Think Tank Says U.S. Building Military Base In Southern Philippines

Asian-based think-tank Focus on the Global South (Focus) said on Wednesday there is a strong indication that the U.S. government is building a military base in southern Philippines, which is a violation of the country's Constitution.

Focus research associate Herbert Docena said the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command or Navfac, awarded a $14.4 million contract to Global Contingency Services LLC of Irving, Texas to conduct "operations support" for the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines.

The JSOTF-P is a component of the U.S. special operations command that were stationed in southern Philippines since 2002. Its primary goal is to provide assistance to the Philippines in its war efforts against terror groups.

"That is what I believe, I think Washington is in the process of building a military base," Docena said,

In a statement, Focus adds, "According to its own Web site, Navfac is the unit within the U.S. military in charge of providing the U.S. Navy with operating, support and training bases."

The group said Navfac gave Global Contingency Services a total five-year $450 million contract to "provide a full range of world-wide contingency and disaster-response services, including humanitarian assistance and interim or transitional base-operating support services."

"The specific contract for work for the JSOTF-P is expected to be completed in Jan. 2008 but other contracts may follow as part of the $450- million package," Focus said.

Docena adds, "JSOTF-P is involved in the Philippine military's operations in the South, and represents the new low-profile kind of overseas presence that the U.S. has been striving to introduce as part of its comprehensive restructuring of its forward-deployment since 2001."

The plan, he explains, is to put up smaller U.S. military bases in regions Washington believes it must have presence.

The governments of the Philippines and the U.S. denies speculations a military base is being planned in any part of the country.