PRESS RELEASE
Information Bureau
Communist Party of the Philippines
October 17, 2006
CPP WARNS AGAINST USE OF PHILIPPINES
AS STAGING GROUND FOR US WAR AGAINST DPRK
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today denounced the current large-scale military exercises being conducted jointly in various areas in Luzon and Palawan by US and Philippine as a “continuing transgession against Philippine independence and sovereignty. ” At the same time, the CPP warned against use of Philippine territory as a staging ground or support base for any possibility of US military aggression against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Up to 5,700 US troopers from the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okinawa, Japan and from the Essex Expeditionary Strike Group based in Sasebo, Jaban arrived in Luzon and Palawan to conduct joint drills with 1,300 Filipino soldiers up to October 31.
CPP spokesperson Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal noted that more and more US troops are being deployed in joint exercises being conducted in the Philippines “purportedly to counter terrorism, but actually as part of the conditioning to increase the scale of the continuing US military intervention in the Philippines itself as well as in other countries.”
Rosal said that the joint US-Philippine military exercises are being used by the US as cover for its increasing military intervention in the Philippines, including direct participation in the Philippine military’s combat and intelligence operations in Mindanao and, more and more, the development of its own intelligence network, database build-up and direct familiarity in areas of conflict in the country, especially in the strongholds of the New People’s Army.
Rosal also said the joint military exercises and the increasing presence of US troops in the country is also setting the stage for any possible use of Philippine territory as launching pad for wars of aggresion against other countries, especially those in the Asia-Pacific region opposed to US hyperpower hegemony. The US used the Philippines as one of its launching pads for its invasion of Iraq in 1989-1990 and again since March 2003.
Rosal urged the Filipino people to vigilantly oppose any step by the US government to use the Philippines as a possible launching pad or support base for a possible war against North Korea, even as he also said that the US is only barking frenziedly to hide its real fear of actually going to war against the DPRK which has just demonstrated its self-defense capability.
“All Filipino patriots and the entire Filipino nation should not allow the Philippines to be used as a pawn and staging ground for US’ hegemonic wars of aggression against countries and peoples fighting to defend their independence and freedoms,” Rosal said.