Members of the Makabayan bloc warned of a possible escalation of the US-Israel attack on Iran into a catastrophic regional war with global implications.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the coordinated military strikes launched by the United States and Israel against Iran. This act of aggression represents a dangerous escalation that threatens to plunge the entire Middle East into a catastrophic regional war with global implications,” the Makabayan bloc said.
“The so-called preemptive attack is nothing but naked imperialism cloaked in the rhetoric of self-defense,” they added. “Ang pag-atake na ito ay isang krimen laban sa kapayapaan at kasarinlan ng Iran at ng buong rehiyon.”
The bloc said the United States and Israel “have once again demonstrated their utter disregard for international law, national sovereignty, and the lives of ordinary people who will bear the brunt of this military adventure.”
They also condemned the timing of the assault, noting that it occurred during the holy month of Ramadan.
“This is not just a military attack but a deliberate provocation designed to inflame tensions and justify further aggression,” the group said.
The lawmakers rejected the justification that Iran poses an imminent threat, calling it the same “tired pretext used to justify decades of US military interventions across the globe.”
“These wars of aggression have brought nothing but death, destruction, and instability, enriching arms manufacturers and securing control over strategic resources while leaving millions dead and displaced,” the group said.
“The US, which maintains hundreds of military bases around the world and possesses the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet, has no moral authority to lecture any nation about weapons programs or regional stability. Israel, which has conducted a genocidal campaign against Palestinians and maintains an undeclared nuclear weapons program, has no right to determine what constitutes a threat in the Middle East,” the bloc stressed.
The Makabayan bloc also called on the Marcos administration to condemn the attack and terminate the US-PH Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
“The path to peace in the Middle East does not lie in military strikes and regime change operations orchestrated by Washington and Tel Aviv. It lies in respecting the sovereignty of nations, ending military occupations and blockades, addressing the legitimate grievances of oppressed peoples, and building a new international order based on equality and mutual respect rather than domination and exploitation,” they added.
The Makabayan bloc is composed of ACT Teachers Party-list Representative Antonio Tinio, Gabriela Party-list Representative Sarah Elago, and Kabataan Party-list Representative Renee Co.