DND, AFP chiefs visit EDCA site in CDO

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner, accompanied by top military officials, inspected the Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City yesterday.

As one of the nine agreed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country that is being developed by the United States military, a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) warehouse is being built in the area.

Once completed, the facility is expected to support the rapid deployment of essential supplies in both field missions and humanitarian assistance operations.

Teodoro and Brawner also checked the location of two other approved EDCA projects in Lumbia, the air traffic control tower and certain portions of the airfield’s runway. 

The defense chief was joined by Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Management, Salvador Melchor Mison Jr., during the inspection.

Teodoro emphasized the strategic importance of Lumbia as one of the country’s major operating bases to support various missions of the AFP in Mindanao.

The Department of National Defense said continued basing developments, aside from the projects under EDCA, are seen to enhance Lumbia Air Base’s operational effectiveness, enabling it to accommodate air reserve forces and provide essential support to HADR operations during emergencies in the Mindanao region.

EDCA provides for the joint utilization of AFP and US forces, as well as access to agreed locations in the Philippines under the ambit of the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement.