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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'No discussion' between PH, US to build more EDCA sites, says DND chief

'No discussion' between PH, US to build more EDCA sites, says DND chief

Published Jul 21, 2023 05:59 am
Apart from the nine identified locations, Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Thursday, July 20, that there were no plans to further increase the number of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in military bases of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Teodoro spoke with United States Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin III over the phone last July 6 but the DND chief bared that the expansion of EDCA was not among the things they talked about. “No, there was not [a] discussion, no specific discussions, and there is nothing on my table to increase the number of EDCA facilities on Philippine bases,” Teodoro said. The Malacanang had announced in April that the Philippines and US governments agreed to establish four additional EDCA sites – at Lal-lo airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan – on top of the five existing ones.  The existing EDCA sites are located at the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu. Teodoro explained that the DND should see to it that the nine EDCA sites will be stabilized first before talks on additional locations are brought up on the table. “You can’t bite more than what you can chew. That’s what I was trying to state earlier. We gotta make things work first before expanding. A lot of conglomerates have fallen because of too quick an expansion without being able to absorb the capability to sustain,” Teodoro explained. Signed in 2014, the EDCA is a supplemental pact to the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) which allows US troops to rotate into the Philippines as well as build and operate facilities in AFP bases. The construction of the new EDCA sites and the enhancement of the existing locations will be funded by the US government. These sites will then be turned over to the Philippine government after the troops have finished using them.

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Secretary Gilberto Teodoro DND PH-US EDCA
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