As one of America’s closest allies, the Philippines has long provided U.S.

forces with a
strategic staging ground for its operations within the Pacific region, but for as long as
this partnership has existed, Filipinos have repeatedly called into question its end of
the bargain.

Read more: https://globalnation.inquirer.net/150961/ph-us-needs#ixzz5YQ2pcySx

Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

As one of America’s closest allies, the Philippines has long provided U.S. forces with
a strategic staging ground for its operations within the Pacific region, but for as long
as this partnership has existed, Filipinos have repeatedly called into question its end of
the bargain.
ADVERTISEMENT

These days, it is common to hear patriotic rhetoric once again from nationalists who
argue that Filipinos are somehow in a state of subservience to the U.S. and that this
dependence has hurt the country’s progress—despite the fact that for many decades
now, no one has actually been in charge of the Philippines except the Filipino people.
Arguably, if the U.S. had an actual stranglehold on the Philippines, their two most
important military bases would not have been so easily extricated from the country in
1991.

While it seems at odds with a strictly patriotic stance, embracing present-day

economic and military partnerships with the U.S. is not, as suggested by some, quite
the same as bowing to a former colonial master—even one with a dark history of
oppression.
Rather, these alliances were forged as strategic arrangements made by a fully
independent Filipino nation seeking to complement its strengths and address its
weaknesses.
Sovereignty is not for sale
With its military presence in the Philippines drastically reduced after 1992, military
operations with the U.S. were facilitated through arrangements such as the Visiting
Forces Agreement of 1999 and its supplemental Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement of 2014, which allows the use of specific Philippine military bases by U.S.
forces. Overarching these was the original Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951
which, to this day, guarantees that the U.S. and the Philippines would support each
other if attacked by an external party.
Nationalists argue that by participating in defense treaties with the U.S., and by
hosting its military, the Philippines is allowing the U.S. to encroach on national
sovereignty and perhaps dictate policy.
But the reality is that that the U.S. has the same collective defense arrangements with
other countries—a lot of countries. There’s Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Japan,
and South Korea. There’s France, Spain, the UK and 25 other European NATO
countries. And there are over 20 South American Rio Treaty nations as well. That’s
well over 50 countries in total with mutual defense treaties signed with the U.S.—and
all of them have their national sovereignty intact, last I checked.
ADVERTISEMENT

Moreover, the U.S. maintains nearly 800 military bases in over 70 countries and
territories. Compared with the mere 600 U.S. personnel that were in the Philippines in
2015 to help combat the Abu Sayyaff militant group, the U.S. has maintained a far
larger presence in other countries.
U.S. overseas deployments currently include 48,000 personnel across 109 bases in
Japan; 40,000 troops in 179 bases in Germany; 28,000 soldiers in 85 bases in South
Korea; and 12,000 troops in Italy—just to name a few. To believe that all these nations
have in any way sold off their freedoms to become puppets of the U.S. would be
foolhardy.
The fact of the matter is that these agreements have had advantages for all parties. And
for the Philippines, there is quite a bit to gain. Defense treaties have helped maintain the
sovereignty of participant nations successfully over the last half-century, during which
no treaty nation of the U.S. has ever fallen to an external aggressor.

A very big brother

There are assertions by anti-American groups that the U.S. benefits far more from the
military alliance with the Philippines.

But the U.S. is no ordinary ally. The U.S. spends as much on its military might as
the next 14 countries combined—a whopping $597 billion in 2015, dwarfing even
China’s $146 billion defense budget and Russia’s $66 billion military expenditure.
By comparison, the Philippine military is spending roughly $2.8 billion in 2016, small
even when compared with Singapore’s budget of $10.2 billion or Thailand’s $8.2
billion budget.
Unlike Lee Kwan Yew’s four-year mission of rapid industrialization and military
modernization before British bases were vacated from Singapore in 1971 (a move he
opposed), no such bolstering of Philippine military defense capabilities was made at a
similar scale when U.S. military bases were forced out of Subic and Clark in 1991. And
it is likely that neither ample funds nor an achievable timeframe is available to scale up
military capabilities should the Philippines decide to immediately abrogate defense
treaties and agreements with the U.S.—its sole defense partner.

Some present dangers are clear. Despite recent, seemingly conciliatory gestures, China
has made it no secret that it plans to enforce its territorial claims on almost the entire
South China Sea. China has already claimed and held resource-rich Philippine territory,
and has fortified its positions by building military installations around contested areas.
In addition, there is also the constant threat of terror organizations in the southern
Philippines breaking out and gaining ground.

For the Philippines to be left with an anemic military, and with no mutual defense
treaties with powerful allies, there will remain little to bargain with at a time of
conflict. A doctrine of appeasement—a policy of giving in to a foreign aggressor’s
demands in order to avoid conflict—can only work for so long, at least until there is
nothing left to give.

Foreign aid is not for beggars

The U.S. is one of the largest foreign aid donors to the Philippines. Nationalists argue
that there are strings attached despite the fact that aid to the Philippines is not being
awarded under conditions stipulating control over national interests, nor has the threat
of rescinding aid historically been used as a tool of manipulation.

