The docking of the US Naval Ship City of Bismarck yesterday at Legazpi City carrying 500 American, Japanese and South Korean soldiers is part of US military operations that seek to normalize the permanent presence of foreign troops in the country. These operations are designed to benumb the historical and patriotic sense of Filipinos, with the ultimate goal of making them accept the brazen violations of the country’s sovereignty.

These foreign soldiers deployed under the US-led Pacific Partnership hypocritically wear the cloak of “humanitarian assistance” and “disaster preparedness” to make their presence appear benign. They conceal the real bellicose intention of the US military, which is to use the Philippines as part of its theater of operations in its strategy to encircle and contain its imperialist rival China.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) provide armed security to US troops in the Philippines. The arrival of US troops are typically accompanied by grave human rights violations, as local military and police forces suppress opposition.

The Filipino people must be alert and reject these US military normalization schemes and demand that all US and other foreign troops be pulled out from the country. They must unite with the peoples of Japan, Korea and other countries who similarly oppose the presence of US military forces in their countries. They must continue to fight for genuine national sovereignty, oppose US war preparations and war provocations, and demand Philippine non-alignment amid inter-imperialist conflict.