The Philippines should not become the next battleground of world super powers.

That is why, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III it is critical for the Senate to ensure that the proposed Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the Philippines and Japan be an authentic pact that covers all areas of possible exchange of ideas.

“We should be talking about a genuine agreement. Especially since the point we want to tell Japan is we want to learn from each other,” Pimentel said in an interview on Radio DZBB on Sunday, November 5.

“And not because they want to turn the Philippines into a battleground. We should not agree to that. We already saw what is happening at the Gaza strip,” the senator said referring to the ongoing conflict between Israel and terrorist group Hamas.

The Philippines, Pimentel said, should not allow itself to be a pawn by the world powers, as if volunteering itself to become the next battle ground.

“Let’s not think like pawns; pawns are just being sacrificed. Let’s not think like one that we allow them to come to the Philippines so when a conflict happens the bombing will take place in the Philippines,” he pointed out.

“It (RAA) should be a genuine, honest-to-goodness military agreement. The Philippine forces must also be allowed to go to Japan to learn, to exercise, to learn some maneuvers the same way they come here to learn),” Pimentel explained.

If Japanese defense forces will be allowed to temporarily come to the Philippines, Philippine troops should also have the same privileges and access on Japanese soil, he stressed.

“I have no problem with having an RAA (with Japan) but we haven’t seen the agreement yet, the terms indicated. We need to see the terms, whether or not we agree on it,” he said.

“But let’s limit it at that. Not a military pact because we don’t want to revive the knowledge about Japan’s powers,”

“We all know about Japan’s reputation in the military arena. They have clout because of (their role during the) World War 2,” he pointed out.

But as long as the defense pact is reciprocal and entails an exchange of ideas on how to handle disputes and other lessons, Pimentel said he supports the Philippines having an RAA with Japan.

“Let’s limit it at that. Because we still want to see the terms, whether or not we agree with the pact. But let’s limit it at that because we don’t want to revive the memories of Japan being a military power,” Pimentel said.

After Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s addressed Congress last Saturday, November 4, both leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives have expressed their commitment to pursue the RAA with Japan.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said more than 16 votes are needed to ratify the RAA in the Senate.