US Philippine bases spark protests as Kamala Harris visits Manila

Demonstrators say they are worried that they are worried Washington will use the country as a ‘springboard’ to attack China

Washington has pledged to defend its ally, which has a long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea

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Filipino protesters hold placards during a protest against Kamala Harris’s visit. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:59pm, 23 Nov 2022

Dozens of protesters took to the streets of Manila to protest against the visit of Vice-President Kamala Harris and accuse the US of “warmongering” over its military bases in the Philippines.

As Harris met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering commitment” to its treaty ally on Monday, activists outside marched and rallied with signs, as packs of police formed barricades.

“We don’t want our country to be used as a springboard or launching pad for the wars of the US against China or any other country,” said Liza Maza, secretary general of the International League of People’s Struggle, an anti-imperialist group.

“We are also against the warmongering of the US for the sake of asserting its hegemony in this part of the world … We want a peaceful Philippines and a peaceful region.”

“Stop funding state terrorism in the Philippines”, “stop US military aid to the Philippines” and “US Imperialism #1 Terrorist” were among slogans displayed by the demonstrators, who also included the League of Filipino Students, a left-wing youth organisation.

Harris secured five new military facilities in the Southeast Asian country, where Washington will invest a further US$66.5 million to expand its military presence, resuming the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) – signed in 2014 but put on pause by former president Rodrigo Duterte, at times a fierce critic of the US.