ILOILO CITY, Philippines, February 24 (IslamOnline.net) - The two-week "Exercise Balikatan 2004" war games between Filipino and American soldiers are only a cover up to protect the American oil interests in the Southeast Asian country, a political leader charged on Tuesday, February 24.

Anakpawis National Political Party chairman Crispin Beltran said the drills are "in truth more than military exercises but the U.S. government's efforts to protect oil resources it has plundered from the Philippines with the help of the puppet Arroyo regime."

"There are no more pretensions that U.S. military forces are coming into the country as part of a U.S.-Philippines pact against terrorism: the motives are now coldly economic, but the impact on the country and its sovereignty are severe," he told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, February 24.

Beltran, a former member of the Philippine legislature, lambasted the Arroyo government for its "betrayal of Philippine economic and political sovereignty" by allowing the American military to conduct a new series of war games.

The drills fall as part of the Visiting Forces Agreement inked between the two states in 1999.

Beltran believes that American soldiers are being deployed to Palawan, one of the venues of the exercises apart from Batanes and Nueva Ecija, to ensure the security of the Malampaya oil exploration project.

The 4.5-billion-dollar investment, which is the single largest foreign investment in the Philippines, is operated by a consortium led by a unit of the Royal/Dutch shell group.

Shell Philippines Exploration BV and Chevron Texaco have a combined 90-percent stake in the consortium while the state-run Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) has a measly 10 percent.

"U.S. troops are being deployed in the country to protect and defend American investments and other economic interests; and this by itself is a violation of the country laws on independence and sovereignty," Beltran said.

He accused the Filipino and American propaganda handlers, psychological warfare experts and military operatives of "exaggerating the terrorist threat in the Philippines as a means to justify this latest affront to national sovereignty and patrimony."

Beltran asserted that the U.S. troops are in Palawan are "by no means to protect the civilian populace or to defend the country from terrorist attacks, but to ensure the security of American investments."

President Arroyo said in an official statement released on Tuesday that the military training "is a partnership for political and economic security in this part of the world as it is part of modernization of our armed forces and the sharing of technologies and tactics in the field."

She added that it "is part of our international connections that enhance our security and enable our people to focus on jobs and fighting crime and drugs. Better external security enables us to focus on internal needs."

During the opening ceremonies, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Mussomeli said the "Balikatan reflects the longstanding, close relationship between the Philippines and the United States, two peoples deeply rooted in shared history and values, with a shared commitment to global peace, security and prosperity. It demonstrates our mutual respect as treaty allies and friends."

He argued that "the purpose of Balikatan leads to one fundamental objective: the United States and Philippines working together to create a safer and more secure environment in which free and democratic nations can live, work, and prosper."