U.S. Hardware, Not Nationalist Rants, Can Defend the Philippines
(Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippines)
"Filipino nationalists and left-leaning activists have expressed
great concern over what they allege is an impairment of Philippine sovereignty
by U.S. troop deployments sanctioned by security treaties with U.S. ... In lieu
of an enhanced security agreement, what can nationalist activists contribute to
defending our territorial sovereignty from creeping Chinese encroachment? The
Chinese have greater respect for military hardware than nationalist
outpourings."
U.S.
President Barack Obama arrived Monday to cap his four-nation Asian trip as
uncertainty prevails over the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.
Described
by the Wall Street Journal as the
“centerpiece” of his visit, details of the agreement were, as of Sunday, still
being hammered out in meetings of the Philippine and U.S. panels.
The
meetings were shrouded in secrecy, which violates norms imposed by Malacañang
[the presidential palace] that “any agreement with any country will be open for
public scrutiny in keeping with the administration's commitment to
transparency, accountability and good governance.”
The
panels appeared to be struggling to prevent the agreement from becoming a controversial
climax to Obama's Asia trip, which is aimed at reassuring U.S. allies in the
Asia Pacific - the Philippines, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia - of its
commitment to defend them against China's ever-more aggressive actions toward its
neighbors regarding territorial disputes with Beijing in the East and South
China Seas.
Broadest access
to bases
Early
this month, Philippine media reported that Philippine and U.S. negotiators had agreed
on a draft of accord “that would give American forces their broadest access to
Filipino bases in more than 20 years.”
The
reports also said the agreement “doesn't involve the permanent stationing of U.S.
troops in the Philippines," which is an issue that grates deeply on the
sensitivities of Filipino nationalists and left-leaning activists. They have expressed
great concern over what they allege is an impairment of Philippine sovereignty
by U.S. troop deployments sanctioned by security treaties with U.S., even as
Washington turns a blind eye to encroachments and occupations by Chinese
paramilitary ships of territories claimed by the Philippines as part of its
exclusive economic zone, as have been defined by the U.N.
Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As
early as the first week of April, the Philippine panel was reported to have
reached a consensus on “key provisions and modalities that would reflect, among
other things, full respect for Philippine sovereignty, the non-permanence of U.S.
troops, no U.S. military bases in the Philippines, and prohibition against
weapons of mass destruction.”
As
of Sunday, no details have been disclosed of the updated provisions of the new
agreement.
U.S. rebalancing
This
comes amid U.S. plans to “rebalance” its forces in the Asia Pacific. According
to Philippine negotiators, the United States has similar arrangements with
Australia and Singapore as part of its strategy to contain China's growing
military power.
“After
15 years of the Visiting Forces Agreement [following the termination of U.S.
leases on its military bases in the Philippines in 1992], and given current
realities, challenges and opportunities, the Philippines is ready for a
heightened level of defense cooperation,” said Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, chair of the
Philippine panel.
After
Obama's visit to Japan last week, the focus of his Asian tour has shifted to
the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.
According to
Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, the agreement will be a clear sign of a U.S.
“rebalance” to Asia, despite U.S. preoccupations elsewhere, such as the
annexation of Crimea by Russia.
Revealing a
few details of the proposed agreement, Del Rosario said that the accord would
enable the sharing of Philippine bases, increase the rotation of U.S. ships,
aircraft and troops through the Philippines, and reassure allies of support
against a rising China.
“There is
full resolve on the part of the United States to fulfill its commitments on
this Asia rebalancing, not only in terms of defensive security, but in
enhancing economic cooperation,” Del Rosario told Reuters in an interview.
The agreement
will boost the Philippines' surveillance capabilities in the disputed South
China Sea (West Philippine Sea), he said.
Even without
the agreement, the Philippine military is receiving additional support from the
United States. This year, the Philippines will get $50 million in U.S. foreign
military financing, the largest amount in more than a decade, and another $40
million from a U.S. global security contingency fund.
More U.S.
military aid
The funding
will be strictly used to boost Manila's naval capabilities, with the
Philippines possibly getting a third Hamilton-class high-endurance cutter, he
said.
The first two
Hamiltons that the Philippines recieved
from the U.S. over the last three years are the largest and most modern
warships in the Philippine Navy.
“The South
China Sea can be very rough, and small warships cannot manage the South China
Sea in periods that are not summer; very few of our ships can withstand the
waves there.”
Reuters reported that the United States planned to rotate a squadron of
fighters, P3C-Orion long-range maritime surveillance aircraft, and a littoral
combat ship to Philippine bases after the pact is signed. It has also promised
to help install coastal radar to help the Philippines watch over its maritime
borders.
Del Rosario failed
to say what the quid pro quo is for these military acquisitions. And now, in
lieu of an enhanced security agreement, what can nationalist activists
contribute to defending our territorial sovereignty from creeping Chinese
encroachment? The Chinese have greater respect for military hardware than
nationalist outpourings.
