In his statement, the DND chief said that the capacity building of a country’s defense is within the sovereign rights of every nation. Galvez added that the Philippines must continue its engagements with the US as well as with other countries.
In his statement, the DND chief said that the capacity building of a country’s defense is within the sovereign rights of every nation. Galvez added that in “the pursuit of that right,” the Philippines must continue its engagements with its longtime ally, the US, as well as with other countries.
“Thus, with that in mind, the EDCA was primarily envisioned to develop our own bases and facilities in line with our overall efforts to enhance our defense posture, especially our preparedness for responding to disasters and emergencies,” the defense secretary explained. Galvez also noted that Austin himself had said that EDCA is not “permanent” but rather a collaborative agreement.
“In terms of personnel, no less than US Secretary of Defense Austin reiterated during our recent joint press conference that EDCA is not about permanent basing in the Philippines, which is forbidden by the Philippine Constitution, but rather a collaborative agreement that will allow our allies access to training opportunities with Philippine personnel on a rotational basis for the purpose of enhancing interoperability and mutual capacity building between Philippine and US forces.
The DND secretary added that the EDCA will facilitate the construction of facilities that can help improve the Philippines’ defense capabilities. The bases will also serve as storage for assets and material that “will be prepositioned in agreed locations subject to prior authorization from the Philippines as specified in the EDCA provisions.”
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