THE expansion of the US EDCA bases in the Philippines has triggered a tsunami of rage against the U.S., especially after the U.S. Embassy harassed Cagayan province Governor Manuel Mamba with false allegations of talks with the Chinese. Gov. Mamba narrated his humiliating experience before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing of Senator Imee R. Marcos held last Wednesday, March 1, 2023. Excerpts of his narration below:
“People from the US Embassy came to me: Three colonels, one political officer, and one labor attaché. They said that this could be an investment (referring to EDCA bases). They made me look like a fool. They thought that I could not understand them…
“No foreign forces (American troops) in Cagayan. We will have sleepless nights. We are the one nearest to Taiwan.
“But I am sure that we’ll never get hit if we will not get involved with this. China needs us, and we need them too, including that of Taiwan, including that of South Korea… Our neighbors have already become developed. This is our time. We have already suffered enough but we never saw an American help us.
“The political officer of the US Embassy came to me with three military men and the economic attaché, as if he was insisting to me that I was talking with Chinese officials. Never!
“It was as if we could not decide on our own. No Chinese official ever talked to me about EDCA, about Taiwan, about all of these.
“That is why I stood my ground. We can see everything. Just leave us where we are today so that we do not disturb the peace…”
We have started to organize a nationwide anti-US bases campaign, and below is the statement we released last Saturday, March 4, 2023 regarding this existential threat to all Filippinos.
Rage Against EDCA, Proxy War, US-PHIL Joint Sea Patrols
At the start of February 2023, the Filipino nation was shocked by the announcement of the BBM government that the expansion of the U.S. EDCA bases would be pursued, contrary to expectations from the records of actions and statements of BBM the past decades going back to when he stood with the anti-EDCA senators in the Senate with constitutional luminaries like the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and 14 other senators voting to reject the EDCA in 2015
The concerned and nationalist forces of Philippine society is now quick to act and launched a political awareness and public education campaign to bare the extreme danger the country has been exposed to by the BBM government’s surrender to this malevolent plot to establish U.S. military bases in Northern Luzon, on sites that are in close proximity to Taiwan, namely, Cagayan Province and Isabela, and in Palawan, in close proximity to U.S. designated provocation spots against China in the SCS.
At the same time the reinstatement of US-PHIL joint sea patrols was also announced, an outrageous matter since the US is a Western power extending its long military arm to reach 13,356 kms. across the Pacific Ocean to patrol the South China Sea over which it seeks to maintain hegemony against the will of Asian nations in a continuation of Gunboat Diplomacy reminiscent of the 500 years of Western invasions of Asia and its nations – particularly the littoral countries of the South China Sea.
The sovereign Filipino people promptly denounced the BBM government and opposed these neo-colonial initiatives as concerned and patriotic sectors of Philippines society launched the national awareness campaign of these alarming betrayals of the Philippines’ and Asia’s peace, stability, security and prosperity by the BBM government with its geopolitical master the imperialist USA.
In just this short two weeks the anti-EDCA, anti-Proxy War, anti-Joint Sea Patrols movements has won early victories.
Senator Imee R. Marcos has followed through anti-EDCA, anti-Proxy War, anti-Joint Sea Patrols movement with the Senate hearings that highlighted the EDCA bases sites and local leaders’ opposition to the EDCA Bases – particularly Cagayan Province Gov. Manuel N. Mamba who exposed the U.S. Embassy’s bullying to press their demand for bases.
Sen. Imee Marcos stated categorically her support of the local officials’ opposition to the EDCA bases.
The first triumph against the EDCA bases’ expansion and retention has been achieved as the Americans and their minions in the BBM government, namely DND Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. yielded during hearing that “We might change the locations depending on the agreement…”
This willingness to change sites must result in willingness to quit the project altogether and permanently rid the country of these pernicious American imperialists.
The anti-EDCA, anti-Proxy War, anti-US/PHIL Joint Sea Patrol movement today starts the nationwide mass movement to mobilize the people in protests actions in the streets of every nook and cranny of the country.
Today begins the first step in the thousand miles march until the U.S. and its alliances (NATO, AUKUS, QUAD, etc.) are pushed out of Asia and the ASEAN’s Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN) and SEA Nuclear Free Zone is achieved.