The militants are staging rallies to protest against the coming visit of US President Barack Obama. They have been crying out against the presence of US troops in the country since anyone’s grandfather can remember, calling them imperialists and denouncing their involvement in our socioeconomic and political affairs.
But they have no time to decry the harsh actions of China against our fellow Filipinos, poor fishermen who were only trying to make a living off the disputed islands which have been their fishing ground since the days of their grandfathers.
“Inaapi na tayo ng China (China is oppressing us)!” and it is America that these militants are denouncing. Their noise and actions show how distorted their minds are. They are using the Obama visit to cloak their indifference to our country’s dispute with China. Day by day, they reveal how they are fading as an organization, taking on issues which have no relevance to what is happening to and what is at stake for our nation, unmindful of whether or not the tension between the country and China could escalate soon.
I think fellow Filipinos will agree with me that Anakbayan is a nonsense—nay, a nuisance—organization with nothing to contribute to the affairs of our nation.
—JULIO SANDICO,
julio_sandico@yahoo.com