ShareThisAmerican leader bewails coercion, wants peaceful solution of sea dispute with China
MANILA – On his first visit to Manila, United States President Barack Obama made a mark as he declared a “new chapter” in US and Philippine relations and aired support to its long-time ally in Asia in its quest for a peaceful resolution of conflicting claims and tension with China over some islands, reefs and shoals in the West Philppines Sea and South China Sea.
Clearly trying to endear himself to his Filipino hosts which he succeeded, Mr. Obama interspersed his talks in Malacanang with some Filipino words “mabuhay,” “kumusta kayo,” “lumpia,” “adobo,” “bayanihan,” “kalooban,” “balikatan” and “salamat” and cited contributions of Filipinos and Filipino Americans to both US and the Philippines, including the veterans and those killed with the American soldiers during the war.
But while the American leader said US will support the Philippines in its conflict with China and affirmed the US mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, Mr. Obama’s public statement was no indication of an all-out or absolute defense of the Philippines in case of attack as he stressed the need for international norms and rules to be respected in resolving the territorial disputes.
In his jampacked second-day speech at the Philippine Army Wellness Center in Fort Bonifacio with US and Philippine troops and veterans like former President Fidel V. Ramos, Mr. Obama followed up his assurance of support stating –”US will keep its commitment. Her allies will never stand alone.”
As he commended both American and Filipino soldiers who fought side by side for decades, Mr. Obama said he was there “to reaffirm our enduring alliance between the two countries.
He cited the Philippine and US Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 which provides “their common determination to defend themselves against external armed attack, so that no potential aggressor could be under the illusion that either of them stands alone in the Pacific area.”
“Our commitment to defend the Philippines is iron-clad and the US will keep that commitment because allies never stand alone,” Obama stressed.
Hours before his arrival on April 28 in Manila from Kuala Lumpur, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to Manila Philip Goldberg signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperative Agreement (EDCA) that allows more American soldiers access to limited military bases in the country while helping the Philippines in training and other security capabilities. The agreement will take effect for 10 years.
Describing the EDCA as a way of strengthening “our deepening alliance,” Mr. Obama said, however, that the US was not trying to reclaim the old American bases or build new ones.
“ I want to be very clear: The United States is not trying to reclaim old bases or build new bases. At the invitation of the Philippines, American servicemembers will rotate through Filipino facilities. We’ll train and exercise more together so that we’re prepared for a range of challenges, including humanitarian crises and natural disasters like Yolanda,” he said.
“We’ll work together to build the Philippines’ defense capabilities and to work with other nations to promote regional stability, such as in the South China Sea,” he added.
Mr. Obama, on his last leg of a four-nation Asian trip that include Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, appeared polite and diplomatic in his first-day speech as he tried to avoid angering Beijing, pointing out a reality – America’s and the world’s “enormous trade” with China.
“We welcome China’s peaceful rise. We have a constructive relationship with China. There is enormous trade, enormous business that’s done between the United States and China. There are a whole range of issues on the international stage in which cooperation between the U.S. and China are vital,” he said.
“Our goal is not to counter China. Our goal is not to contain China. Our goal is to make sure that international rules and norms should be respected and that include the area of maritime disputes,” Obama said in a joint press conference with President Benigno S. Aquino III after their expanded bilateral meeting in Malacanang.
As Mr. Obama and Mr. Aquino met and spoke in Malacanang on his first day in Manila, hundreds of activists staged their protest march, ending their rally at the Mendiola bridge entry to the Malacanang Palace which was closed with barbed wires and iron gates.
”Our primary interest is the peaceful resolution of conflict, freedom of navigation that allows for continued progress and prosperity. We don’t take specific position on the disputes between nations,” Obama pointed out.
Mr. Obama in effect aired support to the approach of President Aquino to go before international arbitration body in resolving the conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea. Aside from China and the Philippines claiming certain islands, reefs and shoals there, Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, and Malaysia also have their own claims.
”Our goal here is simply to make sure that everybody will cooperate in peaceful, responsible solution to attain prosperity, growth and jobs. We need to focus on security arrangement that avoids conflict and disputes and we’ll be able to place our attention on what should be focused on,” Obama said.
It was the first time a US President visited the Philippines since President George Bush came to the Philippines for a working visit in 2003. Aside from being long-time allies, the United States and the Philippines share extensive people-to-people ties. According to the US Embassy in Manila in a backgrounder on the Obama visit, around 350,000 Americans reside in the Philippines, and approximately 600,000 U.S. citizens visit the country each year. The embassy also stated that there are approximately 4 million people of Philippine descent in the United States, although some claim the number is higher at 4.5 million.
