PH-US bases access deal to respect Philippine sovereignty, Palace says

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 14): PH-US bases access deal to respect Philippine sovereignty, Palace says

Malacañang emphasized on Sunday that the Philippines' granting of access to United States' military shall respect the former’s sovereignty amid issues raised by different quarters on the possible near-conclusion of the enhanced defense cooperation between the two countries.

Citing the statements already made by representatives of the Philippine negotiating panel at the end of the sixth round of talks held last week in Washington, D.C., Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. assured that such will be the case once the agreement is finalized.

“The proposed agreement will allow the sharing of defined areas within certain AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) facilities with elements of the US military on a rotational basis within parameters consistent with the Philippine Constitution and laws.

This fresh round (of talks) has clearly shown the shared commitment of both parties to enhance cooperation in defense, security and related fields, including humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

At the instance of the Philippine panel, the United States panel agreed to the inclusion of provisions on environment and safety, and opportunities for potential Philippine suppliers of goods, products and services,” Coloma told Radyo ng Bayan.

Coloma said the aspects of humanitarian assistance and disaster response in this agreement are significant given the country’s experiences following the onslaught of super typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan) last year.

“Mahalaga po ‘yung aspeto ng humanitarian assistance and disaster response. Nakita po natin ito noong tayo ay tinamaan ng super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ at naging hayag po ang suporta ng Estados Unidos sa pamamagitan ng pagpapadala ng mga modernong kagamitan na malaki ang naiambag sa pagtugon sa emergency situation,” he said.

Quoting Defense Undersecretary Pio Batino, who heads the Philippines’ negotiating panel, Coloma said the agreement remains “guided by the principles of full respect for Philippine sovereignty, non-permanence of US troops, and no US basing in the Philippines, mutuality of benefits and respect for the Philippine Constitution, including the prohibition against nuclear weapons.”

One month before the expected visit of US President Barack Obama to the country, this latest development on the PH-US military cooperation deal was met with criticisms, especially from Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago who chairs the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Santiago, according to reports, said the deal has to be approved by the Senate first because “it cannot be classified as an executive agreement but as a treaty to which the Philippine Senate must give its concurrence.”

Coloma, meanwhile, said that while he respects the opinion of the senator, it is appropriate that she and other critics of the agreement wait for the completion of the deal first to have a better grasp of all the issues at hand.

“Ang aking panukala ay hintayin na lamang natin na maging pinal at matapos nang ganap (ang pag-uusap) dahil ongoing pa naman, hindi pa naman po completed, at hindi pa finalized. Hintayin po natin ang magiging final and complete form nitong kasunduang ito para po masuri ang mga isyung tinatalakay sa kasalukuyan,” he said.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=626021