ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio is worried over the possibly of Mindanao turning into a "platform for war" for the United States (US).

This, as Tinio denounced reports that the US has opened bidding for a Defense Fuel Support Point (DFSP)—a planned military oil depot with 977,000 barrels of storage—along the Davao Gulf.

The House deputy minority leader has called the envisioned oil depot a dangerous escalation of US military basing that undermines Philippine sovereignty and heightens security risks for communities in Mindanao.

“This planned US military oil depot is not about helping Filipinos—it is about securing fuel for US warships and aircraft as part of Washington’s forward-based refueling chain in the Western Pacific,” Tinio said.

“It deepens our entanglement in great power rivalry and turns parts of Mindanao into a forward operating platform for war," added the Makabayan lawmaker.

Tinio warned that positioning a major military fuel hub near strategic sea lanes such as the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea increases the risk that Davao and nearby areas become magnets for attack or retaliation in the event of wider conflict.

“Fuel depots are prime military targets. Building a US-controlled refueling hub in the Davao Gulf effectively paints a bullseye on communities that simply want peace, jobs, and basic services,” Tinio said.

“The people of Davao should not be forced to pay the price for Washington’s military strategy,” he underscored.

Tinio also pointed to the glaring irony of allowing massive fuel stockpiles for a foreign military while Filipinos were being battered by high fuel prices and the broader energy crisis.

“It is outrageous that while Filipino families and transport workers suffer from the oil crisis, government is welcoming a facility meant to store US-owned fuel. If the administration is serious about energy security, it should prioritize affordable fuel and public welfare—not foreign war logistics.”

He added: “Ginagawang bodega ng krudo para sa digma ang Davao. Ipinapahamak ang mamamayan habang pinaglilingkuran ang interes ng dayuhan (Davao is being turned into a crude warehouse for war. The people are being endangered while serving foreign interests)."

Tinio called for full public disclosure of the project’s legal basis, implementing agreements, environmental and safety safeguards, and the role of Philippine agencies, including whether the facility is being pursued under EDCA-related arrangements or other military agreements that have long raised constitutional and sovereignty questions.

“Government must come clean: what agreement authorizes this, who approved it, what are the exact locations, and what protections—if any—are in place for local communities and the environment,” Tinio said.

“The Philippines should not be used as a gasoline station for foreign wars...This cannot be railroaded through procurement notices and ‘deterrence’ talking points," stressed the militant solon.

“We need an independent foreign policy that keeps our people safe, protects our sovereignty, and addresses the real crisis—rising prices and collapsing purchasing power—not one that locks us into Washington’s military footprint," he further said.