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Philippines to allow US to use more military bases
MANILA: The Philippines and the United States will soon announce the location of four additional military bases in the Southeast Asian
country that American soldiers will be allowed to use, officials said yesterday.
The longtime treaty allies agreed last month to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the country as they seek to counter China’s growing assertiveness over Taiwan and its building of bases in the South China Sea.
The 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, gave US forces access to five bases in the Philippines.
It has been expanded to nine, but the locations of the four additional bases have not been revealed as the government consults with local officials.
It has been widely reported that two of the sites will be in the northern province of Cagayan, less than 400km from Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.
Cagayan governor Manuel Mamba has publicly opposed having EDCA sites in his province for fear of jeopardising Chinese investment and becoming a target in a conflict over Taiwan.
But Philippine acting defence chief Carlito Galvez told reporters yesterday the government had “already decided” on the sites and that Mamba had agreed to “abide with the decision”.
“The two countries will announce as soon as they can (the locations),” said US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall at a joint press conference with Galvez.
Galvez and Kendall were at Basa Air Base, north of the capital Manila, where the US is investing US$24 million (RM108 million) in upgrading the 2.8km runway.
Basa is one of the five bases originally included in the EDCA.
The agreement allows American troops to rotate through the Philippine bases and also store defence equipment and supplies at them.
Philippines to allow US to use more military bases
MANILA: The Philippines and the United States will soon announce the location of four additional military bases in the Southeast Asian
country that American soldiers will be allowed to use, officials said yesterday.
The longtime treaty allies agreed last month to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the country as they seek to counter China’s growing assertiveness over Taiwan and its building of bases in the South China Sea.
The 2014 Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, known as EDCA, gave US forces access to five bases in the Philippines.
It has been expanded to nine, but the locations of the four additional bases have not been revealed as the government consults with local officials.
It has been widely reported that two of the sites will be in the northern province of Cagayan, less than 400km from Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.
Cagayan governor Manuel Mamba has publicly opposed having EDCA sites in his province for fear of jeopardising Chinese investment and becoming a target in a conflict over Taiwan.
But Philippine acting defence chief Carlito Galvez told reporters yesterday the government had “already decided” on the sites and that Mamba had agreed to “abide with the decision”.
“The two countries will announce as soon as they can (the locations),” said US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall at a joint press conference with Galvez.
Galvez and Kendall were at Basa Air Base, north of the capital Manila, where the US is investing US$24 million (RM108 million) in upgrading the 2.8km runway.
Basa is one of the five bases originally included in the EDCA.
The agreement allows American troops to rotate through the Philippine bases and also store defence equipment and supplies at them.
