“foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed except under a treaty ….” 1987 Constitution

 

 

 

           As the 1987 Constitution provides that, “foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate xxx and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State” (Art. 18, Sec. 25, 1987 Constitution),   any presence of foreign troops, activities of foreign troops, and facilities of foreign troops, on Philippine territory, not covered by existing treaties, violate the Constitution.

         Local government officials in Zamboanga  have  openly complained that the U.S. troops in their area have been operating there for six years now.

                Whether or not the presence, activities, and facilities of U.S. troops in Sulu and Zamboanga violate existing law,  is easily verifiable: Get the names of the soldiers, their units, their date of entry, their daily log book; and  make an ocular inspection and photograph the facilities and structure of built by the  U.S. troops.  

       No Philippine public official has done this. No Philippine public official has a record of the names of the American troops, their numbers, their weapons, the equipment they brought in, the structures they’ve set up.

         Depending on the facts, the presence of foreign troops, their activities, their  facilities, when not authorized by existing treaties between the Philippine and the United States (ratified on both sides), are in violation of the Constitution; those who allow it flout the Constitution. The foreign troops, when not allowed by treaties (ratified on both sides) are carrying firearms, weapons, and ammunition  in violation of Philippine law, are conducting intelligence operations in Philippine territory in violation of Philippine law, have entered the country in violation of Philippine immigration laws, have brought in goods and personal effects in violation of Philippine customs and tariff duties laws, etc. 

       Worst of all, in the past, American soldiers who had violated Philippine criminal laws  (who had violated women,  property, life)  invoked their “criminal immunity” and our “lack of jurisdiction”  over them then under the U.S. bases agreement and, now, under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

      No Philippine public official, no politician aspiring to be President, or senator, seems to mind.