PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Senator Blasts Illegal U.S.-Philippine Military Deal

March 24, 2014 (EIRNS)—Former Philippine Sen. Kit Tatad today warned his nation that Obama’s puppet President Noynoy Aquino is contributing to Obama’s war plans against China, and that the Philippines could end up as canon fodder. With Obama planning to visit Manila in April, the two mutually-dictatorial presidents are plotting to ram through a new U.S. military basing argreement under the guise of a "deterrent" against hostile actions from China, which Sen. Tatad correctly notes would better be called a "magnet." He describes Obama’s "Air-Sea Battle" plan—a first strike policy to "prevent" China from being able to even potentially protect itself—as a demonstration that "the U.S. is unprepared to give up its historic dominance or to make room for the rising secondary power" in Asia.

Sen. Tatad notes that the deal will allow U.S. troops and war planes and ships access to all Philippine military bases, and allow pre-positioning of weapons stockpiles. He lists the multiply unconstitutional aspects of the deal, which both sides hope to be completed in time for signing during Obama’s visit next month:

• The plan will not be submitted to the Senate despite the fact that: "Under the Constitution, foreign military bases, troops or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines, except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate or when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of votes cast by the people in a referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State." In fact, the deal will not even be signed by both governments, but between the two Defense Departments, Tatad says.

• "Nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed vessels, and possibly nuclear weapons, will be allowed inside the country without regard of the nuclear weapons-free provision of the Constitution."

• "The pre-positioning and storage of war materiel and munitions will involve the setting up of permanent facilities, which precisely cannot be allowed without a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate." This refers to the fact that Obama and Aquino are acting under the rubric that these bases are not bases, but "rotating guest troops, planes and warships" in Philippines bases. The only holdup on the deal is that Obama is insisting that Filipinos must be denied access to these U.S. "guest" quarters on their own bases—which even the subservient Aquino is finding it hard to sell.