Posted on 09/13/2004 5:15:14 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
MALACAÑANG was caught by surprise about reports that the United States had reduced its military aid to the Philippines from $25 million to $15 million.
“We have no information about the issue. As far as we are concerned, the US government has planned some assistance program for us, particularly for the rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas in Mindanao,” the President’s spokesman and press secretary, Ignacio Bunye, said.
Former senator Francisco Tatad, head of the international affairs committee of the Christian Nationalist Union, said the $25-million military aid promised by US President George W. Bush to Mrs. Arroyo for the engineering unit of the Philippine Navy has been cut by $10 million.
He said the Philippines is also not included as beneficiary of the billion-dollar Millennium Challenge Account.
Tatad said the US decided to reduce the assistance it provides to the country because it was dismayed about the country’s “weak” antiterror stance, especially when President Arroyo gave in to the demands of Iraqi militants to save the life of Filipino truck driver Angelo dela Cruz.
However, Bunye maintained that despite the misunderstanding between the US and the Philippines, the US government had reiterated its commitment to help President Arroyo rehabilitate the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
Bunye said not only did the US but other countries as well have committed to take part of the multilateral, or multidonor fund, to develop Mindanao.
Bush promised the $25-million aid to Mrs. Arroyo during her visit to Washington in May last year in exchange for her support to his war against terror, she having been one of the first leaders in Asia to publicly commit support for Bush’s war against terrorism and her willingness to join the US-led coalition that staged a preemptive strike against Iraq, then ruled by Saddam Hussein.
The $10-million slash was taken from the proposed support for the training and equipment of the Philippine Navy Sea Bees company
Someone must not have been playing nice...
I'm sorry Mrs. Arroyo - stop appeasing and you might get your cheese back.
Payback IS a bitch, isn't it?
How much did China give the Philippines?
We're in the business of killing terrorists, not nation-building. The Filipinos can clean up the mess on their own.
They will never learn the first time they went broke when the US pulled out at their wish.
Why did they need more? They have decided not to fight terrorists so that should save a lot of cash.
So sad. :)
$25 million? That doesn't seem to be all that much money nowadays for a country. The cut appears to mostly be symbolic.
No more butterfly knife for you, Bub.
And when she withdrew her support....
Naive cowards who won't fight -- don't need military assistance from us, they need a brain, a backbone and some balls..
Those folks need to learn to survive without our nipple in their mouth....or start praying toward Mecca..
I pray that President Bush CONTINUES to show favor toward our TRUSTED friends and punish the wobbly fools and enemies.
Semper Fi
< /rant>
I happen to agree with you!
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