The Philippine Army spokesperson yesterday announced that the mid-range Typhon system of the US will be removed from the country by September. The system is capable of firing Tomahawk and SM-6 missiles. These are currently stationed at an undisclosed location in northern Luzon. China and Russia have expressed concern over the deployment of these missile systems in the Philippines.

To realize their aspiration for peaceful coexistence and harmony between the Philippines and its neighboring countries, the Filipino people and their patriotic and democratic forces must demand the US imperialists to remove not only its Typhon missile system, but its entire stockpile of weapons inside military bases and facilities in the Philippines (as well as those stockpiled in civilian facilities), and to withdraw all its troops and military advisers from the country.

They must further demand the immediate abrogation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and the dismantling of all US military bases and facilities under it, as well as the Mutual Defense Treaty which binds the Philippine military and foreign policy to the interests of the US.

The Filipino people must assert national sovereignty and demand that the US stop using the country as a pawn in its geopolitical game of chess, specifically its Indo-Pacific Strategy that aim to contain China’s economic and military growth. Under this strategic plan, the US has deployed large contingents of military forces–including two carrier strike groups, with a combined force of at least 15,000–which constantly carry out naval operations in and around the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the Sea of Japan.

Just recently, the US deployed a number of MQ-9 Reaper drones in the Philippines. These drones, currently hangared at Basa Air Base, are used for aerial surveillance as well as for armed strikes, capable of carrying Hellfire missiles. It was used extensively in Afghanistan and Pakistan and is responsible for the killing of at least 4,000 civilians.

They must also demand a stop to the flurry of military purchases of the AFP in the name of “modernization,” which in reality, is a pretext for dumping previous generation and second-hand weapons from the US, which aims to reinforce the Philippine armed forces’ dependence on the US military. Most of these weapons, including jet fighters and Mk-82 bombs are being used for counterinsurgency aerial bombing campaigns in the Philippines.