Philippines-US EDCA not aimed against any country —DND

The Department of National Defense (DND) stood pat that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States does not violate the country’s sovereignty and is not aimed against any foreign nation.

“There is no ‘gross violation of our national sovereignty’ as claimed by certain quarters,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement Friday.

The Defense official also stressed that the joint activities between the Philippines and the US are “intended to enhance the partnership” of the two countries.

“These are not directed against any particular country but to modernize our alliance with the US and maintain a peaceful, free and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” he said.

On Thursday, China mentioned a concern "shared by many in the Philippines" as regards the country getting drawn into a "potential conflict" in the Taiwan Strait after the designation of new EDCA sites in Luzon.

"The comments on the locations of the new military bases also speak to the concern shared by many insightful people in the Philippines, who worry that this may draw their country into the whirlpool of a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait," Mao Ning, the spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said when asked to comment on DND officer in charge Carlito Galvez who said the new EDCA sites were for the defense of the Philippines and the region.

In a separate statement on Friday, Gabriela party-list Representative Arlene Brosas said the operation of four additional Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country will cost the Filipino taxpayers’ money.

Brosas said that US forces and their defense contractors will have “unimpeded access” to the locations and will not pay any rental costs to the Philippine government.

"We are literally paying for what is essentially a gross violation of our national sovereignty, in line with the ruling regime's puppetry to US interests in the region," she said.

The Defense spokesperson, however, reiterated that “access to and use of EDCA Agreed Locations by US personnel is by invitation of the Philippines, and is by no means unhampered or unimpeded."

“The Philippines retains sovereignty and responsibility over EDCA Agreed Locations,” he said.

Andolong also said the US will fund the construction and development of the EDCA sites, which will spur jobs and boost local economies.

“We call on the public to approach and understand the issue beyond the myopic perception that strengthening the military's capabilities means inviting war or conflict,” he said.

“Time and again, the AFP's assets and facilities have been utilized to respond to various threats to the security and safety of the Filipino people. Allocating resources for the development of the country's defense capabilities and the enhancement of the skills of its troops is a part of the functions of a state such as the Philippines,” he added.

He also clarified that the DND does not purchase old equipment for its troops and that it sources materials from countries other than the US.

“We ensure the people that the DND and AFP are exercising judicious use of the funds allocated for our defense posture, to allow our military to more effectively perform its mandate to the people,” he said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News