Philippines, China meet...

Constitution. Former foreign affairs secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. announced in June 2022 that the Philippines had terminated completely the discussions over joint energy exploration between Manila and Beijing.

Locsin said former president peace security and humanitarian assistance in the Philippines.”

Provincial Board Member Ryan Maminta said Edca had proven to be favorable to the province in terms of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

In Congress, a Makabayan lawmaker warned that the Philippines was now turning into a base of the United States with the expansion of Edca sites.

“There are nine Edca locations which are also bound to increase using whatever pretext like prepositioning, disaster preparedness and the like, inevitably trampling on our sovereignty,” said House Deputy Minority Leader France Castro.

She cited Article 3, Paragraph 2 of Edca, which stated that “when requested, the designated authority of the Philippines shall assist in facilitating transit or temporary access by [US] forces to public land and facilities (including roads, ports and airfields), including those owned or controlled by local governments, and to other land and facilities (including roads, ports and airfields).”

“In other words, we cannot refuse if the US requests access to utilize whatever land or facilities, wherever in the country, including private property,” Castro noted.

—with reports from Julie M. Aurelio and Geraldford Ticke n

Rodrigo Duterte ordered the termination of discussions due to constitutional constraints and concerns about Philippine sovereignty. n

DFA: EDCA ‘reaffirms’ robust commitment...

infrastructure upgrades that directly contribute to the enhancement of the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” it added.

The EDCA allows U.S. troops to use Philippine military facilities for equipment and to store materials that may be needed for humanitarian relief efforts. The agreement also allows American soldiers to conduct joint training activities with their Filipino counterparts.

The Palace on Monday, April 3 said the four new EDCA sites will be in Cagayan’s Naval Base Camilo Osias and Lal-lo Airport, Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, and Balabac Island in Palawan.

The first five EDCA sites are located in Cebu, Cagayan de Oro, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, and Pampanga.

“The new EDCA sites are strategic in the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ thrust to strengthen its capacity to protect the people and the state, advance our national interests, and enhance the country’s disaster response capability,” Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said in a separate statement on Tuesday.

Economic growth

In a separate statement on Monday evening, Philippine time, Pentagon said the U.S. plans to further expand funding to finance EDCA projects on top of the $82 million already spent for infrastructure developments.

The U.S. Department of Defense said this would “spur economic growth and job opportunities in their respective provinces.”

“The United States is committed to ensuring its activities around EDCA sites are responsive to the needs and priorities of local communities, and we will continue to consult closely with the Philippines on new opportunities that serve our shared interests,” it said.

Prior to the Philippines naming the specific locations, some local government unit officials opposed having an EDCA site in their provinces. However, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. already spoke to the local officials and discussed its importance.

The DFA also emphasized that the programs and projects under the EDCA are still for the benefit of the country.

“These programs are investments by the

Philippines in its own defense and security, benefitting military installations under the full ownership and operational control of the AFP,” the DFA said in its statement on Tuesday.

Constitutional?

Progressive group Sanlakas however pointed out that the 2014 EDCA or the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) are “mere executive agreements, which did not pass the rigors of Senate ratification.”

The group also compared EDCA to the government’s refusal to cooperate with the International Criminal Court under the guise of trying to uphold the country’s sovereignty.

“All this talk about sovereignty only but exposes the hypocrisy of the Marcos Jr. Government,” Sanlakas said.

“Unlike both military agreements, our membership in the ICC was by virtue of the Senate ratification of the Rome Statute in 2011, 11 years after the Philippines signed in 2000,” it added.

While the Senate concurrence is needed when ratifying treaties and Congress has oversight on the executive, the Supreme Court in 2016 ruled that the EDCA is not a treaty but an executive agreement former President Benigno Aquino III entered into to implement the VFA and the Mutual Defense Treaty.

The high court also ruled in 2010 that the VFA is constitutional.

U.S. military presence

Meanwhile, Anakbayan said it opposes the upcoming shoulder-to-shoulder military exercises between American and Filipino soldiers. The group said further U.S. military presence in the Philippines as it also is a “symptom of prolonged foreign dominance over Philippine economy and politics.”

Manila and Washington are holding their biggest Balikatan exercises next week. Over 12,000 American soldiers, 5,000 Filipino troops, and over 100 from the Australian soldiers are set to participate in joint military drills to advance interoperability.

“For the youth, the Balikatan exercises is also a direct attempt to further stir up the rising tensions between the U.S. and China towards a war for control over the resources of the Philippines and neighboring countries–something which could happen with Filipinos at a loss,” it said. n

DELICACY. The prices of the ingredients of “binignit,” a popular dessert soup made of yam, sticky rice, and coconut milk, during the Holy Week remain stable at the Bankerohan Public Market in Davao City on Wednesday, April 5. Vendors, however, said prices might eventually see a bump on