BY FR. SHAY CULLEN
IT SEEMS that the plan of the military alliance between the United States, Australia and the UK, known as AUKUS, is to surround China with a steel chain of island fortresses bristling with multiple missile sites, too many to be suppressed by counter attack, but that can subdue the Chinese navy and strike its land-based launch sites if ever it comes to all out conflict and an attempt by China to invade Taiwan.
The AUKUS missile bases in the Philippines and the Japanese Senkaku islands could devastate Chinese ships trying to make troop landings on Taiwan. The AUKUS nations are developing hyper-sonic missiles to counter the technological sophistication of Chinaās missile strike force. Hyper-sonic missiles are deadly and hard to detect because of their speed (Mach 5) and are very maneuverable.
This huge growing US presence in the Philippines, located inside Philippine military installations, is covered by the fig-leaf of the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that shields the US from criticism it is violating Philippine sovereignty by already having regular use of Basa Air Base in Floridablanca town in Pampanga; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan; Benito Ebuen Air Base on Mactan island in Cebu; Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro City in northern Mindanao and an army jungle training base in Fort Laur, Nueva Ecija, and other unknown secret bases. Subic Bay and San Miguel Base in Zambales are next for US occupation.
When the US occupies the Philippine air force base in Lal-lo, Cagayan in the north, it will have easy strike distance to Taiwan in the event of an invasion of Taiwan by China. The US air force flies surveillance planes in and out of Clark for several years already under the Visiting Forces Agreement. However, it is not just occasional visiting, the planes are on regular military operations from a civilian airport. All is done with a nod and a wink from the Philippine higher command, permission is always granted on a permanent basis it seems.
Besides, the US military has unlimited access to other areas for its training and testing of weapons. It tested its M142 High Mobility Artillery rocket launchers in Crow Valley in Tarlac and has the use of the Colonel Ernesto Rabina Air Base in Tarlac and practically any other harbor or airfield it wants to use for so-called āvisiting.ā For years, the US used the Batanes Island airfield for refueling its planes. It used helicopters to light up the runway until landing lights were installed.
Subic Bay has been used for docking US Navy ships and loading supplies and now with a US company, Cerberus Capital Management, owning the former Hanjin shipyard in Subic Bay, we can expect more US ships to be based there like the USS New Orleans. For sure, Chinese missiles installed on the seized Philippine atolls are now aimed at Subic Bay and San Miguel Base, Zambales. Ā The bay has recently been named as a Philippine Navy base, conveniently situated at part of the former Hanjin shipyard. That is another fig-leaf to justify US warships docking at Subic Bay.
The US military presence in the West Philippine Sea has not deterred China from grabbing more atolls and islands from the Philippines and arming them with missiles. The Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Philippines is of no help. There has to be an act of war by China against the Philippines to trigger a US military response. Any such response will need the approval of the US Congress. The presence of so many US military bases inside Philippine bases is making the Philippines an open and vulnerable target for retaliatory strikes by China.
The deployment of so many US servicemen in military bases all over the Philippines will speed up the expansion of the sex industry and, once again, we will see more human trafficking and sexual abuse and exploitation of women and children by US servicemen as if we donāt have enough by Filipinos at present as in the past. (preda.org)/PN
