Forum tackles risks of US bases in PH

Forum tackles risks of US bases in PH

SPEAKERS at the Pandesal Forum on Saturday have agreed that allowing more American military bases in the Philippines will increase the risk of the country being dragged into an unwanted war.

Among the forum’s speakers were The Manila Times columnist Ricardo Saludo, former Presidential Management Staff chief and Civil Service Commission chairman; Herman Laurel, Philippines Asian Century Strategic Studies Institute president; Prof. Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president for external affairs, Philippines Asian Century Strategic Studies Institute; and Prof. Celso Cainglet of the University of the Philippines Visayas (Iloilo City).

Saludo said the Philippines must no longer renew its Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the US, which is due to end in April 2024.

At present, American bases in the country under the EDCA are located in Antonio Bautista Air Base (Palawan), Basa Air Base (Pampanga), Fort Magsaysay (Nueva Ecija), Lumbia Airport (Cagayan de Oro) and Benito Ebuen Air Base (Mactan, Cebu).

Saludo said a senior Pentagon official, whom he did not identify, was mulling to add five more military facilities in the Philippines.

The speakers noted that if the enemies of the US retaliate, the Philippines will be at the losing end because of the presence of American military facilities in the country.

Saludo noted that in the event of a China-Taiwan conflict, the US, as confirmed twice by President Joe Biden, will defend the island against China.

“So we are also affected because the US military bases are with us, and they will use their facilities when they see it fit,” said Saludo.

Malindog-Uy said Americans would not be directly affected by such conflicts since they are too far from the region.

Saludo and Malindog-Uy added that the Filipino people have the right to be heard on such a critical issue since their very lives are at stake.

“I think this also is the right time for the Church to be on the lead again, as it has been proven in the past, in effectively motivating the people to rise against such issues,” Cainglet said.

Saludo said the US is determined to build more bases in Southeast Asia particularly in the Philippines.

“The more bases the US would have, the more difficult it would be for China to knock the former out but who would be the losers, us the Philippines,” he said.

Saludo added that it would be hard for the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement an independent foreign policy, as stated by Presidential Security Adviser Clarita Carlos, if the Philippines continue to host foreign bases.

Cainglet, on the other hand, said that the US should shift its focus on rebuilding its economy instead of building more military bases abroad.

“And I think it’s also about time for the American people to start standing up, have their voices heard and persuade their government to focus on improving its economy instead of spending too much on building military bases outside the US,” Cainglet said.

Malindog-Uy warned that while it is prohibited under the EDCA, the country has no way of knowing if American vessels were bringing in nuclear weapons into Philippine territory.

“I believe the Philippine government has no control of the EDCA as the President does not even have authority to inspect the US bases in our own soil,” she said.

Then-Philippine Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg signed the EDCA in Manila on April 28, 2014, preceding a visit by US President Barack Obama that same day.