Subic Bay issue thorn in Joseph Estrada's side<\/p>\n
By Ruben Alabastro<\/p>\n
MANILA (Reuters): A bustling freeport touted as a symbol of
\nthe Philippines' economic promise has turned into a political
\nbattleground for new President Joseph Estrada, an ex-actor who,
\nin his movies, always conquers in the end.<\/p>\n
But unlike in his 1960s film roles, Estrada is caught in a
\nreal-life drama without any script and there is no guarantee his
\nattempt to oust a political foe as chief of the Subic Bay
\nfreeport will have a happy ending for him, analysts said.<\/p>\n
\"My concern here is that we have an economic crisis... We
\ncan't afford this mess,\" political analyst Nelson Navarro told
\nReuters, referring to a bitter public quarrel between Estrada and
\nRichard Gordon, who refuses to step down as chairman of the Subic
\nBay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) despite Estrada's order sacking
\nhim.<\/p>\n
\"The imbroglio would be hilarious, like some Lilliputian
\ncollision, if it weren't so detrimental to our country,\"
\nPhilippine Star newspaper publisher Max Soliven said.
\n\"What foreign banker or financier will want to risk capital in
\nsuch a seething feudal milieu?\"<\/p>\n
The affair has emerged as an early test of the leadership of
\nEstrada, a college dropout who took office 13 days ago after
\nwinning the May election, riding on his popularity with the poor.
\n\"The credibility of the tough-guy political persona that the new
\npresident is trying to project is on the line,\" University of the
\nPhilippines political science professor Alex Magno said.<\/p>\n
The \"Battle of Subic Bay\", once a huge U.S. naval base 80 km
\n(50 miles) northwest of Manila, flared on June 30 when Estrada,
\nhours after taking office, fired Gordon and named a loyal
\npresidential supporter as new SBMA chairman.<\/p>\n
Waiving \"No Vacancy\" signs, Gordon and hundreds of followers
\nbarricaded roads leading to the freeport with barbed wire, slabs
\nof rock and human bodies to prevent his successor from coming in.
\nAfter Estrada threatened to remove Gordon bodily from Subic, the
\ndefiant chairman got an order from a judge restraining the
\npresident until the legality of his sacking had been settled.
\nGordon broke into tears, the barricades came down but Subic's
\nimage as an investment haven had been gored.<\/p>\n
Last week's three-day stand-off might have cost the freeport
\nas much as US$3.5 million a day in business losses, the local
\nchamber of commerce said, urging both sides to settle the row
\nimmediately.<\/p>\n
The court is to decide this week if Gordon's firing is lawful.
\nOnce the biggest American military facility outside the United
\nStates mainland, Subic Bay was the seat of U.S. military power in
\nAsia until 1992 when American forces withdrew after the
\nPhilippine Senate rejected a new bases pact with Washington.<\/p>\n
A year after Manila passed a law designating Subic as a
\nfreeport, Gordon transformed the abandoned facility into a
\nbooming industrial complex, held up by the Philippines as a
\nsymbol of its economic turnaround after being Asia's basket case
\nfor years.<\/p>\n
The freeport has attracted about 300 tenants, making products
\nranging from computer boards and dresses to armored personnel
\ncarriers. Its exports the past four years have totaled $1.4
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
The Philippines trumpeted Subic's success when it chose the
\nfreeport as venue of the 1996 summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic
\nCooperation (APEC) forum.<\/p>\n
There is no love lost between Estrada and Gordon. Bad blood
\nhas existed between them since 1991 when Estrada, then a senator,
\nhelped lead a successful campaign to oust U.S. military bases
\nfrom the country. Gordon had fought to keep the bases.<\/p>\n
\"It is only a matter of time before Gordon breaks down -- the
\nfull crush of presidential powers has been brought to bear on
\nhim,\" analyst Amando Doronila wrote in the Philippine Daily
\nInquirer newspaper.<\/p>\n
Doronila slammed Estrada's efforts to remove Gordon as a
\n\"reckless and vindictive exercise of power\".<\/p>\n
Estrada defenders say it is the right of any president to
\nchoose people he trusts to help him run the government.<\/p>\n
Gordon, re-appointed in February by then president Fidel Ramos
\nto a second six-year term as SBMA chairman, says his firing
\nviolates the security tenure of civil servants.<\/p>\n
In the final analysis, the squabbling offers lessons in
\nstatesmanship, analysts say.<\/p>\n
\"The president cannot come slugging his way into a situation,
\nexpecting the rest of the players to be intimidated by his
\nbluster or by his bulk,\" Magno said, adding Estrada should have
\ntried a less aggressive method of dealing with Gordon.<\/p>\n
\"That way, we are spared grotesque entertainment.\"<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/subic-bay-issue-thorn-in-joseph-estradas-side-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }