All the military facilities that were already built and will be constructed by the Philippines and United States under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will be jointly operated by Filipino and American troops.
This was emphasized by AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar on Saturday, Feb. 4, following the announcement of the US and Philippines’ defense establishments that they will construct four additional EDCA sites in AFP camps to accelerate the implementation of the agreement. There are currently five existing EDCA sites in AFP bases in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cagayan de Oro City, Palawan, and Cebu.
“The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement is a collaborative agreement between the United States and the Philippines that enables both countries to increase joint training opportunities, humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) capability, and rotational activities to strengthen interoperability between our armed forces,” Aguilar said. Signed in 2014, EDCA is a supplemental agreement to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which allows US troops to rotate into the Philippines, as well as build and operate facilities in the bases of the AFP.
“We want to emphasize that the existing five agreed locations under EDCA and the inclusion of four new sites are facilities that the US and Philippine forces will jointly operate to facilitate and expedite the implementation of programs that will enhance our security cooperation, joint training, and HADR operation,” he added.
The construction of the new sites and the enhancement of the existing locations will be funded by the US government, according to Aguilar. These sites will then be turned over to the Philippine government after the troops used them, he added.
The US government had initially allocated $82 million for the construction of the first five EDCA sites while the budget for the four additional locations have yet to be revealed as discussions were still ongoing.
“We look forward to work continuously with our allies to strengthen further our capability to save lives in times of natural disasters and defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Aguilar noted.
Aguilar issued the statement amid concerns that the US is attempting to establish permanent military bases in the Philippines as fears grow that the country could be put in jeopardy should tensions escalate between US and China over issues in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
The US and Philippines' defense establishments have yet to disclose the exact locations of the four additional EDCA sites but among the areas that were previously considered include Cagayan, Palawan, Zambales, and Isabela which are near the West Philippine Sea (WPS) and Taiwan Strait.
The agreement between the Philippines and US governments to construct four additional sites under the EDCA was made formal during the bilateral meeting of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III and Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. last Thursday, Feb. 2, at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
During his visit, Austin had already clarified that the construction of EDCA sites does not mean the US is keen on establishing permanent military bases in Manila.
.