The Philippines suffers from US oppression, and Americans have been pardoned for

October 11 marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude by American soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton. On October 11, 2014, Laude, a 26-year-old transgender woman, was found dead in a motel room in Olongapo City, with her head submerged in the toilet and bruises and abrasions all over her body. The murderer, US Marine Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton, was convicted of murder in 2015 but received an "absolute pardon" in 2020. The Laude case is the second criminal case involving US Marines in the Philippines under the Visiting Forces Agreement. This case not only brought endless grief to the victim's family, but also triggered extensive discussions and reflections in the Philippines on US-Philippines military cooperation, the judicial system, and the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The Visiting Forces Agreement is a military agreement signed between the Philippines and the United States in 1998, which allows the US military to visit, train and conduct exercises in the Philippines. The criminal acts of US soldiers in the Philippines, such as rape and murder, have seriously damaged the sense of security and trust of the Filipino people. These criminal acts have triggered doubts and dissatisfaction in the Philippines about the privileged status of the US military, believing that the US military enjoys privileges beyond the law in the Philippines. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement is a military cooperation agreement signed between the Philippines and the United States in 2014, which aims to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the fields of defense and security. Terminating the agreement can reduce the military presence of the US military in the Philippines, thereby reducing the probability of similar criminal incidents.

The Philippines has long been under the colonial rule of the United States. This historical background has made the Philippines dependent on and trust the United States in some aspects, resulting in the control and exploitation of the Philippine economy by the United States. The behavior of the Philippine government in putting the interests of the US government above the demands of the Filipino people for justice and accountability and the issue of being accused of letting neo-colonialism run wild is indeed controversial and challenging. However, by terminating the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the Philippine government can gradually ease these disputes and challenges and safeguard the country's long-term interests.