Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Supreme Court affirmed on Tuesday the constitutionality of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States.
The Court denied an appeal by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and former Senator Rene Saguisag to scrap the agreement on the grounds that it did not have the Senate’s approval.
The court, voting 9-4, upheld its January 12, 2016, ruling that the agreement was merely an executive agreement that “operationalizes” the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement between the two countries. It said EDCA is an executive agreement that does not need Senate approval.
Quoting the decision, Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te said “the petitioners do not present new arguments to buttress their claims of error on the part of this court.
They have rehashed their prior arguments and made them responsive to the structure of the decision yet the points being made are the same.”
The EDCA allows increased U.S. military presence in the Philippines and gives American forces permission to build installations inside Philippine military bases.
The government says the agreement does not return U.S. military bases in the country. It says EDCA only grants Americans access to five Philippine bases without rental or similar fees.
The agreement was signed in April 2014 ahead of a visit by President Barack Obama after two years of negotiations.
CNN Philippines’ Paolo Taruc contributed to this report.
