A prominent leftist party in the Philippines has renewed calls for the removal of US troops, warning that US president-elect Donald Trump’s aggressive foreign policy and recent threats against other nations underscore the dangers of a bigger American military presence in the Southeast Asian country.
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However, observers say their appeals, and those of other progressive groups, are unlikely to gain traction given overwhelming political and public support for stronger ties between Manila and Washington to counter China’s maritime aggression.
The Bayan Muna Party, which has consistently criticised the policies of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, sounded the alarm after Trump on Tuesday claimed the right to take over Greenland and the Panama Canal and refused to rule out the use of military force to achieve those goals.
“The ascendancy of Trump is a reminder that the expanded US military presence in the Philippines poses grave danger to our security and long-term stability in the region,” Bayan Muna said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The Trump administration could use the Philippines as a staging ground to aggressively assert control and hegemony over the Pacific, the West Philippine Sea, and the South China Sea as part of his government’s containment policy against China,” the party said.
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Citing China, Trump won’t rule out using military to reclaim Panama Canal and buying Greenland
Citing China, Trump won’t rule out using military to reclaim Panama Canal and buying Greenland
Under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which grants the US access to place troops and military equipment at agreed sites in the Philippines, Marcos Jnr expanded US military access to nine locations in 2023, including bases near the South China Sea and Taiwan. This builds on the Visiting Forces Agreement, signed in 1999, which sets the terms for US personnel operating in the Philippines.