Thoughts on "Junk VFA" Protest

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/238691/nation/student-leader-disrupts-clinton-forum-in-manila

The Philippines has been subject to foreign rule for virtually all of its years in recorded history (well, at least for some people). From 1521-1898, the Spaniards have been in the Philippines. The Spanish colonized the Philippines until the end of the 19th century. We were then handed to the United States of America (USA) through the Treaty of Paris. The Americans colonized the Philippines until World War 2. The Japanese had a short stay when they invaded the Philippines during the war. This has been the pattern for the Philippines before it attained freedom from any foreign rule. Or is it the case?

It has been argued, especially by the left leaning sectors of our society, that the Philippines never achieved freedom. They never had sovereign rule over their own state. This argument is due in large part to how the Philippine leaders succumb to the demands of the Americans who are flexing their muscles in today's highly political world. The Philippines has a mutual defense agreement with the USA which requires both parties to support each other when either side participates in a war. The mutual defense treaty (MDT) paved the way for the visiting forces agreement (VFA) to be signed. The provisions of the VFA allow American soldiers inside Philippine soil.

MDT is in its 60th year this year, and the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has come to the Philippines for the anniversary. During one of her forum, a student leader disrupted the forum by shouting protests at her. That student leader is Marjohara Tucay, editor-in-chief of the Philippine Collegian, a University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman publication.

"Junk VFA!" While it is true that the VFA is not a fair agreement, it was never right for Tucay to have shouted and disrupted a forum like that. Democracy has provided us with the freedom of expression. This is what all of us bank on to if we want to express our sentiments against the government. For every freedom, though, comes a great responsibility. We should handle it carefully. We should not abuse the freedom given us. In this case, while Tucay's points are very valid, he is in no position to abuse the right of expression provided him by the constitution. While it may be a UP tradition to hold rallies and demonstrations in events such as the freshmen orientation and graduation, Tucay should know his place. He is outside the grounds of UP.

As a student leader from UP, Tucay should have been more responsible in how he handled his ideology and emotions. As an editor-in-chief, he should have written his sentiments in his publication instead. He could send a letter to the leading broadsheets of the Philippines. The possibilities are endless. By limiting his means to disrupting a peaceful assembly, he has put an unwanted stereotype on the UP students community.

If we want genuine change to happen, we need to go beyond what we are now. We need to realize that rallies will do nothing. In fact, it will have an opposite effect at times. Defensive walls will be put up, and our simple requests will not be answered. Concrete actions from all affected sectors need to be taken in order for this country to grow.

Joshua Kelly Ngo
2007-07869
BA Journalism