As we commemorate the Philippines’ Independence Day, the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR) stands in solidarity with Filipino women and the broader masses in asserting genuine independence and national sovereignty – freedom from continued foreign domination that persists through militarism and imperialist control of our economy.
For years, the country has served as a strategic outpost for the United States through military agreements such as the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The Balikatan exercises conduct war games annually, and at least nine EDCA sites have been established across the country. Many of them are near vital resources or contested waters; there are other sites that remain undisclosed.
These agreements also enable the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to receive training and support from the US under the guise of defense cooperation and security – but in reality militarizing communities. This militarization has had devastating consequences for women and children. History bears witness to how foreign military presence has fueled prostitution and violence against women.
The Philippines has also signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) with Japan and is pursuing similar deals with France, Canada, and New Zealand. These are taking place amid intensifying geopolitical tensions between the US and China. The Philippines is being dragged into a proxy war, and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. bears responsibility for enabling this heightened militarization, which significantly increases the vulnerability of Filipinos—especially women and children—to violence.
It must be noted that militarism serves to protect and ensure economic interests — in our lands, seas, and economy. It secures foreign investors’ hold on our natural resources, economic zones, and infrastructure projects under the guise of “development” and “security.” In areas such as Santa Ana, Cagayan, and other places with EDCA sites, women and their communities, especially indigenous communities, bear the brunt of economic displacement, surveillance, and militarized violence.
Today, we call on all women and the Filipino people to fight for genuine independence and sovereignty – our collective aspirations that cannot coexist with foreign military presence, economic dependence, and bureaucrat capitalism that serves imperialist interests.
Resist militarism and imperialist control! Defend Filipino women!
#DefendFilipinoWomen
#DefendNational Sovereignty
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