Can’t have our cake and eat it, too

It was unimaginable for Canadians — whose country is ranked as one of the top 10 best countries to live in the world, according to the “happiness report” by the UN for having one of the highest GDP per capita, best healthcare systems, high life expectancy, low unemployment rate as well as a leader in science and technology —  that a masked gunman could go on a shooting rampage, kill a soldier at Canada’s National War Memorial then storm the Parliament Building before being shot dead.

Reports indicate that the man was a recent convert to Islam, with the shooting incident coming on the heels of a hit-and-run attack on two soldiers by an Islamic State-inspired terrorist. Such incidents should only tell us that indeed, this has become a very dangerous world. Nowadays, threats to people’s lives come not only from extremists but calamities and natural disasters due to climate change. Add to that the specter of lethal viruses like SARS, MERS Coronavirus and just recently, the Ebola virus which could turn into a global pandemic. More often than not, the outbreaks happen in highly populated places such as China and Africa obviously because high population density makes it easier to transmit infection especially in areas that have poor or non-existent medical facilities. According to experts, aid has to be tripled to prevent the death of tens of thousands of people in just one region in Liberia by the middle of December.

Judging from what is happening in West Africa plus the situation in Syria and Iraq because of ISIS, it has become evident that nations have to work together to effectively respond to all kinds of potential threats. One can just imagine what would happen if the Ebola virus reached the Philippines, or if ISIS militants joined forces with Abu Sayyaf terrorists (who have made kidnapping a lucrative trade as seen in the P250 million ransom they got for the release of a German couple kidnapped in Palawan last April) or another natural disaster struck the country again.

Looking at the whole picture, it has become clear that nations — the Philippines included — need to form alliances to combat transnational crimes like human trafficking, illegal drugs, gun smuggling and of course, maintain geopolitical balance. At the recent joint amphibious landing exercises or “Phiblex” between the US and the Philippines where troops conducted ship-to-shore operations (such as amphibious assaults, embassy defense, a mechanized assault and disaster relief including repair of a school building), Japan was accorded observer status for the first time. The move is seen to boost cooperation between Japan and the Philippines which both have maritime issues with China.

Which brings us back to the issue of the Visiting Forces Agreement that, for lack of a better word, is important to us because of the changing world situation in terms of global alliances in defending our shores from an external threat, and the challenge of adequately responding to a deadly calamity with the magnitude of Typhoon Yolanda. Lest people forget, the purpose for the VFA is not limited to joint military training and exercises but more importantly, humanitarian and disaster response readiness.

Just like in an exam, training and preparation makes all the difference — and studying overnight and just winging it will not guarantee a passing grade, which is basically how some people look at the joint training exercises between Filipino and American soldiers.

All these “theatrics” we see calling for the abrogation of the VFA are not helping any. People have to tone down the emotional hysteria and approach the whole issue from a cerebral perspective.

Admittedly, any self respecting Filipino will not want to see our sovereignty violated, but we have to put the situation into context. For one thing, Joseph Pemberton is already detained in Camp Aguinaldo — guarded jointly by Filipino soldiers and of course American military personnel for the whole duration of the trial until the completion of judicial proceedings as provided for under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

Having Pemberton inside Camp Aguinaldo technically puts him under the joint custody of the Philippines and the United States, and while militants and anti-VFA groups do not like this and are alleging special treatment because the container van holding the accused is air conditioned, it is clear our detention cells are not acceptable to international standards. That’s the reason why we do not detain the senators and the former president in these places mainly for health and security reasons.

Whenever major calamities or disasters happen, we ask other nations to come to our aid, and we are more than willing to accept the help from any nation including the United States, like what happened during Typhoon Yolanda with the American troops from the USS George Washington being the first to respond with search and rescue efforts, literally saving thousands of lives of Filipinos.

Unfortunately, all of us are guilty in one way or the other of wanting something and demanding instant gratification, but are not prepared to pay the cost. People who cheat on their taxes demand better services from government, people refuse to follow traffic rules yet condemn authorities for the horrendous traffic, people throw their garbage in esteros but complain about the floods. And now we sign an agreement but when things do not work in our favor, we demand to change the terms or the rules midstream — an attitude that is incomprehensible to many westerners. Maybe it’s the cacique mentality, but Filipinos must accept that there is no such thing as a free lunch. We simply cannot have our cake and eat it, too.

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