21 Cagayan mayors back EDCA, says DND
Despite the reported opposition of the people of Cagayan, the Department of National Defense (DND) claimed that 21 Cagayan mayors have already expressed their support for the implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
DND Officer in Charge (OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the department "welcomes the expression of support from the mayors of Cagayan for the implementation of the EDCA with the United States."
"As of now, 21 mayors have expressed their support and we expect this number to increase, with one municipality even intimating the possibility of donating a tract of land for the use of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)," he said.
"Truly, the overwhelming majority of local chief executives in the province supporting our endeavor proves the Filipino people's appreciation of the merits of EDCA, not only for enhancing our national security but for providing opportunities to further develop our local communities as well," he added.
Early this week, thousands gathered at the Rizal Park in Tuguegarao city to protest the designation of two military camps in Cagayan province as Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, a newspaper reported.
Galvez said during "the 2+2 Ministerial Meeting in Washington, the US side expressed that they will pursue more economic investments in the Philippines with the support also of the USAID socio-economic programs in the communities where EDCA sites are located."
Amid the conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Galvez also stressed that as part of the government's efforts to "prepare to respond to contingencies, the four additional EDCA sites are expected to serve as points for the evacuation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the event of a flare-up in the region's flashpoints."
"Our Defense Attache’s have been working and coordinating with their host countries on possible repatriation operations, which can be undertaken with our US allies, should the need arise. The benefits of developing these sites cannot be understated, especially on the continued modernization of the AFP," he said.
"The new locations, especially Balabac in Palawan and Camilo Osias Naval Base in Cagayan, will strengthen our maritime domain awareness and security, serving as stations and shelters for our radar local monitoring systems and new assets such as the Navy's offshore patrol vessels and corvettes, which are now under construction, as well as the future multirole fighters for the Air Force," he added.
Galvez also noted that "the deployment and modernization of the AFP Forces through EDCA, which is an integral part of our Mutual Defense Treaty, shall boost our territorial defense capabilities and will enable our fisherfolk to freely pursue their livelihood in our waters.
"I am also pleased to share the US pledge of $100 million or ?5.5 billion modernization assistance in this regard, which will be utilized for the acquisition of HADR configured medium-lift helicopters for the disaster response and non-combat operations of our Armed Forces," said Galvez.
"The US has also increased the funding for the development of the EDCA sites from $82 million to $100 million, which is equivalent to another ?5.5 billion. This brings the total of the US’s pledge of support for the HADR helicopters and EDCA projects to ?11 billion. The various projects in these EDCA sites, most of which are for warehousing and storage for HADR-related materiel, are scheduled for completion by the end of 2023," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
