The United States’ plan to spend $70-million to improve the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) could send a wrong signal to China, Senator Robin Padilla said on Thursday, October 27.

Padilla said it would be preferable if the Philippine government can just accept a cash aid from the US government instead of accepting any form of military aid from Washington.

“Ang salapi na ibibigay ng Agila ay ilalaan daw para sa EDCA. Hindi magiging magandang mensahe ito sa dragon sapagkat magiging palaisipan tayo para sa kanila dahil parang military base na tayo ng mga Agila (The money that will be given by the Eagles will be allocated for EDCA. This will not be a good message to the Dragon because we will be a puzzle for them because we are like a military base of the Eagles),” Padilla said in a statement.

EDCA refers to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, an agreement signed between the Philippines and US in 2014 and was intended to bolster the alliance between the two nations.

The EDCA allows the US to build facilities and preposition assets in some strategically located military bases in the Philippines.

If the amount of money the US will give is compensation for what the Philippines paid for the Russian helicopters, Padilla said he hopes the government would be paid in cash as well.

“At kung sobra ang nakalaan na budget ng Agila mainam na cash pa rin sana ang ibigay dahil mas kailangan natin ngayon yun wag na military aid (And if the budget of the Eagle is too much, it would be better to give it in cash because we need it more now, not military aid),” Padilla said.

“Kasaysayan naman ang magsasabi rin na kahit noong mga huling taon ng dating Pangulo Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, cash aid ang isinulong niya sa mga Agila hindi military aid (History will also say that even during the last years of former President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos, he advocated for cash aid to the Eagles, not military aid),” he further said.

“Let us be a friend and family to all that colonized us so we may start to build our own identity. If not now, when?” he pointed out.

Padilla also said it would be best if the Philippines remain neutral with its bilateral relationship with other countries, particularly with superpowers like China and the US.

“Ang Estados Unidos de Amerika ay parte na ng ating kultura at lahi katulad ng ninunong bansa ng Tsina. Mainam ang maging neutral tayo sa dalawanf dambuhalang ito dahil pinaniniwalaan na ang EDCA 2014 eksakto pagkatapos ng 2 taon ay produkto ng stand off 2012 sa Scarborough shoal sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at China (The United States of America is part of our culture and race just like the ancestral country of China. It is good for us to be neutral with these two giants because it is believed that EDCA in 2014, exactly after two years, is a product of the stand off (in) 2012 in the Scarborough shoal between the Philippines and China),” he said.

“Ngayon naman 2022 ay may stand off ang China at Taiwan at hindi ito lumalamig bagkus ay umiinit pa lalo ito dahil sa bakbakan ng Russia at Ukraine (Now, in 2022, there is a stand off between China and Taiwan and this is not subsiding but getting worse because of the war between Russia and Ukraine),” he pointed out.

Nevertheless, Padilla said the Philippines’ involvement is now in the hands of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“Nasa kamay ng mahal na Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos nakasalalay bilang ama ng foreign policy ang ating pagkadamay o' pagkaligtas kung sakaling magsalpukan sa Taiwan ang Agila at ang Dragon (Our involvement in the conflict among Taiwan, the US, and China is now in the hands of President Marcos who is the father of our foreign policy),” Padilla said.

For his part, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III is also lukewarm to the idea of the US planning to further pursue military infrastructure programs in the Philippines.

“The US and Philippines should focus on other matters and not primarily military. How about an agricultural agreement which will assist the Philippines in producing more food from our land?” Pimentel suggested.

“Wag puro military na lamang na parang naghahanda tayo sa Pilipinas na maki pag guerra (Let’s not focus on military activities as if the Philippines is preparing for war),” Pimentel said in a text message to reporters.