Such a scenario is even more unlikely when aid to other nations is considered. In 2014,
the Philippines was a recipient of $240 million in military and economic aid from the
U.S. In that same year, Israel, Egypt and Pakistan received $6 billion, $2.8 billion, and
$1.2 billion respectively. Obviously, America was under no illusion that these
particular countries would hand over control in exchange for aid.
Which brings up another important point. Foreign aid—at least the kind issued by the
U.S. Department of State—is not distributed as a reward for historical alliances, nor is
the actual amount a measure of friendship.

Many nationalists are irked, for example, that Pakistan, historically an anti-U.S. state,
receives more of this type of aid than the Philippines, claiming that the U.S. is forsaking
a brother for an enemy. It seems unfair until one understands that these aid dollars are
investments in regional security and stability, which explains why hotbeds of conflict
such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are funded so dearly. The Philippines by
comparison has been more stable; less of a flashpoint in the global war against Islamic
extremism.

Receiving economic and military aid from the U.S. should not paint a picture of the
Philippines as a mendicant nation, as some have suggested. Over 100 countries receive
this type of aid from the U.S. annually, and it is doubtful that these nations view
themselves as beggars. That list includes China, who in 2014, received $12.3 million in
economic aid from the U.S. for health and social services.
Humanitarian aid, on the other hand, might be a better yardstick for determining who a
country’s true friends are. According to the Philippine Foreign Aid Transparency Hub,
out of all donations received (not just pledged) from foreign nations after Typhoon
Haiyan/Yolanda devastated the countryside, over $113 million came from the UK, $85
million from the U.S. (the top two donor countries), and $63 million from Japan. China
and Russia on the other hand, combined for just 1.7% of the American donation alone.
The ties that bind
The idea of breaking bonds with a past colonial oppressor to build a proud, independent
nation has been a rallying cry used by anti-American groups to stir up nationalistic
sentiments.

But today, the idea of Filipino subservience to the U.S. seems to exist only within the
national psyche, where an overwhelmingly positive bias toward American culture and
materialism was cultivated through many generations of media consumption, and
continues to be part of Filipino norms.

Another type of affinity, albeit a healthier one, is likely to continue however. As the
third largest English speaking country in the world, the Philippines maintains very close
ties with over 3.5 million Filipinos living in the U.S.—the second largest Asian
population in America. In 2015 alone, these Filipino-Americans sent $10.5 billion to
their families in the Philippines. Funds from the U.S. are the largest source of Filipino
Overseas Foreign Worker remittances and make up nearly half of the $25 billion
worldwide total. These OFW remittances represent a very critical 1/10th of the entire
Philippine economy.
Many other economic ties exist. The IT and Business Process Management industry,
a critical growth sector in the Philippines, employed 1.2 million Filipinos and generated
$22 billion in revenues in 2015 —representing almost another tenth of the GDP.
Estimates show that fully 77% of this industry comes from U.S.-based businesses.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the U.S. is the 3rd largest trading
partner and the biggest consumer of Philippine exports after Japan, spending $9 billion
on Philippine goods in 2015.
If that is not enough, the U.S. is also the biggest source of foreign direct
investment (FDI) in the Philippines ($4.6 billion in 2012), and the U.S. is the
Philippines second largest source of tourists, with 780,000 Americans having visited the
country in 2015 alone.
Where do we go from here?

All this lends credence to the fact that, in recent history, the choice of the Philippines to
remain aligned with the U.S. did not result from coercion or a con; the choice was a
vote of confidence made by Filipinos and Americans toward like-minded countries
whose ideologies they shared: including a deep love for democracy and freedom from
oppression—Ideologies that are sorely lacking within the alternative Chinese and
Russian spheres of influence.

Much was made recently about the U.S. meddling in the internal affairs of the
Philippines. But national sovereignty is never risked by receiving opinions from
external parties. It is the right of Philippine leaders to accept or disregard such
statements at will. Nations cannot exist in isolation; a global community cannot survive
without dialogue.

Despite maintaining a robust economic relationship with the U.S., unconditionally

receiving aid, and continuing to augment its national safety through fair collective
defense agreements, the Philippines is still free to chart its own path in all matters,
independently, and irrespective of its alliances.

Any move to part ways with the U.S. economically or militarily will certainly have
outsized consequences. Outcomes that might easily reverse the Philippines’ recent
record GDP growth, and derail the country’s bid to end its very long tenure within the
Third World.

