“What happened in Tacloban and Laur is a flashing red warning: Balikatan is no longer just ‘training’ — it is an operational rehearsal that turns the Philippines into a platform for war among competing powers. The Marcos Jr. administration is making the country a willing pawn, allowing foreign forces to bring in strategic weapons that heighten the risk of escalation and retaliation.
“By allowing these activities to normalize, the Marcos Jr. government is dragging the country toward a war posture that violates the spirit of our Constitution’s renunciation of war. Filipinos should not be made collateral damage in the geopolitical games of big powers.” — BAYAN MUNA Vice Exec. President Atty. Carlos Isagani Zarate
