Militant groups have asked the Supreme Court to issue Temporary Environmental Protection Orders against US military exercises and port calls by US ships, saying the presence of American troops and ships are a threat to the environment.
“The growing rotational presence in the country of these US troops renders our marine protected areas highly vulnerable to destruction and degradation given the influx of military personnel, weaponry and naval and ground vessels. The unlimited access being given to these warships, without any clear environmental guidelines, reveals the fatal problems of the Visiting Forces Agreement,” Bagong Alyansang Makabayan spokesperson Renato Reyes said.
Clemente Bautista of Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment, meanwhile urged the Supreme Court to issue a Writ of Kalikasam to protect the Tubbataha Marine National Park from further damage. The USS Guardian, a US Navy minesweeper on the way to Indonesia from Subic, ran aground on the World Heritage Site in January.
“More than a month has passed since the Supreme Court asked the respondents of the case to comment on the Petition (for a Writ of Kalikasan), the US Navy has not issued a reply. US Navy personnel clearly violated Philippine laws and should be held responsible.,” he said.
The groups are asking the Supreme Court to order a freeze on port calls and military exercises without clear environmental guidelines and penalties for breaking those guidelines. They also want the Supreme Court to require the US Navy to deposit money in the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Trust Fund as a “reasonable guarantee” against full reparations of P58.3 million (around $1.5 million).
They said the petition for a Writ of Kalikasan should proceed even without input from the US.
The petition comes as the Philippines announced it might allow US forces more access to its bases and military facilities.
