In a statement yesterday the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said “Balikatan 2015 with particular focus on maritime security will endanger the lives of the people living in nearby communities and interrupt their daily lives and livelihood.”
Pamalakaya Chairman Salvador France recalled that in past, fishing activities were also banned in adjacent areas for the duration of the exercises.
“Most small fisherfolk are subsistence fishers. So skipping (fishing) for a day, or ten days, as in the case of Balikatan 2015, would deprive fisherfolk families food on their tables. This is a violation of their rights,” France added.
Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria, public information officer for Balikatan 2015, said that the joint naval exercises are now being held at the Marine Base Gregorio Lim (MBGL) in Ternate, Cavite; Naval Base Heracleo Alano (NBHA) at Sangley Point also in Cavite; and Naval Station Leovigildo Gantiouqui (NSLG) in San Antonio, Zambales.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is verifying reports that Chinese coast guard ships drove some 80 Filipino fishermen away from Panatag Shoal off the shores of Zambales recently.
Filipino fishermen were reportedly chased away from the Panatag Shoal, also known as Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, last April 9. One of the fishermen was reportedly hurt when he fell off his boat.
France said “We don’t want another Jennifer Laude. We don’t want another case of a US warship hitting small fishing boats and threatening the lives of the fisherfolk. We don’t want another incident as destructive as the USS Guardian plowing through the Tubbataha Reef.”
He said, “We are now calling for the immediate termination of the Balikatan exercises! Junk the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).”
Patria said that Balikatan 2015 “is another series of shoulder- to-shoulder exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces.”
“The exercise is designed to enhance the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States Armed Forces in capability development in the conduct of not only traditional military training but with civil military projects focusing on reaching out towards priority communities,” he said.
Patria noted that when Balikatan opened last Monday, the Philippine military has 5,023 participants, while their US counterparts numbered at least 5,300 soldiers.
“More participants from US will still be arriving soon,” he added.
