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‘AN ALLY TILL THE END’ No Mutual Defense Board revision ‘for now,’ but US assures bigger presence in the Philippines with 500 military exercises in ’24
AN aerial view of Lal-lo Airport is seen in Cagayan province, on August 3, 2023. The Lal-lo Airport is one of the additional sites for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States. JAM STA. ROSA/POOL PHOTO VIA AP
T
By Rex Anthony Naval
and the SEB was established in 2006. The two boards form the framework that directs and enables defense and security cooperation between the US and Philippine militaries.
HE Americans might not have categorically answered on how they will back up their avowed “ironclad commitment” to the Philippines in the wake of the ongoing tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), but they will certainly maintain a larger presence in the country in the coming months.
Footing the EDCA bill
AS this developed, Brawner clarified that the Philippine government also spends for the development of the EDCA sites as these are located in its existing camps and bases. “Let me also add that when we talk about EDCA sites, these are [located within] existing Philippine camps or bases, we are just opening this up for shared use with our counterpart with our only ally the United States because we believe that doing certain things together would bring more value; some of these EDCA sites would be designed specifically for joint training,” he added. And while the US is spending for the development of these sites with the construction of several projects, the Philippines is also doing the same to make these facilities sustainable for Filipino personnel. ADMIRAL John C. Aquilino, left, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, at Clark Air Base, Pampanga, on March 20, 2022. AP/AARON FAVILA
GEN. Charles Flynn, left, Commanding General USARPAC, shakes hands with Philippine Army Commanding Gen., Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner during a “Balikatan” joint military exercise at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija, April 13, 2023. This year’s Balikatan exercises between the treaty allies are the largest since the two sides started joint military combat-readiness exercises in the early 1990s. AP/AARON FAVILA
This was after Indo-Pacific Command chief Admiral John Aquilino and Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. on Thursday, September 14, said that they are both recommending increasing the number of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country. The two officials issued the statement shortly after the annual Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting held in Camp Aguinaldo, Que-
zon City, last week. “General Brawner and I may make recommendations to our senior leaders for the consideration of additional sites, but there is still work to do there before we get to that answer,” Aquilino said. Aquilino added that both he and Brawner will talk to their “bosses” about the matter and these senior leaders will be the ones making the decisions on whether to go ahead with having these additional EDCA sites in the Philippines.
He did not give an exact timetable on when these recommendations will be operationalized, but revealed that 63 more projects have been agreed for construction in the nine EDCA sites earlier approved by the two countries. These will be added to the 32 projects earlier allocated. Aquilino emphasized that the US has also had an “investment of $110 million to those sites to build capability capacity for the AFP to use every day and for the United States to fall in on when invited.” The five initial EDCA sites are the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu. The four additional are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isa-
bela; and Balabac Island in Palawan. These locations strengthen the interoperability of the US and Philippine militaries, enabling the forces to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
500 military activities slated for 2024
AS this developed, the recently concluded MDB-SEB between the Philippines and the US saw both parties agreeing to conduct “over 500 activities” for next year. During the meeting, US and Philippine military leaders agreed to over 500 joint activities scheduled for 2024 to include exercises, high-level exchanges between the allied nations and capability building in maritime security, combatting terrorism and transnational crimes, cybersecurity, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and many other national security interests.
The number of participating troops and assets from both sides was not revealed for security reasons. “These underscore the continued partnership and collaboration between the Philippines and the United States in enhancing national defense capabilities, as well as the shared commitment to regional security and disaster response efforts,” Brawner said. He added that this signifies the AFP’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation with its US counterparts, ensuring that both militaries are equipped and well prepared to respond to evolving security challenges. The successful completion of the MDB-SEB furthers cooperation between the US and the Philippines and renews their shared commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the joint pursuit of a free and open IndoPacific region against a backdrop of a rules-based international order. The MDB was established in 1958
On track
MEANWHILE, Brawner and Aquilino appreciated the steady progress being made in the development of the projects under the EDCA during their visit to Cagayan on September 13. Aside from the two, US Ambassador Marykay Carlson also joined the inspection trip in Lal-lo Airport and Naval Base Camilo Osias in Cagayan, as well as Basa Air Base in Pampanga. “The work that [General Brawner’s] team has done in coordination with our team to further advance capabilities here in the Philippines is truly impressive. We’re very pleased. I was here a year ago, and the progress of the runway and all the sites is moving at a great pace, thanks to our strong partnership,” Aquilino said. Meanwhile, Brawner expressed optimism that more of the projects will become operational by next year to support joint exercises and operations. “We are very pleased with the progress of these projects, and we are Continued on A2
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.9080 n JAPAN 0.3857 n UK 69.9684 n HK 7.2766 n CHINA 7.7886 n SINGAPORE 41.6481 n AUSTRALIA 36.5008 n EU 60.6696 n KOREA 0.0425 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.1730 Source: BSP (September 22, 2023)