The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL) strongly condemned the intensified US-Philippine military exercises under Balikatan 2025, denouncing them as a grave threat to the safety and livelihood of rural communities.

Recent footage and photos taken by residents of Sitio Balubad, Angeles City in Pampanga, shows foreign military aircraft flying at low altitudes, conducting what appear to be reconnaissance operations as part of Balikatan’s ongoing war games. Locals also reported multiple sightings of fighter jets, including F-18, patrolling the skies above their communities.

“This year’s Balikatan is not only the biggest, but also the most dangerous,” said Danilo Ramos, KMP Chairperson. “The US is using Philippine soil to project its military dominance in the Asia-Pacific. Once again, our rural poor are paying the highest price.”

The 40th iteration of Balikatan features full-scale battle simulations and live-fire drills across civilian areas in Northern and Central Luzon, Palawan, and other Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites. The deployment of the US Typhon Missile System, capable of striking targets up to 2,500 kilometers away, further heightens the risks of the Philippines becoming a battleground in a potential US-China conflict.

“Imperialist wars are not our wars,” Ramos declared. “These war games do not defend our sovereignty — they destroy it. Our farmers, fisherfolk, and indigenous peoples are being pushed off their lands, their lives disrupted by the very military that claims to protect them.”

KMP also slammed the Marcos Jr. administration for allowing widespread military activity in exchange for foreign military aid. “Not one cent of the US$500 million military aid from the US will improve food security or uplift rural livelihoods. It will only serve corrupt generals and arms dealers, while deepening foreign control over our nation,” said Ramos.

The group warned that Balikatan brings with it displacement, restricted access to farms and fisheries, environmental degradation, and a pattern of rights abuses — especially against women and children.

“Balikatan has never made the Philippines safer. It escalates tensions, violates our sovereignty, and puts our people in the crossfire,” Ramos said. “We demand the abrogation of all unequal military agreements — the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), and EDCA. The Filipino people deserve peace, not perpetual militarization.”

KMP reaffirmed its solidarity with all peoples resisting foreign domination. “From Palestine to the Philippines, we stand against US imperialist war. We will not be silent. We will resist.” ###