 |
| Photo from: straitstimes.com |
MANILA: The government has defended the legality of its expanded defence agreement with the US, stressing this would help strengthen the country’s capability to protect itself in the face of rising security concerns arising from its territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Moreover, Solicitor General Florin Hilbay told the Supreme Court (SC) that it was within the power of the President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquno to sign the agreement with the US in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as mandated by the Constitution to protect the people and the state.
Two former senators including lawyer Rene Saguisag, a close aide of Aquino’s mother the late global democracy icon president Corazon Aquino, have petitioned the SC to declare as unconstitutional the treaty signed this year with the US known as the Enhanced Defence Co-operation Agreement (Edca).
In response, however, Hilbay asked the SC to dismiss the petitions, arguing that Edca was necessary to enable the country to address external and internal security to achieve “a minimum credible defence to the manifold security concerns in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea).”
Hilbay did not elaborate but he was obviously referring to the unresolved territorial disputes involving the Philippines and China in the South China Sea that have worsened regional tension. Hilbay also pointed out the agreement was within Aquino’s power to protect the nation as the military’s commander-in-chief and as the chief architect of the country’s foreign policy.
As such, the Edca did not require Senate concurrence as claimed by the petitioners because it would implement and enhance the Mutual Defence Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement that the Philippines had earlier signed with the US, according to Hilbay.
In addition, he said Edca would also benefit the Philippines by boosting its military’s capability in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, citing the devastation wrought by super typhoon Hiayan (local codename Yolanda) in large parts of the Visayas in November 2013 as he pointed out: “The country’s experience with Yolanda...has made us acutely aware of the need to develop our capability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to provide immediate response to disaster-stricken areas.”
Source:
0 comments:
Post a Comment