Soon-to-be seated president Rodrigo Duterte said he does not have a problem with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), specifically on use of Philippine military bases by the United States military. “I have no problem with EDCA-sanctioned use of Philippine military bases by US troops because we don’t have good external defense capabilities,” he said in a press conference as quoted in a Philstar.com report.
Duterte earlier said “EDCA must follow the guidelines prescribed by our Armed Forces. They could not use any other place without the knowledge or until there is advice from the Armed Forces.”
EDCA is a ten-year accord signed April 28, 2014 by Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg in Manila.
The Agreement is a 10-year deal that will allow increased US military rotation and storing of US military equipment in agreed locations in the Philippines. The US military can build facilities in the mentioned locations where disaster relief and humanitarian assistance equipment, and defense materiel can be stored and deployed when need arises.
Last March 18, during the Sixth Annual U.S.-Philippines Strategic Dialogue in US, the initial agreed locations were announced which include Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia airport in Cagayan de Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.
Philippines will have ownership of buildings and infrastructures to be constructed by US military in Agreed Locations.
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