U.S. Marines provide safe drinking water to typhoon survivors Thursday Nov. 21, 2013 at Tacloban city, Leyte province in central Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday deflected allegations by a militant group that it was using the presence of United States troops conducting relief operations to push for the framework agreement on their increased rotational presence in the country.
“One of the significant benefits of having a framework agreement is in further strengthening our capabilities in humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez told reporters in a press conference.
“The US was among the first countries to respond generously providing resources and manpower to assist in relief and rescue operations. Such positive experiences certainly bring tremendous goodwill to any negotiation, allowing negotiating parties to look more at all opportunities instead of impediments,” Hernandez said.
Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) in a statement Tuesday criticized Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario for saying that the support being given by the US military “demonstrates the need for this framework agreement.”
Renato Reyes Jr., Bayan secretary general, alleged that this was a “pitch for the permanent and continuing presence of US troops and warships in the country.”
“The US role in the relief operations in the Visayas is in line with the US agenda of justifying its military presence in the region,” Reyes said.
“Del Rosario just couldn’t wait to get the ball rolling on the negotiations for increased rotational presence and de facto basing, keenly aware of the publicity the US forces have generated in their deployment to Samar and Leyte,” Reyes added.
The US and the Philippines have been in negotiations for the increased rotational presence of troops in the country following the US government’s decisions to reposition majority of its military assets to Asia.
Hernandez reiterated that the agreement for increased rotational presence “is not only good for the Philippines but also for the US and that’s why what we are trying to achieve here is to reach a mutually beneficial agreement and arrangement.”
“Whatever agreement will be achieved will always respect our constitution and the laws of the Philippines,” Hernandez said.
The third round of negotiations has finished and will continue, he said.
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