President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd James Austin III during a courtesy call in Malacanang on November 18, 2024. (Revoli S. Cortez, PPA pool)
The recent revelation by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of the existence of US Task Force Ayungin in Palawan has blown the lid off the US military’s direct hand in the Philippine government’s failed “aggressive transparency” campaign against China’s illegal territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea, which featured high-profile resupply missions to BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal.
“It is now clear that the US military has been manipulating the Philippine government’s actions in the West Philippine Sea in order to justify its own military build-up and intervention in the region,” said P1NAS spokesperson Antonio Tinio. He noted that the US task force played a pivotal role in driving the months-long escalation of tension in Ayungin Shoal, culminating in the violent confrontation between the Philippine Navy and China’s Coast Guard on June 17.
The aggressive stance, which led to the loss of a Philippine Navy personnel’s thumb during the incident, has since been tempered following secret bilateral negotiations between China and the Philippines. The Philippine government has quietly abandoned its “aggressive transparency” campaign, revealing it as a tactical maneuver to provoke and escalate tensions. This tactic aimed to draw international attention and justify the US military’s increased presence in the region.
Tinio, a former ACT Teachers partylist representative, emphasized, “The Philippine government’s initial approach was a dangerous game of brinkmanship, encouraged and supported by the US, which only served to heighten regional instability. The subsequent quiet resupply missions demonstrate the failure of such tactics and the urgent need for a genuine, independent foreign policy that prioritizes Philippine sovereignty and regional peace.”
“The US military’s goal is to justify its presence in the Philippines and the region, and to create a pretext for its military build-up and intervention,” Tinio said. “Under the guise of ‘technical assistance’ and ‘information-sharing,’ the US military is actually interfering in the Philippine government’s decision-making process and manipulating its actions to serve US interests. The very existence of US Task Force Ayungin and the extent to which the Marcos Jr. administration relies on its input exposes its status as a US client regime that compromises our sovereignty.”
P1NAS calls for the immediate dismantling of US Task Force Ayungin, the withdrawal of US military presence from the Philippines, and the pursuit of peaceful, diplomatic solutions to maritime disputes in the West Philippine Sea. #
