Rebels blast Gazmin, Del Rosario for offering bases to US in case of war with NoKor

From InterAksyon (Apr 14): Rebels blast Gazmin, Del Rosario for offering bases to US in case of war with NoKor

Communist rebels on Saturday blasted Secretaries Voltaire Gazmin of Defense and Albert del Rosario of Foreign Affairs for offering the United States the use of military bases in the country should the Americans go to war against North Korea.

In a statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines denounced “the Aquino regime for blindly supporting US warmongering and for allowing the Philippines to be used as a military outpost and instrument of US hegemonism in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Earlier, Gazmin said the US could be allowed to station its forces in the country as an “extreme measure” in the event of an “extreme emergency” on the Korean peninsula.

And at the opening ceremonies of the 2013 Balikatan exercises in Camp Aguinaldo, Del Rosario said the Philippines is obligated by the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty to extend military help to the US in case of war.

The 1987 Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops on Philippine soil and the country kicked out American military bases in 1991.

However, US troops have been rotating in and out of the country under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

“As it is, the Philippines is already serving as a US military outpost as a result of the Aquino regime’s policy of providing full-access to the US military,” the CPP said. “US naval warships and fighter jets regularly dock and land in order to refuel, resupply and provide rest and recreation to US interventionist troops. A large 700-strong contingent of US soldiers under the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines is permanently stationed in Zamboanga.”

“US interventionism in the Philippines has now reached unprecedented heights since the dismantling of the US military bases in 1991,” it said. “Aquino’s shameless puppetry to the US imperialists and policy of full access have resulted in the sharp depreciation of Philippine sovereignty and caused the complete subordination of the Philippines to the dominant power of the US.”

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/59399/rebels-blast-gazmin-del-rosario-for-offering-bases-to-us-in-case-of-war-with-nokor