In a recent TV Talk Show (POINTBLANK,
ANC Cable Channel 31, June 5, 2002) where I guested with the former
Philippine National Security Adviser, retired General Jose Almonte,
the good general practically admitted that he bases his "national
security assessments on terrorism" on briefings given by U.S.
officials like Mr. Wolfowitz, whom he bragged had given him a
comprehensive briefing in Singapore. Since when have national
security officials based their assessments on briefings given by
foreign officials or is the good general behaving like the colonial
lackeys and collaborators who sold out this country and its freedom
fighters over a century ago to the first American "visiting forces".
And, like the former and present colonial lackeys, he even has the
gall to state that, "inviting American troops on our soil is an
exercise of sovereignty."
In that program, I reminded Mr.
Almonte that we are already formally at least, an independent
country since 1946, with distinct national interests and security
interests from that of the United States and that we should not
always base our definition of terrorism on that of the United
States' definition. For example, when U.S. President George Bush Jr.
brands as terrorist "axis of evil" countries like Iran, Iraq and
North Korea, do we just blindly follow the "Bush-fire" and become
cannon fodders against these three countries which have currently
full diplomatic and trade relations with the Philippines? And have
these above-named countries ever atom-bombed two cities when in
1945, the United States with just two bombs, decimated more than
210,000 civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Terrorism has never
been historically the monopoly of the Al Quaeda or enemies of the
United States.
As early as 1994, in a paper that I
wrote about ongoing secret negotiations between the United States
and the Philippines for a status of forces agreement, I warned and
made a fearless forecast at that time that the United States, in
pursuit of the stability of its global corporate interests, was in
fact out to negotiate such an agreement to restore US military
presence in the Philippines. But this time, I said, they are
out to convert the ENTIRE Philippines into one huge U.S. military
base, using the 22 commercial ports of the Philippines as entry
points. Some skeptics at that time laughed off this scenario,
saying that the Philippines had just kicked out US military bases in
1991. And, as usual, the US and Philippine governments denied
it.
Now all this is happening.
After securing a Philippine-U.S.
Visiting Forces Agreement in 1999, the two governments have now
illegally stretched this document to include all kinds of US
military activities on Philippine territory including actual combat
missions. The International Peace Mission Report on Basilan
recently cofnirmed that US special operations forces are already
actively operating side by side with Philippine military forces in
actual combat operations in combat zones. If this is
"on-the-job training" as National Security Adviser Roilo Golez has
put it so the government could insist that US military operations
are covered by the Visiting Forces Agreement, then it is. But
the Philippine Supreme Court last month cautioned that the VFA does
not include activities(i.e. combat) outside of strictly joint
military exercises. Meanwhile, the deception continues on the nature
of these Balikatan military exercises.
Now, the proposal of Admiral Dennis
Blair, Commander in Chief of the US Pacific Command (CINCPAC) to
allow US special operations forces to operate in combat missions
side by side with Filipino soldiers in the ENTIRE island of Mindanao
(Singapore Straits Times, April 26, 2002) does not come as a
surprise to us anymore. The visit of the Chair of the US Joint
Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, to Basilan, following
Blair's own visit to American foreign legionnaires in that province,
as well as the introduction of Seabees to build US military
infrastructure, civic action activities, etc. are all indications of
an escalation of US military involvement in the Philippines. Only
those Filipino officials who rely on briefings given by US officials
like Wolfowitz or the right-wing Heritage Foundation which National
Security Adviser Roilo Golez relies on for his "national security
assessments" will still call these an "exercise of sovereignty".
The most recent Stratfor Report,
prepared by former CIA and State Department analysts, about US plans
to re-establish "forward bases" in the Philippines as part of US
strategy against international terrorism, should be taken seriously.
For the US has, in fact, under the present Bush administration,
already reversed the post-Cold War trend of reducing or closing down
of overseas U.S. military bases and facilities. Even before
Sept. 11, the US-government think tank Rand Corporation, prepared a
strategy study titled, "The United States and Asia: Toward a New US
Strategy and Force Structure"(May 2001), prepared by Mr. Z.
Khalilzad, who is a senior member of the US National Security
Council(NSC) which advises the US president on national security
issues. The Rand study had observed and strongly recommended:
The Philippine may present an
especially interesting opportunity to enhance USAF access in the
Western Pacific. After reaching their nadir in the
mid-1990s, relations between Washington and Manila have recently
improved, culminating in the signing of a status of forces
agreement in 1991(VFA). While neither side has expressed any
interest in resuming permanent basing of US forces in the
islands, the Philippines' key location in the South China Sea
could make it an attractive site FOR FUTURE EXPEDITIONARY
DEPLOYMENTS." (Underscoring supplied.)
This reversal of initial post-Cold War
US policy of reducing overseas bases is now best manifested in the
setting up of new US military bases in the Middle East, Afghanistan
and the former Soviet republics around Afghanistan, and now, to
reestablish them in the Philippines, initially under the guise of
participation in military exercises.
The overlords and Republican warhawks
in Washington must be privately thanking Osama Bin Laden for
September 11. And, we can bet you, even the U.S. arms and weapons
manufacturers which are the No. 1 merchants of death and destruction
in other countries.
We warn that an escalation of US
military involvement will lead to an escalation of the conflict.
And, as the International Peace Mission to Basilan Report shows,
merely improving the Armed Forces of the Philippines' technical
capabilities supplied by the US to provide an effective military
solution to this problem is already leading to the escalation of the
spiraling violence and human rights violations.
* Article by Roland G Simbulan - For a full
professional background of Professor Roland G. Simbulan (Click
Here)
