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Quick Fix From America
The August 5, 2002, Issue
By Chay Florentino Hofileña
Newsbreak Associate Editor

When the President decided to place foreign policy at the service of the fight against homegrown terrorism, criminality, and lawlessness, and to put her administration solidly behind U.S. President Bush’s war on international terrorism, she was taking steps toward closer Philippine-US bilateral security relations.

Terror has a way of reuniting even estranged partners. The Philippines and the United States are no exception.

More than 10 years after the Philippine Senate voted to terminate the Military Bases Agreement -- for long the defining point of relations between them -- the Philippines is back on the map of American security experts. The parting was harsh, even traumatic, in 1992, but the larger threat posed by a common enemy was compelling enough reason to revitalize relations anew.

The Balikatan 02-1 exercises -- controversial because of constitutional and legal questions raised by critics -- will officially end on July 31, with the rescue of hostages from the Abu Sayyaf and the supposed killing of Abu Sabaya as feathers on the cap of Filipino and American soldiers who took part in the joint operations.

Months before the rescue, public opinion was in favor of the exercises, with 66 percent of respondents of a PulseAsia survey giving their nod of approval. Of those in favor, 69 percent said they believed Filipino soldiers would learn much about modern arms and techniques of fighting terrorists.

* Changing security climate
* Foreign policy
* Aid patterns
* Dependency
* Accounting
* Sovereignty issue

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Dan