PH panel ready to defend Edca before court

By: Kristine Angeli Sabillo - 10 years ago

DND Usec. Pio Lorenzo Batino gives briefing on the EDCA. KRISTINE SABILLO/蜜桃工作室

MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he Philippine negotiating panel on Thursday said it is ready to defend the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) before the courts.

National Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, chair of the negotiating panel, said they were aware of the opinions of other stakeholders, especially those who said they would challenge the agreement before the Supreme Court

鈥淎nd being mindful of that鈥his pushed us to even negotiate even more vigorously for language that would be defensible under the Philippine Constitution and under relevant laws,鈥� he said in a Palace press briefing.

Ambassador Eduardo Malaya, also a member of the panel, said they worked hard so that 鈥淧hilippine national interest can be pursued.鈥�

鈥淚n our assessment, this agreement is mutually beneficial and that there鈥檚 ample legal and constitutional support for the provisions that are now reflected in this defense cooperation agreement which we have with the United States,鈥� he said.

Both officials insisted that Edca complied with the provisions of the Philippine Constitution.

Malaya said not only does Edca mention respect for the Constitution but it also prohibits the use of nuclear weapons and the establishment of permanent military bases.

Batino said Edca, which was signed last April 28, merely 鈥渋nstitutionalizes鈥� the prepositioning of US equipment in local military facilities and the construction of infrastructure to house the said equipment.

鈥淎fter 15 or 16 years of joint training exercises, the Philippine and US defense and military establishments mutually recognize the need and opportunity to uplift the defense cooperation between the two militaries, and thus Edca,鈥� he added, referring to the Visiting Forces Agreement.

During the discussion, however, the officials admitted that some of the facilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines might be exclusively used by the US forces.

They said the rent-free clause of the agreement is justifiable since it is 鈥渕utually beneficial鈥� to the two countries.

鈥淚n fact, in Japan and in Korea, which host a large number of US military bases within their military, these countries provide subsidies for the maintenance and operation of the US military there,鈥� Malaya said.