GI Joe is coming back? With the threats posed by China and North Korea causing restiveness in the region, the United States carries the responsibility and urge action under the Mutual Defense Treaty. An action like those we saw on Hollywood western movies sending the cavalry to circle our wagon.
It is at this point when my businessman friend from Bataan Romeo Macaspac aka Von who suggested that maybe the Pentagon of the United States consider the revival of recruiting Filipinos for enlistment in their navy forces. (And assign a contingent in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).That was done sometime in the fifties and sixties. It was stopped though and I can’t remember when and why. Anyway the time and situation demands it.
When the American GIs hurriedly left after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in June 1991, a vacuum ensued. When the Americans had their bases here-Clark Air Force Base in Pampanga and Subic Naval Base in Zambales, China never dared encroaching on our waters. There was never a single story which I can remember that Chinese coast guards drove away Pinoy fishermen. Three years after the closure of Clark Air Force, the headquarter of the 13th US Air Force, China started making its move by claiming Mischief reefs, Panatag and Scarborough shoals.
Clark Air Force Base was the biggest military installation outside of the continental United States. It’s the facility wherein the American government conducted operations in the whole of the pacific. It patrolled and protected allies including the Philippines. Modern jets, submarines and other naval vessels were parked in their bases. We don’t have this materiel. In like manner, now that Ukraine is under siege is asking European allies for support. That should have been done years ago, stockpiling for materiel because it has a belligerent neighbor-Russia. China has been flexing its muscles and annexation of our territories is so evident. What do we do? Insisting on the UNCLOS ( United Nation Conference on Law of the Sea) favorable ruling as pressed by former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario and retired Justice Antonio Carpio.? Totally ignored by China.
On a hindsight, the Cory Aquino administration should have carefully studied the consequences of the bases removal. It was during her time that the bases agreement was abrogated. Oh my! I believe the late Joker Arroyo and his think tank made a misstep. And Fidel Ramos who succeeded Tita Cory should have started a re-study of the vacuum. His armed forces modernization project was a total flop after the jamount of P25 billion went to the black hole, so to speak. God bless Tita Cory and Fidel Ramos’ souls.