Department of National Defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro’s “archipelagic sentinel” vision is yet another declaration for the sell-out of Philippine sovereignty. This is utterly unacceptable to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Cagayan Valley (NDF-CV) and to the Filipino people.

In the Sixth Plenary Session of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue held in Singapore last May 13, Teodoro declared the Philippines as an ‘archipelagic sentinel’ for the US’ interests in the Asia Pacific. This only intensifies the Marcos Jr regime’s subservience to US imperialism.

A genuine ‘guardian of the seas,’ ensuring equitable access needs to be a truly independent and sovereign nation. But the Marcos regime is entirely doing otherwise. As a sentinel, it is perfectly playing its role as lapdog for US warmongering in the Asia-Pacific.

The Marcos Jr regime is not different from its predecessors which are all US puppets. Thus, until today, the US continues to dominate the Philippines militarily, economically, politically and culturally, making the whole society its perpetual neocolony.

Marcos Jr is clearly a US pawn in its war against China. This is again demonstrated in the recent Balikatan war exercises involving more than 10,000 foreign troops, including the unannounced launching of a Typhon missile on Philippine soil that dangerously provokes a military response from China. Marcos Jr is dragging the Filipinos into a war that will not deliver basic social services nor food on the table for majority of Filipino families. Furthermore, the Pax Silica initiative which was signed by Marcos Jr, grants US’ control over a a 1,619-hectare “Economic Security Zone.” The economic zone will operate under US law and allows the US to extract rare earth minerals from the Philippines, for its war materiel production in the country.

The term ‘archipelagic sentinel’ is a also a cruel reminder of the term ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ used by US general Douglas MacArthur to describe Taiwan during the 1950s US war on Korea. It highlights US’ arrogance in using other countries as mere tools for US’ wars of aggression. In exactly the same way, Teodoro and Marcos Jr are selling out Philippine sovereignty to the US.

The true defenders of Philippine sovereignty, freedom and democracy are the millions of Filipino people advancing the national democratic revolution. As laid out in the 12-point program of the NDFP, the people’s democratic revolution fights for an active, independent and peaceful foreign policy. This rejects all unfair treaties that only favor imperialist countries. To fully utilize the natural wealth of the Philippines and build national industries, it is essential to fight and stop foreign plunder of our rare earth minerals and other raw materials. The Philippine islands and its natural resources must serve the interests of the Filipino people not the interests of imperialists.

Cagayan Valley is among the strategic locations in the Philippines which makes it a part of “archipelagic sentinel” in hosting EDCA sites and US war exercises. Rare earth minerals can also be found in the region which big capitalists eye to plunder.

The NDF – CV calls on the people of Cagayan Valley, all patriotic and democratic forces to be vigilant amidst the utter puppetry of the Marcos Jr regime to US imperialism. The Filipino people shall not be a cannon fodder in another US imperialist war.

Let us keep watch and be courageous in resisting the increasing foreign encroachment into our land. Let not our families, our sons and daughters be dragged into an unjust war that will not resolve the root cause of poverty and landlessness in our country.

Let us fight US imperialism and bureaucrat capitalism using all forms of struggle, first and foremost the armed struggle. Only with the successful overthrow of the rotten ruling system will we be able to fully determine our own future. #

Resist US imperialism!
Topple the US-Marcos Jr regime!
Fight for genuine freedom and democracy!