Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 3) — Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez is hoping that senators will be more informed regarding the bilateral agreement that allows US forces to access military bases in the country.
“I respect the opinion of our senators,” he said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Friday. “We also have to be realistic and we have to make informed judgment on many things.”
Some senators earlier raised concerned over the four additional sites being planned under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which enhances the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty between Manila and Washington.
Defense officials earlier identified military bases in Zambales, Cagayan, Isabela, and Palawan – all of which face China, Taiwan, and the Korean Peninsula – as possible additional EDCA locations.
Senator Imee Marcos questioned why the new EDCA sites are near Taiwan, worrying that the Philippines may be caught in the middle if tensions escalate between China and Taiwan, which is backed by the US.
Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros suggested that the Philippines could push for multilateral defense partnerships with other countries without the need to establish foreign facilities in the country.
For his part, Romualdez said the EDCA sites will boost the country’s defense capabilities.
\”What is important for us is we have a strong defense posture and setting up these EDCA sites…is part of our defense strategy, and part of our strategy is the United States,\” he said.
\”The senators, hopefully, will be on the right side of history.\”
Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez Jr. noted that the EDCA is not meant to prepare for any war or to interfere in the domestic affairs of other nations.
\”The geopolitical situation is becoming more precarious by the day. Our projects under EDCA and our defense partnerships are not intended for aggression,\” he said in a statement Thursday. \”We are not preparing for war, rather we are aiming to develop our defense capabilities against eventualities and threats to our security.\”
Galvez added that the Armed Forces of the Philippines now focuses on external threats \”that may arise along our border-areas.\”
\”The Philippines straddles a crucial location in the Pacific, and we have seaboards to the north, south, east, and west. All of these must be monitored and protected,\” he said.
