Ducky Paredes

Malaya (01.02.07)

“If we hail the Senate that abrogated the military bases agreement, what can we say about the Senate that ratified the VFA?”
Let’s Scuttle the VFA

by Ducky Paredes

When the convicted rapist Daniel Smith was spirited away in the dead of night from the Makati City Jail to the American Embassy on orders of DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno, our government revealed itself to be a vassal of a foreign country. It apparently regards itself as a lowly slave to the government of George W. Bush.
True, we have an agreement with the United States (a one-sided agreement that no self-respecting other nation could possibly even just countenance) but we also have a system of laws and a judiciary that deserves as much, if not more respect than the government shows to a foreign power.
If we were justly proud that in 1991, our Senate defeated a treaty to continue the American military bases in the Philippines, in 1999, the Senate of the 11th Congress voted to ratify the Visiting Forces Agreement. But, wasn’t the fact that American soldiers made so many Filipino citizens their victims also one if the considerations for closing their bases down? So, why did the 1999 Senate give the VFA at least two-thirds of its vote?
Who were these Senators? The Senate President was Marcelo B. Fernan. Senators then who are still in the Senate today are: Franklin M. Drilon, Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr., Rodolfo G. Biazon, Juan Ponce Enrile, Juan M. Flavier, Ramon B. Magsaysay, Jr., Sergio R. Osmeña III and Miriam Defensor Santiago. The other Senators were: Blas F. Ople, John Henry R. Osmeña, Francisco S. Tatad, Teofisto T. Guingona, Jr,, Teresa Aquino-Oreta, Robert Z. Barbers, Renato L. Cayetano, Anna Dominique M.L. Coseteng, Gregorio B. Honasan II, Robert S. Jaworski, Loren Legarda Leviste, Ramon B. Revilla, Raul S. Roco and Vicente C. Sotto III.
If we hail the Senate that abrogated the military bases agreement, what can we say about the Senate that ratified the VFA? This is a bad agreement for our citizens since it gives extra protection to visiting soldiers who might commit crimes while in the country. Who are their more likely victims if not Filipino citizens? So, why did our Senate ratify such an inherently anti-Filipino citizen agreement?
The President then was Joseph Estrada who was among those Senators who in 1991 pushed for the abrogation of the Military Bases Agreement. In 1999, Estrada pushed for the VFA.
Clearly, taking from the experience of Marcelo Batestil, a taxi driver in Cebu City who was mauled by two sailors from the U.S. Navy who did not want to pay for their taxi ride in the very first year that the VFA was in force and the experience of “Nicole” in the seventh year of the VFA, this agreement will be the cause of even more grief for a lot more Filipino citizens in the years to come.
Why does the Philippines agree to disenfranchise its citizens, when faced with crimes committed by American military men? Why does the United States need to protect its soldiers against the laws of one of the first democracies in Asia, which was established by the American nation itself?
In the VFA itself, there is this clause: “This agreement shall remain in force until the expiration of 180 days from the date on which either party gives the other party notice in writing that it desires to terminate the agreement.”
Getting out of the VFA is as simple as Gloria Arroyo or the Foreign Affairs Secretary writing a letter.
By now, all of us should know that the VFA is not art all what it was touted to be as something that would bring peace and progress t our country. On the contrary, the VFA has complicated our lives and compromised out justice system no end. This is an evil that we are best rid of, the earlier the better.
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The Year-End Tournament of the Federation of Philippine Amateur Senior Golfers, Inc. hosted by Capitol Senior Golfers, Inc. at Wack-Wack was a huge success, thanks to our sponsors and to the staff at Wack-Wack.
This was also the 6th and last leg of the San Miguel Senior Tour, which is now on its second year, this time as the “San Mig Coffee Sugar-free Senior Golf Series.” Thanks to SMC for sponsoring all of the six legs of the FPASGI tournaments. The FPASGI is the largest group of senior golfers in the country and is a member of the ASEAN Senior Golfers, which holds yearly tournaments in each of the countries of ASEAN. The last one was held at Eagleridge in Cavite last November and it was a resounding success, too.
The sponsorship of Smart Telecommunications and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) was not only generous, it was help that contributed greatly to make a success of the tournament.
For organizers who find themselves with an extremely large number of players in their tournament, I suggest a shotgun start with fivesomes for all flights and “A” and “B” flights for all par 3 and par 4 holes and (if needed) “C” flights for par 5 holes. This would allow over 200 players on the course. We had close to 180 players and did the West Course of Wack-Wack in just a little over five hours. (It helps that Wack-Wack is a walking course.)
Basic Holdings, Inc, gave us what were our major prizes in the all important (maybe more so than the game itself) raffle. SMC’s Corporate Communications added some more major prizes as did Philippine Air Lines and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).
Unilever Philippines, Inc, and SMC provided the give-aways.
I also thank all those who joined the tournament and who forgave the little lapses that we may have committed in putting together this yearly tournament of the FPASGI,
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Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com,/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com

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hvp (01.01.07)

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