Two members of the Philippine legislature, one from the House of Representatives and the other from the Senate, have questioned the legality of the country's military alliance with the United States and Japan.
Antonio Tinio, a party-list legislator, has slammed the two-day maritime exercises between the Philippines and Japan off the island province of Palawan that ended on June 24 for being unconstitutional and a violation of Philippine sovereignty.
In a statement, Tinio said President Benigno Aquino III has committed a "gross and blatant violation" of the constitutional prohibition on foreign troops in the country for allowing the joint maritime exercises. Under the constitution, the presence of foreign military forces in Philippine territory is prohibited unless authorized by a treaty ratified by the Senate, Tinio said.
"The Philippines has no existing treaty with Japan allowing the presence of their troops in our country, much less the holding of joint military exercises and conducting Japanese reconnaissance missions from Philippine installations," he said.
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