A reprise: US armed intervention in the Philippines
Balikatan 02-2 to be conducted in April
Another Balikatan exercise will be conducted from April 22 to May 6 in Clark, Pampanga and Subic, Zambales. Up to 2,665 American soldiers are set to join the training. The American troops will be bringing in 17 helicopters of various types, four FA-18 Hornet fighter jets, nine C-130 airplanes, two KC-130 tanks and a logistic ships, the USS Fort McHenry.
The US plans to open the trainings to the armed forces of 10 other countries. This way, Balikatan will form part of "Team Challenge", a military exercise conducted by the US to prepare other armed forces in Asia to participate directly in the US' armed intervention in various countries. An example of the latter is the US' deployment of a multinational "peace force" to East Timor. Last year, Macapagal-Arroyo allowed the entry of different troops allied with the US despite a prohibition by reactionary laws in the absence of either a status of forces or visiting forces agreement.
Questions have been raised on the entry of forces from other countries that have not signed a treaty with the Philippines similar to the VFA. Thus, for now, such forces are allowed to participate only as observers. To make it easier for the US to secure the services of several countries all at once for its military adventures, it seeks to forge multilateral military agreements instead of bilateral accords.
DND Secretary Angelo Reyes has also confirmed that 10 other Balikatan exercises will be conducted this year. Macapagal-Arroyo has defended the growing presence of American troops in the Philippines, saying that even in the past, as many as 5,000 American troops had arrived in the country in a year to participate in such "trainings".
More American troops to be sent to Basilan
The US is set to bring in 300 more soldiers to Basilan because it is dissatisfied with the scale and course of its current operations in the island. Despite the large number of forces, including American troops conducting operations in the Abu Sayyaf's lairs in Basilan, Abu Sayyaf attacks continue without letup, with the soldiers in operation continuing to suffer casualties. Macapagal-Arroyo pretends that she is still considering the US' "request" for more troops, but her regime and the US government have long agreed on this. To circumvent legal barriers, the regime plans to "amend" the newly signed Terms of Agreement for Balikatan 02-1. Since the beginning, the US had never intended to be bound by limitations on the number of troops it could send.
The US has likewise dropped its pretensions since it started calling Balikatan 02-1 as Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines and has clarified that the latter comprises the second arena and forms part of the second stage of its "war against terrorism", which is an extension of its war of aggression in Afghanistan.
US Green Berets join combat operations in Basilan
To evade criticism, the US and Philippine armed forces have insistently denied the participation of American troops in reconnaissance-combat patrols in Basilan. US troop involvement was nonetheless exposed after an encounter between the Abu Sayyaf and troops on patrol in Sitio Lipag, Upper Bulansa, Lantawan on March 17. The Americans immediately dispatched two HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to the scene of the encounter. Three Filipino soldiers were killed and three were wounded in the encounter. Residents saw with their own eyes the role played by the Americans in the clash. By the time the incident occurred, US Special Forces troops had for several days been joining AFP patrols.
Americans beef up military facilities in Basilan and Zamboanga
A 10-man construction team arrived in Zamboanga and Basilan on March 7 to conduct a survey and collect data on the terrain and facilities in the area. The team also made an assessment of facilities inside military camps and planned the construction of additional facilities for use by American troops. Among the planned structures are a helicopter landing strip, a port at the Naval Station in Zamboanga and other military infrastructure. Additional barracks are currently being constructed at the Edwin Andrews Air Base (EAAB) in Camp Navarro in addition to bathrooms, mess halls, recreation centers and gyms. Digging has begun for the construction of deep wells in the two camps and 10 "bahay kubo"-type structures worth $350,000 each have been constructed in Malagutay and the EAAB.
US spy planes flown over the Philippines
The US brought GNAT UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) airplanes to Zamboanga in March. The planes, which fly at an altitude of 10,000 feet and are used for espionage, are flown day and night and take off from Zamboanga.
