US war games invite peoples ire in Manila

Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder in Tagalog) is the largest annual joint training exercise between the armed forces of the two allies, and is in its 27th year. Held in various parts of the Philippines, they usually focus on military drills to help combat insurgencies.Protesters held signs showing their opposition to the joint exercises and called on the government to end the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that allows US troops inside Philippine territory.The US embassy said that this years joint exercise would involve field training and humanitarian assistance projects. Balikatan will run from April 5 to 15, and 3,000 US troops would be taking part. Double that number had been expected but the US Embassy in Manila said the total had been reduced because of relief efforts in Japan.The activists said that the exercises were detrimental to the Philippines as it would give US troops access to sovereign territory and allow the US to expand its military presence in Southeast Asia.“We still have concerns regarding the permanently stationed US troops in Mindanao, and here we have another 3,000 American troops coming into the country and conducting various types of operations, not limited to civil military operations, but most likely inclusive of direct counter-insurgency operations in connivance with the Philippine government,” said Renato Reyes, Secretary General of militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.The protesters also called on the Obama administration to stop its military interventions, especially in Libya, saying it is only contributing to more bloodshed in the Middle East.