OBAMA ASKS CONGRESS TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON MILITARY AID TO RP - DFA
MANILA, NOVEMBER 10, 2009 (STAR) The Obama administration has asked the US House of Representatives to remove the conditions on the $2-million military aid for the Philippines in the proposed US appropriations act for next year, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.The US Congress has yet to adopt a final version of the bill, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo said.
Romulo confirmed Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro’s statement that US Sen. Daniel Inouye, Senate appropriations committee chairman, has committed to increase defense and security assistance for the Philippines.
“The Philippine government had been recognized by both the Obama administration and the US Congress for its efforts in addressing human rights issues,” he said.
“We welcome US engagement with our country because we share the same values of democracy, freedom and rule of law.”
Romulo said the US Congress has pushed for higher US military assistance to the Philippines next year compared to previous years.
“Both houses of the US Congress have recommended close to double the amount requested by the Obama administration for foreign military assistance,” he said.
Romulo said overall, the Obama administration has proposed $667 million in assistance for the Philippines for next year to include defense, security and economic assistance; poverty alleviation under the Millennium Challenge Account; and veterans’ benefits.
“The Philippine government remains fully committed and determined to address issues in relation to the protection and promotion of human rights,” he said.
This request for the Philippines is the second largest amount of military assistance in the Asia Pacific region, Romulo said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the US has doubled the amount of military aid to the Philippines for next year.
Speaking to reporters yesterday, Colmenares said Obama has recommended $15 million in military assistance, but the US Congress increased it to $30 million.
“We condemn Senator Inouye of the Democratic Party, who has not even bothered to meet with the victims of human rights violations in the Philippines, for his support for a repressive government and military in the Philippines,” he said.
Colmenares said US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should tell Filipinos who are victims of human rights violations how a single senator could influence US foreign policy with respect to human rights.
The $30 million in US assistance to the Armed Forces is contained in Resolution 3081 that emanated from the US House of Representatives, he added.
The US Congress has already approved the resolution, Colmenares said.
He furnished reporters copies of the bill, “An Act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2010, and for other purposes.”
It appropriates military assistance to the Philippines “not to exceed $30 million,” $2 million of which “may not be obligated until the Secretary of State reports in writing to the committees on appropriations” Philippine compliance on three conditions.
The first condition is that the country “is taking effective steps to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur (Philip Alston) on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, to include prosecutions and convictions for extrajudicial executions; sustaining the decline in the number of extrajudicial executions; addressing allegations of a death squad in Davao City; and strengthening government institutions working to eliminate extrajudicial executions.”
The second is that the government “is implementing a policy of promoting military personnel who demonstrate professionalism and respect for international recognized human rights, and is investigating and prosecuting military personnel and others who have been credibly alleged to have violated such rights.”
In the third condition, US lawmakers wanted to make sure that the Armed Forces of the Philippines “do not have a policy of, and are not engaging in, acts of intimidation or violence against members of legal organizations who advocate for human rights.”
The resolution also contains provisions related to assistance for other countries, including Vietnam and Serbia.
Last Thursday, Colmenares told a Quezon City news forum that failure of the Arroyo administration to comply with the same conditions imposed this year has resulted in the scrapping of the remaining $2 million in military aid.
He said he learned of the decision from American lawmakers and from Raymond Richhart, head of the State Department’s East Asia desk, with whom he met during his recent US visit.
However, on the same day, Teodoro said the Philippines has received the full amount of military assistance the US Congress has appropriated for it.
Colmenares said Clinton must clarify whether the $2 million was indeed scrapped, as Richhart informed him, or released, as Teodoro asserted.
Instead of complying with the conditions, the Arroyo administration sent a lobby group to the US Congress to work for the release of the remaining military aid, he added.
Colmenares said the group was composed of Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, President Arroyo’s Special Envoy Patty Paez and Philippine Legislative Affairs Officer Ariel Peñaranda.
“The failure of President Arroyo to investigate and prosecute retired Gen. Jovito Palparan defeated all their lobbying efforts,” he said.
Clinton must explain
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton must explain the “indefinite” stay of American troops in the Philippines, as well as the continued US military aid to the Arroyo administration despite a US State Department report on the country’s human rights situation when she arrives, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said yesterday.
Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan secretary-general, said they view with “great wariness” the upcoming visit of the US official in the country from Nov. 12-13.
“While on the surface the visit seems to foster solidarity and aid after the devastating typhoons, the lopsided RP-US treaties also seem to be on the agenda,” he said in a text message to The STAR.
“We are concerned that the visit aims to expand the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).”
Reyes said the US government still gives the Arroyo administration some $30 million in military aid each year.
“Like the Obama-Arroyo meet, we’re afraid that the Clinton visit will only reinforce the unequal ties between the two countries,” he said.
During her two-day visit to Manila, Clinton will also hold consultations with senior Filipino officials, Clinton’s spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters. – Pia Lee-Brago, Jess Diaz, Katherine Adraneda
RP GOVT WILL SEEK TO REAFFIRM COMMITMENT TO VFA
(STAR)NOVEMBER 9, 2009 - The Philippines will seek to reaffirm its defense ties with the United States when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visits Manila this week.President Arroyo and security officials are expected to express their “strong support” for the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) when Clinton arrives in Manila on Nov. 12, deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said.
“Obviously, the VFA will be a very big topic because that is very important to the Americans,” Olivar said.
