MANILA, Philippines - The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) scored Thursday an alleged “secret visit” by US military officials to Zamboanga City over the weekend.

In a statement, the CPP also contested government claims that the special contingent of the US military assigned to the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) is merely part of US visiting military forces.

“The unit has been permanently based in the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) headquarters for more than six years now. US military and AFP officials use the annual joint US-Philippine military Balikatan exercises to camouflage the permanent basing and daily operations of US forces in the country,” the CPP said in a statement on its website.

“US and Filipino military officials constantly deny the involvement of the US JSOTF-P contingent in intelligence gathering, reconnaissance patrols and military combat operations,” the group added.

It said Col. Bill Coultrup, the JSOTF-P commander, and other ranking US military officials were at the Camp Navarro headquarters of Westmincom in Zamboanga City over the weekend.

While the visit was kept secret, local media eventually learned about it.

US military officials however evaded questions of reporters. Westmincom chief Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga had earlier said that the visit has no significance for media.

The CPP recalled that in February, US and Philippine military officials in Camp Navarro also rebuffed efforts of local peace advocates to interview US military officials assigned to JSOTF-P and inspect their facilities.

Following instructions from JSOTF-P officials, this group of peace advocates was subsequently led out the camp by an AFP soldier.

The CPP noted that US and Philippine military officials in Mindanao have become increasingly reticent about the presence and activities of US troops during the past few months.

It noted the controversy sparked by the November 2007 order of US military officials to close the Panamao, Sulu District Hospital every night and for it to turn all lights out by dark because the lights affected the security of the night operations of US troops in the area.

Hospital director Dr. Silak Lakkian disclosed that US soldiers even threatened to shoot anyone who challenged the order.

The CPP said the secrecy surrounding US military officials’ visit to the Camp Navarro raises further questions about activities in other military camps clandestinely hosting US military units.

“Aside from its base in Zamboanga, the US military has been developing other bases of operations in other military camps in Mindanao and elsewhere in the Philippines to serve as fulcrum for its presence and operations in the Asia-Pacific region as well as a theater to intervene and conduct experiments in counter-guerrilla warfare in the country,” the CPP said.

The CPP asserted that the constant presence and involvement of US forces in military operations and actual combat in the country constitute gross violations of Philippine sovereignty. - GMANews.TV