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Home > Global Nation > Features > Asia & Paci�c > Edca a deterrent to war—Bautista

Edca a deterrent to war—Bautista

AFP chief: It’s creative way to counter threats

By Nikko DizonPhilippine Daily Inquirer2:51 am | Sunday, May 25th, 2014

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Philippine Military Chief Emmanuel Bautista. AP FILEPHOTO

8e Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) is a “creative way” for the Philippine government to improve deterrence and face challenges to nationalsecurity with the help of an ally, the United States, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Sta> Gen. Emmanuel Bautista.

“We want to avoid con@ict, that is why we need to establish a credible deterrence. We don’t have the wherewithal to do that and so what is the practical solution forus? It is to leverage on our alliance. We only have one treaty ally, that is the US,” Bautista told the Inquirer in an interview at the military’s headquarters onSaturday.

“8ere are no [US military] bases here, so we have to �nd creative ways to allow us to undertake (Mutual Defense Treaty)-related activities but would still aFrm theprovisions of the Constitution. 8at is the Edca,” Bautista said.

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Edca a deterrent to war—Bautista | Inquirer Global Nation �le:///C:/Users/Administrator/Downloads/Edca a deterrent to war—B…

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Creative, so what are the creative ways we can do this, short of going back to the cave? 1. The state of our current political crisis has undermined national security, so that the regular forces are now deemed compromise. 2.

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The US is our ally, but we are also testing the patience of the US and other allies. - what do you call what our justice system is doing now? - or what is the current state of the damn thing.

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But can conflict be really avoided, after we borrowed all that we paid the IMF from Red China, then we are not exerting enough effort to pay her?

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"credible deterence" - before we get one, we should our ourselves be credible in our reputation. for settling with justice all that our people are crying out loud for, our debts from foreign creditors, our commitments with our allies, etc.

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It is clear that the weapons systems of our allies now hold, no longer need the maintenance of static bases, because of the threat of a nuclear attack. The mobility of the littoral navy, laser weapons systems, and kinetic energy weapons, has made the west reign supreme in space.

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Credits and Acknowledgments" PDF Creator from Foxit. News article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer dated: May 25, 2014

8e Edca could have been bene�cial to the Philippines during the March 29 rotation of troops and resupply mission of the military to Ayungin Shoal (Second8omas Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea, which the China Coast Guard tried to block, had the security pact been operational at that time.

What’s possible with Edca

Journalists saw US planes @ying over the small government �sheries vessel used by the Philippine Navy for the crucial mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, the rustingnaval ship manned by a small Marine garrison on the shoal.

Without con�rming or denying help from the United States, Bautista said US planes usually seen in Philippine territory come from their base in Okinawa, Japan.

“When they get here, they can go around and @y for only a few minutes, then they should go back [to their base]. If they could land in Palawan and refuel there, canyou imagine how much longer they can stay around? 8at is possible under the Edca,” Bautista said.

With the Edca, Bautista said there would be more joint activities between the Philippine and US militaries to “demonstrate the alliance is alive and credible.”

8e Edca was hammered out for eight months by Filipino and American negotiators, and signed a few hours before US President Barack Obama arrived in Manilafor a state visit on April 28.

Criticisms of the agreement range from its supposed unconstitutionality to being lopsided in favor of the Americans to surrendering the country’s sovereignty forallowing the United States to put up military bases in the guise of sharing space in select AFP camps.

Biggest bene!t

Bautista, who is retiring on July 20, stands by the agreement, saying it should be understood in the context of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between thePhilippines and the United States.

“Our biggest bene�t [from the Edca] is its strategic feature. 8e Edca is not a stand-alone agreement. It is [meant] to operationalize the MDT, which serves as adeterrence to any armed aggression,” Bautista said.

“How do we allow them (the United States) to help us during calamities [or an] invasion? How will they help us when we do not allow them to come here? Howwill they defend us if we don’t allow them to come here?” he said.

8e agreement, Bautista said, would put the Americans “in a bePer position to defend us.”

“We want to increase the tempo, we want more exercises,” he said.

‘Deepened’ cooperation

8e Edca is taken within Article 2 of the MDT, which states that the Philippines and the United States “separately and jointly by self-help and mutual aid willmaintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed aPack.”

8e “deepened” defense cooperation would deal with the AFP’s “short-term capabilities gaps, [promote] long-term modernization and help maintain and developadditional maritime security, maritime domain awareness and humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities.”

Signed in 1951, the MDT is the bedrock of the military alliance between the two countries. 8e agreement binds them to a commitment to help each other when onecomes under an external armed aPack.

8e treaty is a public and formal declaration of the two countries’ “unity and their common determination to defend themselves against external armed aPack, sothat no potential aggressor can be under the illusion that either of them stands alone in the Paci�c area.”

Obama himself quoted this paragraph from the MDT when he addressed Filipino and American troops on April 29, declaring that the United States’ commitment todefend the Philippines was “ironclad.”

Fourth security deal

Bautista said the Edca was the fourth security agreement signed by the Philippines and the United States that facilitates the implementation of the MDT.

Before the Edca, there were the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) and the Military Assistance Agreement (MAA).

8e VFA governs the status of US troops in the Philippines as well as deals with the two countries’ military cooperation against nontraditional security threats, suchas terrorism and environmental disasters.

8e MLSA provides for the logistical cooperation between the two militaries as they intensify their cooperation and ability to work together.

8e 1947 MAA formalized the US commitment to assist in the development of the AFP. It also established the Joint US Military Assistance Group.

Faster disaster response

He said the agreement permits the US military to rotate troops and equipment in selected AFP bases for more frequent joint military activities, including dealingwith traditional and nontraditional threats such as climate change.

Bautista said the US response to Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in November last year could have been faster had there been US planes inAFP bases.

Although it has been signed, the Edca will be implemented only aTer the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) approves the activitiesproposed under the new agreement.

Bautista said the MDB-SEB, comprised of top Philippine and US defense and military oFcials, would meet in September or October.

He will have retired by then.

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You mean to say that the MDT was no longer operational during that time? If that was the case, why?

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Then why not allow them the use of USAID funded airbases all over the country? Isn't this common sense? The Yolanda relief opns showed the capabilities of our allies.

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If we are going to protect Palawan, it would be better, not to station major assets there, like a permanent base.

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Who do they want to surrender our sovereignty to? - Red China? In the matter of sharing bases, as a major non-NATO ally, we can do the same with US bases, elsewhere in the world. Thereby, the US also surrenders its sovereignty to us.

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Is that a big deal.

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Of course, that is why it is constitutional.

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That is one good reason.

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Anyone else who does not understand it, is a dumbkoff or a dumbass. Background music ABS-CBN introduction, saved that the letters are: NBN-ZTE

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Obvious ba?

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True, if you are talking we will take the fight to the Red Chinese in guerrila warfare. The AFP certainly must have a plan.

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"long-term" - with Red Chinese military hardware under the Shanghia Cooperation Program?

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not entirely, if the leadership sells out to Red Chinese and her allies

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Taken in the light of USAF structures, as in the National Guard mobilization, upgrade and updates, tours of duties, demobilization-mobilization, etc.

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edca a deterrent to war—bautista inquirer global nation

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