Not our war, Mr.

President
Opinion by Ma. Lourdes Tiquia • April 11, 2023 | 12:06 AM

MR. President, can you run a country in war?

Not our war, Mr. President©  Provided by The Manila Times

Filipinos should be asking this to the 17th in the light of the announcement by the US
Department of Defense last April 3 on the expanded Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement
(EDCA) to include four new sites: Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor
F. de la Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Balabac Island in Palawan; and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan. The
reason given by Malacañang is to "boost the disaster response of the country, as the locations
will also be used for humanitarian and relief operations during emergencies and natural
disasters." Another euphemism being invoked is that the camps will only be for "storage and
warehouse facilities for military logistics."

There are currently five camps under EDCA: Fort Magsaysay in Zambales (the country's biggest
military reservation with 35,467 hectares); Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Antonio
Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan (closest Philippine air base to the Spratly Islands
and shares 2,700-meter runway with Puerto Princesa Airport ); Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in
Mactan, Cebu (3,000-meter runway shared with the Mactan Cebu International Airport,
emergency landing strip of the US bombers in 1956 which served as an air transit point for
American troops and supplies during the Vietnam War); and Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro
(known prior to 2013 as the Cagayan de Oro Airport). "It seems the main goal is to defend the
country's eastern coast, noting the Philippines' continental shelf on Luzon's eastern side was
also put into consideration."
The next question is whether the four additional camps (mind you, Balabac, Palawan and Lal-lo
Airport are not) would be honored in an EDCA about to end by April 28, 2024. Would that mean
EDCA will be extended?

It seems our country has not learned our history well. The Senate removed the US bases on
Sept. 16, 1991 in a 12-11 vote, rejecting a proposed bases treaty that would have given the US
another 10 years to maintain one of its most strategic bases, the Subic Naval Base (Clark Air
Base had become inoperable the year before because of the Mount Pinatubo eruption). By the
wrath of nature and the political will of a Senate under the administration of President Cory C.
Aquino, we dealt with the Americans. Hence, in our lifetime and under an Aquino, the rejection
and removal of decades of vestiges of American influence came to reality.

And yet, it was under another Aquino, President Benigno S. Aquino 3rd, that we saw the return
of the Americans. EDCA is a supplemental agreement to the previous Visiting Forces Agreement
(VFA). The agreement was signed by Aquino 3rd Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US
Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg on April 28, 2014, preceding a visit of US
President Barack Obama and only after eight negotiation meetings.

We cannot be a staging ground of another country's war. We cannot. Our economy can't take
that shock and our country is not ready to fight it out on the issue of the West Philippine Sea
and Taiwan. On the latter, we went to the arbitral court to pursue a different path and not the
military option. In Taiwan, we remain with the "One China" policy, and settling the issues
between China and Taiwan is not for the Philippines to do.

I hope the 17th president realizes soon that his waltzes are bothersome to say the least. Copying
from President Duterte's playbook, BBM said at the 77th Session of the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) High-Level General Debate last September 20, "The Philippines shall continue
to be a friend to all, and an enemy of none."

President Marcos further stated that the Philippines was an example of settling disputes through
peaceful methods, citing its adherence to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the
Sea (Unclos). "By reinforcing the predictability and stability of international law, particularly the
1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, we provided an example of how states
should resolve their differences: through reason and through right."

Though the Senate rejected the bases, the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) remained. Signed in
Washington D.C. on Aug. 30, 1951 by representatives of President Elpidio Quirino, two
provisions in the MDT are crucial for the country:

"Article V. For the purpose of Article IV, an armed attack on either of the Parties is deemed to
include an armed attack on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the Island
territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in
the Pacific," and

"Article VIII. This Treaty shall remain in force indefinitely. Either Party may terminate it one year
after notice has been given to the other party."

Clearly, the US will not go to our aid automatically while we build a garrison on land and sea for
the Americans. Why? For a piece of gold? An allocation of $82 million? How much of the
allocation has been made?

Our elected leaders should learn from history and how the Spanish, Americans and Japanese
occupied us, fought with and later against us, and allowed us our independence under
questionable arrangements. We are who we are as an independent nation.

Eighty-one years ago today, generations of Filipinos paid blood, sweat and tears in our collective
last stand in the Fall of Bataan. We were arm-to-arm with the Americans in 1942, even during
the Death March. One abandoned and promised an "I shall return." And the rest is history.

That was a different epoch, Mr. President. Wars are not fought that way these days. Should we
go territorial or ecological? Do you see a unipolar, bipolar or multipolar world? Is war a common
heritage just because the US says so? Or does its security alliance provide so? For whom does
the bell toll, Mr. President? Do we fight their wars? Are Filipinos fodder to America's scorched
earth mentality?
VOCABULARY
Humanitarian /人道主义的/
adjective
concerned with or seeking to promote human welfare.
"groups sending humanitarian aid"
Similar: compassionate, humane, unselfish, altruistic

Euphemism /委婉语/
noun
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when
referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
"“downsizing” as a euphemism for cuts"
Similar: polite term, substitute, mild alternative, indirect term

Invoke /调用/
verb
past tense: invoked; past participle: invoked
cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument.
"the antiquated defense of insanity is rarely invoked today"
Similar: cite, refer to, Adduce, instance

Wrath/ 愤怒/
noun
ARCHAIC•LITERARY
extreme anger.
"he hid his pipe for fear of incurring his father's wrath"
Similar: anger, rage, fury, annoyance, indignation, outrage

Supplemental /补充/
adjective
NORTH AMERICAN
provided in addition to what is already present or available to complete or enhance it.
"many premature infants need supplemental oxygen soon after birth"

Arbitral /仲裁的/
adjective
relating to or resulting from the use of an arbitrator to settle a dispute.

Predictability /可预测性/
noun
the ability to be predicted.
"we were discussing the predictability of career outcomes"
Deemed /视为/

to come to think or judge : consider. deemed it wise to go slow. those whom she

deemed worthy. a movie deemed appropriate for all ages. intransitive verb

Jurisdiction /管辖权/
noun
the official power to make legal decisions and judgments.
"federal courts had no jurisdiction over the case"
Similar: authority, control, power,dominion, rule

Garrison /警备/
verb
provide (a place) with a body of troops.
"troops are garrisoned in the various territories"
Similar: defend, guard, protect, preserve