RP remains a strong anti-terror ally — Palace

Despite claims to the contrary, Malacañang insisted yesterday that the Philippines remains a strong ally of the United States-led "coalition of the willing" in the campaign against international terrorism.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye issued this statement in the aftermath of President Arroyo’s controversial decision to withdraw the Philippine humanitarian contingent from Iraq over the objections of the US and other allies in the coalition.

He reaffirmed the resolve of Mrs. Arroyo to maintain the Philippines’ active involvement in the campaign against international and local terrorist groups.

"Our commitment to the campaign against international terrorism is firm," Bunye said. "The gains we continue to achieve in the anti-terrorism campaign is a result of the vigilance of Filipinos, our alliances with other nations and our strategic partnership with the US."

Bunye’s statement followed reports the US government is allegedly reviewing the Philippines’ status in the coalition after Mrs. Arroyo withdrew the Filipino contingent one month ahead of its scheduled end of mission on Aug. 20 after Iraqi militants threatened to behead Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz.

Top American officials, followed by their Australian counterparts, expressed extreme disappointment over the decision of Mrs. Arroyo, who offered no apologies to the country’s allies for opting to save De la Cruz’s life. In explaining her decision, she cited her "Filipino first" foreign policy as an independent sovereign government.

Bunye, in yesterday’s briefing, was less than candid in saying if the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had checked with Washington on the Philippines’ status as a member of the coalition.

Stressing that the Philippine government has been "categorical" in its stand against terrorism, he said "we will continue to cooperate with our neighbors regionally and internationally and definitely, we expect to lick the problem of terrorism in this our own country."

"So we will work towards the elimination or towards the neutralization of the terrorist threat in our jurisdiction," Bunye vowed.

He, however, refused to say if the Philippines may lose its status as a major non-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally as a result of Mrs. Arroyo’s decision.

"I am not sure what directions would take place in the future. But we are confident that our relationship with our strategic partners, which is the United States, will continue to remain strong," Bunye said.

He said he was summoned to attend a hurriedly organized meeting at the Palace yesterday of the Cabinet Oversight Committee on Internal Security (COCIS), chaired by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.

The COCIS had handled the two-week hostage crisis that led to De la Cruz’s release by his Iraqi captors. Emerging from the COCIS’ closed-door meeting, Bunye told reporters that what they discussed was not for release to the media.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the threat to exclude the Philippines from the coalition of the willing is part of the repercussions that US officials had earlier warned about.

"With the US, there are many implications," he said.

Pimentel cited that the premature pullout of Filipino troops from Iraq may affect the military and economic aid to the country as well as the benefits of Filipino veterans of World War II, a promise that has yet to be fulfilled by the US.

He also cited that Mrs. Arroyo’s decision may also make it more difficult for the Philippine government to recover the bells of Balangiga, Samar, which are displayed at the Fort Warren Air Force base in Cheyenne, Wyoming as a memorial to the US war veterans.

American troops took the bells to the US after launching a campaign in retaliation for the Balangiga uprising of Sept. 28, 1901. The incident has been described as the worst single defeat of the US military forces in the Philippines.

However, Pimentel reminded the US that it also needs the Philippines.

"The US should also remember that the Philippines is so strategically located in this part of the world that they would probably need us. These small misunderstandings ... I don’t think should stand in the way to better relationships," he said.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., on the other hand, asked the Australian government to "cease from issuing negative comments against the Philippines and respect our decision for the pullout. It must learn to accept it and deal with it."

He added that Australia had made "baseless" claims in the past that it received reports of possible terrorist attacks in the Philippines, which "not only tarnished our image abroad as a tourist destination, but also as an investment site."

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer had blamed the early pullout of Filipino troops from Iraq for a new threat against Australia by Iraqi militants allegedly affiliated with the al-Qaeda terror network.

Sen. Edgardo Angara said he will support the imposition of trade sanctions against Australia, such as high tariffs on Australian products or limited access to the Philippine market.

He said Australia has been unfair in its trade relations with the Philippines.

"We have been trying to sell our mangoes, bananas, and pineapples to them and somehow, for the past 15 years, they keep finding one pest after another. After we have demonstrated so many times that those pests don’t exist, they will come up with another," Angara said.

He pointed out that while he does not necessarily agree with Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to pull Filipino troops out of Iraq, "I would not condone or tolerate foreigners telling us what we did is wrong."

Stressing that Australia’s relations with the Philippines have "always been one-sided and unfair," Angara said Australian officials issued comments in "unparliamentary and vulgar terms."— With Jose Rodel Clapano