CPP denounces the US’ thinly-veiled threats against Duterte; calls for urgent EDCA abrogation

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) denounces US officials for continuing to issue thinly-veiled threats against GRP President Duterte. At the same time, the CPP urged Duterte to follow through with his statement that he might just abrogate the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) in the face of continued meddling by the US government and its officials in the internal affairs of the country.

“The abrogation of the EDCA has become an urgent matter amid growing threats by US officials against the Duterte regime,” said the CPP.

The other day, US Assistant State Secretary Daniel Russel was quoted in media reports saying “I think it would be a serious mistake in a democratic country like the Philippines to underestimate the power of the people’s affinity for the US. That’s people power.”

“The statement by Russel is an outright threat to subvert the Duterte regime which has been increasingly critical of US meddling and hypocrisy in the Philippines,” said the CPP. “It reveals US contempt of the Filipino people and their aspiration for national freedom long suppressed by US neocolonial dominance.”

“The Duterte regime and the Filipino people must take this US threat seriously,” said the CPP. “Over the past several decades, the US government has long carried out both outright and clandestine acts of subversion wherever governments have stood up to defend their national interests and chose to tread a path independent to US geopolitical and economic interests.”

The US is known to have repeatedly planned and failed to carry out the assassination of Cuban leader Fidel Castro and is accused of carrying out the murder by poisoning of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Outgoing US ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg was once declared persona non grata in Bolivia for having connived with local oppositionists to plan the overthrow of President Evo Morales.

The CPP pointed out that in recent years, the US has bankrolled right-wing groups in Ukraine which carried out the overthrow of the pro-Russian government. On various pretexts, the US government also carried out wars of aggression to overthrow the Taliban government in Afghanistan, the Saddam Hussein government in Iraq, the Muhamma Qadaffi government in Libya and many others.

“The US has arrogantly assumed the self-assigned role of global police and demanded all countries to comply with the rules it has itself set,” pointed out the CPP. “It has fomented social unrest and has bankrolled so-called social movements with the aim of subverting legitimately elected governments.”

“With the anti-US Duterte regime, it is will come as no surprise that the US is already conniving with local anti-Duterte groups as well as with key officials of the armed forces, to undermine and subvert the anti-US government.”

“The Filipino people must unite against any attempt of the US government to undermine Philippine national sovereignty and subvert efforts of the Duterte regime to promote an independent foreign policy,” said the CPP.

“With the heightened threats being issued by US officials, the presence of US troops and military advisers within the country can no longer be considered a benign matter and should be considered outright threats to Philippine national sovereignty.”

“The abrogation of the EDCA, which allows the US to build military camps and facilities inside Philippine military camps and maintain contingents of armed troops, has become an urgent matter of survival for the Duterte regime,” said the CPP.

Source: http://www.cpp.ph/cpp-denounces-us-thinly-veiled-threats-duterte-calls-urgent-edca-abrogation/