Canada participates in Balikatan exercise despite Philippine military implicated in killings of environmental defenders
PBI-Canada photo: Protest in Ottawa against Balikatan.
“Balikatan” is an annual military training exercise held by the Philippines and the United States. This year it is taking place on the island of Luzon, the Batanes Islands and Zambales from April 21 to May 9 with Colombia, Indonesia, Germany, the UK, Canada and other countries participating as observers.
In their promotion of a protest in Ottawa today, the Ontario Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines (OCHRP) highlighted: “While Canada and the US claim to be building the defensive capabilities of the Philippines, in reality they are giving military support to a government accused of well-documented human rights abuses on activists human rights defenders, and Indigenous peoples in the name of counter-insurgency.”
OCHRP adds: “These annual war games regularly disrupt the lives of Filipinos in affected areas such as the blocking off of water used by fisherfolk, and live fire exercises can even lead to the displacement of Indigenous communities.”
More photos from today’s protest on Instagram here.
Globally, one land and environmental defender is killed every other day. Between 2012 and 2023, at least 298 defenders were killed in the Philippines (the third highest in the world after Colombia and Brazil). It continues to be the most dangerous country in Asia for land and environmental defenders.
Global Witness has noted: “The military has been linked to the highest number of killings and detentions of land and environmental defenders in the last decade… A Global Witness investigation published in December 2024 found that the government’s push to expand critical minerals mining in the country is putting frontline communities, especially Indigenous Peoples, at risk of militarisation and violence.”
Global Witness adds: “Indigenous Peoples account for a staggering one-third of land and environmental defender killings in the Philippines in 2012-23. Neary half of these cases were linked to mining. The military was responsible for 64 out of 117 killings of Indigenous defenders between 2012-23.”
In February 2024, following the visit of a delegation to the Philippines, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) highlighted: “[Philippines president Ferdinand] Marcos Jr. is targeting anyone who criticizes state policies, including human rights defenders, social justice advocates, journalists, students and trade unionists. He is using the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, established by his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, to attack and silence critics.”
Despite these well-documented human rights violations, Canada is seeking closer military collaboration with the Philippines.
On February 10, 2025, The Defense Post reported: “Canada and the Philippines are in the final stages of negotiating a pact to allow them to deploy troops on each other’s soil, [according to] the Canadian envoy to Manila.”
Canadian ambassador David Hartman says: “We are in the final stages of negotiating the agreement which will enable us to have deeper cooperation and more substantive participation in training to build capacity. …We are hopeful that the signing and ratification of the agreement by both governments can be expected before the end of 2025.”
Canada also continues to export “military goods” to the Philippines and weapons companies continue to enable the Philippines military.
In October 2024, Reuters reported: “From Lockheed Martin of the United States to Sweden’s Saab, Israel’s Rafael [and the state-run Israel Aerospace Industries], and the India-Russia joint venture BrahMos, a total of 291 firms showcased military technology and weapons systems” at the biennial Asia Defence and Security (ADAS) exhibition given the Philippines is seen as “an emerging market for the defence industry.”
Many of these same transnational corporations seeking to sell weapons and technology to the Philippines military will be at the annual CANSEC arms show this coming May 28-29 at the EY Centre in Ottawa.
It is likely an official delegation from the Philippines including military representatives will be at CANSEC this year as it has in previous years.
@shut.down.cansec on Instagram
Further reading
ICC arrest of Duterte raises questions about CANSEC and the export of “military goods” to the Philippines (PBI-Canada, March 12, 2025)
Filipino human rights defenders hold rally at Philippines Embassy in Canada as Duterte faces crimes against humanity charges (PBI-Canada, March 15, 2025)
Canada and the Philippines sign defence cooperation agreement despite the killings of human rights defenders (PBI-Canada, January 24, 2024)
0 Comments