Malacañang unsure US troop deal ready by Obama visit

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is not certain whether the agreement on the increased US rotational presence in the country will be ready in time for the visit of US President Barack Obama next month.

Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., however, said both sides were working hard to come up with a framework access agreement that would be acceptable to both sides.

“We are not aware, at least on the side of the government, of any timetable or if (there is pressure) to speed up (the negotiations),” Coloma said yesterday.

He said the most important thing would be to come up with an acceptable agreement rather than to have it soonest but questionable.

Coloma said all aspects must be reviewed so they would be beneficial to the country and its interests.

“On our part, it’s not the deadline but the quality and substance of the agreement that are important to focus on,” Coloma said.

He earlier assured ongoing talks on increased rotational presence of American troops in the Philippines would be built on existing agreements and that the country would ensure its interests would be protected.

These existing accords are the Mutual Defense Treaty and Visiting Forces Agreement.

“As these agreements have been in existence for a number of years, both countries are aware of the challenges in implementation. Hence, both panels will consider how to frame the proposed agreement in such a way that those challenges will be addressed adequately,” he said.

The Philippines had an issue on jurisdiction over US troops in the country who are charged for various reasons. This was highlighted in 2005 when US soldier Daniel Smith was accused of rape while in Subic.

Coloma, however, said the country should learn from experience and should not allow a one-sided agreement that would favor the US.

The good thing is that negotiators are relying on the baseline – the existing agreements – and they are not starting from scratch, he said.

“Part of the baseline is actual experience in implementation,” Coloma said.

He said both sides would address the challenges and the Philippines would ensure it would not be shortchanged or put at a disadvantage.

Coloma said historical background was important and it would not be fair to turn a blind eye on what happened before in the conduct of the negotiations.

He stressed the importance of using past experiences and the need to sort out the details to avoid disagreements on implementation later on.

Philippine defense officials believed shoring up US presence in the country would allow it to achieve a minimum credible defense, particularly with the aggressive posturing of China in the West Philippine Sea and South China Sea.

The two countries have completed five rounds of negotiations since August.

The militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said the government will spend P500 million to upgrade a naval base in Ulugan Bay in Palawan Sea that will serve as one of the US Marine command posts to monitor developments in the hotly contested West Philippine Sea.

The group rebuked claims of the military that the upgrade was meant to serve the extra ships to protect the country’s maritime territory. – With Michelle Zoleta