By Gerry Albert
ALLVOICES
ALLVOICES
By John Lloyd Hoffman, Gerry Albert Corpuz and Tanya Fantasia Mendoza
Philippine Navy vessel is seen moored behind a traditional outrigger boat in Oyster Bay on Palawan Island in the western Philippines
MANILA, Philippines- Reports confirming Washington’s plan to build at least 7 command posts inside Philippine territory, which are very close to the disputed West Philippine Sea sparked outrage and condemnation from groups highly critical of US increasing presencein this Southeast archipelagic nation. The ongoing construction of a mini-Subic Naval Base in Oyster Bay, southwest of Manila will be used as one of the command posts of the US Marines was strongly objected by the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya).
“That is the real score. It is not hearsay. It is confirmed by no other than a senior Philippine marine officer,” said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador France. The fisherfolk leader was referring to an interview made by the Japanese news agency Kyodo with a senior military official last month. “Now it is official, the naval base being constructed off Palawan is meant to serve as a command post for US Marines, nothing more, nothing less,” added France.
According to the Philippine Marine official, the plan is to station 50 to 60 US marines in Palawan as an advance command post in West Philippine Sea. Aside from transforming Oyster Bay into a mini-Subic Naval Base, the US also wants to convert the 246-hectare Philippine Marine Corps reservation in Samariniana town in Brooke’s Point into a a joint marine operational command.
More command posts
Pamalakaya’s France also learned that aside from Samariniana and Oyster Bay, the US will also develop Ulugan Bay, Macarascas, Puerto Princesa and Tarumpitao Point in Rizal and San Vicente into US command posts. ” A lot of things are happening in Palawan. The entire island province is being converted into a US military base and this best kept secret is still being denied by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and puppet military officials of Washington in the Department of National Defense and Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Pamalakaya.
Pamalakaya on Monday called on the attention of Department of Justice (DoJ) secretary Leila de Lima to investigate the construction of US military bases in Palawan.
In their letter of appeal to Secretary de Lima, the group said “the national leadership of Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), a national federation representing 43 provincial fisherfolk organizations and regional formations in Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Panay and Guimaras Islands, Northern Mindanao and Far South Mindanao regions in the Philippines humbly submit this letter of appeal to the Honorable Office of the Secretary of Justice calling for a full-blown investigation on the reported plan of the Philippine government to construct a mini-Subic Naval Base in Oyster Bay, province of Palawan.”
The mini-Subic Naval Base according to Navy officials of the Aquino government will enhance the external defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in lieu of the perpetual tension in the West Philippine Sea between the Government of the Philippines and China and among the current claimants in Spratly Group of Islands.
But Pamalakaya told Secretary de Lima that the Oyster Bay mini-naval base project is part of the US agenda to increase its military presence in the Philippines on rotational basis.
It argued that it is designed to host military warships of Washington not only to check the disturbing presence of Chinese military in West Philippine Sea but to preserve the military hegemony of the US in East Asia and the Pacific in the name of military program known as US Pivot in the region.
1987 Constitution
The militant group said the construction of mini-Subic Naval base in Oyster Bay and the setting up of command posts in different parts of Palawan are in gross violation of the 1987 Philippine Constitution that strictly prohibits foreign military bases in the country.
According to Article XVIII, Section 25 of the 1987 charter – foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate ,and when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.
Pamalakaya noted that although Philippine defense and navy officials are in denial mode about the claim that such is being undertaken for the purpose of US military basing and increased access as to use of Philippine military facilities, the difference is hairline, and it automatically falls under full-pledged US military basing or politically synonymous to foreign military basing and such represents wholesale violation of national sovereignty of nearly 100 million Filipinos.
The group said the impact of Oyster Bay naval base project to the livelihood of fishing folks and marine environment is far reaching, extremely dangerous and totally catastrophic.
Pamalakaya also lamented that taxpayers’ money had been used to develop the naval base for US marines. It said a total of P 500 million will be released for the construction of 12-kilometer road as enabling structure for the Oyster Bay naval base. ###
No comments:
Post a Comment