Militant group urges US to stay out of Spratly’s dispute

MANILA, Philippines —”Stay out of Spratly’s dispute,” militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan urged the United States in time for US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s meeting with President Benigno Aquino III at Malacañang Wednesday.

Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. said the US may use the Spratly’s row as a “pretext for increasing military presence in the region.” He said, “They call it evolving maritime challenges but it’s plain US intervention.”

US involvement in the dispute would be “just another justification for having more US naval exercises” and would be “the biggest threat to regional stability,” said Reyes.

Reyes questioned why the government has not raised the issue of reviewing the Visiting Forces Agreement, saying there was “no assurance that the US will come to our aid in an event of an attack.”

Clinton arrived in the country Tuesday afternoon for the 60th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty which was signed August 30, 1951.

Part of Clinton’s agenda was to intensify defense and economic ties with the Philippines.