ANGELES CITY– A militant group said yesterday that the plan of the Aquino administration to move large contingents of the Philippine military to Subic Bay was designed primarily to accommodate plans of the US government for an “increased rotational presence” of the US military in the Philippines.
Thus, the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) urged the Senate to be “extra vigilant” on the proposed plan that, it noted, could even pave the way “even for the construction of new US military facilities” in the country.
Pamalakaya cited reports that despite lack of consultation with the Senate, which has the sole authority to ratify agreements of such nature, US and Philippine defense and military officials have allegedly already secretly worked out details for a pact for such scenario.
“The Philippine Senate –the ratifying authority of any PH-US military agreement in the country has been completely ignored,” the group said. Pamalakaya asserted that the planned relocation of Philippine air force and navy units to Subic, a former US naval base up to 1991 when the Senate terminated the Philippine-US Military Agreement, “ is part of the grand design that would justify Washington’s unlimited access to Philippine bases.”
In an interview during the recent opening of the bailey bridge along the damaged portion Subic- Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) President-CEO Arnel Casanova said all units of the air force occupying some 320 hectares within the Clark Freeport would have to be moved to Subic.
“The air force already wants to move,” he said, but declined to comment on whether the move was part of the proposal for US “rotational presence” in the Philippines.
He said such issue should be addressed to Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin. Pamalakaya said “it is time for Senators to get their acts together, demand transparency in the on-going PH-US military bases talks, compel the executive to submit this agreement so that they could shred it to pieces, “ said Salvador France, vice chairperson of Pamalakaya.
France said “the Senate should summon officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of National Defense ( DND) and compel them to report on the outcome of the talks between Malacanang and the US government.”
“The Filipino people have no idea what’s going on and what the Philippine government has offered so far at the altar of US military campaign in the Philippines and in Asia Pacific. It would be constitutionally, legally and politically correct for the Senate to demand a black and white report on the on-going negotiations,” France stressed.
Earlier, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Carlos Sorreta said the Aquino government saw no problem with the construction of US military facilities as long as these would be approved by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and that ownership would be turned over after every joint military exercises.
Sorreta admitted to the possibility of construction of US military bases in the country, but only with approval of the government and only if the bases would be temporary.
“At the end of the (joint military) exercise these will be either removed or transferred to us either through an existing process granted by the US Congress in terms of transferring equipment or through our Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) mechanism,” he said.
The DFA official said that in the second round of talks, which was held in Washington on September 12, both parties expressed understanding that the US will not establish a permanent military presence in the country.
Philippine military officials earlier defended the transfer of air force and navy to Subic as this would allegedly “allow local troops to gain faster access to waters being contested by China in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).”
Pamalakaya cited “a confidential military report saying Subic will provide the Armed Forces of the Philippines strategic location, direct and shorter access to support West Philippine Sea theater of operations.”
The report said the cost of repairs and improvements for an air force base in Subic would be at least P5.1 billion (about $119 million). It said that, on the other hand, building a new military base would cost P11 billion ($256 million).
Relocating about 250 air force officers and men to Subic, along with “increased rotational presence of foreign visiting forces” would bolster business and trade at the port, the military document said.
The Philippines plans to grant visiting US forces, ships and aircraft temporary access to more of its military camps to allow for a larger number of joint military exercises than are currently staged each year.
