Bagong Alyansang Makabayan condemns the plan to build another US military facility in Mindanao under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, and warns that this will endanger local population aside from further undermining the country’s sovereignty.
The plan was revealed after US military personnel were reported to be inspecting the site of the Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation (PHIVIDEC) in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
The US maintains an EDCA site in Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro and eight other camps across the country. But aside from EDCA, the US military also maintains several facilities such as a warehouse unit in Subic, naval repair hub in Palawan and counterterrorism training hub in Pagadian. It also plans to build a refueling depot in Davao.
From Luzon to Mindanao, the US military is turning the country into its forward operating base. We condemn the Marcos Jr government for treasonously allowing the US to install bases, store weapons, conduct provocative and disruptive war drills, and use our communities as war playground, testing site, and staging ground for military projection and acts of aggression.
At the minimum, the suspicious presence of US military personnel at a civilian site should be probed. Are they now allowed to deploy troops and carry out an operation on our lands? Their scoping activity in Misamis is further confirmation that US troops can enter communities, access facilities, and demand the use of a strategic site for their military needs and operations.
The PHIVIDEC property in Misamis should be maximized to promote the country’s industrial development instead of allowing foreigners to lease the land either for profit or military operation.
Bayan enjoins the people of Misamis and Mindanao to drive out US troops and dismantle US military facilities that symbolize expanded US militarism and aggression in this part of the world. EDCA and other US military facilities make us vulnerable to external attacks and could drag the country into conflicts instigated by the US. We call on all Filipinos to denounce and reject the subservience of the Marcos Jr administration, assert an independent foreign policy, and fight for genuine freedom, peace, and sovereignty.