue to be utilized by the current Philippine government to allow foreign corporations to plunder indigenous land for its rich resources. We continue to fight for Philippine indigenous communities, their students’ rights to education, and rights to their own ancestral lands — and we believe defunding the military through the PHRA is the most effective way to stop the attacks”.
Swalwell’s Office Still Silent on Military Aid
Our efforts to gain support for the PHRA seemed promising. Malaya set a deadline for Swalwell’s office to respond on the PHRA. The office agreed to a general timeline of mid-September. Representative De Lauro said she will relay information to Representative Swalwell. However, Malaya Union City has not received a response from Swalwell’s office after emailing the office on September 18, 2024.
“I think it was a good opportunity to hear us out. I was most inspired by how, during this round, we were able to bring in more contacts outside of Malaya Union City, especially non-Filipinos who felt compelled to speak on the human rights situation in the Philippines,” Jordan said.
“Even though we didn’t get a yes or no,” Jordan said, “we will continue to hold the office accountable and continue to build within the community.” Malaya Union City will hold a Phone Zap event calling Representative Eric Swalwell’s office on Friday December 13. It will take place from 12:30pm to 1:30pm with the goal of convincing Swalwell to endorse the PHRA. You can contact Eric Swalwell’s DC Office at (202) 225-5065.
Malaya Union City was formed in 2020 as the Anti-Terror Law was passed in the Philippines. The organization was formerly known as Malaya Tri-City, but was changed to Malaya Union City to reflect the large Filipino population. Roughly one in five residents in Union City are Filipino.
Malaya Union City campaigns for workers’ rights, advocating for more accessible Assistance to Nationals funds for Filipino migrants in distress and helping Filipino migrants and dual citizens with overseas voter registration.
To learn about the PHRA visit: humanrightsph.org
Get involved in the local Union City PHRA campaign! Contact Malaya at malaya.unioncity@gmail.com, and on Instagram and Facebook @malaya.unioncity