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Stand with Filipino Peace Activists: Don’t Let the PERA Act Pass through Congress!

Send a letter to the House of Representatives today to ask them to vote no on the Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act (PERA Act), which would authorize $2.5 BILLION dollars of foreign military financing to the Philippines over the next five years. The US continues to act out its imperial agenda and militarize nations in the Asia-Pacific, antagonizing China and destroying the natural environment. The anti-China militancy must END before it’s too late! Read our action alert on the PERA Act here. You can read the full text of the PERA Act here

Dear Member of Congress:

I am writing to you today to urge you to vote no on the Philippines Enhanced Resilience Act. The PERA Act commits $2.5 billion dollars over five years to increasing US military presence in the Philippines, including the creation of new US military bases on pristine Filipino soil. This act will jeopardize regional stability, harm the natural environment, and push us closer to a globally catastrophic war with China. 

As an American, I am deeply concerned that my tax dollars could be used to “support the acceleration of the modernization of the defense capabilities of the Philippines” and “counter coercive military activities.” There is no need for war in the Asia-Pacific, and bolstering the Philippines’ defense system with long-range missiles, air defense, intelligence, and aerial systems will only lead to a dangerous arms race that could escalate into a full-blown regional war. 

The US claims that increasing military power across the Asia-Pacific will act as a mode of deterrence. However, China has neither the incentive nor intention to invade other nations and has repeatedly pledged itself to global peace. Just last week, China’s President Xi Jinping met with the former president of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, to reaffirm their commitment to peace. Surrounding China with US military bases and moving our forces to the region is nothing short of a threatening and purposeful display of power. Congress claims to support the One China Policy, but its actions have only agitated what has the potential to be a cooperative and mutually respectful relationship between the US and China. If the US truly wants to protect its citizens and stand for a just and peaceful world, Congress should instead fund climate cooperation, demilitarization, and the eradication of nuclear weapons. 

In the wake of the United States’ antagonist actions along the Taiwan Strait, it is disturbing that Congress continues to hyper-militarize the Asia-Pacific, nudging China into defensive actions that could lead to a regional war. According to recent studies, conflict would devastate China’s economy, reducing its GDP by 25-35%. Not only would this lead to immense economic hardship for Chinese civilians, but the consequences would echo across the world. 

The PERA Act is not just a war hazard– it’s an insult to native Filipino people and a blight on the pristine environment of their homes. In the past, US military vessels have destroyed protected local environments, including 2,346 meters (25,252 square feet) of the Tubbataha Reef. In another instance, the US left behind hazardous contaminated materials at the Subic Bay Naval Base, a complete environmental disaster. The US knowingly left behind this waste and did little to help clean it up. A GAO report stated that “the fuel and chemicals used in firefighting exercises seep directly into the soil and water table, and at the Navy facility, the overflow goes directly into Subic Bay.” This is not a new or uncommon occurrence, and the US has repeatedly proven to be ill-equipped to handle environmental protection in protected areas around the world. 

On April 11th, Filipino peace activists gathered outside the US embassy in Manila to protest the growing US military presence in the region. Meanwhile, hundreds of Filipino-American activists across the United States came together in solidarity to denounce the trilateral summit between the US, Japan, and the Philippines. Local citizens are aware of the environmental danger of US imperialism, as well as the threat of conflict. If the US pushes China into a regional war, the local citizens in the Philippines and other nations in the Asia-Pacific will be the most affected. They don’t want war; they want a life of peace, without disturbance from imperialistic, militant powers like the US. I stand with Filipino and Filipino-American peace activists around the world and support their denunciation of the PERA Act. 

Overall, the PERA Act is an imperialist, war-centric, and environmentally destructive piece of legislation that will jeopardize peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and push us towards a Third World War, which would be ultimately catastrophic to our planet. There is no turning back from a nuclear war, and there is no going back from complete environmental destruction. Instead of funding militarism and hate, we should fund global peace and environmental protection. Please vote NO on the PERA Act and use your power in Congress to promote cooperation and harmony with China instead of war. 

Respectfully,

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