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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Defense chief says no final location of EDCA sites

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By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said there is no final agreement yet on the exact locations of the additional four Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites.

Galvez made the statement while answering a query from Senate Committee on Foreign Relations chairperson Sen. Imee Marcos.

During the query, Marcos asked Galvez if the brewing tension in the Taiwan Strait was the reason for additional EDCA sites, a majority of which are found in  Northern Luzon.

Marcos said the local government units (LGUs) of Cagayan, Zambales, and Isabela–the supposed EDCA sites–have expressed concerns about the additional sites.

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The said LGUs sounded the alarm the provinces might be caught in the skirmishes or tensions in the northern part of the country.

Galvez however debunked reports that military bases and facilities will be erected in the said provinces. He also said that the information on additional EDCA sites did not come from the defense department.

Galvez emphasized that what was agreed by upon the Philippine military and the US government was the number of additional EDCA sites, but not the venues.

He said it is likely possible that these provinces were chosen for the “balikatan” exercises. However, Galvez refused to give details on the target venues of the additional EDCA sites.

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