Philippines (Hansard, 21 January 1987)

§ 1. Mrs. Shields
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he intends to take to support the Government of the Philippines in their attempt to establish lasting peace and democracy.

§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Tim Renton)
We continue to offer our strong support to President Aquino and her Government in their efforts to consolidate democracy and to bring about national reconciliation in the Philippines.

§ Mrs. Shields
In view of the pressure from some quarters to make the Government of the Philippines abandon negotiations and opt for a military solution to their problems, will the Minister say that the Government fully support the process of negotiation? Will he also ask his EEC colleagues to make a European statement of support for that process?

§ Mr. Renton
We fully support the process of negotiation in which President Aquino is currently involved. We also fully support her efforts to bring the Philippines back to being a fully democratic state and the process of national reconcilation in which she is engaged. This was very much the spirit behind the statement issued by the Community last November, and we will certainly consult our European Community colleagues if a further statement along the lines suggested by the hon. Lady will be helpful.

§ Mr. Soames
In acknowledging the importance of the Philippines in the general region, does my hon. Friend agree that it is vital that, if possible, Britain should be able to contribute through the Overseas Development Agency to any development projects that may seem to be to our advantage?

§ Mr. Renton
Yes. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that since President Aquino's Government came to power we have doubled our bilateral aid to the Philippines to about £425,000 for the current year and are planning to increase it to £545,000 for the year ahead. We are especially looking for projects such as consultancies in agriculture and development through which we can help the Philippines. I am sure that that is exactly in line with what my hon. Friend would like us to do.

§ Mr. Forth
Can my hon. Friend confirm that the so-called President of the Philippines lost the only election 874 ever held and has not been legitimately elected, and that the best solution to the problems of the Philippines would be a legitimate and proper election?

§ Mr. Renton
With respect to my hon. Friend, I do not think that his comments are helpful. A plebiscite is to be held on 2 February on the new constitutional developments in the Philippines and at that time the people of the Philippines will have the opportunity to give their verdict on the reforms that President Aquino has introduced.

§ Mr. Anderson
As opposed to the Marcos tendency on the Government side, may we give our full pledge of support by any means to strengthen democracy in the Philippines? As the Minister is aware that the Government of the Philippines are seeking to diversify their foreign relations because of their very pervasive dependence on the United States of America, will he take further initiatives in the EEC as a partial counterweight to that United States influence? Given the importance of multisectoral organisations in the Philippines and their wide spread, will the Minister try, in our aid policies, to use the non-governmental organisations in the United Kingdom?

§ Mr. Renton
I know that the hon. Gentleman has just returned from the Philippines, and I hope that he had a useful and constructive visit. From that recent experience of the Philippines he will be aware of the great and continuing importance of the Americans there. They give large amounts of aid and there is also the militarily important presence of their bases at Clark Field and Subic Bay, particularly as a counter-reaction to the Russian base at Cam Ranh in Vietnam.
The European Community's aid has already increased substantially, and I understand that Commissioner Cheysson is looking at means of increasing it further. The hon. Gentleman's point about the involvement of non-governmental organisations is a good one, and I shall certainly pass it on to my hon. Friend the Minister for Overseas Development to see whether the NGOs can be used further.