US eyes five more additional military areas in the country under Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt.Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro said the United States (US) eyes to build five more defense facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Bacarro said these include (subject to vetting) two possible sites in Cagayan, one in Palawan, one in Zambales, and one in Isabela.
Finalized after eight round of talks in August 2013, the EDCA which was signed in 2014 allows US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, the right to build facilities, and preposition equipment, aircraft, and vessels, but rules out permanent basing, Manila Standard reported.
The future facilities at Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan De Oro; Antonio Bautista Airbase in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu are being constructed by the Philippine government and the US under the EDCA.
Construction on three of these training centers and warehouses is in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Cagayan de Oro is estimated at $66.5 million, the Department of National Defense (DND) said adding these are expected to begin in 2023.
DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said the DND is committed to accelerating the EDCA by concluding infrastructure enhancement and repair projects and developing new infrastructure projects at existing EDCA locations.
This includes looking into new areas that will help build a more credible mutual defense stance.
DND OIC Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. said these EDCA sites are only “training facilities and warehouses.”
“We already have five EDCA agreed locations and there are ongoing projects now and for the next two years, the concentration will be on the completion of the projects within EDCA during the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) held in Hawaii. There were some additional EDCA sites being considered,” he added.
Faustino explained that these still have to go through the process, which includes making sure they adhere to constitutional provisions.
Andolong emphasized that the DND maintains its position that all interactions with the US and other foreign partners must be done in compliance with other national laws and the Constitution.
“The Department is focused on planning joint activities that will enable us to develop our individual and joint capacity to address current security challenges in line with the implementing details provided by Philippines-US defense agreements anchored on the MDT. With the progress in Fort Magsaysay, Basa Air Base, and Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, the department hopes to be able to complete other pending projects,” Andolong said.
Tags: #US, #EDCA, #militaryfacilities