ANGELES CITY – An activist group urged yesterday Pres. Aquino to be trans-parent in his dealings with the US officials amid recent US military statements and movements giving rise to suspicions that the Ameri-cans are maneuvering for another military bases agreement.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) expressed fears that the President’s slated visit to Washington and meeting with US Pres. Barrack Obama could pave the way for another military bases agreement between the US and the Philippines.
This, as the group also asked the President to disclose to the Filipino people the “real agenda in the unannounced visit of US joint military chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey.”
In a statement, Pamalakaya noted that the US military’s nuclear carrying warships have been visiting the country for port calls, refueling and rapid forward deployment of troops “under the cloak of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and the Mutual Logistics and Support Agreement (MLSA).”
“Manila now seems to be a de facto military base of the US as Washington generals come here to perform covert meetings with Malacañang and Armed Forces of the Philippines bigwigs,” Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap said.
Hicap recalled that last month a US submarine was docked in Subic freeport without the knowledge of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Hicap said these developments have “something to do with the plan of US defense department to mobilize most of its warships in Asia Pacific region by 2012.”
“Pres. Aquino is legally, politically and morally obliged to report the outcome of the results of his meeting with US general Dempsey to the Philippine Senate, the House of Representatives and the Filipino public,” he said.
Pamalakaya noted that the two-day visit of Dempsey coincided with the announcement of the US government that it will increase its military presence in Asia and the Pacific region by 2020.
“There is a strong possibility that Pres. Aquino will revive the proposed RP-US military bases agreement which was rejected by the Philippine Senate on September 16, 1991 to accommodate more warships and US troops to be deployed by Washington D.C in Asia Pacific in year 2020,” Pamalakaya said.
Hicap added that “Washington can bring this proposal during the scheduled state visit of Aquino to US.”
Earlier, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that the US will move the majority of US warships to the Asia-Pacific in coming years and keep six aircraft carriers in the region.
“The US needs its former naval and air bases in the Philippines for its military campaigns in the Asia Pacific region before and beyond 2020, so it will not be a surprise if revival of the bases agreement becomes an issue during the Aquino state visit in US next week,” Hicap said.
