CITY OF NAGA, Bicol Region – Six thousand (6000) US troops were discovered over the week secretly stationed in Mindanao on top of the 55 AFP combat battalions encamped in various areas in the island.
The number of US troops in Mindanao surpasses current US military deployment in Iraq.
The discovery of the heavy presence of US troops in Mindanao came up when the Supreme Court is set to deliberate if the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an executive order or a treaty.
Kabataan Partylist Rep.Terry Ridon blew the whistle Monday, exposing the presence of 6,000 US troops in Mindanao.
“While the Aquino administration harps about largely-imagined development in the human rights situation in the country, it is enraging to find out that this government has allowed heavy foreign military deployment in Mindanao,” the youth solon said, informing online news Bicol Today.com on Tuesday.
“The presence of thousands of US troops in Mindanao adds to the fact that majority of the Philippine Army’s forces are deployed in the area. This large-scale deployment bodes ill for the people of Mindanao, many of whom have already been internally displaced and lost jobs and loved ones due to the heavy militarization of the area,” Ridon said.
Manilakbayan, a protest caravan composed of people of Mindanao that journeyed to Manila, has earlier reported that as much as 6,000 US troops are stationed in Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City.
Hundreds of people have joined the long journey from Mindanao to Manila to expose the worsening human rights situation in several provinces in Mindanao.
Manilakbayan has documented multiple cases of human rights violations, and even the entry of military forces in schools.
A protest program was held at Mendiola in Manila to denounce the intensified militarization of regions in Mindanao.
“Heavy deployment of combined US and Philippine forces in Mindanao has severely affected the lives of people living there, especially the indigenous peoples and their children. There are several reports of schools being turned into barracks, hamletting of entire communities, and hundreds of indigenous people driven away from their ancestral homes due to militarization,” Ridon said.
The youth solon pointed out that the “heavy military presence” in Mindanao does not contribute to fostering peace in the region, but is rather motivated by big business, especially foreign and domestic mining firms that have a large interest in the mineral deposits in several regions in Mindanao.
“Look at the case of B’laan tribe which has been greatly affected by the Tampakan copper-gold mining project. Tens of thousands have already been displaced by large-scale mining activity in South Cotabato, and tribal leaders have one by one fallen in the hands of the AFP in recent years.
The Tampakan copper-gold mining project is ranked as the fifth largest undeveloped copper-gold deposit in the world, with an estimated 2.4 billion metric ton deposit, with 13.5 million metric tons of copper and 15.8 million ounces of gold.
“It is clear that heavy military presence in Mindanao is not aimed at fostering peace in the region, but rather to protect the interests of foreign and domestic mining investors,” Ridon said.
The youth solon joined Manilakbayan’s call for “food and justice” for the people of Mindanao, and also called for the immediate pull-out of both US and Philippine troops deployed in the area.
“Today, we join our brothers and sisters from Mindanao in condemning the Aquino government’s heavy-handed policy of militarization, which even allowed the entry of thousands of US troops in the region. The people of Mindanao have long suffered the brunt of heavy militarization. It is thus our urgent demand to the Aquino administration to pull out all troops stationed there,” the legislator said
- See more at: http://bicoltoday.com/2014/11/27/6000-us-troops-discovered-in-mindanao-more-us-troops-deployed-than-in-iraq/#sthash.OUJLlqbj.dpuf
areudirty
izzy806
stormborns
kianamaiart
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
origamiaround
janainaart
