Philippines - Miriam blocks Philippine-Australian VFA

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago has expressed reservation over the Senate’s plan to uphold and approve the Philippine-Australian Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

Santiago said concurrence of the Philippines to the treaty “may threaten the sovereignty of the country," adding that the VFA may even pose a threat to the security of the people.

She is calling on Malacañang to clarify and renegotiate if necessary, what will be the specific activities of the Australian Visiting Forces.

Santiago cited some loopholes in the agreement, particularly Article 13 Paragraph 8, which provides for the exemption from duties and taxes of the visiting Australian forces. Such should have originated from Congress, and that it will require the concurrence of a majority of all members of Congress.

Santiago said the treaty violates the “doctrine of void for vagueness."

"It is so vague that it will spawn myriad irritants in Ph-Australia relations,” the senator said.

She also criticized the agreement because it did not specify the magnitude of the Australian military presence in the country.

Santiago will formalize her interpellation on the Phl-Australian Visiting Agreement Tuesday afternoon during the plenary.

The Senate tackled on Monday the resolution concurring the ratification of the “agreement between the government of the Philippines and Australia on the status of the Visiting Forces of each state in territory of the other” or the SOVFA.

Sen. Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate foreign affairs committee, said the resolution aims to strengthen the country’s understanding why Australia trains our military, and why they seek to have a legal framework that will govern the visits of their troops to the Philippines.

“(It) necessitates an understanding of its strategic interests in the region. National interest demands that we know and understand Australia’s motives,” Legarda said.

Legarda noted in her sponsorship speech that Australia and the Philippines are two sovereign nations whose survival will be defined by their defense and protection of maritime domains.

“We share with Australia a strong interest in maritime security cooperation and a shared strategic interest in the security of Southeast Asian shipping lanes,” she added.

Australia is ASEAN’s first dialogue partner, and is an active participant of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as well as a party to the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

Apart from the Philippines' largest grand aid donor that involved US$235 million in aid for 2010 to 2012, Legarda said the two countries have undertaken security cooperation that included military education and training, and the conduct of counter-terrorism trainings and mutual assistance.

The 15th Congress is rushing the concurrence of the treaty by the Senate after President Benigno Aquino III certified it urgent. Malacañang wants the Senate to vote on the treaty by Wednesday before its goes into a sine die adjournment.

Christina Mendez

http://www.philstar.com/

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