THE UNITED States’ top diplomat vowed to respect the Philippine Constitution when it comes to military agreements between Manila and Washington, saying American troops are here only to train Filipino soldiers and not to engage in combat.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made the statement in a landmark dialogue last November 13, hosted by UST and aired on national television, which was the highlight of her maiden trip to the Philippines as chief envoy of President Barack Obama.
Dismissing critics that relations between the US and the Philippines were unequal, Clinton said: “We’ll continue to support you, our only interest is to see you prosper, as a friend.”
She recognized the Philippines’ economic progress amid the worst financial turmoil in 40 years, but said a lot still needed to be done, especially in the peace and order situation in Mindanao.
“Conflict cannot be permitted to intimidate people. The openness and perseverance to support the people within the society, who are trying to make a change, can make a big difference,” Clinton told the forum at the Medicine Auditorium.
The “Manila Forum,” aired live on the ABS-CBN News Channel, drew 800 student-delegates from UST, University of the Philippines-Diliman, De la Salle University, Ateneo de Manila, National University, Far Eastern University (FEU), University of the East (UE), Adamson University, and congressional interns from Mindanao.
Students from Siliman University in Dumaguete and Ateneo de Zamboanga also joined the forum via video patch, with one student from each school allowed to pose a question to Clinton.
US ambassador Kristie Kenney, Rector Fr. Rolando de la Rosa, O.P., and university presidents of FEU, La Salle, and UE were present.
Clinton said military troops in Mindanao only serve a “facilitating and supporting role” to the military, responding to critics of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a 1999 treaty between the US and the Philippines governing the deployment of US troops in the Philippines.
Lawmakers have called for a review or even the abrogation of the treaty, after a 2005 rape case involving a US Marine ended in an acquittal last April. The accuser, Suzette Nicolas, had withdrawn her complaint and fled to the US.
Seventy protesters held a rally on España Boulevard during Clinton’s brief visit to UST, demanding the scrapping of the VFA.
Clinton said “whatever is worked out within [a] political framework has to be respectful of the constitutional and legal requirements of the nation.”
She said this as she expressed support to peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“Strike while the iron is hot. Take advantage of the people who wanted it (peace).Do not sleep, do not rest until there is peace,” she added.
She pointed out violations of human rights as a result of rebellion were often given the least attention.
“People need to say no, there is no justification for any faith or religion to permit these kinds of actions,” Clinton said.
Clinton also called for more vigilance against corruption as she pointed out that the US is embarking on more programs like the Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), which links aid to improvements in governance and anti-corruption efforts.
The Philippines has failed repeatedly to get a compact from MCC, which would pave the way for more assistance from the US, after failing to meet standards on eliminating corruption.
Immigration policies are also undergoing reforms, Clinton said, without going into details.
“There have been a lot of changes in our approach and openness in our immigration policies. There has been an outreach to Russia and China, trying to find positive cooperation in the political arena,” she said.
Vice rector Fr. Pablo Tiong, O.P. said UST was chosen as the venue for the forum because of its historical background.
“UST and the United States shared history during World War II, when the University became a Japanese camp where many American and Filipino soldiers were detained in the campus,” Tiong said.
During US colonial rule from 1898 to 1946, UST was the oldest university under the American flag, having been founded in 1611 or 25 years ahead of Harvard University.
Clinton also answered questions such as who were her crushes, who would win the Pacquiao-Cotto boxing bout, and what would the US do on climate change.
Reactions to Clinton’s visit were mixed.
“I think she (Clinton) has the right attitude of a leader, especially in the United States where the perception of the government has gone bad,” said legal management junior Marc Sana from FEU prior to the forum.
Michelle Aquino, a freshman commerce student from UST, expressed discontent with Clinton’s answers.
“It did not meet my expectations. There were no concrete answers to the questions,” she said.
Protest
Protesters, who held rallies during Clinton’s two-day visit to the country, marched along España Boulevard to get attention from Clinton’s convoy that passed along Lacson Street around 8 a.m. But over 500 riot policemen from the police regional mobile group blocked their way and confined them within España.
One UST bus was also stationed parallel to two España gates, reportedly to block the protesters from Clinton’s sight upon her arrival at the campus, but the security office denied this.
Anton Dulce, vice-national chairperson of Anakbayan, said youth groups did not believe that Clinton’s visit was meant to extend “solidarity” with the victims of recent natural calamities, but a “mere ploy” to soften the US’ image.
“Clinton and her administration is a passive disappointment. They came in riding the wave of discontent of the Bush administration, but all their policies are virtually carbon copies of the former administration like the deployment of US soldiers in other countries,” Dulce said.
Communication arts junior Maxirose Enriquez, who was among the protesters, said Clinton should tell Obama to remove US troops from Philippine soil because “their presence undermines the sovereignty of the Philippines.”
Andrew Zarate, Anakbayan-National Capital Region chairperson, claimed Diane Solmayor, Adamson University Mass Communication Society president and LFS spokesperson, was detained at the Office for Student Affairs (OSA).
“Illegal na naka-detain ang ating leader sa campus na ito,” Zarate said during the rally.
Tourism student and event usherette Claudine San Antonio saw the incident.
“I heard the student (Solmayor) shouting ‘Student leader ako!’ to the security personnel who responded to her. That’s all I saw,” San Antonio said.
Roberto Evangelista, assistant for special services at the OSA, denied detaining Solmayor, saying she was accompanied by her adviser back to Adamson after the incident.
In preparation for “The Manila Forum,” the Presidential Security Group (PSG) secured the St. Martin de Porres Building as early as 3 a.m.
UST guard Alfred Tagufa said they were “virtually benched” from their posts as the PSG and US embassy guards took over, along with police from the Manila and Quezon City police districts.
Gate 4 at España and gate 11 at Dapitan were temporarily closed from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. to control the traffic flow inside the University.
‘We were required’
By 7:30 a.m., students and faculty members from the high school department marched toward Araullo Drive carrying miniature Philippine and US flags to welcome Clinton.
High school senior Sean Patrick Altea said everyone was required to line up along the route of Clinton’s convoy and welcome her to the University.
High school faculty members said the activity was a matter of courtesy to the top US diplomat.