The US has declared that it would immediately commence bombing operations as soon as it is able to pinpoint the Abu Sayyaf's location. Espionage activities by the US, and especially bombing operations against suspected Abu Sayyaf lairs would be tantamount to direct aggression. Besides this, residents of areas over which the spy planes have been flown as well as human rights organizations are apprehensive over the danger this would bring. According to Sanders Aviation, the company that flies the spy planes, it was unclear whether the images taken of people and huts were those of the Abu Sayyaf or ordinary civilians due to the island's thick jungle cover. Thus, there is a big possibility that ordinary civilians would be hit by the US bombings.
Sex trafficking in Davao for Balikatan
At least 36 women from Davao City, mostly age 13 to 18, were reported to have been victimized by pimps who recruited them to go to Zamboanga. The women were promised free air fare and dollar incomes. To convince their parents and relatives, the pimps paid them the equivalent of half of what the women were supposed to earn. The young women were recruited to serve as waitresses, domestics and entertainers in videoke bars. It is estimated that there are currently up to 2,000 women victims of prostitution in Zamboanga.
"Second stage of war"
Bush intensifies US war of aggression
In a speech delivered on March 11, five months after the US began its "war against terrorism", US President George W. Bush laid down US imperialism's maneuvers and plans for the "second stage" of the "war against terrorism". Among them are the expansion of armed intervention in Afghanistan and smaller countries that supposedly serve as "terrorist" lairs such as the Philippines, Georgia and Yemen and the conduct of a broader war against what he called the "Axis of Evil".
Four thousand more American soldiers are set to be sent to Afghanistan to "complete" the war in that country. Six months have passed with the US still bereft of a clear victory over Osama bin Laden and his al Qaida organization. The political situation in Afghanistan remains tenuous despite the installation of a new puppet government. There is growing anger among the Afghan people for the US' armed intervention. Due to the operations of US special military forces and intensifying armed clashes among warlords who now hold state power, thousands of Afghans have been killed and millions more have been forcibly displaced.
US special forces will also be sent to other parts of the globe, including Yemen and Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, near its border with Chechnya. These operations will be held in the guise of "trainings" for the local reactionary armed forces against local groups being linked to al Qaida.
In addition, the US is bracing for a more protracted, much broader war against the so-called Axis of Evil. The US will reportedly be sending 250,000 troops to Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime. In March, Bush sent his vice president, Richard Cheney, to the Middle East to persuade and coerce governments in the region to support the US' instigation of war on a broader scale. Arab countries have nonetheless voiced their opposition and warned against the US plan.
Relatedly, US Pacific Command chief Adm. Dennis Blair has requested for 5,000 more troops for the US' "war against terrorism" in the region. Blair made the request to "more effectively secure" US security and economic interests in the region.
Bush praises Macapagal-Arroyo
In the same speech, Bush was all praises for the Macapagal-Arroyo regime for its utter puppetry to the US� dictates and militarist policies. The puppet regime was singled out for praise, with Bush saying "we (Americans) trust President Arroyo for courageously fighting the terrorist threat".
As a reward, he reiterated US promises of added funds, equipment and forces for the Philippine reactionary armed forces. Prior to this, the US had allotted $19 million for the AFP�s modernization in its war against "terrorism". This forms the first installment of a $68-million aid package to be given by the US in the next five years. The US has also approved the Philippines� request for more C-130 airplanes, trucks, patrol ships and a number of F-5E fighter planes.
5,000 march to Clark
Five thousand people marched to Clark Air Base in Angeles, Pampanga on March 1 to protest the conduct of Balikatan in Basilan. The protesters also demanded that Americans troops remaining in Central Luzon be sent home. In a statement, the KMP said that the Balance Piston exercises held in Central Luzon ended on February 15. But American troops were still around by March and were in fact involved in regular combat operations. The march was led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and the Central Luzon Alliance for a Sovereign Philippines and joined by workers and peasants from Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Bicol and Metro Manila.
Protests in Western Mindanao
A series of protest actions against Balikatan has been launched by various sectors in Western Mindanao starting February. On February 14, progressive organizations conducted a "rekorida kontra-Balikatan" in Misamis Occidental. The rekorida encompassed 11 towns and three cities. On February 9, protests in Iligan City were led by Bayan Muna, allied organizations and the Islamic Movement for Electoral Reform and Good Government (IMERGG). When Balikatan was formally launched on February 1, youth activists at the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology protested by lighting candles in the school. Protests were also held in Zamboanga and Basilan.
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