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Palace: Aquino meeting with US envoy ‘good sign’


Malacañang on Saturday considered as a “good sign" the meeting between President-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III and new US ambassador to Manila Harry K. Thomas Jr. Presidential spokesman Ricardo Saludo said that while the Palace does not usually comment on such meetings, the one on Friday was a sign of continuous and robust US-Philippine relationship. “Siyempre usually di tayo nagko-comment sa ginagawa ng dayuhan (pero) ito mukhang magandang senyal ito na ang US ay masigasig na ipagpatuloy ang magandang samahan. Siyempre suportado natin ang patuloy na magandang pagtutulungan pagugnayan ng Pilipinas at Estados Unidos (Of course we do not usually comment on foreigners’ actions. But this appears to be a good sign that robust relations between the Philippines and the United States will continue. Of course we support anything that will lead to continued good relations between the Philippines and the US)," Saludo said on government-run dzRB radio.

President-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III and US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. face media after their meeting in Aquino's Quezon City house Friday afternoon. GMANews.TV
But militants were not happy with the meeting, and challenged Aquino to uphold independence from the US once he assumes the presidency. The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) said Aquino’s meeting with Thomas last Friday raises questions what direction foreign policies of the new administration would take. “The next president must show independence from US dictates. It is highly important that national sovereignty be given priority over imperial dictates such as the Visiting Forces Agreement and the neo-liberal globalization of the economy," Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in an article on the Bayan website. Aquino and Thomas met for over an hour in Aquino’s Quezon City house. During the meeting, Thomas congratulated the Filipino people for a relatively peaceful election. “Sinabi ko sa kanya, Maligayang Bati (I told him Congratulations) ... I think as you have seen, we congratulated the Filipino people on this election process ... there were some bumps and bruises but that is to be expected, we have that in the United States. But the will of the Filipino people has been respected," Thomas told reporters after the meeting. However, Reyes said the meeting also signifies the US government’s recognition of the Aquino administration, and sends a signal to all factions of the ruling class to fall in line and recognize the Aquino presidency. “We’re not at all thrilled by this early meeting. The US wants to ensure that there will be a peaceful transfer of power and that its economic, political and military interests in the country will be preserved under the next administration. For the US government, Aquino is the man. The US now wants to make sure Aquino is THEIR man," he said. Bayan said that under the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, the prolonged presence of US troops under the Visiting Forces Agreement and the rape of a Filipina by a member of the US Marine were highly controversial issues that placed RP-US relations in the spotlight. It added US military aid to the Philippines was also briefly affected by the spate of human rights violations under the Arroyo administration. “Behind ambassador Thomas’ rhetoric of ‘common goals’ and ‘deepening friendship and partnership’ is the sad historical fact that the relations between the US and the Philippines have always been one-sided. Mr. Aquino should see that as a starting point and basic premise in any dealings with the US," Reyes said. — LBG, GMANews.TV
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