Military

July 24, 2009
I just read RA 7227, An Act Accelerating the Conversion of Military Reservations into Other Productive Uses, Creating the Bases Conversion ad Development Authority for this Purpose, Providing Funds Thereof and for Other Purposes.
I also read the 2007 BCDA report.
The law actually paved the way for the conversion of former military bases or facilities of United States like the Subic Base, Camp John Hay, Poro Point and a portion of Fort Bonifacio we now call Global City in Taguig.
I think if we abolish the AFP, we will gain more through the conversion of these big military camps into business hubs where we can put up export-oriented manufacturing facilities. Imagine the foreign investments and jobs it will generate.
The present annual AFP budget could be used to strengthen our Coast Guard and the National Police who will take care of fighting terrorists, syndicates, smugglers and petty street crime offenders.
I am inviting you to visit the accomplihments of BCDA by touring the former US military facilities.
Just pass through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and you will realize my point in getting rid of our military.
On the insurgency problem, well, just pursue the peace talks with the communists and Muslim rebels. Come to terms; create programs to provide them with the opportunities; and make sure all agreed terms will be executed smoothly.
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Ban the Military in the Revised Constitution

With so many threats, is it right to ban the military in the revised constitution?
Why not?
Many countries have decided to junk their military like Costa Rica and some island countries. The most recent country that banned military institution is Panama in 1990.
Don’t you know that it was a military general who had the guts to convince the people of Costa Rica to demilitarize his country.
AFP has a yearly budget of not less than P54 billion. Imagine how many classrooms and books we will be able to buy with that money. Perhaps we will have enough teachers.
Of course, you will think this is a crazy idea with the Abu Sayyaf, and insurgents like the MILF and CPP-NPA still roaming our countryside.
What about the threats of our neighboring countries?
How do we patrol our shores from foreign invaders?
These are the questions we should find answers before we demilitarize our country.
Why not demilitarize? Anyway graduates of PMA eventually go to politics, public service and some of them end up corrupt officials, if not in jail.
Maybe it is about time we should think seriously of getting rid of military.
What do you think? Do you agree? -30-

Costa Rica, a model of demilitarized nation

Abolish the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Use the money instead for education, the police and the coast guard.
I am attaching here a historical account on how Costa Rica, a country in Latin American, junked its army. It was written by a Canadian citizen whose name I forgot.

*****On December 1, 1948, President Jose Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the Costa Rican army after victory in the civil war of that year. In a ceremony in the Cuartel Bellavista, Figueres broke a wall with a mallet symbolizing the end of Costa Rica’s military spirit. In 1949, the abolition of the military was introduced in the Article 12 of the Costa Rican Constitution.

The budget previously dedicated to the military now is dedicated to security, education and culture; the country maintains Police Guard forces. The museum Museo Nacional de Costa Rica was placed in the Cuartel Bellavista as a symbol of commitment to culture.

In 1986, President Oscar Arias Sanchez declared December 1 as the Dia de la Abolicion del Ejercito (Military abolition day) with Law #8115. This is the same President Oscar Arias Sanchez that is currently the President of Costa Rica.
Unlike many countries throughout Central and South America, Costa Rica has not endured a civil war since 1948 and commonly referred to as a peaceful country with a strong democracy.

Being Canadian myself I am use to not having a strong military presence. Well in Canada we have a military but rather than being aggressive and offensive, we are more known as peace keepers. Our military in Canada is called the Canadian Armed Forces. Our navy is land locked in a mall in Edmonton and the only war between Canada and the US was the war of 1812. Whereas Canada and the British claimed victory. Also part of this war was the “burning of Washington” whereas the original White House was burned to the ground by Canadian and British troops. Bet you didnt know that little nugget now did you?
The Canadian Forces was formed on February 1, 1968, when the Government of Canada merged the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and the Royal Canadian Air Force into a unified structure. A 2008 poll, conducted for the Department of National Defence, has revealed that many Canadians perceive the Canadian Forces as peacekeepers rather than soldiers. The survey found that nearly two-thirds of Canadians agree with Canada’s role in the invasion of Afghanistan, that the military must be stronger but that the purpose should be different such as responding to natural disasters. Fifty-two percent said that the Canadian Forces should act as early responders.
Canada itself is proof that an all mighty military is unnecessary and that the power of multiple countries combined is just as effective, if not more. Thanks Commonwealth! Same goes for Costa Rica. Without a military one might think Costa Rica is defenseless if invaded. Costa Rica has basically depended on the Rio Treaty for it’s defense. In the event of invasion, other continental countries would assist in it’s defense. It would be presumed that the bulk of the defense would come from the US. The Monroe Doctrine says that the US will not tolerate colonization in the western hemisphere. If this is the case this means that any invasion of Costa Rica would be strongly opposed by the US. So….thanks USA from Costa Rica! -30-

