ILOILO City – The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Panay condemned the Kasangga: 2025-02 Philippines–Australia Army-to-Army Exercise (PAAAE) in Capiz, warning that the joint military training could heighten fears and insecurity in indigenous communities long affected by military operations.
BAYAN Panay secretary general Elmer Forro said the military exercises “do not strengthen national defense” but instead “reinforce threats to the safety and security of communities in Capiz.”
“It is not through military drills that Australian troops should train their Filipino counterparts,” Forro stressed. “They already know enough about killing — with expertise in killing unarmed civilians, terrorizing entire communities, and red-tagging activists. What our soldiers lack is respect for human rights and humanitarian law.”
Forro cited the case of indigenous Tumandok communities in Tapaz, Capiz, who have endured displacement.He claimed that continued military operations have “torn apart the unity of their communities” and the joint drills only “intensify their fears.”
According to BAYAN Panay, the military exercises, conducted under the banner of “interoperability,” entrench the Philippines deeper into foreign military influence — particularly that of the United States and its allies through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and the AUKUS defense pact.
The group argued that such activities “do not enhance the Philippines’ capacity to defend its sovereignty,” but rather “make the country more dependent on foreign powers and perpetuate a doormat foreign policy.”
Forro further said that if the Australian government truly wished to help the Philippines, it should extend aid that directly benefits the poor and strengthens democratic institutions instead of “supporting instruments of oppression.”
“Assistance that strengthens the instruments of oppression against the Filipino people and drags the country into inter-imperialist war preparations is not assistance at all,” Forro declared./PN
