New agreement allows ‘legalized’ invasion of PH

I write in reaction to Inquirer’s March 17 editorial (“Manila’s options”) on “enhanced defense cooperation.”

I cannot agree more: The new agreement being hammered out by the United States and the Aquino administration is a “matter that should be the subject, not of an executive fiat, but of legislative deliberations.” In other words, it should undergo public scrutiny.

But since the talks began last August, the Filipino public has been left in the dark and guessing as to the details of this agreement even though it involves matters of paramount public interest.

Meanwhile, our defense department is keen on railroading the Framework Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation so it would bypass congressional deliberations. And the public is bombarded with assurances that the proposed agreement will help thwart China’s heightening aggression, and that Senate ratification is not needed as the new pact “merely implements the general provisions” of the existing Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).

True, the threat that Beijing poses to our national security is real and significant, yet it does not necessarily mean that we should allow US military forces unprecedented entry into our military bases and facilities. Defending national sovereignty from one bully by surrendering it to another bully is simply illogical.

The editorial aptly explains why the Aquino administration should not rush to Uncle Sam just to avoid China’s bullying: It sends the message that Washington’s military prowess is Manila’s one and only option in this situation.

Indeed, there are other options. For one, the case we filed against China under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is strong, and there is overwhelming evidence that we stand to win in the territorial dispute. Second, choosing to once again align ourselves solely with the United States closes our doors to future support from other members of the international community.

The Aquino administration worries about Chinese encroachment on Philippine territory, yet the new agreement allows another foreign country to deploy more troops in more areas in the country. The new pact, in effect, leaves our country open to what is tantamount to a “legalized invasion.” For how else would you call a situation where a sovereign nation is being flooded by foreign troops and military equipment?

As former national chair of the League of Filipino Students and a member of the Makabayan Coalition, I firmly believe that the “US solution” is not the answer to the growing unrest in the West Philippine Sea. In the past, we have entered into several similar pacts with the United States, but did our country benefit from them? Clearly, no. Instead, agreements like the VFA and the MDT only served to further undermine our national sovereignty, dragged us into Washington’s wars and exploited our people and resources.

If the Aquino administration signs this new pact without the benefit of public scrutiny, the Filipino people have every right to oppose it. And Congress has every reason—in fact, should be ready—to strike it down.

—TERRY RIDON, representative,

Kabataan Party-list