The visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to the Philippines has provoked a strong backlash from local advocacy groups, including Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment and Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN). 

Both organizations have voiced serious concerns about the implications of the visit for the country’s sovereignty, environment, and regional stability.

Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment has criticized the visit, labeling it as a potential catalyst for environmental and geopolitical upheaval. 

“The visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is a harbinger of ecological and geopolitical turmoil in the region,” said Jonila Castro, advocacy officer for Kalikasan. 

The group highlighted the threats to the West Philippine Sea’s rich marine biodiversity from ongoing military activities and the environmental degradation linked to past US military bases.

Meanwhile, BAYAN has taken a more confrontational stance, condemning Blinken and Austin as “war criminals” and accusing them of advancing US military interests at the expense of the Philippines’ sovereignty and environment.

In a statement, BAYAN argued that the visit is aimed at expanding US military intervention and exacerbating regional tensions. 

“These war criminals, who are responsible for fanning proxy conflicts around the world and enabling genocide in Palestine, are here in Manila to expand US military intervention and warmongering in the country and the region,” the statement read.

BAYAN criticized the Marcos administration for its perceived alignment with US geopolitical interests, accusing it of prioritizing imperialist agendas over national sovereignty. 

“The Marcos Jr. government continues to promote the imperialist geopolitical agenda of the US. He has allowed the entry and meddling of foreign troops even if this is blatantly against the Constitution, added additional EDCA sites which undermine our sovereignty and disrupt local livelihoods, and echoes US war rhetoric against China,” the grouop said.

The group also expressed concern over the potential for increased militarization and its impact on local communities, particularly in the context of ongoing environmental and humanitarian crises in the Philippines.

“The corrupt and fascist Marcos Jr. government barters the country’s sovereignty as it satiates its greed for money and its brutal aim of silencing dissent by raining down weapons of mass destruction in rural communities,” BAYAN alleged.