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Will joining Quad, improving Russia military ties benefit PH? Senate bets give takes

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John Gabriel Agcaoili, ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1854496" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>MANILA — Some Senate aspirants on Tuesday emphasized the Philippines should comprehensively review defense treaties and military alliances it might be joining in the future, amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.</p><p>Five senatorial bets, during TeleRadyo&#x27;s special program &quot;Sino SENyo?&quot;, were asked if it would be better for the Philippines to join a possible defense alliance by the Quad, the grouping of the United States, Japan, India and Australia which has presented a united front amid shared concerns about China.</p><p>The program&#x27;s participants included former senator and Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero of Nationalist People&#x27;s Coalition, former Defense Secretary Gibo Teodoro of People&#x27;s Reform Party, Luke Espiritu of Partido Lakas ng Masa, RJ Javellana of Katipunan ng Demokratikong Pilipino, and indepedent aspirant Carmen Zubiaga.</p><p>Teodoro, who was the Philippines&#x27; defense chief during the Arroyo administration, said it depends on what Manila&#x27;s &quot;contribution will be to the alliance.&quot;</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Di lang po ito nangangahulugan na meron tayong benepisyo kun&#x27;di may kontribusiyon. Kaya dapat pagaralan nating mabuti kung ano ang magiging obligasiyon at kontribusiyon natin dito,&quot; he said.</p><p>Zubiaga, Javellana and Escudero also emphasized that if the Philippines will join a military accord with other countries, this should not be an obstacle to Manila&#x27;s independent foreign policy.</p><p>Espiritu, meanwhile, opposed the idea of the Philippines joining more defense treaties, saying the country will just be obligated to join armed conflict of other nations.</p><p>He blamed US bases in the country as the reason behind the Chinese occupation of West Philippine Sea maritime territories.</p><p>&quot;Kaya ang China nasa West Philippine Sea, gumawa ng defense perimeter nila, dahil militarized na to begin with ang West Philippine Sea,&quot; Espiritu claimed.</p><p>Tensions have stemmed from China&#x27;s aggressive activities and encroachment in the West Philippine Sea despite a UN-backed ruling in 2016 invalidating Beijing&#x27;s claims in the hotly-contested waters.</p><p>US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, then Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed last September to pursue a free and open Indo-Pacific &quot;undaunted by coercion&quot;.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/09/25/21/quad-leaders-meet-in-white-house-as-china-looks-on">Quad leaders press for free Indo-Pacific, with wary eye on China</a></li></ul><p>Amid tensions in the region, the Philippines and the US this year marked the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties and the 70th anniversary of their Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/11/21/ph-seeks-to-boost-ties-with-us">PH seeks to boost ties with US; DND, DFA say defense pacts important</a></li></ul><div><strong>RUSSIAN VFA?</strong></div><p>Asked if they would approve of the Philippines, a long-time US military ally, to sign a Visiting Forces Agreement-like deal with Russia, a known US rival, most Senate bets said they are open to the idea but their vote would still depend on the provisions of the possible treaty with Moscow.</p><p>Zubiaga said if a possible accord with Russia can enhance the Philippine military, Manila should give it a chance while Javellana noted that Russia was never an enemy of the Philippines historically.</p><p>Escudero said the US should not have a &quot;monopoly&quot; of defense ties, while Espiritu, like his notion on Quad, opposed such a military agreement between Manila and Moscow, saying the Philippines will only be &quot;sucked into wars of superpowers&quot;.</p><p>Teodoro, meanwhile, said he would vote for it in the Senate if such a treaty between the Philippines and Russia could provide &quot;regional and extra-regional peace and stability&quot; and capability upgrades for Filipino security forces.</p><p>He added the public must understand that military alliances do not only revolve around armed conflict, but also involve humanitarian assistance and disaster response.</p><p>The Philippines&#x27; VFA with the United States provides the legal framework under which US troops can operate on a rotational basis in the Philippines. Experts say without it, other bilateral defense agreements with Washington, including the MDT, cannot be implemented.</p><p>Last September, President Rodrigo Duterte fully restored the VFA after he canceled it last year as a retaliation for the cancellation of the US visa of Sen. Ronald &quot;Bato&quot; Dela Rosa, an administration ally. </p><p>The abrogation had been suspended several times, until Duterte reversed his order. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/09/10/21/us-says-gratified-over-ph-decision-to-continue-vfa">US says &#x27;gratified&#x27; over Duterte decision to continue military pact</a></li></ul><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qluEsFNKt9Q?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

The Quad, the grouping of the United States, Japan, India and Australia, has presented a united front amid shared concerns about China.

Will joining Quad, improving Russia military ties benefit PH? Senate bets give takes

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Will joining Quad, improving Russia military ties benefit PH? Senate bets give takes

John Gabriel Agcaoili,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 08, 2021 01:08 AM PHT

Read More:

Quad

United States

Japan

India and Australia

Indo-Pacific region

China

Russia

VFA

military agreements

defense treaty

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