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01/28/2012
The Philippines is open to increased US military presence and engagement in the country, in a move analysts said was directly aimed at trying to contain a rising China.
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario yesterday said the Philippines was looking for more joint military exercises with the US, as well as having a greater number of American troops rotating through the Southeast Asian country but only if these conform to Philippine laws.
“It is to our definite advantage to be exploring how to maximize our treaty alliance with the United States in ways that would be mutually acceptable and beneficial,” Del Rosario said in a statement.
He, however, stressed that “any actions taken will be consistent with our treaty obligations and in accordance with Philippine laws and the Constitution.”
Del Rosario’s comments came after the Washington Post released a report quoting an unnamed senior Philippine official that Manila is inclined to allow greater US presence in the country to contain a rising China, which in the last several months has been accused by the Philippines and other Southeast Asian states of flexing its military might to assert its claims over the resource-rich and strategically located South China Sea.
China’s perceived aggressiveness in the vast waters, referred to by Manila as West Philippine Sea, since last year worried Southeast Asian nations, particularly those with competing claims in the waters like the Philippines, but created opportunities for the US to come back to Asia as it downgrades its presence in the Middle East.
China has long opposed any involvement of foreign countries in the dispute, particularly the US, and had always maintained that the Spratlys should be resolved bilaterally and not through multilateral groups like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or the United Nations.
Beijing maintains “indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea, a cluster of islands, reef, shoals and coral outcrops
that straddles one of the world’s vital sealanes.
Last year, the Philippines and Vietnam have accused China of incursions in their respective territories, harassing their fishermen and sabotaging oil explorations in their waters facing the South China Sea.
Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan are also claimants.
China had denied such allegations and rejected protests lodged by the two countries, citing historical rights as the basis for claiming the entire sea.
To Del Rosario, the territorial disputes must still be resolved diplomatically, but “to complement the diplomatic approach we must at the very least also endeavor to achieve a minimum credible defense posture.”
As a treaty ally, he said the US has offered to help the cash-strapped Philippine military, which is among the weakest in the region, guard its claimed territories and regular territorial waters in and near the contested Spratlys.
“Beyond responding to some of our needs in terms of military equipment and training, to compensate for our lack of resources, we would want to additionally explore other means of acceptable assistance and cooperation from the US such as, for instance, planning more joint exercises to promote interoperability and a rotating and more frequent presence by them,” Del Rosario said.
“Such cooperative efforts would as well result in achieving a balance of influence to ensure peace, stability and economic development in the region,” he said.
After receiving a warship from Washington with a pledge of a second one this year, the Philippines said it will also seek a squadron or 12 fighter jets from the US to bolster its military capability.
In a previous interview, Del Rosario said the acquisition of the war planes is part of continuing talks between Philippine and American officials and more detailed discussions will take place when he and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin meet their counterparts — State Secretary Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta — in Washington in March before President Aquino’s planned state visit there in May.
Malacañang, for its part, confirmed that the US and Philippine governments have been discussing “enhanced defense cooperation.”
“These discussions are at an early stage and there’s nothing finalized at this point. But certain measures to enhance the defense capability of the Philippines and our cooperation with the US are being considered,” Presidential Communications Group Secretary Ramon Carandang told reporters.
He, however, clarified that the alleged arrangement involving the construction of military bases in the country is not among those points of discussion.
“None of these initiatives involves any kind of basing arrangements similar to what we had prior to 1991. The Philippine government does not even think of a return of the US bases similar to Subic and Clark prior to 1991. What we’re really looking at is our enhanced defense cooperation.”
Carandang said Malacañang would certainly welcome a mutual cooperation to enhance the Philippine government’s defense capabilities.
“First, of all I don’t think anyone will deny that the Philippines defense capability has lagged behind its neighbors in the last several decades. And the Aquino administration, since it came into office, has been working very hard to enhance our defense capabilities, particularly our maritime capabilities. We’re doing this in cooperation not just with the United States, but also with Australia and other Asian neighbors. So that’s part and parcel of our efforts to enhance our defense capabilities.”
On the US government’s indication of its interest in expanding its engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, Carandang said the Americans are also talking to other Asian countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
“They (US) are doing the same thing with Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. So this is part of a convergence of interests.”
But two militant lawmakers in the House of Representatives hit the supposed plan of the US to expand its military presence in the Philippines.
“Many quarters, Bayan Muna among them, have been calling for the scrapping of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) for such a long time, considering that it is extremely disadvantageous to our country. The Aquino administration held the position however that the agreement should be reviewed. But with this new development, whatever happened to the review?” Bayan Muna Representatives Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares, in a joint statement, said.
“The review has not even started yet and we are going to enter a new agreement that would further put us in a disadvantaged position. From all indications, this is a US move to re-assert its presence in the Pacific Ocean not only to block China’s increasing dominance as well as stave the US’ floundering economy,” Casiño stressed.
He said they are going to file a resolution on Monday to have the report investigated, as he reiterated his group’s call for the scrapping of the VFA.
“We were able to get rid of the US bases and we are still fighting against the VFA, we do not need the government to once again sell out of our sovereignty,” Casiño said.
Fernan J. Angeles,
Charlie V. Manalo and AFP