Trillanes says Senate erred in rejecting PH-US bases

Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV, a former navy officer, said yesterday China could not have reclaimed and occupied the islands in the West Philippine Sea that Philippines and China are currently locked in a territorial dispute had the Philippine Senate allowed the United States to stay at their military bases in the country on Sept. 16, 1991.

By a 12-11 vote, the Philippine Senate under the leadership of then Senate President Jovito R. Salonga rejected the continued stay of the US military bases under the RP-US Military Bases Agreement (MBA) despite a last ditch appeal by then President Corazon C. Aquino.

“Kailangan siguro alalahanin natin kung sino ang mga nagpaalis dahil malaking problemang ginawa ngayon (It is time to recall those voted to boot the US bases out of the country because their actions are now causing these problems,” said Trillanes, chairman of the Senate National Defense Committee.

“They (China) won’t even be there to reclaim and occupy those islands. Yes, the presence of US troops will be enough. Tapos there is freedom of navigation patrol din sila. It ensures Filipino fishermen to fish in these territories, no commercial vessels that they could stop,” he said.

Trillanes also said that the US has of late been sending its patrol sea and aircraft to enforce the internationallyaccepted freedom of navigation in the South China Sea despite protests from China.

During a press briefing at the regular “Kapihan sa Senado,” Trillanes said that the controversial RP- US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) designed to complement the 1957 US-US Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) rectifies the ‘’mistake’’ in 1991 when the proposed extended RP-US MBA was rejected.

At present, the US is not seeking to establish military bases in the country, he added.

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, a noted constitutionalist, maintained that the EDCA should have been transmitted to the Senate for ratification as a treaty. The Supreme Court, however, ruled that the EDCA is not a treaty but an executive agreement.

Filipinos should bear in mind that there were no Chinese incursions on Philippine-claimed territories when the RP-US MBA was existing, he added.

“The ouster of the US military bases in the country was a big mistake. We should not glorify the senators who voted to oust the US bases. We should ask them why they allowed themselves to be swayed by leftist groups,” he said in Filipino.