ABSTRACT
In January 2002, 660 US troops joined the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in joint exercises in southeastern Mindanao Island, where a Muslim separatist rebellion and a gang of Islamic kidnappers had bedevilled the Philippine government (Newsbreak Magazine, 13 February 2002; Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26 January, 1 March 2002; henceforth PDI). Filipino nationalists criticized ‘Balikatan 02-1’ as yet more proof of ‘US imperialism’ (Unmasking the U.S. War on Terror, 2002). The public, however, thought otherwise. Polls showed that a large percentage (84 per cent) of respondents favoured the US deployment (Social Weather Station, Special Media Release, 30 January 2002). Among Filipino-Muslims, 60 per cent supported Balikatan 02-1, while 26 per cent disapproved of it (Social Weather Station, Special Institutional Sponsor Release, 6 August 2002).
