Layas! Reds call for end to Chinese and American presence in PH waters

By Prince Golez

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) called for the removal of troops from China and the United States (U.S.) within the country’s territorial waters and surrounding sea.

In a statement on Sunday, the CPP lamented that the increased military activity may put the Filipino people in danger of getting caught in the middle of inter-imperialist clashes.

“The Philippines is now surrounded by U.S. and Chinese military forces: on the West Philippine Sea, there are Chinese military facilities, aircraft and fully armed coast guard and ‘militia’ ships; and on the Philippine Sea (east of the country) are two U.S. carrier strike groups and submarines,” the rebel group said.

The CPP urged the public to demand for China to dismantle all military facilities within the Philippine waters and pay damages for the grave damage to the environment from their massive land reclamation and artificial island construction activities.

The Chinese should also withdraw its armed Coast Guard and paramilitary ships and allow Filipino fishermen to fish unimpeded in the country’s waters and traditional fishing grounds, its statement read.

On one hand, the Party reiterated its demand for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the Mutual Defense Treaty, and other “lopsided” military agreements between the Philippines and the U.S.

All these agreements, they said, give the U.S. military extraterritorial rights in the Philippines and allow them to use our airspace, airports, sea lanes, seaports, as well as airwaves, military camps and other facilities for “hegemonic purposes.”

“The Filipino people, as well as all peoples in the region, must denounce these maneuvers and counter-maneuvers by both the Chinese and U.S. military and the relentless build up of military presence by both sides in the country’s within the territorial waters and surrounding seas,” the CPP said.

“All these heighten military tensions and raises the possibility of outright military confrontation and full-scale war flaring up in the region.”

Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)