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Ni Ernie Reyes
NANGANGAMBA ni Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III na baka maging susunod na Iraq ng world super power ang Pilipinas kapag nagkaroon ng visiting forces agreement ang bansa at Japan.
Sa pahayag, sinabi ni Pimentel na hindi dapat maging “battleground” ng makakapangyarihang bansa ang Pilipinas tulad nang ginawa nila ngayon sa ibang bansa.
“The Philippines should not become the next battleground of world super powers,” ayon kay Pimentel.
Sinabi ni Pimentel na kailangan tiyakin ng Senado ang panukalang Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) sa pagitn ng PIlipinas Japan na magingn authentic pact na sasakupin ang lahat ng lugar at pagkakataon sa palitan ng ideyas.
“We should be talking about a genuine agreement. Especially since the point we want to tell Japan is we want to learn from each other,” ayon kay Pimentel sa interview.
“And not because they want to turn the Philippines into a battleground. We should not agree to that. We already saw what is happening at the Gaza strip,” ayon sa senador na tumutukoy sa kasalukuyang sigalot sa pagitan ng Israel at Hamas group.
Aniya, hindi dapat gawing pawn ang Pilipinas ng world powers na tila nagboboluntaryo na maging battle ground sa susunod na panahon.
“Let’s not think like pawns; pawns are just being sacrificed. Let’s not think like one that we allow them to come to the Philippines so when a conflict happens the bombing will take place in the Philippines,” giit niya.
“It (RAA) should be a genuine, honest-to-goodness military agreement. The Philippine forces must also be allowed to go to Japan to learn, to exercise, to learn some maneuvers the same way they come here to learn,” paliwanag pa niPimentel explained.
Kung papayagan ang Japanese defense forces na pansamantalang magkampo sa Pilipinas, dapat mabigyan din ng katulad na pribelihiyo ang tropang Pilipinas at makatungtong ng kanilang bansa, ayon kay Pimentel.
“I have no problem with having an RAA (with Japan) but we haven’t seen the agreement yet, the terms indicated. We need to see the terms, whether or not we agree on it,” aniya.
“But let’s limit it at that. Not a military pact because we don’t want to revive the knowledge about Japan’s powers,” aniya.
“We all know about Japan’s reputation in the military arena. They have clout because of (their role during the) World War 2,” giit ng senador.
Pero kung magiging reciprocal at naglalayon na magpalitan ng kaalamanan kung paano tutuguna ang sigalot at iba pang aralin, sinabi ni Pimentel na kanyang susuportahan ang RAA ng Pilipinas sa Japan.
“Let’s limit it at that. Because we still want to see the terms, whether or not we agree with the pact. But let’s limit it at that because we don’t want to revive the memories of Japan being a military power,” ayon kay Pimentel.
Nitong Sabado, nagsalita si Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sa ginanap na joint session ng Kongerso nitong Sabado kaya’t nagkasundo an glider ng dalawang Kapulungahn na isulong ang RAA sa Japan.
