Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Southern Mindanao denounced and strongly condemned the planned US military oil depot in Davao Region, considering it a grave violation of Philippine sovereignty.
The planned US depot is targeted to be constructed along the western coast of the Davao Gulf, covering areas in Davao City and Davao del Sur.
BAYAN noted that on March 31, the US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) issued a formal solicitation for contractors to bid on a Defense Fuel Support Point (DFSP) project in the said area.
“BAYAN-Southern Mindanao rejects the DFSP project as it constitutes a grave violation of Philippine sovereignty,” the group said in an official statement on Sunday, April 12.
The DFSP forms part of a broader network of refueling hubs intended to support US military vessels and aircraft operating across the Pacific.
BAYAN said alarmingly, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has “openly welcomed” the project, and maintained the project falls under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
EDCA allows US forces, troops, planes, and ships to increase rotational presence and access to and use of Philippine military bases and facilities.
The group also cited Philippine Navy spokesperson Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, who has downplayed concerns that the DFSP could make the region a potential target of attacks by US adversaries.
“As consistently raised by concerned groups for years, increased US military presence in the country heightens the risk of the Philippines being drawn into geopolitical conflicts among global powers,” BAYAN stressed.
The group noted that the country will host the largest-ever Balikatan exercises, including amphibious landings, live-fire drills, and other war simulations, which will involve over 8,000 troops from the US, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan from April 20 to May 8, 2026.
“Such activities not only escalate regional tensions but also pose real threats to communities through potential human rights violations, environmental destruction, and the militarization of civilian spaces, all in service of advancing US strategic interests in Asia,” BAYAN said.
It stressed that these developments are part of the “broader US imperialist strategy of pivoting to Asia and containing rival powers such as China and Russia.”
“We likewise denounce the Marcos Jr. administration for its outright subservience to US imperialism,” the group said, noting that under the admin, the US-Philippines Bilateral Defense Guidelines further deepened US intervention in the country’s military and political affairs.
The bilateral defense guidelines led to the expansion of EDCA sites and the deployment of the US Typhon missile system in Northern Luzon, and the planned DFSP in Mindanao is “yet another step in intensifying US military presence in the country.”
The group called on the local government units of Davao City, Davao del Sur, and neighboring provinces to categorically reject the DFSP project and “uphold the region’s security and sovereignty against foreign military encroachment.”
The group demanded to nullify all unequal and lopsided agreements, including the EDCA, the Visiting Forces Agreement, and the Mutual Defense Treaty.
