Aquino backs US, Japan access to PHL bases

"Kung hindi tayo makikipag-ugnayan sa kanila at mag-aayos ng mga sistema kung sakaling may gulo na is, palagay ko, maling paghahanda ‘yon, walang paghahanda ‘yon," the President said.

 

He added that the presence of "strategic partners" on Philippine soil is necessary to make them familiar with the country's geography, particularly its terrain, which is important for military operations.

 

"Hindi naman siguro pwedeng magpa-practice tayo outside of our territory. If you want a credible alliance, then you will have to have mutual training and that will normally occur within our territory or the allies’ territory," he said.

Last week, news agency Reuters came out with a report on the Philippine military's supposed plan to open up the country's bases in Subic, Zambales to American troops.

Due to the supposed plan, China's state media warned of a "counterstrike" in the South China Sea. The Chinese newspaper People's Daily even called the US as a "patron" and Southeast Asian nations as its "accomplice."

On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario "expressed serious concern" over the "increasing militarization" of the South China Sea.

 

China has long asserted its historical claim over the entire South China Sea. Manila, however, claims that some parts of the disputed area rightfully belongs to the Philippines under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

 

Diplomacy still priority

 

Aquino further maintained that his administration wants a diplomatic solution to the Philippines' diplomatic row with China.

 

He said that the Philippine Constitution "renounces" war and that the government will do everything  to avoid violence.

 

"Parati nating sinasabi na kailangan ng hinahon, kailangan ng matinong pag-uusap, para dumating tayo sa isang solusyon na katanggap-tanggap sa lahat ng panig," he said. 

 

Last January, the Philippines brought its territorial dispute with China before a United Nations tribunal, asking Beijing “to desist from unlawful activities that violate the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of the Philippines under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”

Although China has rejected Manila's move to seek international arbitration on the South China Sea dispute, its government has already agreed to hold formal talks with Southeast Asian nations to come up with a code of conduct governing the disputed area.

Constitutional provision