Amid deeper ties with US, PBBM won’t allow more sites for Edca
DESPITE the “deepening” Philippines-us defense and military ties, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said he will not grant American troops access to more local military bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca).
The chief executive, however, said is open to allowing Japan to participate in the country’s annual Balikatan exercises with the US.
Aggression response
DURING the 50th anniversary celebration of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (Focap), Marcos said he has no plan to increase the number of existing Edca sites. “No, definitely. The Philippines has no plans to open or to establish more Edca bases,” he said.
He made the remark if the government is considering creating an Edca site in Batanes.
Signed in 2014, the Edca allows the US military to preposition assets and build facilities within bases of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
US President Joe Biden is eyeing a Us128-million budget to finance 36 upcoming Edca-related projects.
There are currently 9 Edca sites nationwide, which aims to address the country’ s capability gap sin its humanitarian assistance and disaster response and help modernize the AFP.
These include the five original sites established in 2016: Antonio Bautista Air Base (Palawan); Basa Air Base (Pampanga); Fort Magsaysay (Nueva Ecija); Lumbia Air Base (Cagayan de Oro); and Mactanbenito Ebuen Air Base (Cebu).
The following four sites were created last year upon the approval of Marcos: Naval Base Camilo Osias (Santa Ana., Cagayan); Lal-lo Aiport (Cagayan); Camp Melchor Dela Cruz (Gamu Isabela); and Balabac Island (Palawan).
Marcos said one reason he agreed to the establishment of more Edca sites in the country was the increasing aggression of China in the South China Sea (SCS).
“These are the reactions to what has happened in the South China Sea, to the aggressive actions that we have had to deal with, the water cannoning, the lasers, the collision, the blocking of our banca, our fishermen, the putting of barriers across Scarborough Shoal, this is a reaction to that. This did not cause that. That happened before we had Edca,” he said.
Japan participation
THE President said he is interested in allowing Japan to join Balikatan exercises with the US to help ensure the rule of law in the Indopacific region.
“I don’t see a reason why Japan should not be part of those exercises in the future. That again is I think a good move for us to make, simply because it will make it easier for us to work together and to coordinate together,” Marcos said.
The Balikatan is the annual military exercise of the Philippine and US military as part of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) between the two countries.
Australia, which signed a similar agreement, with the Philippines, participated in the Balikatan in 2014.
Japan is also seeking a similar arrangement with the Philippines through a pending Reciprocal Access Agreement (R A A), which Marcos said, is expected to be completed soon.
“There aren’t really real conflicts in principle. It’s just a question of getting the language down and defining precisely how it’s going to work—the logistical systems and how that’s going to work—but it should not take very much longer. I think we’re very close to completion on that,” Marcos said.
Marcos met with Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week in a historic trilateral meeting in Washington D.C. to strengthen Philippines-japan-us economic and defense ties amid growing regional issues, including territorial issues concerning China.