Calls are expanding to stop the imperialist war of the US, together with Israel, against Iran and other parts of the world. Hundreds of members of national-democratic organizations marched to the US embassy on April 9 to condemn the US for its attacks and continuing threats against the people of Iran. Despite a ceasefire agreement, the region remains unstable because the US insists that Iran surrender its sovereignty and its rights over the Strait of Hormuz.

Protesters also condemned the US-Marcos regime for dragging the Filipino people into endless imperialist wars that have driven up oil prices, along with food and other basic commodities. A similar protest took place in Cagayan Valley, which hosts official and unofficial EDCA sites.

Academics, teachers, and university employees at UP Diliman in Quezon City formed on April 14 the Coalition of Academics Against US Aggression, an alliance against the US war of aggression. Those in the science and technology sector are also gathering signatures to form a similar alliance.

Stop Balikatan

National-democratic groups protested at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on April 20, the first day of Balikatan, to demand cancelling it along with other US war games in the Philippines. They said the expanding US military presence is dragging the Philippines into its wars of aggression. They also said these activities squander billions of the people’s money, both American and Filipino, while millions suffer from the US war on Iran.

The US carried out at least six war games and military activities in the country since January. It used civilian ports and airports in the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, and Tacloban. It also conducted three sea launchings, under the cover of maritime cooperation, in the South China Sea to intervene in maritime disputes between China and countries in Southeast Asia.

To normalize their presence, military units of the US launched civil-military operations in Quezon province and Tuguegarao City. It also carried out Salaknib from April 6–9, involving 7,000 troopers. All these culminate in Balikatan 2026, said to be the “largest” and will “cover the entire archipelago.” It will involve 17,000 troops, 10,000 of whom are American, with the rest from the Philippines, Japan, France, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. For an activity supposedly for “regional security,” not a single Southeast Asian country is participating.

Against Pax Silica

Patriotic groups also condemned the Marcos Jr regime’s entry into Pax Silica, a US program in which the Philippines will supply the US military with critical minerals needed to produce war matériel. The US plan includes building a 1,619-hectare “economic security zone” in Luzon for producing electronics used for its missiles, warplanes, and drones.

The US will control this zone rent-free for up to 99 years. It will be granted diplomatic immunity, like the US embassy. Thus, it will not be subject to Philippine laws; instead, US law will apply inside the economic zone. Like their soldiers, their personnel there will be immune from Philippine law and punishment, whatever crimes they may commit.