📷: Bayan | FB
The Makabayan bloc has called on the Philippine government to reject any invitation to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza, branding the initiative as a scheme to legitimize US occupation and profiteering in the war-torn territory.
According to the bloc, the Board is “not about peace” but a mechanism to bypass the United Nations, entrench US dominance, and profit from reconstruction projects following the devastation caused by US-backed Israeli military aggression.
Makabayan pointed to the composition of the Board’s executive committee as proof of its true intent, citing the inclusion of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, criticized for his role in the Iraq invasion, and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who represents the former’s personal business interests. “These are not peacemakers,” the bloc said, “but profiteers and architects of imperialist wars.”
The group also noted that the Board’s 11-page charter does not mention Gaza at all, instead outlining a sweeping mandate for a new international body chaired by Trump, who holds veto power over key decisions. “This is not multilateralism,” Makabayan stressed. “This is US unilateralism dressed up as international cooperation.”
Makabayan warned that Philippine participation would risk complicity in the illegal occupation of Gaza, potentially reducing Filipino workers to cheap labor for multinational corporations while Palestinians remain dispossessed. The bloc urged the government to follow the lead of countries such as France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia, which have already rejected invitations.
Reaffirming solidarity with the Palestinian people, Makabayan called for an end to US military aid to Israel, accountability for war crimes in Gaza, and reconstruction led by Palestinians themselves—“funded without conditions, and free from foreign occupation and exploitation.”
“The Philippines must reject Trump’s Board of Peace and stand on the side of justice, liberation, and the oppressed peoples of the world,” the bloc declared. (RRN)
