‘Tripartite security treaty must go through Senate’

MANILA, Philippines — Nothing prevents the Philippines, Japan and the United States from forging a trilateral defense and security deal, but such an endeavor would require ratification by the Senate.

Senators made this clear yesterday in reaction to the proposed security triad – stated by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his meeting with President Marcos in Tokyo on Thursday.

The senators said that while the security triad would be beneficial to the country in terms of protecting its sovereignty and promoting stability in the region, its mechanism and context must be clear to the public and should pass through the Senate if the pact is to be formalized in a treaty.

“This is nothing new as there had been a similar undertaking and the most recent of which was the Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, a regional commitment focused on measures to address maritime security threats and challenge,” Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, chairman of the Senate defense and security committee, said.

He said the changing regional security landscape in recent years has exposed the country’s vulnerabilities.

Any strategic partnership aimed at further enhancing the Philippines’ security relationship with Japan and the US is a welcome move, he said, adding that “it need not be emphasized that this proposed trilateral alliance is rooted in mutually beneficial partnerships.”

“We must ensure though that the responsibility of protecting and promoting our national interest rests with our government. This proposal needs to be placed in its proper context in order to temper expectations,” the senator said.

Sen. Francis Escudero said such a proposal was not surprising as the country has been allies with the US and Japan, albeit without a formal tripartite security treaty.

“But if it will be formalized, it must be a treaty (not a mere executive agreement) that should go through the process of ratification by the Senate as it involves not only the security of our country but the welfare and future of our people as well,” Escudero told reporters.

“As the saying goes, ‘the devil is in the details’ and the more people look at and review it, the better for our country and people,” he said.

Sen. Francis Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate foreign relations committee, also said if the proposed security cooperation would be in the nature of a treaty, such a pact must be ratified by the Senate in accordance with the Constitution.

“However, temporary trilateral exercises in the form of maritime patrols and land-based training, including disaster assistance, might be covered by a new executive agreement and is a ‘welcome’ new adaptation, so long as it benefits the nation and supports regional peace,” Tolentino said.

He said the Senate should be given the opportunity to fine-tune the dynamics of such an arrangement while recognizing the role of the President in setting the country’s security and foreign relations agenda.

“While this is not a SEATO-like structure, I support its genesis,” he said, referring to the defunct Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, the precursor to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Senators Nancy Binay and Joseph Victor Ejercito, in separate interviews, said it might be better if the defense and security cooperation be expanded to include other countries in Southeast Asia, particularly those with overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

No provocation

Ejercito welcomed the proposed trilateral defense alliance as part of efforts to counter China’s growing aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

“As I have said before, countries in our region should band together to resist and deter China’s incursions into our territorial waters, which are nothing short of a clear and present danger to our territorial sovereignty and that of our neighbors,” Ejercito said.

“But let us be clear on one thing: our goal is not to provoke China but to ensure freedom of navigation in the West Philippine Sea and establish zones of peace in these disputed waters,” he said.

He, however, said the Philippine can only effectively contribute to such an alliance if it modernizes its armed forces.

“This will require expediting the modernization of our Armed Forces in the coming years. Securing support for the said modernization program was one of my priorities during the Senate’s deliberations on this year’s national budget. And it will continue to be one of my personal advocacies in the years ahead,” he said.

Binay, for her part, said “if it will help in securing our country, why not? Maybe we can explore that it includes neighboring countries, not just Japan, Philippines and the US… if it will be to our advantage to protect what is ours.”

On concerns that such a move might irritate China, she said: “We must prioritize what is good for us, Filipinos’ interest first.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said addressing issues on food security, law and order, corruption, energy security, among others, should take precedence over such defense proposals.

“Security agreements might require us to spend more on military hardware (definitely imported) and these amounts could and should be better spent on addressing or solving our pressing ‘daily life problems’ like food availability and food cost, inflation, energy availability and energy cost, law and order, corruption, housing for the street dwellers and the homeless, taking care of our children including most especially the orphans, assistance to the poor so that they can survive today and live up to tomorrow, and many more,” Pimentel said.

“Let us be productive. Let us be fair. Let us be helpful. These are what we need to do as of the moment,” he said.

The military said there is no discussion yet on the plan to hold joint military exercises with the Japan Self Defense Force.

At present, the AFP said it only has joint engagements or activities with Japan on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

In June last year, the Philippine Air Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force had a four-day joint training exercise at Clark Air Base in Mabalacat City, Pampanga.

Meanwhile, some 3,000 Filipino and American soldiers are expected to participate in this year’s joint military training exercises called 2023 Exercise Salaknib.

Army spokesman Col. Xerxes Trinidad said senior leaders of Philippine Army and the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) units that will join the events held a bilateral conference at Conrad Hotel, Pasay City on Wednesday.

He said 7th Infantry Division Commander Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo, 5th ID Commander Maj. Gen. Audrey Pasia and key officers from the Philippine Army took part in the conference while USARPAC 25th ID Commanding General Maj. Gen. Joseph Ryan led the USARPAC delegation.

“The first Salaknib’s first phase, which will precede Exercise Balikatan, is slated for the first quarter while the second phase is scheduled for the second quarter,” he said.

“Exercise Salaknib is projected to include around 3,000 troops from USARPAC’s 25ID and Philippine Army’s 7ID, 5ID and 1st Brigade Combat Team, the Army’s premier combined arms unit,” Trinidad said. – Michael Punongbayan