Philippines identifying more military bases that could be under EDCA
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said the Philippines is identifying additional military bases strategically located in the country which may also be considered under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States.
"The Philippines is identifying additional bases that will be needed for strategic basing plan to protect our (exclusive economic zone) EEZ , now if it will become an EDCA sites, there is no talk about that yet," he said in a forum in Manila on Wednesday.
"These are Philippine bases. We need these. It is also for reintegrated defense of the Philippine terrestrial domain. You will just add the maritime domain," he said.
"EDCA is way also of leveraging on the construction of these facilities for logistic basing by the US but for me the exchange there is capability upgrades for us, which I cannot talk about because we have to pass the operational security there," he added.
It can be recalled that US Indo Pacific Command Admiral John Aquilino confirmed that during the Mutual Defense Board and Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting last month, he had discussed with Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. the possible expansion of EDCA sites in the Philippine military camps.
"We are in discussions but everyone has a boss and we both have bosses so we're gonna, we'll have those conversations I think in private and give our bosses some decision space on how they'd like to go forward," he said.
"Gen. Brawner and I may make recommendations to our senior leaders for the consideration of additional sites but there are still work to do there, before we get to that answer," he added.
The number of EDCA sites has increased from five to nine early this year, after the Philippines allowed the American forces to have access in four more AFP bases. Robina Asido/DMS
