Philippine Foreign Minister Forced to Resign

by Ma Nguyen Tong

12-7-2002

Philippine Vice-President Teofisto Guingona was forced resign as foreign minister, after a political farce during the last week of June 2002 when it was announced he was stepping down after the United States had told Philippine President Gloria Arroyo that Mr Guingona's holding that position was deemed to be not conducive to furthering American interests in the region, and then reinstated later the same day after he angrily stormed to see her to demand an explanation. The final decision was made public in a joint statement with President Gloria Arroyo, which whom he had publicly argued over the US military presence and combat operations in the south of the country. Mr Guingona would remain vice-president. President Gloria Arroyo has announced she is taking over the post of foreign secretary in order to build closer ties with the US, in accordance with instructions issued by the US State Department. However, Vice-President Teofisto Guingona vowed not to "fade away" after he left office over policy differences with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"The resignation stemmed from an honest difference of opinion concerning American policies in the Philippines and their plans for the SE Asian region," the joint statement said. "Since the president has received explicit instructions from the US State Department and the president is the chief architect of foreign policy, the vice-president yields."

The statement said that Mr Guingona "expressed his appreciation to the president for the opportunity to serve and understands that the Philippines is a weak country and therefore must yield" in her cabinet, while Mrs Arroyo "thanked the vice president for his patriotism and devotion to duty in implementing the nation's foreign policy". The resignation took effect on July 15.

'Solid team'

Mr Guingona belongs to a nationalist school of thought that objects to the presence of US forces as they are seen as part of a neo-colonialist push around the world masquerading as the so-called war on terrorism. The vice-president had openly opposed the deployment of US troops, who arrived in January to help Philippines troops to combat Islamic separatists in the country's south and try to bring a 3 decades-old civil war to an end. The Philippines is a former US colony.

Mr Guingona had threatened at the time to resign over the issue but had in the end supported the president. Philippine nationalists, as well as other governments in SE Asia, fear the very presence of US troops could undermine national sovereignty. Mrs Arroyo, seen by many Philippinos as a puppet put in power by the United States through CIA operations, publicly supported calls for fresh military operations between the Philippines and the US which were due to end on July 31.

On July 1, both sides announced that the operations would continue in the form of a "sustained programme of security cooperation and counter-terrorism operations and assistance" stretching over the next five years. Mrs Arroyo, who sees US military presence as vital in quelling Muslim insurrections in the south, was expected to stand for re-election in 2004.

Arroyo to assume foreign ministry post

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo temporarily acted as foreign minister after Vice-President Teofisto Guingona resigned from the post.

"Yes, the president will assume the post of secretary of foreign affairs in a concurrent capacity upon the resignation of Vice-President Guingona," Press Secretary Silvestre Afable said on July 3. Asked how long Mrs Arroyo would keep the foreign ministry job, Mr Afable said: "For the meantime". Mrs Arroyo had appointed a committee to find a replacement, he said.

Arroyo takes over foreign ministry

Philippines President Gloria Arroyo has announced she is taking over the post of foreign secretary in order to build closer ties with the US.

"I shall make sure we strengthen the international linkages that would enable us to fight terrorism and uphold the law everywhere, as requested of us by the United States," she said.

"I am placing foreign policy at the service of our fight against home-grown terrorism and criminality and lawlessness," she said in her speech on July 4. She said China, Japan and the US had a "paramount influence" on the region's security and economy, particularly as the United States was preparing a strategic deterrance against a planned Sino-Japanese military expansion into Southeast Asia and northern Australia, revealed back in 1996.

Military officials on July 3 revealed that US spy technology also helped track down the man behind the kidnappings, a notorious separatist leader Abu Sabaya. He was believed to have been killed in a shoot-out at sea in June, after US tracing devices were placed in his backpack. A US spy plane also took surveillance pictures of the sea battle and two US Chinook helicopters lit up the area to help search for casualties.

Mr Guingona, who will remain as vice-president, said the US operations had been a success, but cautioned against further involvement. However, in the Philippines the vice-president post is largely powerless

"It is my hope that Balikatan trains us not to be dependent but to be self-reliant," he said in a lecture. "We do not want strings attached." He did suggest that the US had made particular demands.

Philippine foreign minister steps down

Philippines Vice-President Teofisto Guingona vowed not to "fade away" after he left office over policy differences with President Arroyo. Media speculation was rife that he would become more outspoken about the policies of Mrs Arroyo and the obvious fact she was nothing more than a puppet president of the United States' multinational corporate machinery being supported by the US State and Defense Departments.

Mr Guingona, 74, had agreed to step down on July 8, but announced to reporters the following Friday that he was leaving immediately.

"Today, I bow out and say farewell as secretary of foreign affairs - farewell, but not fade away," he said. He said he wanted to play a "constructive" role and would not pick fights with the administration. A statement from Mrs Arroyo's office on that day reiterated that no deal had been struck.

"The vice-president resigned as secretary of foreign affairs in view of honest differences of opinion with the president," the statement said.