Edca consultations needed

Mariano Carrasco

LAST Saturday, a consultation-dialogue was held in Lumbia about the planned transfer of the Sangley Airforce base in Cavite to Lumbia, this city. Our Lumbia clients, mostly occupying the public lands around the Lumbia airport, were the ones in attendance. My lawyer-wife, Evangeline Carrasco, was there. There were officials from the DOTC, from the Caap or Civil Aviation Authority,  from the NHA, and some DSWD officials from city hall. I inquired if the general public, especially the subdivision owners near Lumbia, were invited. There was none it seems, and they were not around.

The transfer of the air force base in Cavite to this city seriously affects the residents near Lumbia and the residents of the city.  It has been announced that Lumbia would be used as part of the Edca agreement whereby American military forces and warplanes would be allowed to visit and use our military facilities at Lumbia, and perhaps store their missiles and armaments there. That will place Lumbia and the city as possible ground zero or target of counter-attacks by the  enemies of the Americans, and by terrorists. Lumbia and the city residents would be on the edge of terror, and they would serve as defense wall or nuclear magnets for counterattacks, and could suffer in case of warplane or nuclear accidents, aside from the accompanying prostitution, gambling, vice, and crimes that accompanies the presence of American military forces. God forbid, the entire city and its residents could really be wiped out in a nuclear attack either by the Chinese or the Russians. The Japanese in Okinawa have demanded the removal of the American military forces, and here we are, inviting them to come in.

As I have previously written, there are more than enough American forces or bases in the Indian Ocean, South China sea and in the Pacific. They are in South Korea, Japan, Guam, Okinawa, Hawaii, and in some parts of the Philippines, and their aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines are prowling all over, practically encircling China. Why do we have to allow them here in Cagayan de Oro? It is certainly not necessary. Sangley air force base should remain in Cavite or should be relocated to a place somewhere in Palawan. Hence it should be opposed, and my wife, Atty. Evangeline Carrasco, will certainly oppose it if she gets to be elected as congresswoman in the second district.

At any rate, the residents of Cagayan de Oro should be consulted pursuant to the constitutional mandate, and the next city council should first pass an ordinance or approving ordinance allowing such a project to be put up here. That would require a massive democratic consultation. If that military base allowing Edca is finally allowed here, for safety purposes I would just ask my entire family to vacate Cagayan de Oro and relocate perhaps to New Zealand or somewhere near Western Mindanao, or to join the migration towards Europe. Hehe.

(Mariano B. Carrasco is a lawyer based in Cagayan de Oro.)