Partido Lakas ng Masa (the Philippines): Reject AUKUS, no to Australian intervention and imperialist war games, no to US recolonisation

[Editor’s note: Filipino socialist activists Merck Maguddayao, Reihana Mohideen and Aya Clamor, from the Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses), will be speaking at Ecosocialism 2025, September 5-7, Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. For more information on the conference visit ecosocialism.org.au.]

Exercise Alon 2025, which was staged off the islands of Palawan and Luzon and falsely cloaked in the rhetoric of “maritime security” and a “rules-based international order,” is part of the war games of imperialist powers. It thrusts the Philippines into the frontlines of the US-led strategy to contain China as an economic power, undermines our sovereignty and endangers peace in the region.

More than 3600 soldiers participated in Alon 2025, which took place between August 15-29. The Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed 1525 troops, while Australia sent 1600 troops, an infantry battalion, naval warships and advanced aircraft. The United States Marine Corps was also directly involved: a task group from the Marine Rotational Force — Darwin (MRF-D) joined the exercise with about 350 personnel.

The MRF-D is not a temporary training mission. It is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force permanently forward-deployed to northern Australia at RAAF Base Darwin. Its mission is to provide Washington with a strike-ready force, able to deploy rapidly into Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. By embedding MRF-D into Alon, the US is integrating the Philippines into its permanent Indo-Pacific war-fighting infrastructure.

Australia’s strategic role, AUKUS and Pine Gap

Australia’s role in Exercise Alon reflects more than loyalty to Washington — it is central to the Anglo-imperialist AUKUS military pact with the US and Britain. By committing to nuclear-powered submarines, long-range strike weapons and intelligence-sharing under AUKUS, Australia has tied its entire defence stance to Washington’s confrontation with China.

Australia’s Pine Gap base, near Alice Springs, plays a critical role in this architecture. Operated jointly with the US, Pine Gap is one of Washington’s most important intelligence and targeting hubs. Its satellite systems enable real-time surveillance and guide US drones, missiles and nuclear weapons across Asia.

Importantly, Pine Gap is also linked to the genocidal assault on Gaza. Investigations and whistleblower reports confirm that intelligence and targeting data from Pine Gap has been used to guide Israeli bombing raids, contributing to the mass killing of civilians and the destruction of hospitals, schools and refugee camps. This means that any US or Australian military intervention in our region — including exercises like Alon — is backed by a war machine that is already complicit in the genocide in Gaza.

Together, AUKUS and Pine Gap form the backbone of US-Australia intervention capacity in Asia. Their combined aim is clear:

• To contain China as an economic power, curbing its trade routes and growth;

• To project US and Western imperialist power into Southeast Asia, with the Philippines as a forward base;

• To reinforce Australia’s role as a junior partner and regional enforcer for US interests; and

• To integrate the Philippines into a war-fighting system already proven to facilitate genocide in Gaza.

Historical servility of the Filipino elite

This deepening US grip is not new. It has been enabled by the long history of servility of the Filipino ruling class — across all sides of the political spectrum — to Washington. From the “parity rights” agreements after so-called independence in 1946, to the Military Bases Agreement, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), and today’s Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), every Philippine administration has bent to US dictates.

The Left has long referred to these leaders as “Amboy Presidents” — American boys groomed to defend US interests above Filipino sovereignty, trading away independence for their own political survival and class interests.

Military and economic subordination

Military dependence goes hand-in-hand with economic exploitation. Even as Washington deepens its military hold, it has imposed unfair trade measures: under Trump, tariffs of up to 19% on Philippine exports such as steel and agriculture undermine our industries, while US goods continue to enter tariff-free. This demonstrates the one-sidedness of the relationship — military subordination coupled with economic disadvantage.

Recolonisation, not cooperation

The results are clear:

• The Philippines is turned into a launchpad for US and Australian power projection;

• Our territory is being transformed into a battleground of US–China rivalry, not a zone of peace;

• Our economy is weakened by exploitative trade relations;

• Through AUKUS, our region is tied into US nuclear and strike capacity, heightening the risk of war and the very lives of our people; and

• Filipino sovereignty is being compromised by a ruling class that serves as Washington’s loyal clients.

This is not cooperation — it is recolonisation. Filipinos fought and won the removal of US bases in 1991. Today, through EDCA, VFA, AUKUS, Pine Gap and foreign-led war games like Alon 2025, those bases and alliances are being reintroduced in another form, now reinforced by US allies such as Australia.

We must resist this recolonisation. We demand:

• The dismantling of EDCA sites across the Philippines.

• The rejection of AUKUS and nuclear militarisation of the region.

• No to Australian intervention in Filipino and Southeast Asian affairs.

• An end to imperialist military exercises like Alon.

• The assertion of a genuinely independent foreign policy that upholds Philippine sovereignty and promotes peace, not militarisation for imperialist powers.

Partido Lakas ng Masa (Party of the Labouring Masses) International Desk