Tillerson: No conflict between US aid, rights concerns

MANILA, Philippines - The United States’ concerns on human rights and views on President Duterte’s war on drugs should not be tied to Washington’s support for the Philippine government in the fight against terrorism, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday.

Tillerson stressed there is no contradiction and conflict in the interest of the US government to provide assistance to the Philippine military fighting the Islamic State (IS)-inspired Maute terrorists in Marawi City.

“With respect to the assistance we’re providing the Philippine government to respond to ISIS, there is – there really is no, I think, contradiction at all in the support we’re giving them in the fight down in Marawi and Mindanao,” he said. 

“I see no conflict, no conflict at all in our helping them with that situation and our views of other human rights concerns we have with respect to how they carry out their counter-narcotics activities,” he added.

Tillerson said the US military is providing the Philippine government with information, surveillance capabilities with recent transfers of Cessnas and UAVs to allow the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to have better information in fighting the terrorists in Marawi. 

“We’re providing them some training and some guidance in terms of how to deal with an enemy that fights in ways that is not like most people have ever had to deal with,” he said.

Tillerson called the situation in Marawi “tragic” but said Philippine government forces are beginning to get that situation under control.

“And so I think our – bringing our knowledge of having dealt with this enemy in other parts of the world is useful to them, and I think that is also in our national security interest as well,” Tillerson said.

At the East Asian Ministers Meeting, Tillerson outlined steps the US would like to see the region take on a number of emerging issues, “particularly the fight against terrorism, counterterrorism and the recognition now of the emergence of IS fighting forces in the region, most particularly in the Philippines.” 

“There are a number of areas of cooperation in terms of information sharing so we can track individuals, border security so that hopefully we can keep these individuals from returning, cooperation around extremists and terror financing networks and creating safe havens for terrorists,” he stressed.

Tillerson expressed his appreciation to the Philippines for hosting the series of ASEAN meetings and the opportunity for very useful and productive bilateral meetings.

“These annual sessions serve a really important platform for all of us to convene here in Southeast Asia and the Pacific and exchange views on a number of issues, obviously, of mutual interest,” Tillerson said.

Getting ahead

Ahead of his visit to Manila, Tillerson assured the US will remain a partner of the Philippines to “get ahead” of the IS, saying its elements are already in the country and gaining a foothold.

He said among the next steps on the global war to defeat IS is to recognize them is a global issue. 

“We already see elements of IS in the Philippines, as you’re aware, gaining a foothold,” Tillerson said in a press briefing at the State Department.

He said that some of these fighters have gone to the Philippines from Syria and Iraq.

Tillerson said the US is in talks with the governments of the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, as partners to “recognize the IS threat, try to get ahead of this threat and help them with training their own law enforcement capabilities, sharing of intelligence and provide them wherewithal to anticipate what may be coming their direction.”

In June, AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año said IS fighters who would be displaced by their losing battle in Mosul were expected to come to Asia, with the Marawi crisis making the Philippines a “magnet.” 

Año said there are still indications of attempts by foreign fighters to come to the country to beef up forces in southern Philippines.

US Ambassador Sung Kim said the US “proudly stands” with the Philippines as a longstanding ally and support the government’s operations against the Maute militants in Marawi City.

The US government also gave assurance it will continue to provide support to the AFP’s long-term modernization goals and counterterrorism needs.

The AFP, however, has not received any formal notice from the US on its reported offer to launch drone attacks on Maute terrorists in Marawi City.

Año said such an offer should go through the process.

“As reported in media, this is ‘a plan’ being considered. We at the AFP is yet to receive any formal notice or offer for such air capability deployment,” Año said.

He said the decades-old Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) only allowed the US to provide technical assistance and training of Filipino troops through the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board.

But the high level offer of launching drones must be agreed upon by leaders of both the Philippines and the US, he said.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella allayed fears that the reported drone airstrikes might be a violation of the Constitution.  

If there is military assistance from the US, Abella said it will be based on the provisions of the MDT.

Abella also said any US assistance will just be limited to technical assistance based on the standing protocols under the MDT that bar direct participation of US troops in local military operations.

“While Phl-US military alliance remains solid and robust, US military assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines is limited to technical assistance, information sharing and training,” Abella said.

“It does not involve any boots on the ground nor any direct participation in combat operations,” he added.

Under the MDT, both countries are obligated to defend each other in the event of a foreign invasion against either of the two allied states.

“Direct military actions may only be allowed during actual invasion of the Philippines by another state actor,” Año said.

Año though pointed out that terrorism has become a global menace that calls for a united front of all nations.

The US has already provided technical support by deploying two of its P3 Orion surveillance aircraft over Marawi City to pinpoint the militants’ locations and movements.

Australia, with similar defense cooperation agreement with the Philippines, also sent for a two-week mission, two of its P3 Orion spy planes over Marawi last month.

The Department of National Defense (DND) under Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there was no discussion over proposals for the US military to launch drone strikes.

DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong, however, said Lorenzana and Año have expressed their appreciation for the reported desire of the US military to help.

The US-based NBC television reported the Pentagon is planning to send UAVs to the Philippines for airstrike operations against the Maute terrorists in Marawi.

The fighting in Marawi had entered its third month with 528 terrorists, 122 soldiers and 45 civilians killed as of Aug. 6 as reported by the military.

Thousands of civilians were also displaced in the continuing conflict, which the military said is now nearing its conclusion as the terrorists are now confined in a small area of the city. – Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude, Christina Mendez, Roel Pareño