Odong decries US meddling in RP affairs

Congressman Aniceto Saludo, Jr. recently cried foul over the persistent interference of the US government in the formulation of key policies in the Philippines. 

Saludo revealed in an interview that through the Accelerating Growth Investment and Liberalization with Equity (AGILE) group, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has influenced the passage of important policies affecting national interest.

The AGILE has reportedly been influencing and directly intervening in the formulation of key economic reforms by maintaining satellite offices in eleven (11) government agencies.  Saludo intimated that said group has deeply penetrated itself in the Philippine Government through these agencies and has used its position to lobby for reforms in the government that would advance the interest of America. 

Saludo also said that the AGILE has been dipping its presence into a number of concerns involving national interest such as the passage of the E-Commerce Law, the Road User’s Tax Law, General Banking Act of 2000, Anti-Dumping Act, Safeguard Measures Act, Customs Valuation Bill, and revision of the Securities Regulation Code, and is now pushing for the reorganization of the Bureau of Internal Revenue through the National Authority for Revenue Administration (NARA) and the ratification of the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA), among others.

Because of this, Saludo is calling for the investigation of the USAID-AGILE in the House of Representatives.  The solon expressed disapproval of what he thinks is a deliberate attempt by the US government to undermine the Philippine Constitution.

“The 1987 Constitution clearly stipulates that the paramount consideration of the State is to protect national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest and the right to self-determination.  By giving consent to the USAID through AGILE to lobby for reforms and interfere in formulating key policies of our government, we are in effect, allowing the US to trample upon our national interest which is an outright violation of the Constitution”, Saludo said.

(Released on February 28, 2003)