Philippines Gives US 4 Additional Locations for Military Bases

The Philippines revealed Monday the location of four new military bases for US troops, one near the contentious South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.

In February, the long-term treaty allies agreed to expand cooperation in “strategic areas” of the country in order to counter China’s increasing assertiveness over self-governed Taiwan and its construction of bases in the South China Sea.

The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, signed in 2014 granted US troops access to five bases in the Philippines.

The number of bases was increased to nine, but the locations of the four additional bases were kept secret until Monday while the government conferred with local officials.

The Philippine military evaluated the four locations and determined them to be “suitable and mutually beneficial,” according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office.

It was also stated that the bases would be used for humanitarian and relief operations in the event of a catastrophe. A US official verified that the palace-announced locations were the new EDCA sites.

According to the statement, three of the sites are in the northern Philippines, including a naval station and airport in Cagayan province and an army camp in the nearby province of Isabela.

The naval station in Santa Ana, Cagayan province, is about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Taiwan.

Another location will be on Balabac Island, close the South China Sea, off the southern tip of Palawan Island.

Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba has openly opposed EDCA sites in his province, citing concerns about jeopardizing Chinese investment and becoming a target in a Taiwan conflict.

However, Philippine acting Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez recently told reporters that the government had “already decided” on the sites and that Mamba had agreed to “abide by the decision.”

The agreement enables US forces to rotate through the bases while also storing defence equipment and supplies. Former President Rodrigo Duterte, who preferred China over the country’s former colonial master, put the pact on hold.

However, President Ferdinand Marcos, who succeeded Duterte in June, has pursued a more pro-US foreign policy and tried to expedite the implementation of the EDCA.

Beijing has criticized the deal, claiming that it is part of the “US efforts to encircle and contain China through its military alliance with this country.” The Chinese embassy in the Philippines did not reply immediately to a request for comment.

Philippines, Japan Agrees To Boost Defense Ties Significantly

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