Around the world, members of Compatriots-NDFP—the revolutionary mass organization of overseas Filipinos—protest the Balikatan war games set to begin on April 20 and lasting through May. With 17,000 troops participating from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Canada, and the Philippines, the military exercise shows blatant disregard for the livelihood and security of the masses faced with extreme economic crisis.
Rocked by U.S. imperialism’s war on Iran and the greed of monopoly oil corporations, the skyrocketing cost of fuel has made basic necessities ever more expensive. Semi-colonial and semi-feudal countries like the Philippines that are import-dependent face the brunt of this economic collapse. And yet, the Marcos regime and its imperialist masters have no problem in wasting countless barrels of oil to fuel warships and fighter jets, and millions of dollars on missiles to be dropped into the sea. This is on top of the restrictions on fishing and harvesting already imposed on the toiling masses in areas where live-fire drills are held. Balikatan means hunger for the people.
It also means dragging our people closer to war. The Balikatan achieves the opposite of deterrence against the U.S.’ main rival, China. Instead, it continues to serve as an outright provocation. There is nothing “diplomatic” in the militarist approach adopted by the Marcos regime. The yearly Balikatan and 500 other war games egged on by the U.S. have not done anything to curb China’s actions in the West Philippine Sea. Instead, they make the Philippines a prime target if the U.S. and China were to go to war. And on top of the existing publicly disclosed and secret base areas, this is exacerbated by Washington’s plans to build facilities like an ammunition factory, plane and ship refueling hub, and “Economic Security Zone” for microchip production sure to be used for weapons.
Our compatriots abroad have already experienced being dragged into U.S. war. In the Middle East, Iran’s retaliatory attacks have struck countries housing American bases, troops, and weapons—a foreshadowing of what might happen to the Philippines. Migrant workers across the region have been caught in the crossfire, experiencing first-hand the death, destruction, and loss of livelihood brought about by U.S. intervention abroad. Even our members have memorized the sounds of different jets, drones, and missiles flying overhead at all hours of the day and night. Meanwhile, from within the U.S. itself, undocumented migrants and those with non-immigrant visas—Filipinos included—will soon fall victim to Trump’s automatic military draft when it goes into effect this December.
We refuse to be cannon fodder and pawns for imperialist war. As the U.S. doubles down on transforming the Philippines not only as its base, but also as a factory for its military industrial complex, the masses are intensifying our fight. For every country participating in the Balikatan this year, there are Filipino mass organizations linking arms with local peoples and building a movement against the U.S. war machine.
Beyond this, more and more of our overseas compatriots are making the decisive choice to go home and serve in the revolutionary armed struggle as the most direct form of struggle against U.S. imperialism in our homeland. We call on more Filipinos to follow in their footsteps and strengthen the people’s war as the solution to defeating imperialist war.
End U.S. war games! U.S. out of the Philippines!
Sagot sa imperyalistang gera: digmang bayan!
