MANILA. Senator Imee Marcos disclosed on Wednesday that the United States Navy conducted a clandestine transfer of 39 million gallons of fuel from Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Expressing concern over the “pre-positioning of military supplies” within the country amid regional tensions, Marcos called for an explanation from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
According to Marcos, the US-registered oil products tanker Yosemite Trader loaded with fuel on December 20 last year entered Philippine territory on Tuesday and remains around 50 kilometers west of Subic Bay as of Wednesday. The senator urged authorities to clarify the circumstances surrounding the transfer, labeling it as Washington’s “strike three in attempting to deprive the Filipino people of the right to know.”
The first strike, according to Marcos, was the US request to house Afghan refugees in the Philippines, followed by the unadvised landing of military aircraft in the country’s international and domestic airports.
Marcos emphasized that the silence from both countries on the fuel transfer raised suspicions, particularly in the context of predictions about possible conflict between the US and China over Taiwan. Concerns over pre-positioning of military supplies in the Philippines escalated after the strengthening of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between Manila and Washington last year.
“The Mutual Defense Treaty is not a license to leave the Filipino people in the dark,” Sen. Marcos asserted. “Subic is not an EDCA site, so where in Philippine territory will millions of gallons of oil be stored? This is not just an issue of foreign policy but of Philippine sovereignty, even environmental safety. The government better have a clear explanation for this.”
The Stop the War Coalition Philippines (STWC) revealed that the shipment originated from the US Navy’s Red Hill Underground Storage Facility in Honolulu, Hawaii, comprising 40% of the facility’s fuel. The STWC, raising concerns about safety and accountability, questioned whether the Philippine government was aware of or allowed the transfer, who would use the fuel, and for what purpose.
Local media reports from Hawaii suggested that the fuel shipment, now in Philippine waters, is expected to “support operations in the South China Sea.” The STWC highlighted the history of the Red Hill facility, which, near an aquifer, had a fuel leak in 2021 that affected the local water supply, leading to the relocation of 4,000 families. Red Hill, a World War-II era facility, has since been permanently shut down.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