Here’s What Can Happen When You Don’t Waste Your Money In A Military

I tried my best to do some quick research as to the countries without military forces. People in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and Andorra survived even without soldiers to protect their citizens from foreign invaders. In fact, these countries are some of the healthiest and wealthiest in the world according to an an article posted on www.associatedcontent.com.

Here’s the article:

Iceland is a member of NATO yet has not had an army since 1869. They did have a combined US-Great Britain military force until 2006, when the last of the US troops pulled out, but they don’t deem it necessary to spend the money on a military. They were invaded by the British during the Second World War, but only as an attempt by the British to make sure Iceland wasn’t invaded by Germany. The last wars Iceland was involved in were the Cod Wars with Great Britain, between 1950 to the mid 1970s, when Iceland extended its control of fishing rights further out into international waters.

An attack on Iceland however would be looked at as an attack on the United States, as Iceland is a member of NATO, so its non-military stance looks pretty safe. Iceland has the world’s highest literacy rate and is one of the countries often voted as having the best standard of living and one of the best places to live. Iceland therefore is likely to continue having its only army being its own branch of the Salvation Army.

Liechtenstein is a very small country in between Austria and Switzerland. It has one of the world’s highest standards of living (possibly because their tax money isn’t wasted on a military?), and their Prince is the sixth wealthiest leader in the world. Liechtenstein also has the tenth best education system in the world (funny how money spent on education instead of war makes a big difference).

The last time Liechtenstein had a military was in 1868, when they decided it was too expensive to have a military and got rid of it. Today, their defense is supposedly the responsibility of Switzerland, but as yet has had no need to call on its ally for help. Liechtenstein is actually an amazing case study in economics. Just after World War II, they were one of the poorest countries in Europe. In less than 50 years, they have become one of the world’s richest countries per capita.

Monaco is the world’s most densely populated country and also one of the world’s most expensive and wealthiest. There is no income tax for individuals, which has led to many wealthy individuals moving to Monaco for tax purposes. There is a small security force in Monaco, but this is only for the protection of the Royal family. It also has more police officers per capita than any other country in the world, which is also probably why its crime rate is one of the lowest in the world.

Monaco does have an interesting treaty with France though. Should the Grimaldi family (the royal family) ever die out, then Monaco will revert to France. At the moment, France is responsible for its protection, although has had no need to exercise that force.

Andorra is another small country in Europe, this one bordered by Spain and France. It is also another very wealthy country with no standing military. There are only two ways to get into Andorra, one road from France and one road from Spain. Like Monaco, it has no personal income tax and, like Liechtenstein, has created its wealth since World War II. Andorra also has the longest living population in the world with an average life expectancy of almost 82 years of age. Only just over 71,000 people live in Andorra, which makes it one of the world’s smallest countries population-wise. France and Spain currently take joint responsibility for its defense.

Common denominators of these countries are they are wealthy, they have high standards of living, low crime rates and long life expectancies. Shows you what can happen when you spend your money on education, hospitals, research facilities, social welfare and culture, rather than on war and destruction doesn’t it?

Another web site, www.army.com, gave a summary on where these countries with no armed forces get their military support in case of war.

• Andorra – Defended by France and Spain.

• Costa Rica – A standing military is prohibited byt the constitution, however the National Guard has military units within it.

• Haiti – Does not have an army but the rebels have demanded its reestablishment. The National Police maintains some military units.

• Iceland – Iceland is defended by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force

• Kiribati – Defence assisted by Australia and New Zealand.

• Liechtenstein – Defence and Foreign Affairs by Switzerland.

• Monaco – Defence by France.

• Nauru – Defence by Australia.

• Palau – Defence by United States of America.

• Panama – Panamanian National Police has military units with defence guaranteed by the United States by treaty.

• San Marino – Defence by Italy

• Vatican City – Defence by Italy, ceremonial Swiss Guard has some modern weapons but acts as a security police force.

For the Philippines, I think this proposal to let go of the military should be debated openly. -30-