We’re not in the Moody for love

Filipinos have always been romantics. That is why on Valentine’s Day the traffic is horrendous, the restaurants are fully booked, hotels and motels are overflowing. But certainly with the Valentine’s Day massacre bombings and the raging Jolo battle and now with Moody’s two-notch credit ratings downgrade, we certainly cannot be in the mood for love.

While Moody’s cited the country’s large debt build-up and the corresponding vulnerability to economic, financial and political shocks as the prime reason for the downgrade, it also expressed concern over the situation in Jolo and the rash of bombings that hit Makati, Davao, and General Santos City. Just as the economy was starting to pick up, things like this happen. This double-whammy is something we can’t afford and certainly we don’t deserve.

Now more than ever, the national ID system and the Ping Lacson-sponsored anti-terror bill must be adopted as soon as possible. We have seen what terrorists can do and we have been warned by foreign intelligence sources that something even bigger is expected to happen unless we tighten up our security. Fortunately, former US Ambassador to the Philippines John Negroponte has been appointed as the chief US Superspy. He is familiar with the ins and outs of the Philippines. And by the way, the call of Senator Pimentel and Imee Marcos to investigate the spies operating in the country and have them register is simply stupid and ridiculous. Hello? Good Morning! Precisely, that’s why they’re called spies, we don’t know who they are and where they are. They have been around this country for so long that most of them have even retired here running "front" businesses.

Undoubtedly, we need a counterattack against the enemies of the state. But first and foremost, we need to strengthen our military. Our military is a stabilizing factor. It is the only organization that can save this country from major upheavals and from the violence of terrorism. It is about time we start shedding off the military’s Martial Law image and start looking, as the United States is doing so right now, at reforming it. The investigation of corruption scandals, incompetence, and mutinies should be all part of the purging process.

It is not fair to generalize and look at our military as incompetent and corrupt because as we look at the images of 30 or more of our troops who have died – this is an indication of the risks that our young soldiers take. Seeing their young wives and children suffering, we really have to give them the honor and the support that is rightly due them. They deserve nothing less because they are the front-liners who continue to fight terrorism and who are protecting our country from internal threats.

I have told many of my American friends from the intelligence community that it would be more economical and pragmatic for them to help us reform the military organization, strengthen its capabilities and discipline, and modernize its weaponry and equipment rather than taking over the country if we become a failed state. If the Philippines becomes a terrorist haven and breeding ground like Afghanistan or Iraq, it will be much more expensive for the United States to "invade" the Philippines because as in Iraq it will cost them billions of dollars and worse, they will have to pay with American lives.

We have had a long history of military relations with the US. After being ceded by Spain to the US in 1898, the Philippine-American War ensued until 1902. The Tydings-McDuffie Act in 1934 provided recognition for Philippine Independence after 10 years. During this period, the US would maintain military and other reservations in the country. The outbreak of World War II saw Americans fighting side by side with Filipinos against the Japanese especially in Bataan and Corregidor.

After World War II, the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) ensured that the two countries remained allies. The 1947 Military Bases Agreement (MBA) ended in 1991. The rest is history. In 1998, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) allowed the resumption of joint exercises and defense cooperation activities. And needless to say 9/11 further strengthened the alliance, making the Philippines an important ally in the fight against global terrorism.

How can we can ever outgrow the mindset that the United States is our protector? In fact, I remember when Gen. Douglas MacArthur returned to the country for the last time in 1961 when along with other students, I lined up on Taft Avenue to watch his motorcade pass by. He was seated beside then Vice-President Diosdado Macapagal in an open limousine. With the old familiar military bearing, I vividly remember the rosy-cheeked American Caesar waving at the adoring crowd like a conquering hero on his last return to his adopted land. I will never forget the American Caesar, whom I see as the quintessential American protector, when he declared that "I" instead of "we" shall return to save the Philippines. He had that ramrod bearing, the bravado, and the confidence of a victor.

MacArthur is very much a part of our military history because he was the first to draw up a national defense plan for the whole country when he was military advisor to President Manuel L. Quezon in 1935. As a matter of fact, he was appointed by President Quezon as the Supreme Field Marshall of the Philippine Commonwealth. He was proud of our soldiers who suffered and fought the Japanese valiantly until his return on October 20, 1944 at the famous Leyte landing.

Filipino soldiers have a long history of valor behind them. It is about time we give the military the support that it needs. Despite our limited resources, we must find ways and means to build up our military might that is just right. Our soldiers have long been neglected. In a documentary on Gen. Douglas MacArthur, I remember so well his famous line to the joint session of the US Congress as he was about to end his military career - "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away. And like an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light, I now end my military career and just fade away." And I say we must not allow our soldiers to just fade away without our support. We need them just as much as they need us.

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