US Troops in Philippines: America Pursues Expansionism, Protects Economic Interests

PUBLISHED ON August 28, 2009 AT 5:14 PM

In her revelations of the violations committed by US troops while on Philippine soil, former Navy officer Nancy Gadian also affirmed what has always been the core of US expansionism: using its military power to exploit the wealth and resources of another country. This was the core strategy in practically all the wars America had fought. Its so-called “war on terror” in the Philippines is no exception.

By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – When former Navy Lt. Senior Grade Mary Nancy Gadian gave a press conference in Quezon City on Wednesday to expose the wrongdoings of US troops stationed in the Philippines, she mentioned, among other things, the economic agenda behind America’ continued presence in the country.

“The US is after the natural resources of the Philippines,” she said, adding that the Philippines has a “strategic location” in relation to the rest of Southeast Asia.

Gadian only affirmed what has always been the core of US expansionism: using its military power to exploit the wealth and resources of another country. This was the core strategy in practically all the wars America had fought – from Iraq to Afghanistan to the Philippines, where it had maintained military bases.

When these Philippine bases were removed by the people’s will in 1991, it did not signify the end of US military intervention in the Philippines. After the attacks in the US on Sept. 11, Washington found a convenient justification for sending its troops here – the so-called war on terror.

The US forces started trickling in since 2002 and have never left. As Gadian revealed during her press briefing, the Americans have put up their own facilities and structures in Mindanao, their unhampered access and presence allowing them not only to actively participate in a local conflict, in violation of the Constitution, but also to pursue what Gadian called “economic surveillance.”

Gadian is the same Navy officer who, last May, exposed the alleged malversation of P46 million for the US-Philippines Balikatan military exercises in 2007. Her latest exposé came days after The New York Times reported on the announcement of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates that a 600-member elite force of US troops deployed in the Philippines – particularly in Mindanao – since 2002 are here to stay.

These troops, who are stationed in what Gadian described as “permanent structures,” comprise the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), which was established by the US Special Operations Command Pacific (Socpac). It began its work when Socpac’s Joint Task Force (JTF) 510 deployed to the Philippines. Based on an item on GlobalSecurity.org, JTF 510 was deployed to the Philippines “to support Operation Enduring Freedom.”

Operation Enduring Freedom is the official name given to the US government’s military response to the Sept. 11 attacks. It entails a series of “anti-terrorism” activities in Afghanistan, the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, Trans-Sahara, and Pakinsi Gorge.

Based on a fact sheet posted on its website, the JSOTF-P maintains its headquarters within the AFP’s Camp Navarro, which is located in Zamboanga City. It also has three regional task forces throughout Mindanao, working with the AFP: Task Force Archipelago, also based at Camp Navarro; Task Force Mindanao, based at Camp Sionco, Maguindanao; and Task Force Sulu, based at Camp Bautista, Jolo Island, Sulu. A number of JSOTF-P personnel also work in Manila, coordinating activities with the US Embassy and the AFP General Headquarters.

Aside from these facilities, according to Gadian, the JSOTF-P also maintains an office at Edwin Andrews Air Base, which is also located in Zamboanga City, as well as facilities in Camp Malagutay, Zamboanga City; the Philippine Naval Station in Batu-Bato, Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi; and Camp General Bautista in Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.

Art. XVIII, Sec. 25 of the Philippine Constitution provides that:

“After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.”

Government officials supporting the continued stay of US troops in the Philippines have claimed that the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) allows their prolonged presence in the country. The VFA, however, is not recognized by the US government as a treaty.

Economic Interests

Zamboanga City, the largest city of Zamboanga del Sur, is “home” to the Zamboanga Freeport Authority, where US corporations like Multi-Products Distribution and International Power Distributor are among the investors. Zamboanga del Sur is also a major mining area in Mindanao, aside from being rich in marine and aquaculture resources.

The nearby Maguindanao is one of the provinces straddled by Liguasan Marsh, together with North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. Covering 288,000 hectares, Liguasan Marsh is rich in oil and natural gas reserves. Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Nur Misuari, citing estimates by American oil engineers, has said total earnings from the natural gas reserves of Liguasan Marsh could amount to $580 billion.

As if to underscore the importance of control of the marsh, it had been the site of numerous clashes between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a separatist group whose avowed objective is to ensure that the rich natural resources in Moro areas should be enjoyed first by the Moro people.

Sulu is currently the site of oil exploration operations involving several foreign companies, including a US corporation. In 2005, the Department of Energy (DoE) awarded Service Contract 56 to Australia’s BHP Billiton Petroleum PTY Ltd., Amerada Hess Ltd., Unocal Sulu Ltd., and Sandakan Oil II LCC. Amerada Hess Ltd. is a unit of Hess Ltd., a US-based oil and gas exploration company. Based on a 2005 news item published by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Service Contract 56 covers some 8,620 hectares offshore Sulu Sea, an area described as “one of the most prospective areas for oil and gas exploration as indicated by the previous drilling activities conducted in the area.”

