To bolster the national government’s response to areas heavily impacted by Tropical Storm “Kristine”, aircraft from the United States will be coming to the country and these will be housed in Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites.
General Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said their military counterpart from the United States was already informed about the request for support to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
“Mr. President, in terms of airlift capability, we already have alerted most of our aircraft. But yesterday we also coordinated with our US counterparts and they are ready to send in their aircraft using our EDCA sites,” Brawner told President Marcos Jr. during a situation briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
“If other countries are coming in, we will also establish our multinational coordinating centers,” he added.
At present, there are currently nine identified EDCA sites nationwide.
They are located at the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.
The locations were established under the EDCA, an agreement signed by Manila and Washington in 2014, which allows US troops to rotate into the Philippines for an extended stay, and build and operate facilities in AFP camps.
The priority of the AFP is to conduct search and rescue operations in Bicol Region (Region 5), which felt the initial impact of the storm, and deliver relief assistance such as food and water.
In Naga City, Camarines Sur, 300 of the 600 barangays were already fully submerged in floodwaters and not passable to cars, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Jonvic Remulla.
“They are in urgent need of rubber boats and 6x6 trucks to evacuate people,” Remulla said.
“Our concern is really the floodwater. What are we going to do?” Marcos asked.
In response, Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he instructed the AFP to mobilize military assets to Bicol to boost HADR operations.
“As we speak, we’re pushing forward additional rubber boats to proceed to Solcom [Southern Luzon Command] area. I’ve given instructions that we have to source [assets and personnel] from Mindanao and Visayas,” the defense chief noted.