Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro display a national flag during a rally on May Day in Caracas on May 1, 2019. Agence France-Presse, file
MANILA (4th UPDATE) — The Philippine government is calling for restraint from the United States and Venezuela after the American military launched air strikes on the South American country and grabbed its president, Nicolas Maduro — to, the US said, face charges related to narco-terrorism, drugs, and weapons.
Progressive lawmakers, activist and labor groups have meanwhile denounced the military operation for violating Venezuela's sovereignty and for potentially weakening the Philippines' position in the West Philippine Sea, where it has been protesting Chinese presence and activity.
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“The Philippines urges concerned parties to resolve disputes through peaceful means, and to exercise restraint to prevent escalation of conflict,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to media.
It added it is closely monitoring the “evolving situation” in Venezuela.
The Philippine Embassy in Bogota in neighboring Colombia has also issued a travel and safety advisory for the 74 Filipinos in Venezuela and is ready to assist them if needed, the department also said.
POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON WEST PHILIPPINE SEA TENSION
Chester Cabalza, founder and president of the International Development and Security Cooperation, told ABS-CBN News that while the Venezuela operation will likely not have a direct on the Philippines, "the world has seen the intense power competition of Beijing and Washington, not only in South America but globally."
The US operation happened just hours after a meeting between Maduro and Chinese officials.
Cabalza said the US use of force and its detention of Maduro "prove that Washington shows more teeth in the American hemisphere despite Chinese protest."
Amid the rivalry between the two powers, he said "Trump’s strategic support to Manila this year will matter on the fate of the West Philippine Sea and the Taiwan Strait" in light of a supposed plan by Beijing to take Taipei by force.
Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña said the US incursion into Venezuela "must give us pause" because it "bolsters similar illegal aggressive acts of Russia in Ukraine and China in the West Philippine Sea."
Akbayan is part of the civilian-led 'Atin Ito' expeditions meant to assert Philippine rights in its exclusive economic zone, which Chinese ships frequently enter and loiter in..
Mamamayang Liberal Party-List Rep. Leila de Lima said it leaves the Philippines "with a compromised moral ascendancy" in its protests against China in Philippine waters.
"This serves as a reality check on our reliance on the United States for moral leadership in the world stage and as an ally for regional security and a rules-based international order," she also said as she called for consultations with defense agencies on potential implications in the West Philippine Sea.
“If we allow the US government to throw its weight in Venezuela, which is within its region, what would prevent other superpowers from invading other sovereign nations within their region?” labor group Federation of Free Workers said in a separate statement.
It said the Philippines cannot "credibly oppose" Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea "while excusing or normalizing violations of international law by the US or other superpowers elsewhere."
'A VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL LAW, UN CHARTER'
Other activist groups and progressives have also condemned the US military operation, calling it unprovoked and a violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty.
The Makabayan bloc, which has three seats at the House of Representatives, called the US operation “a flagrant violation of international law and the [United Nations] charter”.
Under that charter, states commit to refrain “from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence” of another state.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday said the US operation has “potential worrying implications for the region” and could set a dangerous precedent.
The UN Security Council, where the US has a seat and veto powers, is expected to meet next week over the tensions between the US and Venezuela.
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“Ang brutal na pag-atake na ito ay walang ibang layunin kundi ang pag-agaw sa yaman ng Venezuela—ang kanilang langis at mineral—at ang pagpataw ng puppet regime na susunod sa utos ng imperyalismong US,” the Makabayan bloc said.
(This brutal attack has no other objective than to grab Venezuela’s resources — their minerals and oil — and to install a puppet regime that will follow the commands of US imperialism)
It added that the operation contradicts the US’ “rhetoric of democracy and human rights” as it called on the Philippine government to condemn the attack.
“The Philippines must not remain silent in the face of this violation of international law and assault on a sovereign nation,” they said.
The bloc added that the US could use the same tactic on “any nation that dares to chart an independent path or finds itself in the crosshairs of US geopolitical interests.”
Umbrella national democratic group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said that Venezuela has the right to chart its own path and that "no foreign power has the right to impose regime change through bombs, blockades, or threats of invasion."
It added that the same US military that bombed Venezuela maintains a presence in the Philippines, one that the activist organization has long said is dangerous for the country.
'PART OF A WIDER ESCALATION'
Partido Lakas ng Masa meanwhile said the military operation was just the latest attack on Venezuela, which the US had imposed sanctions on “to strangle the economy, deepen hardship, and break popular resistance.”
It said US companies were positioning themselves to profit from Venezuela and its resources “even as bombs fall.”
PLM added that the attack on Venezuela is “part of a wider global escalation” that has included killings in Gaza, and bombings in Lebanon, Syria and Nigeria and that should be “condemned as reckless and criminal.”
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It also raised concerns that the US could use its pressure on Mexico, Colombia, and Cuba — the countries have denounced the operation — next as Trump's comments at a press conference after the attack indicate.
In a statement issued Saturday, the Philippines-Bolivarian Venezuela Friendship Association said the military strike was “categorically unjustifiable, [and] a blatant violation of sovereignty and human dignity.”
It added that while the operation is supposedly part of a crackdown on drug cartels, Trump has already openly said that “US interests in Venezuela are rooted in its oil reserves and industry."
Activist group Sanlakas had an even shorter statement, declaring that "the biggest threat to global peace is the US."
NEARLY AN HOUR OF AIR STRIKES
Venezuelans had been bracing for attacks as US forces spent months massing off the coast.
Caracas residents woke to explosions and the whir of military helicopters around 2:00 am (0600 GMT).
Air strikes hit a major military base and an airbase, among other sites, for nearly an hour, AFP journalists said.
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The top US military officer, General Dan Caine, said 150 aircraft took part in the operation, supporting troops helicoptering in to seize Maduro with the help of months of intelligence into the leader's daily habits — down to "what he ate" and what pets he kept.
Maduro, 63, and his wife "gave up" without a struggle and there was "no loss of US life," he said.
Several hours after the attacks, Venezuelan authorities had yet to release casualty figures. But Trump told a US media outlet that "many" Cubans who were part of Maduro's security detail were among the dead. — with a report from Agence France-Presse