Rich harvest from US visit (1)

IF THERE’S one thing the just-concluded four-day official visit of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to the United States has achieved, it is to bring longstanding bilateral relations to a new and higher level.

In their brief meeting on May 1 in the White House in Washington D.C. on May 1, Marcos and US President Joe Biden managed to discuss a broad range of key issues: security cooperation and humanitarian aid; clean energy and food security; environmental protection and the fight against climate change; the rule of law and human rights.

In a joint statement, the two leaders lauded the “remarkable ties of friendship, community, and shared sacrifice that serve as the foundation of the U.S.-Philippines alliance.”

“In efforts to promote inclusive and broadbased prosperity, invest in the clean energy transition and the fight against climate change, uphold international peace and stability, and ensure respect for human rights and the rule of law, the United States and the Philippines will remain the closest of allies, working together to deliver a better future for our citizens and tackle the emerging challenges of the twentyfirst century,” they said.

The two leaders welcomed the identification of new sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), as this would “strengthen Philippine security and support the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization goals, while driving US investment to local communities across the Philippines and improving our shared ability to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”

Amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, the two leaders underscored their “unwavering commitment” to freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, as well as the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of states within their exclusive economic zones consistent with international law.

Marcos and Biden said they support the inherent right of Filipino fisherfolk to pursue their traditional livelihoods in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) based on the 2016 ruling of the Permanent

Arbitral Tribunal constituted pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

They also affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which they said is an “indispensable element of global security and prosperity.”

Both leaders also affirmed their support

No doubt, the wideranging conversation between the two leaders touched on issues that lie at the core of bilateral ties, which are founded on shared democratic values, and a common commitment to peace, progress and prosperity for Ukraine in its sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, “noting the conflict (with Russia) has adversely affected food and energy security in the Indo-Pacific.”

Biden had earlier indicated he would send a Presidential Trade and Investment Mission to the Philippines to enhance American investments in our country’s innovation economy, transition to clean energy, support for the critical minerals sector, and food security for Filipinos.

The two leaders also announced the Philippines and the US will co-host the 2024 IndoPacific Business Forum, touted as the “marquee commercial event in the region.”

It will be held in Manila to further establish the Philippines as a key hub for regional supply chains and high-quality investment.

Both leaders likewise resolved to expand cooperation on environmental protection, including enhanced domain awareness, marine two countries also explored ways to further boost cooperation on capacity-building and technology support since the Philippines wanted to build effective and efficient supply as well as value chains and increase exports of agricultural commodities.

The dialogue was intended to assist the country in strengthening research and development in the agricultural sector, particularly on biotechnology centers, geospatial databases, climate-proof facilities, and information services and make the sector prepared to cope with the challenges in the post-pandemic period.

The reality is that agriculture has been the consistent lowest contributor to the Philippine economy at an average of 9.92 percent yearly against the industry and services sectors that contributed 30 percent and 60 percent on average, respectively.

What should be done by the government at this point is to boost agricultural production by providing vital support services to farmers, such as credit, farmto-market roads, post-harvest facilities, farm management skills, and marketing information.

These support services will go a long way in improving the quality of life of our farmers, reducing rural poverty and achieving the goal of food security for the long term.

LAST April, the UP Board of Regents elected incumbent UP College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II chancellor of Diliman, UP’s flagship campus, to serve from 2023 to 2025.

Vistan bested two other rivals for the post, namely, a certain Victor Paz, and Fidel Nemenzo, the outgoing chancellor who was seeking re-election.

Nemenzo has been criticized for his sympathies towards the radicals and leftists in UP.

During his lackluster term as UP Diliman chancellor, Nemenzo allowed the campus to be used as fora for anti-government rallies and demonstrations. Reports have it that groups favoring the administration of then President Rodrigo Duterte were not allowed inside the campus.

In 2021, the UP Diliman Executive Committee opposed the bid of Atty. Harry Roque, then President Duterte’s spokesman, for a seat in the United Nations In- conservation, and preventing coastal areas from environmental degradation.

Marcos and Biden pledged to promote increased cooperation and knowledge sharing between the United States and the Philippines through the Science and Technology Agreement.

They also welcomed US plans to establish an Open-RAN Interoperability Lab in Manila.

