Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 10) — The establishment of foreign military bases in the country would only mean the Philippines admitting that its own security forces are unable to defend the country from possible threats, a lawmaker said Monday.
“Hindi dapat magkaroon ng mga military bases dito sa ating bansa kasi that would mean, parang pag amin ‘yun na napaka-weak ng iyong military capability,” Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas told CNN Philippines’ The Source. “If that would mean na nage-encroach talaga ‘yan sa independence ng ating bansa, dapat tanggihan natin ‘yan.”
[Translation: There should not be military bases in our country because that would mean admitting that our military capability is weak. If that would mean encroaching our country’s independence, then we should reject that.]
She made the statement after the Malacañang announced the addition of four new locations on top of the existing five under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). This grants the United States access to Philippine military facilities, and allows them to build facilities in agreed locations.
The Department of Defense has reiterated that establishing such sites have “no gross violation of our national sovereignty as claimed by certain quarters.”
Brosas disagreed. She said allowing the building of more EDCA sites, along with the holding of military exercises in the Philippines, suppresses the country’s independence.
She also pointed out that most of the new EDCA locations are facing Taiwan Strait, where there are ongoing tensions between China and Taiwan.
“Pwede nga nating sabihin na hindi pwedeng pumasok dito sa Pilipinas yung iba pang mga tropa ng Amerikano at mag-base dito… para hindi magkaroon ng further escalation ng aggression between countries,” Brosas said.
[Translation: We can even say that the other American troops cannot enter and establish a base in the Philippines to prevent further escalation of aggression between countries.]
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he will not allow the Americans to use the EDCA sites for any offensive action.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning earlier said that the latest agreement “would only lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region.”
A resolution to investigate the details of the recent EDCA agreement has been filed, Brosas said, noting it lacks transparency in terms of how much Manila will be spending for the additional sites.
In 2019, the Philippine government allocated ₱124 million as a counterpart fund, she said. This was on top of the upkeep expenses for the operation of such structures, she added.
