| Statement of the NDFP International Office November 21, 2024The National Democratic Front of the Philippines International Office (NDFP IO) condemns the US government’s creation of their so-called “Ayungin Task Force”, aiming to enhance military interoperability between US and Philippine forces in the South China Sea, at a time when thousands of Filipinos are suffering from the devastating impacts of consecutive typhoons. While the US government justifies this move as part of ongoing military cooperation under the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) and the Bantay Dagat framework, it is clear that the real priority of the US is to further its imperialist interests in the region, rather than addressing the urgent humanitarian crisis that has unfolded in many parts of Luzon in the past few months. Putting US forces in Ayungin intensifies tensions between China and the Philippines with the latter obviously being used as a US pawn to provoke Chinese armed response. The creation of a military task force focused on military operations in the Ayungin shoal serves the US imperialist agenda and puts the Filipino masses at risk of destruction greater than that wrought by any super typhoon. The NDFP IO stands in solidarity with the Filipino people who continue to bear the brunt of successive disasters exacerbated by climate change and the inept response of the Marcos Jr. government. While thousands of Filipinos are left to suffer in the aftermath of six typhoons that hit the country in a month, the US government prioritizes military buildup in the South China Sea, showing a shocking disregard for the urgent humanitarian needs of the Filipino people. Thousands of Filipinos are still reeling from the devastation, with entire communities displaced, lives lost, and essential infrastructure destroyed. Despite the dire needs of affected communities, the US-Marcos regime continues to invest in military escalation instead of urgently directing resources toward humanitarian aid and disaster response. More troubling is how the US, in collusion with the Marcos Jr. administration, has been using “disaster response” as a pretext to justify continued combat operations in Albay and many other places across the country. The NDFP IO calls on the Filipino people to reject this dangerous focus on military cooperation with the US and instead demand immediate compensation and aid for the victims of typhoons and flooding. The Filipino people deserve to have their needs prioritized – shelter, food, healthcare, and genuine support for their recovery – not to be further subjected to geopolitical maneuvers in the midst of devastation and calamity. |