Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. will visit three Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in Cagayan and Pampanga on Wednesday, Sept. 13, as a prelude to the upcoming Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting.
Brawner will be accompanied by Admiral John C. Aquilino, commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson when they tour the EDCA sites at Lal-lo Airport in Lal-Lo, Cagayan; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; and Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga.
“The tour will also provide an opportunity for the senior military officials to gain firsthand knowledge of the bases' potential for the development of key facilities to support Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) operations and modernization priorities of the AFP,” Lt. Col. Enrico Gil Ileto, chief of AFP public affairs office, said on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The visit will take place ahead of the MDB-SEB meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday, Sept. 14. The MDB-SEB coordinates a framework for defense and security cooperation between the Philippines and US militaries.
He said the tour and the meeting, which will be attended by top-ranking officers from the AFP and US Armed Forces, underscore the continued partnership and collaboration between the Philippines and United States militaries in enhancing national defense capabilities, as well as their shared commitment to regional security and disaster response efforts.
“General Brawner and Admiral Aquilino’s visit signifies the commitment of both AFP and US Armed Forces to further strengthen its cooperation, ensuring that both militaries are prepared and well-equipped to respond to evolving security challenges and humanitarian crises,” Ileto said.
“The AFP looks forward to sharing insights from this visit and the MDB-SEB meeting, which together contribute to the enduring partnership between the two nations,” he added.
The EDCA sites in Lal-Lo and Sta. Ana, Cagayan are part of the four additional military locations identified by the Philippines and US to expand the defense agreement, including Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Balabac Island in Palawan.
Meanwhile, the EDCA site in Floridablanca, Pampanga is among the five original locations established when the agreement was signed in 2014 along with the Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation, Lumbia Air Base, Antonio Bautista Air Base, and Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base.
EDCA allows the rotation of US troops into the Philippine bases for an extended time, and the building and operating of facilities in AFP camps for joint and combined training and humanitarian response.