The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) strongly condemned the confirmed firing of a Tomahawk cruise missile in the Philippines during the Balikatan exercises, calling it a blatant violation of national sovereignty and a direct threat to civilian lives, especially farmers and rural communities.

KMP stressed that the launch took place at Tacloban Airport – a civilian facility, raising serious concerns over the use of public infrastructure for military operations. The missile reportedly landed inside Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija, in proximity to farms and rural communities.

“This is a live war rehearsal carried out on Philippine soil. Civilian infrastructure is being repurposed for military use, while farming communities are turned into testing grounds and potential targets,” said Ronnie Manalo, KMP Secretary General.

Manalo said the incident exposes the real threat to peace in the country. “The biggest danger is not the armed revolutionary movement in the countryside, as Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro claims, but the deepening US military intervention and war posturing in the Philippines,” he added.

KMP slammed the Marcos Jr. administration for allowing foreign troops to operate with impunity while refusing to address the roots of armed conflict through genuine land reform and the resumption of peace talks.

“Instead of pursuing a just and lasting peace, the Marcos Jr. government is enabling the country to be used as a launching pad for US imperialist war operations,” Manalo said.

The group also denounced the continued reliance on unequal military agreements such as the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which have facilitated the expansion of US military presence and the entry of advanced weapons systems into the country.

“Filipinos must resist this subservience to US interests. We must not allow the Philippines to be turned into a forward base for US military operations in the region,” Manalo stressed.

KMP warned that the live firing of a long-range cruise missile also signals a dangerous escalation and forms part of broader US war preparations in the Asia-Pacific, amid rising tensions in the South China Sea.

“Rural communities will bear the brunt of this militarization. Farmers will be the first to suffer as their lands and livelihoods are reduced to collateral damage in wars that do not serve the Filipino people,” Manalo said.

KMP also rejected government claims that the expansion of US military presence is meant for humanitarian assistance and disaster response. “There is nothing humanitarian about firing long-range cruise missiles. This is war preparation, not disaster response,” Manalo said.

The group raised alarm over the presence of US weapons systems in the country, including Typhon, NMESIS, HIMARS, and Tomahawk missiles. “How many of these weapons are already prepositioned on Philippine soil? These systems directly endanger our communities and undermine national security. They must be immediately removed,” Manalo said.

KMP reiterated its call for the pullout of US troops and the junking of unequal military agreements. ###