EDCA/TPPA: Intensifying US domination in the Philippines

Richard James Mendoza / OpinYon / May 5-11, 2014

 

Sheer puppetry; there is no other way of describing the Aquino regime’s actions during the visit of US President Barack Obama in the Philippines last week as part of his four-nation tour of East Asia. Seemingly ecstatic to appease the chieftain of imperialism with a gift for his visit to the country, the US-Aquino regime, through Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin along with US Ambassador Philip Goldberg, signed posthaste the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo without first revealing to the public a draft of the provisions inside the agreement, nor was there any public consultation of sort, keeping the agreement a secret until it was signed. The contents of the EDCA were only revealed to the public a few days later.

Another agenda of the trip was to push the Aquino regime to join the highly secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) negotiations, which could only mean that the Philippines would also have to be a member-country once the TPPA goes into full swing. But before that, let’s discuss the EDCA.

The main objective of EDCA is to further increase the ‘rotational presence’ of US troops in the Philippines as part of current US foreign policy to install the so-called ‘pivot to Asia’ aimed at encircling China around its neighbors in order to control its increasing influence at world affairs. It was never about giving more protection to the Philippines against the supposed bullying of China in the island disputes at South China Sea; it was just a flimsy excuse to push the agenda of increasing the presence of foreign troops in the country.

The EDCA allows US forces to be deployed inside Philippine military bases and are allowed operational control of the bases and also allows US forces to construct its own facilities inside Philippine bases. The agreement also states that the Philippines would make the agreed locations available to the US without rent, just like in the previous incarnation of the US bases before its existence ended in 1991. The scope of what the ‘agreed locations’ are is not clear, and as Bayan Muna said, the whole Philippine archipelago might become one giant military base.

The EDCA is also marred with vagueness. For example, in Section 6, Article IV of the agreement, it says that, “The prepositioned materiel shall not include nuclear weapons.” But this does not mean that it would prevent the entry of nuclear powered vessels inside Philippine territory, which is forbidden in the 1987 Constitution; Yet, it is worth noting that nuclear-powered vessels have entered the Philippines countless of times despite the constitutional ban, and that the war vessels themselves pose as much a threat to the environment as nuclear weapons.

As stipulated in the ownership clause of the agreement, we supposedly own the ‘agreed locations’ that are given to US forces, but this merely gives the Philippine government an illusion that they are the ones in control. Reading on, permanent buildings constructed by US forces become the property of the Philippines, once constructed, but it is for the use of US forces only until it no longer becomes useful to them. And it is also possible that we might even give the US compensation upon returning the ‘agreed locations’.

In terms of usage of public utilities, the Philippines would have to shoulder the costs of water, electricity, and other utilities that are to be consumed by US forces; in other words, not only are they rent-free, they’re also exempted from paying their bills. Not only that, it is also stated that the “…use of the radio spectrum shall be free of cost to the United States” (Section 2, Article VII). It is not far fetched that they would set-up radio stations that would broadcast pro-US propaganda, bar the talking heads that have nestled themselves deep in the mainstream media that espouse and propagate such line.

Article XI, titled “Resolution of Disputes”, states that: “The parties agree to resolve any dispute arising under this Agreement exclusively through consultation between the parties. Disputes and other matters subject to consultation under this Agreement shall not be referred to any national or international court, tribunal, or other similar body, or any third party for settlement, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties (emphasis added).” This is bothersome because this essentially gives US forces and contractors extraterritorial rights, meaning they cannot be tried under Philippine jurisprudence. Already, the culture of impunity has long reigned Philippine society, and this small but significant entry wouldn’t be of any help. Many times in the past have US agents been tried in Philippine courts, but to no avail, simply because of their ‘entitlement.’

Lastly, though the length of the agreement shall last for ten years, it would automatically continue in force until either Party gives a one year notice of termination. Sa madaling sabi, the agreement is slated to last indefinitely, unlike before with the Military Bases Agreement when it initially lasted for 99 years until it was shortened to 25 years following further negotiations.

And yet, all of Noynoy’s efforts in appeasing his master seemed to have been much ado about nothing, as Obama himself said that the US’ commitment to Philippine defense is ‘uncertain’. Many a pro-US, especially the more hawkish ones, were left disappointed with the statement. Obama seemed to have done damage control later when he said that the support of the US to the Philippines is ‘ironclad.’ It is worth noting that past US presidents have kept on promising the Philippines on commitments to defense, but these are all verbal statements. It is not formalized in a treaty. All the country had ever gotten out of these shenanigans are motherhood statements and nothing else.

Moving on to the TPPA, the said agreement requires candidate member countries to loosen up restrictions on trade,; more liberalization for foreign plunder while being protectionist about their profit. The people of Japan and South Korea have held protests against the TPPA’s liberalization agenda, in particular the former which has been protectionist in its policies, especially in the field of agriculture and car manufacturing.

As for the Philippines, this can only mean one thing: re-igniting the engine of the Charter change train in Congress. This would entail the removal of the nationalist provisions in the constitution, in particular the ‘60/40 rule’. And it is certain that Rep. Sonny Belmonte, a known stooge of neoliberalism, is pushing for Cha-cha. It is also laughable how Noynoy is supposedly “against” Cha-cha while being open for the entry of the country to the TPPA.

The TPPA also pushes for member-countries to implement stricter intellectual property laws, and we have good ol’ USA to thank with its SOPA and PIPA, both of which have been struck down. The Philippines has its own ‘cybercrime law’, so that’s another obstacle overcome for the country’s entry to the TPPA (/sarcasm).

But all in all, these dastardly schemes only mean the further intensification of US hegemony not just in the Philippines, but also the whole region. The US-Aquino regime is hell-bent on sacrificing the country’s sovereignty to the altar of its imperialist captors, all in the name of the elite entrenching themselves in power while the masses continue to be exploited in every manner possible. However, it is never too late to take charge and change things. We may lose something in the struggle, but we would lose more if we stand by. In the spirit of Karl Marx, we have nothing to lose but our chains.

(I am an Information Technology student who loves to write. I am also a photography enthusiast, particularly photojournalism)