Marcos says treaties need to ‘evolve’
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday said he will seek a review and assessment of treaty agreements between the Philippines and its long-time ally the United States, including the 70-year-old Mutual Defense Treaty that binds the two countries to come to the aid of the other in case of an armed attack.
The President, who is set to go on an official visit to the US from April 30 to May 4, said there is a need to “evolve” some agreements as there has been a lot of developments in the world over the years.
Marcos said that during the visit, the Philippines will also request enhanced partnerships and assistance for climate change mitigation and post-COVID-19 recovery efforts.
It will be his Marcos’ second trip to the US, with the first one in September last year when he attended the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Well, siyempre liliwanagin natin ulit ang talagang mga treaty agreement sa gitna ng Pilipinas at saka ng Amerika at titingnan natin (Well, we will seek clarity about the treaty agreement between the Philippines and America and we will review it),” the President said when asked about the agenda of his meeting with Biden.
Marcos, during an interview with “Erwin Tulfo on Air,” said among the agreements to be discussed are the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).
“The Visiting Forces Agreement and the treaty that we have, the Mutual Defense Treaty, that we have with the United States… we have to evolve it… we need to adjust because there is an evolution, the situations are changing here in the South China Sea, the developments in Taiwan, in North Korea. All of these, the situation here is getting tense,” he said in mixed Filipino and English.
Marcos’ pronouncements followed the identification of four new areas that will be made accessible to the United States under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
China’s ambassador has linked the new EDCA sites to the welfare of Filipinos working in Taiwan which China claims as its own.
Experts say the US, China’s power rival, sees the Philippines as a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan.
Two of the four new EDCA sites are in Cagayan province which is near Taiwan. There were originally five sites agreed on when the Philippines and the US signed the EDCA in 2014.
Marcos has given the assurance that the EDCA sites would not be used for offensive attacks on other countries.
China has also been consistently aggressive in its claims in the South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea which is within Philippine territory.
CLIMATE CHANGE
The President said he would also raise climate change initiatives, including “green bonds” or financial instruments linked to climate change solutions and specific projects to help reduce carbon emissions.
He said the green bonds provide funds to rehabilitate areas affected by climate change as well as for climate change mitigation programs such as transfer of persons living in “no build zones” to safer areas, as well as the provision of “forest value” or funds for protection of forests.
Marcos said the country would also ask for assistance in the post-COVID recovery.
“There are any things to talk about. Not just military, not just economy but also cultural exchange, and the hot issue now which is climate change. We have to look at everything and other partnerships with the United States. President Joe Biden and I will talk about how to further our cooperation,” he said.
The meeting of the two Presidents has been set for May 1 in Washington, followed by an expanded meeting with key Cabinet officials.
The Presidential Communications Office said the visit of Marcos will “reaffirm the bonds of friendship that give definition and significance to the many facets of the bilateral relationship, underpinned by the close affinity shared by Filipinos and Americans alike for many years” and “substantively progress efforts to further deepen relations and political ties, to bring about lasting socio-economic partnerships, as well as to enhance defense and security cooperation.”
During the visit, the President is also expected to advance the Philippines’ socio-economic and development priorities and harness closer partnership in such areas as agriculture, energy, climate change, digital transformation and technology, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, supply chains, and infrastructure. The United States is a major bilateral trade and official development assistance partner, and maintains a shared commitment with the Philippines for more dynamic economic relations.
Apart from the US, Marcos is also expected to visit the United Kingdom and Indonesia next month to attend the coronation of King Charles and the Association of Southeast Asian (ASEAN) Summit, respectively.
