MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang seems to be not concerned that the proposal of an "increased rotational presence" of American troops in the country could agitate China amid the ongoing territorial dispute over the West Philippine Sea.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the Palace welcomes the start of negotiations between the United States and the Philippines, saying the American military presence in the country would not only help in "minimum credible defense" but also in humanitarian disaster response operations.
And when asked if the Palace is confident that the move will not further agitate China, Lacierda said: "That is their concern, not ours."
Lacierda also dismissed claims that the increased American military presence here is only for the interests of the US, which initiated the talks.
"We have an interest here also. We act according to what is in our best national interest," Lacierda said at a televised press briefing on Monday. "It's a framework agreement. Both sides will have to discuss, both sides will negotiate on what will be the terms mutually beneficial to both."
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said the Philippine negotiators have been given parameters that require them to ensure that the Philippine Constitution and laws are fully respected in the arrangements with the US.
The talks on a framework agreement allowing the increased rotational presence of American troops will start on Wednesday. A Philippine negotiating panel will consist of Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, Defense Assistant Secretary Raymund Quilop and Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Carlos Sorreta.
Del Rosario said both diplomacy and defense need to be strengthened if the government is to secure the people and the country.
"I say this as, at the frontlines of ensuring the security of our people and the territorial integrity of our nation. It lies in the essential partnership between diplomacy and defense," he said in a statement.
The presence of foreign troops is a sensitive issue in the Philippines, a former American colony. The Philippine Senate voted in 1991 to close down major U.S. bases at Subic and Clark, near Manila. In 1999, it ratified a pact with the United States allowing temporary visits by American forces, paving the way for hundreds of U.S. forces to hold combat exercises with Filipino troops in the south.
Simmering territorial tensions in the South China Sea have since shifted the focus on the Philippines' poorly guarded maritime frontiers. Last year, China took control of a lagoon off the northwestern Philippines, which Manila says falls within its 200-mile (322-kilometer) exclusive economic zone. China has also demanded that the Philippines pull out of another shoal farther south, near Mischief Reef, which Chinese troops occupied in 1995 amid Manila's protests.
The U.S. says it takes no sides in the disputes but has backed a Philippine move to seek U.N. arbitration and a proposed regional nonaggression pact. China has criticized the Philippines for escalating the disputes and warned against any outside intervention.
Manila's desire to bolster its external defense has dovetailed with Washington's intention to pivot away from years of heavy military engagement in the Middle East to Asia, partly as a counterweight to China's rising clout. -with Jim Gomez, Associated Press