The leaders welcomed the creation of a bilateral Labor Working Group as part of the US-Philippines Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, which would provide a crucial opportunity for the two countries to “work together on implementation of internationally recognized labor rights,” and to facilitate exchange and dialogue among the US and Philippine governments and labor unions, as well as employer organizations.

Finally, the two presidents highlighted the need to strengthen democratic institutions, rule of law, and respect for human rights, including freedom of expression, press, and association. They also underscored the importance of countering any form of violence against civil society, women, children, and marginalized groups.

No doubt, the wide-ranging conversation between the two leaders touched on issues that lie at the core of bilateral ties, which are founded on shared democratic values, and a common commitment to peace, progress and prosperity.

Much more than bringing PhilippinesUS ‘special relations’ to much higher levels of partnership, the US official visit and the Marcos-Biden meeting tell us very clearly that the way forward lies in close cooperation based on common interests and mutual respect. [Next: Strengthening partnership across various sectors]

(Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)

UP academics are needlessly obsessed with PhDs

ternational Law Commission. The committee was headed by Nemenzo. Other than the dean of the College of Law, nobody among the committee members is a lawyer, much less an expert in international law.

How the committee could competently declare Roque unfit for a seat in the International Law Commission is a mystery.

The committee also claimed that Roque has a bad record in human rights cases, but it conveniently overlooked the fact that Roque served as counsel for many Filipino “comfort women” who sought retribution for the sexual assaults committed against them by Japanese soldiers during World War II in the Philippines.

Evidently, the UP Diliman Executive Committee went beyond its field of competence in opposing Roque’s bid.

Its behavior also reveals officials of UP Diliman are so full of themselves that they think they have a monopoly of wisdom.

Days before he lost his re-election bid, Nemenzo was at the forefront in denouncing Quezon City policemen who enforced a warrant of arrest on a UP Diliman professor, who had a pending criminal case in the Regional Trial Court over alleged non-payment of employer’s social security contributions.

Nemenzo and his kind labeled the arrest as a violation of the academic freedom of UP, even if the case involves a private matter with absolutely no bearing on academic freedom. It was almost as if Nemenzo wanted UP professors to be exempted from the law.

All that likely led the UP Board of Regents not to re-elect Nemenzo as chancellor.

Like the UP Diliman chancellor, the UP president is elected by the UP Board of Regents.

In December last year, Nemenzo ran for UP President, but he failed to get the UP Board of Regents on his side.

At the time Nemenzo sought re-election as chancellor, a small group of academics from UP Diliman endorsed his candidacy.

He also had the support of the radicals in the Diliman campus.

After Nemenzo lost the vote, a mob of radicals trooped to the UP Diliman administration building and attempted to force their way inside the meeting room of the Board of Regents.

When they failed to get their way, the mob defaced university property.

Nobody among the faculty members supporting Nemenzo condemned the mob rule.

I have not encountered any statement from Nemenzo which criticized the violence ostensibly committed in support of his candidacy.

In the aftermath of Nemenzo’s defeat, the same academics from UP Diliman scored Vistan’s election on the ground that Vistan does not have a doctorate degree in Philosophy (commonly called a PhD), unlike Nemenzo and Paz.

Big deal!

From that statement, it looks like those UP academics are extremely obsessed with PhDs, in that one who has no PhD is unfit to run a university. That view is not only an example of non sequitur; it is also bereft of legal basis.

A PhD may give rise to a disputable presumption that the holder is extensively edu- cated, but it doesn’t mean the holder is more intelligent than one who has no PhD.

Many PhD holders I have met in my lifetime may be learned, but they are unable to articulate effectively in a discussion.

A large number of them can’t even speak in straight English, or are unable to address a big audience.

Running a university effectively is a responsibility that requires administrative competence. One who has a PhD is not necessarily knowledgeable about administrative work.

The UP charter does not require that the UP Diliman chancellor must have a PhD. If the law does not require it, the noisy proNemenzo academics have no valid reason to demand one from Vistan.

Edgardo Angara, Alfredo Pascual and Danilo Concepcion do not have PhDs but they became UP presidents. Why then should a UP chancellor need a PhD?

Vistan graduated from UP with academic honors, holds an undergraduate and a master’s degree in Law, and has had extensive administrative experience as law school dean.

He does not need a PhD to run UP Diliman.