“We would welcome Clinton as the representative of our longest and most ardent supporter, the United States,” he said.
Clinton’s spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters that the
US secretary of state will visit Manila to “show solidarity” with the storm-battered nation, just after her visits to Singapore and Germany.
Kelly said Clinton would hold consultations with senior Philippine officials, highlighted by discussions over the VFA.
Ratified as a treaty in 1999, the VFA outlines the rules governing the conduct of US troops participating in joint military exercises here.
The VFA allows for the presence of US troops in Mindanao where they are helping train Filipino troops fight the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Ties between Manila and Washington are on the mend after the Philippine Senate threatened to review the treaty amid public uproar over a controversial rape case involving a US Marine.
Lance Corporal Daniel Smith was convicted of raping a Filipina in November 2005. He was given a 40-year sentence in December 2006 but was discreetly transferred to a facility inside the US embassy compound.
Public uproar that followed saw near-daily street protests demanding that Smith be held in a local jail. Smith won an appeal in April after the woman recanted her story in a bizarre twist of events.
Lawmakers led by Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Francis Pangilinan pushed for a review of the VFA treaty.
Sen. Joker Arroyo said the Philippine government should put the VFA and the proposal to withdraw the $2 million assistance to the Philippines before the US Congress in the agenda of the meeting between President Arroyo and Clinton.
Arroyo said the President should be forthright in asking Clinton on why the military assistance would be withdrawn.
Arroyo noted the proposal to withdraw the $2 million military assistance was made because of the supposed deteriorating human rights record of the Philippines.
But Arroyo said this is not reason enough to withdraw the military assistance, which he described as “measly.”
Arroyo shot back at the US for being the worst human rights violator in having a state policy of detaining suspected terrorists indefinitely, such as the case in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
He said the administration should also lay its cards on the table regarding the Senate’s resolution for the review of the VFA, the same view taken by Senators Santiago and Pangilinan.
Arroyo said the President should respect the Senate resolution in reviewing the VFA and take the issue before Clinton.
“She (Mrs. Arroyo) should respect the Senate which issued a resolution (which shows) the very strong sentiment of the attitude of the Filipino against the Americans,” the senator said.
Under pressure
Santiago, for her part, said the US government is apparently concerned about the Senate resolution over the VFA.
Santiago believes that the US’s more pressing concern is the plan of the Philippine government to put the VFA on hold.
“They (US) are concerned about it. I am afraid that they will pressure our President to disregard the resolution of the Philippine Senate… out of respect, they should consider the Senate resolution,” she said.
Santiago said the US government should take note of the growing change in attitude of Filipinos towards Americans.
“We should hold them at arm’s length. We should not be a permanent satellite country of the US wherein we will always revolve around them,” she said.
Santiago said the Philippine government should also be prepared to put up with the pressure the US might bring to bear if Manila pushes through with junking the VFA.
As a superpower, Santiago said the US can put pressure on trade partnerships as it has been doing to other countries in the past.
Santiago said the US is trying to be the policeman of the world, which is why it always makes an effort to meddle with other governments.
“It’s their fulfilling of being the policeman of the world. They should stop with that concept,” she said.
Pangilinan, on the other hand, urged President Arroyo to include the Senate resolution over the VFA in the agenda of the meeting with Clinton.
“The Senate resolution gives President Arroyo the leverage to bring the matter of revisiting the 10-year old document and addressing the matter of its legality and constitutionality,” Pangilinan said.
Clinton’s visit comes five months after US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Manila and vowed continued support for Philippine government troops in the fight against Islamic militants.
Small numbers of US forces have been rotating to Mindanao since 2003, providing intelligence and training to Philippine troops that have led to the capture or deaths of key leaders of the Abu Sayyaf.
The elections and the peace process
Aside from the VFA, President Arroyo and Clinton are also expected to discuss issues relating to the elections in 2010 and the peace process in Mindanao.
Mrs. Arroyo will reassure Clinton of a “peaceful and orderly transition of power,” Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said.
“Definitely that’s the objective (peaceful elections). That’s what our President is working for that is why she is pushing for the automation of the elections,” Remonde said.
Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said there was “nothing unusual” in Clinton raising the issue of next year’s elections with Mrs. Arroyo.
“I think such a matter (2010 elections) is a normal part of the agenda. It would be unusual if that is not discussed, the elections being a major development in the country next year,” Claudio said.
“It’s normal for the US to want to know the situation and be concerned over the scenario facing the country next year,” he said.
Claudio stressed the issue cannot be considered an interference of the US in the internal affairs of the country.
“I’m sure they would want to know about the how the peaceful turnover of government next year would proceed,” he said.
Muslim leaders, on the other hand, called on Clinton to see for herself the gains of the Mindanao peace process through the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao regional executive secretary Oscar Sampulna said local executives in the autonomous region, including the area’s five provincial governors, are grateful to the US government for its massive implementation in their respective towns of socio-economic projects designed to alleviate recipient-communities from underdevelopment and devastation wrought by armed conflicts.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is currently negotiating a peace treaty with the government, also wanted Clinton to visit Mindanao and witness the security situation in the region.
The MILF said Clinton should see the gains made by the US government in helping push forward the 11-year-old peace talks with the Philippine government.
MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar said Clinton should come to Mindanao as a gesture of goodwill. –With Christina Mendez, John Unson
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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