Quarantine this plague forever

Even a simple reading of the so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) indicates that the Philippines practically does not have any say, much less right, authority or control, over its undefined to-be-agreed terms and conditions pertaining to US locations, structures, facilities, materiel, activities and troops.

This is making the country a virtual aircraft carrier, with its pristine islands and islets practically serving as escort warships. We are offering the Americans the use of our territory carte blanche.

Allowing the entry of an unlimited number of US troops, facilities and structures is by itself a violation of our Constitution, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity, our national interest—nay, our self-respect and dignity as a people. This infirmity and anomaly are borne out by history, within the context of concrete experience.

No master-slave agreement can be condoned under any debatable, if not extraterrestrial, justification. It must be “quarantined” forever before it spreads like the plague that it already is.

Justice may be wearing blindfolds, but it should not pretend to be blind to reality—especially if reality is staring us in the face. Edca is as one-sided as it could get.

Should we wait and twiddle our thumbs in insulated ivory towers before we act decisively? Edca must be struck down, right here, right now.

EDRE U. OLALIA,
secretary general,
National Union of
Peoplesí Lawyers,
[email protected]