Philippines to announce new bases US soldiers can use

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines and the United States will soon announce the locations 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 Defense 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 400 kilometers from self-ruled Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba has publicly opposed having EDCA sites in his province for fear of jeopardizing Chinese investment and becoming a target in a conflict over Taiwan.

But Philippine acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez told reporters Monday 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 and other officials.

Galvez and Kendall were at Basa Air Base, north of the capital Manila, where the United States is investing $24 million in upgrading the 2.8-kilometer runway.

Basa is one of five bases originally included in the EDCA.

The agreement allows US troops to rotate through the bases and also store defense equipment and supplies at them.

The pact stalled under former president Rodrigo Duterte, who favored China over the country’s former colonial master.

But President Marcos, who succeeded Duterte last June, has adopted a more US-friendly foreign policy and has sought to accelerate the implementation of the EDCA.

Beijing has been critical of the agreement, which its embassy in the Philippines said recently was part of “US efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country.”

But Kendall said it was for the “good of the region.”

“The defense treaty with the Philippines... is about mutual protection and peace and security in the region in general,” Kendall said.

Earlier, Galvez and US Ambassador Marykay Carlson led the groundbreaking ceremony for the project to rehabilitate Basa Air Base runway and its facilities in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

EDCA was signed in April 2014 to supplement provisions of the Phl-US visiting forces Agreement.

“After almost eight years of delays and legal challenges, the EDCA implementation is now in full swing. Today, we laid down the time capsule to signify openly the start of the necessary rehabilitation of the Basa Air Base as one of the EDCA priorities,” Galvez announced.

In his speech during the ceremony, he noted that out of 15 approved EDCA projects, five were already completed, five are ongoing and the remaining five are up for implementation soon, adding that already completed projects include the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) warehouse, a C2 Fusion Center and fuel range tanks.

He noted that the Basa Air Base runway rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in September 2023 and make it ideal for the efficient conduct of joint task force exercises and as a natural hub for HADR operations.

This year’s Balikatan exercises set in April will be the biggest ever, with around 17,600 participating troops, of whom 12,000 are Americans.

Phl-China consultations

Meanwhile, the Philippines and China will hold consultations this week covering the two countries’ bilateral relations and maritime issues, including developments in the West Philippine Sea.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced yesterday that it is hosting the 23rd Philippines-China Foreign Ministry Consultations (FMC) and the 7th Bilateral Consultations Mechanism (BCM) on the South China Sea on March 23 and 24 in Manila.

“The discussions under the two mechanisms will cover a broad number of issues, including economic, people-to-people maritime, security and regional matters,” the DFA said in a statement.

The FMC, which was last held in 2019, reviews the overall bilateral relations and all aspects of cooperation.

The BCM, last held in 2021, covers maritime issues of concern to either side, including developments in the West Philippine Sea and areas of possible maritime cooperation and confidence-building.

DFA Undersecretary for bilateral relations and ASEAN affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro will lead the Philippine delegation, while the Chinese side will be led by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong.

Wescom seeks boost

In another development, the Western Command (WESCOM) of the Armed Forces is asking for legislative support that will eventually provide funds to boost the country’s presence and defenses amid China’s increasingly aggressive behavior in Philippine territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea.

Sen. Imee Marcos, chairman of the Senate committee on foreign relations, visited Palawan on Sunday, providing the military a chance to offer recommendations on how to improve its capabilities in the West Philippine Sea.

WESCOM commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos had admitted that “we are grappling with the realities of our complex relations with our neighbors in Asia, our allies in the region, the United States and other countries.”

In a dialogue with Marcos, the military said it offered several recommendations attuned to a Self-Reliant Defense Posture that seeks to improve the country’s external defense operations in the West Philippine Sea.

Carlos specifically asked the elder sister of President Marcos for “support for the sustainment of effective presence in the Kalayaan Island Group, shipbuilding and maintenance, sub-surface detection capability, drone and anti-drone capability and coastal defense.” – Pia Lee-Brago, AFP