The Wily Filipino

The War on Terrorism (the Philippine Front).

For those of you who don't read the Philippine newspapers, here's the great Conrado de Quiros on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's "splendid little war:"

Bush never found the weapons of mass destruction that he used as his excuse to bomb Iraq, if indeed he expected to find any. GMA will not find any links between al-Qaeda and the MILF, which she is using as an excuse to bomb Muslim Mindanao, if indeed she expects to find any.

It is a cynical war, manufactured cynically, prosecuted cynically, and done for cynical ends. The senators who are crying foul over the timing of the bombings, which was just in time for GMA's presumably triumphant march to Washington, have every reason to do so. Salome got the head of John the Baptist as a gift for dancing for King Herod; GMA wants the heads of Abu Sabaya and Hashim Salamat, or the next best substitutes, for dancing for King George.

As an unfortunately glowing editorial enumerated the pasalubong Macapagal-Arroyo received along with the pat on her back (and that state dinner):

The United States will extend 30 million dollars in new grants and aid for equipment and training of the AFP. Another 30 million dollars will go into new bilateral development assistance focused on Mindanao and support for the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. A combat engineering unit will be established with a 25-million-dollar grant to train and equip the unit for civic action. Up to 10 million dollars in US defense goods and services will be made available through a presidential draw-down authority for equipment, spare parts and maintenance.

Twenty UH-1H helicopters will be sent to support the AFP in fighting terrorist groups, plus 10 other helicopters for spare parts... New joint military exercises are to be held, although the rules of engagement are still unclear -- a contentious aspect of the exercises.

More than the aid package, Bush elevated the status of the security relationship by making the Philippines a special non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally in the same category as Australia and Egypt. While this status does not make the Philippines a Nato member, it provides the mechanism that can fast-track Philippine access to US weapons in the war on terror. As Bush puts it, "That puts the Philippines right up there with Australia, Egypt, Israel ... which means it will be easier for us to answer questions on military equipment and to provide parts to make sure that the defense capabilities of the Philippine military are modern, and the choppers fly and are maintained. When the President orders up a strike, it happens quickly."

But go read the rest of de Quiros's op-ed piece.

Posted by the wily filipino at May 21, 2003 10:12 PM