As part of his “independent foreign policy” crusade – in which the Philippines can decide freely without being influenced by foreign interests – presidential candidate Ka Leody de Guzman is pushing the people’s initiative to be used if the Senate does not support it.
For De Guzman, several treaties and agreements such as the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) are pushing the Philippines to be submissive to the United States. This is also said to be the case outside of some agreements between the Philippines and China.
“Immediately nga kapag [tayo ang mamuno sa] gobyerno, kinabukasan ‘yan ang aking magiging kautusan: i-revoke ‘yung [MDT]… pati ‘yung EDCA, VFA,” said De Guzman during the recent SMNI presidential debates, Tuesday.
“Ang hirap nating magdesisyon [mag-isa] kung parang merong baril na nakatutok sa ating ulo. Pati ‘yung agreement natin sa China, putulin natin ‘yan.”
These were discussed especially as the Philippines is squeezed into two superpowers such as America and China, the former as the Philippines’ historical ally in military matters. At the same time, China claims some territory and waters in the West Philippine Sea-part of the exclusive economic zone of Manila.
Ka Leody pushes for people’s initiative vs. VFA, EDCA
All this is happening while President Rodrigo Duterte is making friends in Beijing.
Local politicians usually suggest using MDT for America to defend the Philippines when China launches an offensive against Manila.
Despite this, Ka Leody De Guzman maintains that the MDT, VFA, and EDCA are not equal in the Philippines and provide a lot of relief to America to support its military influence in the country.
Some provisions in the VFA can be used to keep America’s jurisdiction over Kano soldiers who commit crimes in the Philippines, a reason for militants to insist on “shielding” it so that foreigners are not held accountable for crimes. One of the famous cases in this regard is the “Subic rape case” and the death of transgender Jennifer Laude.
The EDCA, on the other hand, permits American troops to roam the Philippines for a long time. It is also free for Americans to build and operate military facilities on Philippine soil under the EDCA, something some see as “de facto US bases” – something that has been banned since 1991.
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