Senators seek Palace clarification on access to bases By Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 4, 2013 - 12:00am MANILA, Philippines - With the dismantling of US bases in the country in 1991 still fresh in the mind of many Filipinos, senators are joining calls for the administration to clarify its plan to again give foreign forces access to Philippine air and naval facilities. Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, a nephew of the President, said he wants to find out just what a temporary access to the bases would mean especially in the context of the Constitution and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US. “Temporary is a complicated word. ‘Temporary’ could be one year, three, 10 or 25 years,” Aquino said in an interview with Senate reporters yesterday. Aquino said that the presence of the US military or any other foreign troops in the country should only be allowed within the context of the VFA and similar agreements. Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara warned that any setup resembling some degree of permanence would raise serious constitutional issues. He said the executive branch should brief the Senate regarding its plan as soon as plenary sessions begin on July 22. Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Whether it’s embodied in a treaty or an executive agreement, the Senate would have to play a role. The details would determine the extent of our involvement,” Angara said. Sen. JV Ejercito said that as long as access is temporary, then there should be no problem. But he said the VFA may have to be reviewed in the light of recent threats to the country’s sovereignty. He argued that despite the VFA, the US did not lift a finger to stop Chinese vessels from establishing a de facto occupation of the Panatag Shoal off Zambales. “One of the provisions or conditions of the VFA is that if one ally is in conflict with others, the other would support. I did not see any support when we were being bullied by China,” Ejercito said. Sen. Nancy Binay also said the Senate should pore over the terms of reference for the planned access for foreign troops to Philippine bases. “We have to watch this very carefully because there might be violations,” she said. Bases ready As officials prepare the mechanism for an access arrangement, improvements in existing military bases are being readied with funds to be drawn from allocation for the new Armed Forces modernization law, a defense official said yesterday. Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo said the facilities would be readied for the arrival of new military assets, including ships and aircraft to be acquired through the same law. “Included in the items to be funded by the P75 billion (modernization budget) are the facilities,” Manalo said in a press conference. “That includes the hangar and the berthing facilities for the Navy.” Manalo, who oversees the military’s modernization program, said the government would also set up support facilities for naval bases in Cebu and Palawan. Signed by President Aquino last December, the new Armed Forces modernization law allocates P75 billion for the next five years for defense upgrade. The law effectively extends the modernization program enacted in 1995. The law requires the military, as well as the defense and the budget departments to submit to the President a list of equipment to be acquired. The Department of National Defense (DND) plans to undertake a total of 24 modernization projects to enhance the military’s capability. Manalo declined to enumerate the projects for security reasons but revealed that these include the acquisition of rocket launchers, hand-held radios and night fighting equipment for the Army. For the Air Force, the government aims to acquire radar system, close air support aircraft, combat utility helicopters, and 12 fighter trainer jets. Manalo said the FA-50 fighter jets would be acquired through government-to-government transaction from the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI). The government has allotted P18.9 billion for the purchase of the fighter jets. For the Navy, the government will acquire two frigates worth P18 billion. Manalo said at least five companies from South Korea, Spain, Australia, and Singapore have expressed interest in bidding for the project. He said four of the companies are South Korea’s Hyundai and Daewoo, Spain’s Navantiaa, and Austrialia’s Austal. Other equipment to be acquired for the Navy are amphibious assault vehicle, naval helicopters, multi purpose attack craft, and base support facilities. Supporters In Angeles City, political and civic leaders have expressed strong support for President Aquino’s move to allow foreign access to Philippine bases. Angeles City is home to Clark, once America’s biggest Air Force base outside the continental US. “It would be okay to accommodate the US military if only to protect ourselves from China’s bullying, but this arrangement should only be temporary,” said Ruperto Cruz, whose Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) had spearheaded the move to convert Clark into a premiere international airport after the Americans left in 1991. “Eventually, Clark should be made thoroughly civilian to pave the way for a full-fledged international airport. Even the Philippine Air Force should eventually move out of Clark,” he said in an interview. The Philippine Air Force is still using more than 300 hectares of Clark, Cruz said. City Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan also said he is in favor of an access arrangement but in accordance with the VFA. “Even without the present problem between China and the Philippines as in the past, the US and the Philippines have already been conducting military exercises in the base,” he said. Mabalacat Mayor Marino Morales said the “greater interest of the country” must be in the President’s mind when he made the decision. He stressed that “any military trace at Clark should be removed to pave the way for its being fully transformed into a civilian international airport.” – With Alexis Romero, Ding Cervantes, Paolo Romero, Michelle Zoleta Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Click here to join the discussion philstar/headlines/2013/07/04/961378/senators-seek-palace-clarification-access-bases
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 19:58:03 +0000
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