The Tie That Binds

By Aymi Ylagan

Filipinos have always been friends with the United States government.They never get tired being associated with the greats of the West. After all, what is there to lose with having a good relationship with a comrade in the fight against terrorism? According to the people in authority,the U.S.troops are here in the Philippines to help.

The Visiting Forces Agreement(VFA) started with talks about the presuppossed war against China regarding the Mischief Islands or Isla ng Kalayaan. The Philippine government stated that because of its lack of armaments, it needed the aid of a much super power---the U.S. Forces.

This was not supported by the anti-RP-US VFA groups since the agreement entails a series of conditions that would overrule the sovereignity of the country. This includes that American soldiers would continuously be replaced by another set of new forces. It only means that the 'visiting' becomes then a permanent and long lasting settlement on the 22 ports around the country. Add to the disdain are the possibilities that of anti-social practices may occur like pedophelia and prostitution.

As the Filipinos begin to wonder what that VFA was all about, another proposal came which is VFA-II where it indicated the suppossedly "priveleges" of the Filipino soldiers.

These are but again issues of yesterday that are are being brought about by the present "Balikatan Exercises" wherein U.S. troops are said to do training together with the Filipino soldiers as both fight "hard-core terrorists" ---Osama Bin Laden and the Talibans for the U.S. and the Abu Sayyaf for the Philippines.

The Philippine government sees this alliance as another proof of our long standing friendship with the Americans. Like the unabaited first rescue from the Spaniards and their second coming in the 1950'S to free us from the Japanese, here they are again to seize us from the hands of the Muslim fighters.

But militant groups protest that there is more that what meets the eye. They claim that instead of giving the Filipinos a helping hand, the U.S. Military is making the Philippines a probable target for their own enemies. With their presence, the country has become a staging base, a diversion in part of the U.S. offensive strategy.

There will always be discussions with regards to the true intentions of the U.S. government. Through the years, Filipinos have witnessed the so called friendship. Today, even if the government proclaim that the foreigners are only here to share their knowledge and equipments, the Filipinos will see this arrangement as another part of the tie that binds, the inevitable utang na loob that when once given is always remembered.

For this, people who know better must not accept the government's concept of freedom-that we are weak and badly need the support of our foreign abductor who left a virus contagious enough to sporadically spread that Pro-American disease. After all, what we see is never the whole picture.