Obama’s ‘quickie’ visit

 The just concluded visit in our country of United States President Barack Obama took less than 24 hours. That’s how brief the US leader stayed in Manila from the time the Air Force-One landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) past one o’clock Monday afternoon until it took off around 11:30 a.m. yesterday.

It was a whirlwind “hello” and “goodbye” trip to Manila of Mr. Obama. It was a reciprocal trip to the state visit made by President Benigno “Noy” Aquino III to Washington in June 2012. Though President Obama was here barely a day, the Philippine government billed it as a state visit, complete with the traditional 21-gun salute and full military colors, and a state banquet at Malacañang.

The Philippines was the last stop of the four-nation trip to East Asia allies of President Obama who first went to Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia in that order. Actually, Mr. Obama was originally scheduled to visit Manila in October last year. But he had to abort this when the US Congress failed to approve the federal budget for 2014.

A few hours before the US presidential plane Air Force-One landed at NAIA, official representatives of both countries inked the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). For the Philippines, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin signed the EDCA, with American ambassador Philip Goldberg for the US side in rites held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The EDCA, among other things, will give US military forces access to Philippine bases in the next ten years.

The EDCA — as both sides disclosed after it was signed — was the product of eight-month long negotiations alternately conducted here in Manila and in Washington. Left-leaning anti-US groups earlier claimed the signing of the EDCA was being fast-tracked so it can be used to highlight the state visit of President Obama. 

Up to the last moment, official denials were made to belie leftists’ scenario. On the eve, however, of Mr. Obama’s arrival in Manila, the defense department announced the scheduled signing of the new defense deal.

The anti-climactic signing of the EDCA a few hours ahead of the Obama state visit did not dampen though the anti-US groups with their planned protest rallies. The anti-US militants showed they have deep resources to organize and mobilize large numbers of people for their mass movements and to finance logistic requirements for effigies, streamers, and other props to dramatize their protest actions.

The anti-US militants tried but failed to storm Malacañang while Obama and his US official delegation were meeting with P-Noy and his Cabinet. They regrouped yesterday and tried again to storm the US embassy in Roxas Boulevard just after Air Force-One with Mr. Obama took off to fly back to the White House.

Despite the “quickie” visit, President Obama’s finally coming here at least served to move things faster for us.

For some dramatic impact two weeks before Obama’s visit, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restored our country to Category 1 status that paved the way for Philippine carriers being allowed more flights to US destinations.

And before President Obama ended his visit yesterday, Washington lifted the Philippines out of the copyrights blacklist. The Philippines was previously included in the list of countries which do not properly protect US copyrights and patents. The US Trade Representative announced it has removed the Philippines from this blacklist after the passage of laws here to better protect intellectual property rights and also stepped up law enforcement campaign to arrest and jail violators like film and video pirates, etc.

For sure, this should have merited an invite to actor Ronnie Ricketts, chairman of the Optical Media Board (OMB) to attend the state banquet for President Obama last Monday night at the Palace. As OMB chief, Ricketts has been conducting high-profile raids of establishments suspected as primary sellers of pirated Hollywood movies.

We gathered the invitations to the Palace state banquet were limited to maximum number of 350 guests. But lo and behold! Our boxing champion, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao was not there. If we are to believe Palace officials, Pacquiao was invited but he failed to attend. There was no official explanation cited but it was surmised it was because the champ’s wife just gave birth to their youngest son last Sunday.

In his return toast to P-Noy at the state banquet, President Obama specially mentioned our homegrown international boxing champion. “There is our mutual admiration for Manny Pacquiao – even if sometimes his fight against Americans doesn’t turn out the way we’d like,” the American leader said in jest. Pacquiao recently won his rematch in Las Vegas with American boxing champion Timothy Bradley, this time in a unanimous decision. Pacquiao lost his boxing belt to Bradley in a split decision in their first fight. 

Another Manny, one of the 20 or so Fil-Ams working at the White House staff, came along with President Obama in his trip here. Manny Pascual works as one of many Obama advisers on East Asia affairs. He is the nephew of our fellow Tuesday Club member Elpi Cuna on his wife’s side.

While Mr. Obama was at the Palace state banquet, Pascual got a chance to leave for a quick dinner with his uncle Elpi and family. Although Fil-Am executive chef at the White House Cristeta Comerford cooks for them lumpia and adobo – according to Mr. Obama – Pascual told his relatives he wanted to eat other Filipino food while on a short visit here.

Given the tight security at the Sofitel Hotel in Roxas Boulevard where President Obama and his official entourage were billeted overnight, Elpi said he asked his nephew to arrange access for them to get inside. Elpi said they took their nephew to the nearby Bistro Remedios in Malate. The young Obama ward, he said, was profuse with good words such as humble and down-to-earth to describe the most powerful man in the world and working for him up close and personal.

Before leaving Manila yesterday, President Obama reiterated the “iron-clad” commitment of the US under its Mutual Defense Treaty with our country to help defend the Philippines. We just pray and hope we will not reach the point to test that commitment.