August 1, 2026
The United States announced in July that it will rehabilitate Buliluyan Port, a civilian port in Bataraza, Palawan, to serve as an additional naval base on the island. The project will be funded with $9 million from the US Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Financing.
While the rehabilitation is being framed as an upgrade for the Philippine Coast Guard, the US has long used the port and nearby coastlines for amphibious exercises under the Balikatan and Kamandag joint military drills. In 2025, the US Marine Corps Littoral Combat Team used the site as a launching pad for HIMARS missile-firing exercises.
“The people must resist the US’ use of Palawan as a launch pad for its aggressive and provocative operations in the South China Sea and reject heavy presence of its troops on the island,” said Marco Valbuena, chief information officer of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). “These troops and ships place the Palawan people and the entire Filipino nation in direct danger of attack by the US’s enemies.”

