Reds: Balikatan exercises a clear desecration of RP’s sovereignty

From the Daily Tribune (Apr 22): Reds: Balikatan exercises a clear desecration of RP’s sovereignty

The first phase of the annual Philippine-United States Balikatan exercises kicked off yesterday in Legazpi City with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) branding such activities as clear desecration of the country’s sovereignty.

In a statement issued by Florante Orobia, spokesman of the NPA-Santos Binamera Command operating in Albay, the CPP-NPA scored the holding of the Balikatan 2014 in the province.

“This is a clear desecration of the sovereignty and integrity of the country, anti-people and deceitful,” Orobia said.

“The Balikatan exercises under the guise of humanitarian civic assistance to be held in Albay is serving the US military and will not bring development to the people of Albay,” he further said.

The US Embassy, in a statement, announced that the first phase of the RP-US Balikatan 2014 started yesterday with preliminary work on community infrastructure projects in Legazpi City.

During Balikatan 2014, Philippine and US military will conduct humanitarian civic assistance projects throughout Legazpi City, the US Embassy said.

“Military medical personnel will offer free medical, dental and veterinary care. Military engineers will construct and repair schools and other community infrastructure in selected communities,” it added.

Lt. Annaleah Cazcarro, co-director of the Combined Joint Information Bureau of RP-US Balikatan 2014, said that formal opening ceremony is set on May 5 in Camp Aguinaldo.

The joint exercises will last up to May 16.

Around 200 US and Filipino troops are involved in the preliminary work in Legazpi City where repairs will be done on Manubag Elementary School.
Cazcarro said that this year’s exercise, the 30th iteration of the bilateral training, will focus on maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR), and humanitarian civic assistance (HCA).

Approximately 3,000 US servicemen and 2,500 Filipino troops will be participating in this year’s Balikatan. Among the air assets to be utilized by the US during the exercises are C-130, FA-18, CH-53, P3 Orion and various helicopters.

Meanwhile, militant groups viewed the same as the communist rebels, saying the annual joint military exercises is a direct military intervention in the country and rabid puppetry of the Aquino government to the US.

This was the strong statement of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), stating the conduct of the Balikatan is under the guise of so-called humanitarian assistance.

But in reality, the group said the US is engaging in direct military intervention in the country. Rafael Mariano, KMP chairman, said the yearly Balikatan exercises clearly show how the US directly aids in the local military’s counter-insurgency operations, increasing militarization and human rights abuses in the countryside.

The farmers leader also said that the so-called joint military exercises also reveal the Aquino government’s continuing puppetry to the US.

“The US-RP Balikatan 2014 also shows that Aquino’s rabid puppetry has surpassed succeeding regimes since the Filipino people’s collective rejection of the US bases in 1991,” Mariano said, noting that “the military access agreement to be signed by Aquino and US President Obama during his visit to  Manila next week forms part of the US’ strategic military plan in the Asia-Pacific region.”

The KMP called on the Filipino people to oppose the Balikatan exercises and the so-called military access agreement to be signed next week.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/reds-balikatan-exercises-a-clear-desecration-of-rp-s-sovereignty