PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has thumbed down efforts by pro-American interests for the United States military to regain its former naval base in Subic Bay, warning the next war to break out “will ensure the extinction of the Filipino race.”
As was his habit, the Chief Executive diverted from his prepared speech during his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, 2020, to focus on matters he deemed important for Filipinos to know.
One of them was US Imperialism’s effort to regain its former naval base thru the “backdoor”—by using a joint venture of American and Australian companies to takeover and operate the naval yard facilities of Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHI).
Hanjin, a South Korean shipbuilding company, went bankrupt and was forced to close down its Subic operations last year.
“May I cut my prepared speech? Alam mo, I read a little over three weeks or last month na the Americans would — intends to go back to Subic.
“I will just put on record my thoughts. I have nothing against America, I have nothing against China but if you put bases here, you will double the spectacle of a most destructive thing just like Manila during the Second World War — during the retaking of this city.
“One of the most devastated cities in the world,” the President said.
Philippine military officials have raised qualms on reports that China is interested in taking over the HHI facilities, effectively making the Chinese proposal dead on the water.
In the case of US Imperialism, however, none other than Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Giovanni Bacordo, who acted as spokesman for the US military.
Bacordo announced last May 10, 2020, about the US Navy’s plan to reacquire the use of Subic Base thru a “commercial deal.”
Under the proposal, ‘Cerberus Capital Management,’ an American private equity company and, Austal Ltd., an Australian shipbuilder, are to operate the HHI facilities, One of their “customers” would be the US Navy.
Disregarding the threat that the return of the Americans would pose to the Philippines’ own national security, however, Bacordo also said both companies are now “in the final stages of negotiations with the Philippine government.”
During World War II, Japanese Imperialism had to invade the Philippines, then being a colony of the United States and host to its biggest military bases—Clark Airfield and Subic– outside of the US mainland.
When the Americans returned in 1945 to “liberate” the Philippines, they used indiscriminate firepower in the retaking of Manila from Japanese hands, making it the next “most devastated city” in the world, after Warsaw, Poland.
With US Imperialism now looking for a fight against China, Pres. Duterte is aware that any war between the two nuclear-armed superpowers would be catastrophic for the Philippines. He added during his SONA:
“Kaya maglagay-lagay ka ng (US military) base at this time, this will ensure if war breaks out, because there would be atomic arsenals brought in, this will ensure the extinction of the Filipino race.”
In saying this, Pres. Duterte displayed keen awareness that US ships and submarines docking in the Philippines regularly carry nuclear weapons in clear violation of Section 8 Article II of the Constitution.
Section 8 of the Constitution bans the presence of nuclear weapons in any part of Philippine territory.
President Duterte also emphasized that unless the country is already prepared to make war with China over the West Philippine Sea issue—and which the country is not– the only way to resolve it is thru diplomacy.