US troops disembark from their amphibious assault vehicle during a combined assault exercise at a beach facing one of the contested islands off the South China Sea known as Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea in this April 21, 2015 file photo at the Naval Education and Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales province. (AP FILE PHOTO)
Benito Ebuen Airbase in Mactan, naval base in Cebu among those considered
EIGHT military sites including two in Cebu are being eyed to be used by the US troops under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which was upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Restituto Padilla said yesterday these sites have yet to be finalized.
“May mga nauna na pong usapan tungkol sa posibleng lugar pero lahat ng mga lugar na ito ay hindi pa pinal. Isasagawa pa yung pag-uusap uli lalo na ngayon meron na tayong go signal na constitutional ang EDCA (There have already been initial talks of possible locations but these are not yet final. We still have to hold talks for this especially that there is a go-signal now with EDCA being declared constitutional by the Supreme Court),” he said.
Priority areas are Basa Air Base in Clark, Pampanga and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
Other sites being considered are Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan; Benito Ebuen Airbase in Mactan, Cebu; Clark Air Base; Lumbia Airfield in Cagayan de Oro; and two naval bases in Palawan and Cebu.
“Kaya sila natin pinapayagan magkaroon ng kagamitan sa lugar na ito na pwede nating gamitin agad-agad kapag may sakuna na kailangang respondehan (We are allowing them to base their equipment in these areas so that we can use them in times when we need to respond to emergencies or disasters),” Padilla said.
He said most of these equipment are for humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
EDCA, which was signed in 2014, was questioned for its legality and was only declared constitutional by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The agreement will allow more US troops and equipment to be stationed in the Philippines.
The signing comes amid increasing maritime tensions between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea and the US implements its rebalance strategy to Asia.
CHINESE REACTION
Meanwhile, China’s official Xinhua News Agency has harshly criticized the Philippine Supreme Court’s backing of a defense pact that allows American forces, warships and planes to be based temporarily in local military camps.
Xinhua said yesterday that the agreement would escalate tensions and undermine regional peace and stability.
It said the Philippines is “turning to Uncle Sam” to counter China, using a phrase harkening back to the Cold War. Manila is engaged in a sharpening rivalry with China over maritime claims in the South China Sea.
It said Manila would bear the negative consequences of what it called a “stupid move.”
The court’s ruling Tuesday bolsters US efforts to reassert its presence in Asia and dovetails with Philippine desires for American help in countering China’s territorial claims.