Basilan and Sulu are both part of what is known as the Sulu Archipelago, together with Tawi-Tawi.

The economic agenda behind US military presence in the Philippines, however, is not limited to the Philippines.

“By and large, the most important value (of the Philippines for the US) is its strategic location: we are at a critical area where north of the Philippines and south of the Philippines you have the critical flow of sea lanes for US (and) Japanese vessels – both military and commercial – coming from the Middle East, bringing in oil supplies and other raw materials all the way from Africa to the Pacific Ocean,” said Roland Simbulan, a professor of development studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Manila and an expert on US foreign policy.

“Of course, anyone who controls this area, this gateway where the Philippines is located, will control the flow of trade in this area. And next to that, of course, is the location of the Philippines facing China, because in the medium-term and long-term basis, the United States still looks at China as a potential rival within the next 15 years, (if) its military prowess (catches) up with the economic power that it has right now,” Simbulan told Bulatlat in a recent interview.

Rey Claro Casambre, who heads the Philippine chapter of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS-Philippines), affirmed this in a separate interview. “The Philippines is strategically located on the Strait of Malacca, the trade route through which half of world trade passes,” Casambre said. “The US earns several billions of dollars from trade there. And a lot of oil… is transported (there) on oil tankers. Anyone who controls that area controls trade.”

Litany of Offenses

Apart from the economic agenda behind US military presence in the Philippines, Gadian – who was assigned for several years in Mindanao – gave a litany of various offenses committed by US troops in the country.

She said she had received several reports indicating that the US troops in Mindanao were “embedded” within Philippine military units conducting field operations in the area, something that the Constitution disallows.

This statement of Gadian bolsters allegations that US troops have been sighted in encounter sites in Mindanao – most notably during an attack by combined Army and Navy forces in Barangay (village) Ipil, Maimbung, Sulu on Feb. 4, 2008. This attack claimed the lives of eight non-combatants, including an Army soldier on vacation.

The US troops in the Philippines, Gadian said, also join actual operations against “insurgent” or “terrorist” groups. “They help in ‘neutralizing’ high-profile targets,” she said.

Aside from these, Gadian said, US troops in the Philippines routinely conduct intelligence operations through the use of “special intelligence equipment,” and participate in the planning of combat operations.

“Intelligence is part of combat operations,” said Gadian, who claimed to have had direct dealings with some of the American soldiers. “When you use special intelligence equipment, you (are getting to know a certain) target and where he is. Why would you conduct intelligence (work) if not for combat operations? Intelligence is not separate from combat.”

“Conducting intelligence operations and participation in the planning of combat operations are unconstitutional,” said Gadian’s legal counsel, Evalyn Ursua, who also spoke at the Aug. 26 press conference. “Prohibition on foreign military presence means foreign troops should have nothing to do within Philippine territory.”

But that is not all, Gadian said. She revealed that the US troops also conduct various operations and other activities without the knowledge of, let alone clearance from, their Filipino counterparts.

Gadian also said she was a direct witness to several incidents which showed not only the “arrogance” of US soldiers and their civilian employees, but also their “abusive” treatment of Filipinos. “They don’t even call us by their names – they merely make gestures with their fingers, as if they are calling dogs,” she said.

Another issue linked to US troops’ presence in the Philippines, Gadian said, is the exploitation of women. She said she was personally a witness to several instances when US soldiers picked up prostituted women, or when prostituted women went to the soldiers’ hotel rooms. It has reached a point, she said, where the women would even go to Camp Navarro to provide their “services” to the US troops stationed there.

“Small” Benefits

How has the Philippines benefited from the seven-year presence of US troops? Not very much, Gadian said.

Gadian pointed out that the seven-year presence of US troops in Mindanao has not solved the “insurgency” and “terrorist” problems in the area.

“There has been no end to it because they don’t want to end it,” she said. “So many soldiers have died there, who didn’t have to die if only there was resolve to end the problem.”

Technology-wise, Gadian said, Filipino soldiers learned to use “small pieces of equipment such as sophisticated guns, which the armed forces does not have and does not acquire,” as well as night-vision goggles. Another technological “benefit,” she said, is the opportunity to ride high-powered aircraft. “Filipino soldiers used to only see these in the movies, but now, they get to ride these,” she said.

The government has pointed to the infrastructure projects and medical and dental missions conducted by US troops as benefits from their presence here. For Gadian, however, there is not very much in these to be thankful for. “The government can provide these if only it is serious enough in giving services to the people,” she said. “We don’t need the Americans to do these things.”

Gadian said the VFA should be abrogated. “Since it has always been used as a justification for US troops’ presence in the Philippines, the VFA should be junked so there would be no more justification for their stay,” she said. (Bulatlat.com)

Source: http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2009/08/28/us-troops-in-philippines-america-pursues-expansionism-protects-economic-interests/