CEBU CITY, Philippines – September 2, 2025 — Peace advocates, movement leaders, and concerned citizens gathered in Cebu today to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II with a strong call to resist new wars and push for an independent Philippine foreign policy.
Leading the forum was journalist and movement leader Herman U. Laurel, who emphasized the dangers of foreign military involvement in the country and warned against the Philippines being drawn into a U.S.-China conflict.
In his keynote address, Laurel recalled that September 2 marks the surrender of Imperial Japan aboard the USS Missouri in 1945, formally ending the Second World War. “Wars don’t just happen,” he told participants, citing historical patterns of colonialism and imperialism that continue to shape present-day global tensions.
The forum, now on its third year of peace advocacy, traced the group’s history of mobilizations — from caravans in northern Luzon to nationwide rallies — urging the removal of U.S. military bases and warning against what Laurel described as “proxy wars” driven by Washington.
Laurel criticized U.S. influence in Philippine politics, the media, and security policy, pointing to recent reports highlighting the country’s role as a potential frontline in a conflict with China. He warned that American military installations and missile systems placed in Philippine territory put Filipinos “in the crosshairs” of nuclear powers such as Russia and China.
The peace leader also raised concerns about corruption in government and the pressure to increase military spending despite the country’s growing debt and poverty. “Instead of solving hunger and corruption, they want us to buy more weapons,” Laurel said.
Citing the humanitarian toll of the wars in Ukraine and Afghanistan, he underscored that the costs of conflict are borne by ordinary citizens — through poverty, malnutrition, and displacement — while arms manufacturers profit.
The forum also revisited past efforts for joint oil and gas exploration between the Philippines and China, noting how these initiatives were derailed by what Laurel described as “American proxies” within the Philippine government and business community.
The event concluded with a call for renewed solidarity among Asian nations to resist foreign intervention and to pursue cooperation through organizations like the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where leaders of China, Russia, India, and Iran have pledged to push for a more multipolar world order.
“Peace cannot be real if we remain under the shadow of imperial powers,” Laurel said. “It is time for Asia, and for the Philippines, to chart its own future.”#
