Marcos: EDCA sites won’t raise tensions

by BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO ManilaTimes.net

PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the Philippines will see to it that giving the United States military access to four new bases under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will not be seen as a “provocation” that could further heighten tension in the South China Sea.

The president was reacting to growing concerns that allowing the expansion of U.S. military presence in the country will not sit well with other countries, particularly China, which have staked claims in the disputed waterway.

“It’s a valid concern. And it’s something that we have to pay attention to, that we do not be seen as... anything that we do will not be seen as provocative to anyone,” the President said in a chance interview Sunday, February 12.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines are claiming parts of the South China Sea, believed to be rich in gas and mineral resources.

China, however, insists that practically all of the South China Sea is part of its territory.

Marcos said he has always been for maintaining peace in the region, and will avoid moves that will disrupt that peace.

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