US OUT OF THE PHILIPPINES! END THE BALIKATAN WAR GAMES!
The ILPS-US Country Chapter vehemently opposes the 2025 US-Philippines Balikatan war games and fully supports the Filipino people’s struggle for liberation of their homeland. Year after year, as its economic competition with China intensifies, the US deploys more troops and advanced weapons systems, and draws more military allies into the Balikatan military exercises to lay the groundwork for imperialist war. This year marks a level up as a “full battle test” spanning air, land, sea, space, and cyber fields, testing the command of US forces over Filipino troops in a hot war scenario of US-led aggression.
This comes following the meeting of US Defense Secretary Hegseth with Philippine Defense Secretary Teodoro, where the US asserted its plan to build up its launch pad and puppet troops in the Philippines by supplying lethal strike missiles and unmanned surface vehicles, and leading military trainings in the northernmost Batanes province. Balikatan serves as a vehicle for the US to already position their missile systems on Philippine soil. These are practiced in live-fire exercises strongly opposed by the Filipino people.
The US will continue to use the Philippines as a base for its military buildup against China as long as the control by the foreign imperialist power remains, and only serves to make the Philippines a target for further aggression and intensify military conflict.
At his visit to the Philippines, Hegseth stated: “Those who long for peace must prepare for war.” In fact, this is the view of the Filipino people who are waging a revolutionary war to liberate the Philippines from US imperialist control, to permanently end the use of their land and people for US-led war, and to lay the groundwork for a just and lasting peace.
In this time of intensifying US aggression against nations asserting their sovereignty and national liberation movements fighting for their freedom, the people of the US must stand in solidarity with the Filipino people and all liberation struggles opposing US imperialist control. Around the world, Filipinos and allies are rising up against the Balikatan exercises and US-led militarization of the Philippines. In the US, ILPS member BAYAN USA led protests in 8 cities for a national day of action to oppose the 40th year of the war games, building a movement of overseas Filipinos that can contribute to the national liberation struggle of their homeland.
Our communities here in the US are also under intense attacks by fascist repression and outright military violence. As the Trump regime intensifies attacks on migrants and organizers in the US to test the limits of the legal democratic framework in repressing resistance to the fascist agenda, the preparations for war in the Asia Pacific and West Asia are taking place to militarily defend imperialist interests and control. National liberation movements, like in the Philippines, stand as one of the bulwarks against continued imperialist war build up and work to overcome the root causes which push many migrants to leave their homelands. We call on all people’s movements and our members to support the advance of all peoples’ struggles for self-determination and genuine peace!