officials meet in Washington for talks amid new tension with China

by BERNADETTE

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the growing military ties with the Philippines on Tuesday, April 11 before heading to Vietnam and Japan days after a new flare-up of tensions with China over Taiwan.

The Philippines, Vietnam and Japan all have longstanding territorial disputes with China that have grown more intense in recent years as Beijing flexes its muscle.

Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet jointly in Washington with their Philippine counterparts in the first such joint talks in seven years between the United States and its former colony. Last week, the Philippines announced four more military bases that U.S. forces will be able to use, including one on the northern Luzon island, just 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Taiwan -- a stark shift from a previous push by Manila to improve ties with  PAGE 2

by HELEN FLORES Philstar.com

MANILA — The four new sites within Philippine military bases made accessible to US forces under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will not be used for offensive operations, President Marcos said on Monday, April 10.

The President made the remarks when asked to comment on China’s recent pronouncement that the designation of new EDCA locations would provoke tensions in the region.

“Now, China’s reaction perhaps was not surprising because they are worried. But we will not – we will not use, we will not allow, the Philippines, we will not allow our bases to be used for any offensive action. This is only to help the Philippines when the Philippines needs help,” Marcos told reporters partly in Filipino after leading the 81st Araw ng Kagitingan rites in Pilar, Bataan.

“So, if no one is attacking us, they don’t have to worry because we will not launch an offensive. What we do is we continue to strengthen the defense of our territory, the defense of the Republic,” he said.

JAPAN, the Philippines and the United States have become "trusting partners" working closely to preserve peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese Ambassador to Manila Koshikawa Kazuhiko said on Monday, April 10 during the 81st commemoration of the Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) at the Mount Samat National Shrine in Pilar, Bataan.

Also at the event were President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Cabinet secretaries, senators, Bataan Gov. Jose Garcia, U.S. embassy officials, and World War 2 Filipino veterans.

Japan and the U.S. were bitter enemies during that war, with Philippine troops fighting alongside American soldiers.

Japan has since become one of the U.S.' closest allies in Asia.

Koshikawa voiced hope that relations between the three countries achieve "greater heights," as he noted Marcos' earlier remarks that Japan is "a most reliable partner in times of crises and of prosperity."

He also conveyed his condolences to the victims of the "fierce battle" that took place in Bataan during WW 2 and offered

by ALEXIS ROMERO Philstar.com

MANILA — President Marcos urged Filipinos on Sunday, April 9 to work toward a more progressive and humane society, oppose discrimination and help the needy as the country commemorated Araw ng Kagitingan, or Day of Valor.

In his message for the occasion, Marcos said Filipinos have been defined by their feats rather than their trials and have emerged as “a nation that stands tall and proud, guided by the principles of justice, truth, and democracy.”

“From the battles fought in the trenches of World War II, to the struggles against insurgent forces, the Philippines has faced numerous challenges that tested our faith yet showed the world the indomitable spirit of every

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, April 10 officially ended the COVID national health emergency that for more than three years underpinned extraordinary efforts to provide care for a country where more than a million people died from the disease.

The White House said Biden signed a law passed earlier by Congress "which terminates the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic."

This closes lavish funding streams for COVID tests, free vaccines and other emergency measures thrown together — starting in January 2020 — to try and free the world's biggest economy from the grip of the global pandemic.

Less clear is the impact the end of the emergency will have on the already tense southern border with Mexico, where US authorities have long struggled to manage the flow of undocumented immigrants and large numbers of asylum seekers.

A rule known as Title 42 was used during the official health emergency to impose stringent restrictions on acceptance of undocumented arrivals. That is set to end, forcing the administration to adopt a different legal mechanism if it wants to avoid the politically damaging potential of new influxes.

A senior official in the White House told AFP that the use of Title 42 "is expected to expire on May 11th."

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EDCA sites not for offensive actions...

This developed as the biggest ever iteration of the Balikatan exercises involving some 17,600 Filipino and American soldiers officially begins today. This year’s activities will include live fire exercises at sea until April 28. The Chinese embassy in Manila earlier warned the expansion of US access to military bases in the Philippines would seriously endanger Philippine interests as well as overall regional stability.

Malacañang announced on April 3 the four new locations deemed “suitable and mutually beneficial” EDCA sites in the country.

These are the Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lallo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela and Balabac Island in Palawan.

Marcos said the new EDCA locations were selected due to their susceptibility to natural disasters.

“These are existing bases. The only difference with what we did here is that with the EDCA, we give an opportunity to our only treaty partner, which is the United States, we give them a chance to be able to come and help us in any way, especially –that really started with helping with disaster relief,” he said.

“Now, what we choose is what we see most often… hit by storms, by disasters,” the Chief Executive added.

Signed in 2014, EDCA allows US access to Philippine bases for joint training, prepositioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing. Permanent basing is prohibited.

To date, the U.S. has allocated over $82 million for projects at the five existing EDCA locations – Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

The announcement of the new EDCA sites came amid growing concern over Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and its saberrattling directed at Taiwan.

Meanwhile, some 12,000 US troops will join this year’s joint training exercises in various sites in Northern Luzon, Palawan and Antique.

Top Philippine and U.S. military officials lead the opening ceremonies today at Camp Aguinaldo.

“Preparations are going on for the formal opening of Balikatan Exercise 2023,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said.

He said American soldiers would be arriving in batches based on the scheduled activities that they would be joining.

“Arrival of U.S. forces is time-phased depending on the schedule of their participation in the assigned events,” Aguilar explained.

Over a hundred participants from the Australian Defense Force will also be joining some of the events for the first time, while representatives from Japan will take part as observers.

For the first time, there will be joint littoral live fire exercises at sea – involving rockets and artillery – particularly in the waters of Zambales. The AFP will also be using its newly acquired assets, including FA-50 fighter jets. (Michael Punongbayan/Philstar.com)