The Defense and Foreign Affairs departments will announce today the start of negotiations for the terms of the rotational basing agreement with the United States, the timetable for which has been made available piecemeal as if testing the waters of public tolerance. The agreement would be crucial to the US policy of shifting bulk of its overseas military forces to the Far East or what is now termed as the American’s Asian policy pivot. The negotiations for the setting up of semi-permanent bases was handed down from the US, with Noynoy giving his meek assents to every American directive, which seems included the pressure he constantly applies on China. The diplomatic friction with Taiwan and how it was resolved showed that Noynoy is not capable of bold steps on his own. The conflict started from the shooting by coast guardsmen of a fishing vessel which strayed within Philippine territory resulting in the death of Taiwanese fisherman Hung Shih Cheng, supposedly the captain of the boat. At the onset, Noynoy had said that the incident was unavoidable since the boat violated territorial rules on fishing or that the boat was poaching within Philippine boundaries and the vessel refused to stop when it was flagged down by the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG). The death of Hung was unintentional was the government’s position. Immediately, Taiwan imposed 11 sanctions on the country, including the suspension of the hiring of Filipino workers and set four conditions for the lifting of the sanctions, mainly focused on a public apology from Noynoy. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) apparently guided by Malacañang released its finding recently stating that eight PCG personnel were liable for homicide as a result of Hung’s death. Gone was the position that the fishing vessel violated Philippine territory. Contrast his position with China wherein Noynoy refuses to negotiate with on the territorial conflict but instead maintained the position, backed by the Americans, that the dispute be arbitrated by an international body such as the United Nations. China has been wondering why Noynoy keeps on taunting the country’s neighbor while refusing to discuss the problem with the one concerned. Lately, it said that the Philippines has greatly changed in terms of its relations with its neighbors. Now, the irritation that Noynoy is bringing to the region is turned on full throttle with its accession to host American forces in its rotational presence in the region. The 1987 Constitution has expressly prohibited the permanent basing of foreign forces in the country and the Senate’s junking of the US Military Bases Agreement in 1991 had affirmed the nation’s position against the presence of American forces in the country. The policy to bar foreign military bases in the country, in turn, was the result of the abuses and trampling of sovereignty whenever the interest of the country and the American forces crosses that usually results in the interest of the foreign guests prevailing. Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario jointly wrote Congress to seek permission for the negotiations on the rotational hosting agreement to start. Congress should demand representation in the negotiations since it involves the likely requirement of a treaty to conclude it. The Visiting Forces Agreement, which is the main treaty involving US military forces’ stay in the country, would likely not provide for a rotational basing arrangement that the US government is trying to get Noynoy to approve. Increasingly, Noynoy’s tough talk against China appears all directed toward paving the way for easing the return of American military bases in the country.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:24:53 +0000
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