PH, US military officials to visit EDCA sites in Cagayan, Pampanga

Philippine and US military officials are set to visit areas identified as Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) locations in Cagayan and Pampanga on Wednesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said Tuesday.

Those who will visit the sites include AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., US Indo-Pacific Command commander Admiral John Aquilino, and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson, the AFP said in a statement.

The EDCA sites to be visited are those in Lal-lo Airport and Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; and Basa Air Base in Pampanga.

According to the AFP, the officials will have an extensive tour of the completed EDCA projects at Basa Air Base.

Senior military officials are expected to see the potential of the sites for the development of facilities to support humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations as well as the modernization priorities of the AFP.

For the AFP, the visit shows the commitment of the two countries in boosting  its cooperation, which ensures that both militaries are prepared and well-equipped to respond to “evolving security challenges and humanitarian crises.”

The visit to the EDCA sites is a prelude to the upcoming Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB) meeting at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Thursday, according to the AFP.

“These activities underscore the continued partnership and collaboration between the Philippines and US militaries in enhancing national defense capabilities, as well as the shared commitment to regional security and disaster response efforts,” the AFP said.

Signed in 2014, EDCA grants US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, allows them to build facilities and preposition equipment, aircraft, and vessels.

In February, the Philippines and the US agreed to designate four new EDCA sites in strategic areas of the country with the aim of accelerating the full implementation of the agreement.

These will be established in Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.

Before this, there were five existing EDCA sites: Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City.

On Monday, Carlson said senior Philippine and US military officials are set to meet in Manila in the coming days to discuss assistance programs and large-scale exercises as part of the MDB-SEB activity.

“In the coming days, senior military leaders from the US and the Philippines will meet here in Manila for the annual MDB-SE meeting to finalize our shared plans for the coming year,” she said.

She added that the meeting aims to set “a course of action through assistance programs, large-scale exercises, and hundreds of smaller exchanges between our two militaries.” —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA Integrated News