No strings attached in military aid to PHL, says top US diplomat in East Asia

The top US diplomat in East Asia denied claims that his country is pulling strings to advance its interests through the security assistance it has been extending to the Philippines.

In an interview with Filipino reporters on Monday afternoon, US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel was asked to comment on Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.'s comment that the Philippines' "separation" from the US is a way of "opening up to other countries who are willing to help us with no strings attached."

He replied that partnership with the Philippine military, whether with paid equipment or via assistance extended, is "in support of Philippines' self-reliance."

He noted that the only string attached to transferring equipment to the Philippines is training.

"We want to ensure that the Philippine Armed Forces are able to support, to maintain, to use the equipment effectively and I'm proud of the training that the United States provides and continues to provide," he said.

He said the annual Balikatan exercises between the US and the Philippines, along with "other friends in East Asia," is a way for them to "share American know-how, expertise, and doctrine to make your soldiers better at their job," in several aspects, including disaster response.

"To suggest that there are strings attached that connect to American economic interst or to policy position on an unrelated matter is factually wrong," Russel said.

'Not a puppet'

The US diplomat also underscored his country's respect and admiration for the Philippines as a democracy.

He also countered the recurring criticism that the US treats the Philippines as its "puppet."

"If the United States was pulling the strings on a puppet, trust me, the Philippines would have made a lot of different policy calls," he said.

Russel also said the US doesn't fear the administration's pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

"This notion that the Philippines is somehow a pawn or lackey of the United States... it may make a good story, but it's not supported by facts," he said.

"The fact is, the United States is stronger when other democracies, when our partners are themselves strong ... We respect and admire the independence, the autonomy, and the democracy of the Philippines. You get to make your own decision," he added.

"We want to talk to you, sometimes we want to persuade you, but we never dictate you. And I think the Obama administration and the Bush administration can be proud of the fact that we have built a strong partnership based on mutual consent, based on mutual respect, and based on mutual benefit," Russel said. — BM, GMA News