February 2002

MIRIAM: BALIKATAN MIGHT TURN MINDANAO INTO ANOTHER VIETNAM (19 Feb. 2002)

MIRIAM: BALIKATAN MIGHT TURN MINDANAO INTO ANOTHER VIETNAM
19 February 2002

Former Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who voted in favor of the Visiting Forces Agreement, warned that the RP-US Balikatan exercises under the VFA might lead to a Vietnam-war type of armed conflict.

Defensor Santiago issued the warning at a lecture on international terrorism yesterday (February 19) at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran

"In Vietnam, the American GIs started out as military advisers and ended up as combatants. This might happen in Mindanao," she said.

Defensor Santiago also asked why the Philippines has been singled out in Southeast Asia for the presence of U.S. troops.

"The U.S. military claims that al-Qaeda has 50 cells around the world. Why prioritize the Philippines?" she asked.

She pointed out that the alleged Southeast Asian version of al-Qaeda, called the Jemaah Islamiah, is said to be based in Indonesia, Malaysia, or Singapore.

"The alleged founder of the Jemaah Islamiah lives in Indonesia. A recent bomb plot by the alleged terrorists was uncovered in Singapore. It appears that the financial and planning center of the terrorist network is Malaysia. So why have the Americans chosen the Philippines first as their staging area?" she said.

Defensor Santiago questioned why Pres. Bush authorized the release of $100 million in military aid to the Arroyo administration.

"Why has the United States paid us off with $100 million, if it is true that they merely want to advise and train Filipino troops? What is America paying us for? What is the CIA doing in Manila?" she said.

Defensor Santiago also pointed out that the Balikatan military exercises might be a violation of the VFA.

"The VFA provides that U.S. personnel shall abstain from any political activity. But the GIs are hunting the Abu Sayyaf terrorists, who are pursuing a political goal. Therefore, the Americans are engaging in a political activity," she said.

Defensor Santiago spoke at a seminar sponsored by the college of liberal arts and sciences of Letran College, led by Dean Myrna Torreliza and student coordinator Jose Angelito Angeles.