US GROUPS URGE CONGRESS TO NIX DUTERTE ARMS DEALS

Two US-based groups have sent letters to the US Congress condemning the approval of proposed foreign military sales (FMS) of attack helicopters, rockets, missiles and cannons to the Duterte administration.

"Time is of the essence as without congressional action these proposed sales by May 29, the arms deals could result in violent and devastating impact on Filipinos,” wrote the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines-United States chapter (ICHRP-US) and the Ecumenical Advocacy Network on the Philippines (EANP.)

ICHRP-US and EANP told US lawmakers that the first deal, which covers Apache helicopter gunships from Boeing and Lockheed Martin, along with rockets and air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles, will cost$1.5 billion, with offsets to be borne by US taxpayers. The second deal involves the sale of Viper helicopter gunships and missiles, laser guidance missile systems, and semi-armor piercing high explosive Incendiary rounds from Bell and General Electric at a cost of $450 million, with offsets to be shouldered by US taxpayers.

The US-based groups said that President Duterte, has a history of human rights violations including a brutal war on drugs that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, a crackdown on the media and freedom of speech, and numerous politically motivated arrests and extrajudicial killings (EJKs.)