LETTER OF INSTRUCTIONS NO. 312

TO    :      Secretary Carlos P. Romulo

        Secretary of Foreign Affairs
        Secretary Alejandro Melchor
        Executive Secretary
        Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile
        Secretary of National Defense

1.    The principal concept of the April 9, 1974 Memorandum was the continuation of the present control of the United States over the Bases but with the Philippine flag flying over it in token of sovereignty and with an Administrator as a token Manager of the Bases but actually without any power whatsoever. This has to be changed into a real and full control over the Military Bases with only the Philippine flag flying over this part of our territory and extraterritoriality completely eliminated.

2.    The American Government should pay whatever such amounts may be called (whether it is rent or lease or services, or such terms as may be acceptable to both parties) but such amounts should be sufficient amount to sustain the bases without the Philippine Government having to spend any additional amount from its own Treasury.

3.    At the same time, Ambassador William Sullivan feels that the phasing out as embodied in the August 1975 "Imperatives of Change" of one year for administration and 3 to 4 years for complete transfer of operations to the Philippines is insufficient. We should now come to an agreement as to how the United States may train Filipinos for both supervisory and management work in the Military Bases and how long this will require. Five years should be the maximum period.

4.    At the same time, however, the Philippines should take over such the security of the Bases. This is now being undertaken by the American forces.

5.    The Philippines should now present to the American Government the position we have not yet so far formally and officially revealed to the effect that the fighting in the South comes under the provisions of the Mutual Defense Pact. This is so inasmuch as Libya has openly and pompously bragged that it has supported the secessionist movement in the South with arms, funds and training of men, and since the political leadership of Sabah, specifically Chief Minister Tun Mustapha, and has been shown through official statements of the Governor General of Sabah, Stephen Donald Fuad, is actively implementing a plan through the Muslim secessionists, to organize a separate state from out of the territory of both Malaysia and the Philippines through violence.

6.    We must now also study the nature, forms, value and amount of military aid that have been extended by the United States to South Korea, Taiwan and her allies in Europe, specially Spain. It is necessary that we insist that the Philippines be extended the same amount of Military aid specially the more advanced modern armaments and weapons, like guided missiles, rockets, armor, planes and ships.

7.    We must impress upon the American the fact that there are certain situations in which the United States may be unable to act even if the situation is dangerous to both the United States and the Philippines because it may involve sophisticated and subtle type of aggression like the aggression into what we have claimed as a part of Philippine territory in Freedom Land as well as creation of the new state from Malaysian and Philippine territory as planned by Chief Minister Tun Mustapha of Sabah. A similar situation would be if there are incursions by North Vietnamese into Philippine territory. This has already happened when the North Vietnamese took over the Island occupied by the South Vietnamese in Freedom Land (Pugal), took down the Philippine flag in the Island of Parola wherein we have put up a lighthouse for international ships.

"9.    At the same time because of the Vietnamese experience and the hesitancy of both the Congress and the political leadership in the United States to involve themselves again in another war in Asia, it may be necessary for the Philippines to commit its entire resources in the defense of its security. But in so defending its territory, it will be protecting the interests of the United States not only because the United States has Military Bases in the Philippines but because the Philippines is an anchor to the perimeter defense of the continental United States. "

Since 19.07.98.