Years of US presence did not modernize AFP – Bayan
Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes Jr. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on Sunday lambasted President Benigno Aquino III’s administration, claiming it should not rely on the United States to defend Philippine territory and modernize the military.
“Stand up to China, we must. But let’s not delude ourselves that the US is our protector. The US is only after its own agenda,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a statement.
He said the Philippines is “getting the short end of the stick” by again inviting the US into its territory through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
The eighth round of negotiations on the EDCA between the two countries was concluded on Friday. Once signed by the Philippine and US government, it will give the US military access to facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia assured the public that the US will have to get the consent of the government before bringing in anything. He also said it will make it easier for the US to aid the AFP in its modernization program.
Article continues after this advertisementBut Reyes said the Philippines’ previous experience with the US belies such claims.
Article continues after this advertisement“There is also no empirical evidence to support the assertion that giving US forces access to our facilities will modernize our AFP. During the time of the US bases, and even under the VFA, the same argument was used yet our AFP still remained backward,” he said.
Reyes said that instead of the Philippines benefiting from the agreement, it is the US that is taking advantage of the situation.
“The US pivot to Asia involves US allies shouldering the cost of hosting US forces. The US fiscal crisis is making it increasingly difficult for the US to sustain its self-appointed role of global policeman. It is why countries like Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Australia are being asked to share the burden by providing bases and access to bases,” the Bayan secretary general pointed out.
Bayan said it will hold protests against the EDCA this week and in time for the visit of US President Barack Obama by the end of the month. Reyes said they already “linked up with anti-bases activists in the US, Japan and South Korea.”
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Javier Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate said their group is considering questioning the EDCA before the Supreme Court.
“This early we are already studying the option of questioning the EDCA at the Supreme Court because it is a clear violation of our Constitution particularly Sections 3 and 7 and possibly Section 8 of Article II. We are also of the position that this is not a mere executive agreement but a treaty and should be scrutinized by the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Colmenares said.
Section 3 of the Philippine Constitution states that “Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.”
Meanwhile, Section 7 states that “The State shall pursue an independent foreign policy. In its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination.”
Section 8 of Article II pertains to the Philippine police “of freedom from nuclear weapons in its territory.”
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