But the decision to remain America’s closest ally in the region should continue to be a
choice based on a thorough value assessment, uncolored by past biases, whether these
be resentment or favoritism. Filipinos can only hope that their leadership will choose
the right path using logic and reason—not by applying historical grievances or past
prejudices—but by considering a more salient, present-day reality for the good of the
people.

https://globalnation.inquirer.net/150961/ph-us-needs

President Obama visited the Philippines from April 28-29 to reaffirm the United States’
commitment to the alliance, and to discuss with President Aquino our strategic vision for the
bilateral relationship. The President noted our shared history, shared democratic values, strong
people-to-people ties, commitment to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, and
commitment to build prosperity for our people and the global economy.
Security Cooperation
During the visit, President Obama and President Aquino announced that the two countries
agreed to an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). The agreement will help the
U.S.-Philippine alliance continue to promote the peace and stability that has underpinned Asia’s
 remarkable economic growth over the past six decades. The EDCA updates and strengthens
U.S.-Philippine defense cooperation to meet 21st century challenges. The agreement will
facilitate the enhanced rotational presence of U.S. forces; facilitate humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief in the Philippines and the region; improve opportunities for bilateral training; and
support the long-term modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as it works to
establish a minimum credible defense.
The United States has already begun to provide $40 million in technical expertise, training, and
equipment through the Global Security Contingency Fund to strengthen the Philippines’ security
operations and maritime domain awareness capabilities, the United States is supporting the AFP
as it transitions from internal security to external defense (as outlined in the Philippine
government’s 2011 “Internal Peace and Security Plan”). This funding also assists the Philippine
National Police as they assume a leading role in providing internal security and combating
terrorism.
The United States, through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, is also helping to construct a
Philippine National Coast Watch Center in Manila that will assist the Philippine Coast Guard in
assuming increased responsibility for enhancing information sharing and interagency
coordination in maritime security operations.
Economic Cooperation
The Aquino administration has made significant progress in implementing economic policy and
institutional reforms and has achieved remarkable improvements in GDP growth,
competitiveness, intellectual property protection and enforcement, tax revenues, and the
country’s sovereign debt ranking. The United States is supporting that effort through the
Partnership for Growth (PFG), an enhanced engagement of 15 U.S. government agencies aiming
to address the most significant constraints to growth in the Philippines and to stimulate inclusive
economic expansion. USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation account for the
majority of PFG financial resources amounting to more than $750 million.
Together we have made enormous strides in deepening economic linkages between our two
countries. These include:
 Removal of the Philippines from the Special 301 Watch List, based on significant advances in
the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights;
 Considerable progress on worker rights issues in the Philippines, which will allow the U.S.
government to close a Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) review of worker rights in
Philippines without any change to the Philippines’ GSP trade benefits;
 Actions to further strengthen and expand bilateral agricultural trade – including for U.S. meat
and vegetable exports to Philippines as well as Philippine fruit exports to the United States –
recognizing the sector’s increasing importance to the bilateral relationship;
 Announcement on April 10 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation
Administration that the Republic of the Philippines complies with international safety standards
set by the International Civil Aviation Organization and has been granted a Category 1 rating;
and
 Agreement in principle on the general market access terms, including steps to facilitate trade by
the Philippines, which would enable the United States to support special WTO treatment for the
Philippines’ rice imports through 2017. Both governments intend to finalize a letter exchange
memorializing this understanding by June 1.
To further strengthen the United States’ enduring ties to the Asia-Pacific region, U.S. Secretary
of Commerce Penny Pritzker will travel to the Philippines in June in conjunction with a
delegation of U.S. CEOs. The engagement of our respective private sectors is critical for
strengthening our ties and for generating economic growth and high-paying jobs both in the
United States and in the region.
The United States and the Philippines have a strong, $24 billion-a-year trade relationship, and
our two governments are committed to building on that for mutual benefit. We discussed
Philippine interest in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which the United States sees as the
most promising pathway to promoting Asia-Pacific economic integration and the best way for
countries in the region to encourage economic reform and development, increase regional and
global competitiveness, and create jobs.
The United States will continue to support the Philippine government’s medium- to long-term
recovery efforts following Typhoon Haiyan, directed at infrastructure and livelihood
development, by working hand in hand with the President’s Assistant for Rehabilitation and
Recovery and local government units. The United States is providing $140 million towards
typhoon recovery.
The United States welcomes the finalization of the Comprehensive Agreement on the
Bangsamoro between the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
as an important step in ending violence in the southern Philippines. The United States continues
to support efforts to improve governance and foster development in Mindanao through ongoing
programs aimed at strengthening local governments’ ability to deliver basic social and economic
services, improving governments’ transparency and accountability, and supporting civic
engagement in local communities.
People-to-People
The United States and the Philippines share extensive people-to-people ties. Around 350,000
Americans reside in the Philippines, and approximately 600,000 U.S. citizens visit the country
each year. There are approximately 4 million people of Philippine descent in the United States.
The Philippines boasts the world’s oldest continuous operating Fulbright program: the
Philippine-American Educational Foundation, established in 1948. In 2013, the U.S. Embassy in
Manila processed close to 200,000 non-immigrant visa applications and nearly 65,000 immigrant
visa cases. Since 1961, over 8,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in the Philippines, and at
present, 130 Peace Corps Volunteers are working in the country on education, youth
development, environmental conservation, and disaster management issues.