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US Philippine bases spark protests as Kamala Harris visits Manila
- Demonstrators say they are worried that they are worried Washington will use the country as a ‘springboard’ to attack China
- Washington has pledged to defend its ally, which has a long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea
For those who believes the American will build more bases in the Philippine, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which the US and the Philippines signed in 2014, would expire in
2023.
According to Ambassador Goldberg, the goal of the EDCA is to "promote peace and security in the region." While outlining new defense-cooperation measures, the agreement also allows for the United States to respond more quickly to environmental and humanitarian disasters in the region.
Designed to supplement the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement, the EDCA reaffirms mutual cooperation between the United States and the Philippines to develop their individual and collective capacities to resist armed attack by: improving interoperability of the two country's armed forces, promoting long-term modernization, helping maintain and develop maritime security, and expanding humanitarian assistance in response to natural disasters.
The agreement allows for U.S. forces and contractors to operate out of "agreed locations," which are defined as: "facilities and areas that are provided by the Government of the Philippines through the
(AFP) and that United States forces, United States contractors, and others as mutually agreed".
The Agreement hands over all operational controls of these "Agreed Locations" to the United States, and allows U.S. forces to pre-position and store defense materiel, equipment, and supplies. The Agreement makes clear that this materiel cannot include nuclear weapons.
The EDCA is effective for an initial period of ten years, and thereafter, it shall continue in force automatically unless terminated by either Party by giving one year's written notice through diplomatic channels of its intention to terminate the agreement (Article XII, Sec. 4 of EDCA). While the US forces may exercise operational control, put troops and equipment, construct facilities, and be accommodated in certain agreed locations, the Philippines shall still retain ownership of the agreed locations (Article V, Sec. 1 of EDCA). Importantly, the United States is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases, and must hand over any and all facilities in the "agreed locations" to the Philippine government upon the termination of the agreement.
The agreement also stipulates that the U.S. is not allowed to store or position any nuclear weapons on Philippine territory.