In addition, the embassy stated – “ The Philippines boasts the world’s oldest continuous operating Fulbright program: the Philippine-American Educational Foundation, established in 1948. In 2013, the U.S. Embassy in Manila processed close to 200,000 non-immigrant visa applications and nearly 65,000 immigrant visa cases. Since 1961, over 8,500 Peace Corps Volunteers have served in the Philippines, and at present, 130 Peace Corps Volunteers are working in the country on education, youth development, environmental conservation, and disaster management issues.”
In his first appearance before a big group of Philippine and foreign media in Malacanang, Obama said he was proud to be in Manila as recalled how Americans and Filipinos fought together during the war. At the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio with American and Filipino soldiers in the background, Mr. Obama said “ Now, this is my first visit to the Philippines as President, and I am proud to be here as we mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf when Americans and Filipinos fought together to liberate this nation during World War II.”
“Now, all these years later, we continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder to uphold peace and security in this region and around the world,” he added.
Mr. Obama thanked the Filipino people for “a friendship that has spanned generations.”
“ I’d like to add our friendship is deeper and the United States is stronger because of the contributions and patriotism of millions of proud Filipino-Americans,” he stressed. (See related stories in other pages.)
Mr. Obama explained that the United States is renewing “our leadership in the Asia-Pacific,” adding that “our engagement is rooted in our alliances, and that includes the Philippines, which is the oldest security treaty alliance that we have in Asia.”
“As a vibrant democracy, the Philippines reflects the desire of citizens in this region to live in freedom and to have their universal rights upheld. As one of the fastest growing economies in Asia, the Philippines represents new opportunities for the trade and investment that creates jobs in both countries,” he said.
“And given its strategic location, the Philippines is a better partner on issues such as maritime security and freedom of navigation,” he said. “Let me add that recent agreement to end the insurgency in the South gives the Philippines a historic opportunity to forge a lasting peace here at home with greater security and prosperity for the people of that region.”
Mr. Obama said he was proud to welcome President Aquino to the White House two years ago. “And since then we’ve worked to deepen our cooperation and to modernize our alliances. Our partnership reflects an important Filipino concept: ‘bayanihan’ — the idea that we have to work together to accomplish things that we couldn’t achieve on our own,” he said.
Mr. Obama assured the American government’s continuing assistance on helping the Philippines recover from the onslaught of super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in November 2013.
“The US will continue to stand with you as you continue to recover and rebuild — our commitment will not waver,” Obama assured Filipinos.
At the Philippine Army Wellness Center, Obama paid tribute to the Filipino and American soldiers who put up a heroic defense in Bataan and Corregidor, despite the appalling odds, during World War II.
“Together, Filipinos and Americans put up a heroic defense at Bataan and Corregidor. Together, they endured the agony of the death marches and the horror of the prisoner of war camps. Many never made it out. In those years of occupation, Filipino resistance fighters kept up the struggle. And hundreds of thousands of Filipinos fought under the American flag,” Obama said.
In the same vein, he also apologized for the neglect in giving the Filipino veterans their just due.
“And sadly, the proud service of many of these Filipino veterans was never fully recognized by the United States. Many were denied the compensation they had been promised. It was an injustice. So in recent years, my administration, working with Congress and others, have worked to right this wrong. We passed a law, reviewed the records, processed claims, and nearly 20,000 Filipino veterans from World War II and their families finally received the compensation they had earned. And it was the right thing to do,” the American President said.
“What’s been written about Bataan could be said of their entire generation: “The loss of life was grievous, and hardly a Filipino family was untouched by the tragedy. But the heroic struggle brought out the best in the Filipino character in the face of adversity and served as a beacon to freedom-loving peoples everywhere,” he stressed.
“We are truly honored to have some of these extraordinary veterans here with us today. Among them are men who fought at Bataan and Corregidor, and a survivor of those hellish prisoner of war camps. Some fought in the resistance, including nurse Carolina Garcia Delfin. These veterans are now in their nineties. They are an inspiration to us all, and I’d ask those who can stand to stand or give a wave so that we can all salute their service,” Obama said.
“The spirit of these veterans — their strength, their solidarity — I see it in you as well when you train and exercise together to stay ready for the future, when our special forces — some of you here today — advise and assist our Filipino partners in their fight against terrorism, and when you respond to crises together, as you did after ‘Yolanda.’ Along with your civilian partners, you rushed into the disaster zone.
, pulled people from the rubble, delivered food and medicine. You showed what friends can do when we take care of each other,” the U.S. leader added.
“These are the kinds of missions we face today. Yesterday, President Aquino and I agreed to begin a new chapter in our alliance. And under our new agreement, American forces can begin rotating through Filipino airfields and ports. We’ll train and exercise together more to bring our militaries even closer, and to support your efforts to strengthen your armed forces. We’ll improve our ability to respond even faster to disasters like Yolanda.
“Today, I thank the people of the Philippines for welcoming our service members as your friends and partners,” he said.