The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) expressed opposition and concern over a proposal in the US Congress to build an ammunition factory at the former US military base in Subic Bay, Zambales. According to the group, this plan threatens national security and will affect the livelihood of fisherfolk in Zambales.
The plan for the factory appeared in a report by the US House Committee on Appropriations that was made public on June 24. The committee directed all agencies in defense and foreign policy to conduct a study on the possibility of opening a joint ammunition factory and storage facility in Subic Bay.
The 670-square-kilometer Subic Bay area was the largest US naval base outside its own country. The military base was expelled in 1991, but it has remained a key area for logistics and war games by the US and the Philippines, especially during Balikatan war games.
It was reported in early 2025 that the US Navy quietly signed a contract to lease a large warehouse in Subic to preposition US Marine Corps military equipment.
Like a loyal lapdog and bureaucrat-capitalist in the defense sector, Department of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr welcomed the proposed ammunition factory. However, Teodoro clarified that the Marcos regime is yet to receive a formal notification from the US government regarding the proposal.
The US Congress proposal is revealed to be linked to the Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) Act that was enacted in the Philippines. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed this into law in October 2024.
“A U.S. ammo factory is highly considered a military objective, which is prohibited within a densely populated area, under the international humanitarian law,” Pamalakaya vice chairperson and former Makabayan Coalition senatorial candidate Ronnel Arambulo said.
Arambulo expressed the Filipinos’ fear that Subic Bay could become a target of military attacks, like other US military bases and facilities in the country, if the factory pushes through. “Historically, it’s not the U.S. homeland that was the direct target of its rival countries, but its military installations and satellite bases elsewhere,” the fisherfolk leader said.
This fear intensifies further in the face of wars that the US has instigated, ignited, and openly participated in across different parts of the world. The factory will also increase tensions against the US’s rival, imperialist China, especially in the West Philippine Sea.
“Amid escalating tensions in various regions worldwide, the Philippines should appropriately distance itself from any powerful country and reject one-sided military agreements,” Arambulo explained.
In this regard, Pamalakaya again called for the abrogation of all lopsided military agreements between the Philippines and the US, including the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Visiting Forces Agreement, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and others.
Aside from its impact on national security, Pamalakaya also fears that the factory will dump toxic chemicals which will certainly damage the aquatic ecosystem.
