By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vince Lopez, and Charles Dantes
Senator Imee Marcos has asked her brother, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to push for better terms and conditions before extending the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which gives US troops access to Philippine military bases, when he meets with US President Joe Biden next month.
The senator, who heads the Senate foreign relations committee, said the President could use the meeting with Biden as an opportunity to talk about the possible renewal of EDCA.
Although she has yet to talk to Mr. Marcos about his official trip to meet Biden, Sen. Marcos said it is but proper to talk about EDCA, which was signed in 2014, as the 10-year effectivity of the agreement will soon expire.
The President’s older sister said Mr. Marcos should ask Biden for better terms and conditions – such as payment from the US government for using the Philippines’ military facilities under the agreement.
The goal of EDCA, Sen. Marcos noted, is for the Armed Forces of the Philippines to obtain earnings to help modernize its equipment. At present, she said the US government does not pay the Armed Forces of the Philippines any rent, nor for their electricity and water consumption while in the country.
“Our soldiers have also volunteered to work for them free of charge in case they need additional staff,” Sen. Marcos said.
The senator also questioned why the government is so generous to foreigners “while they (government) still owe our teachers, health workers, and the poor.”
So that the Philippine economy and communities can benefit from the EDCA sites, the senator proposed to press a commitment from US forces that they will buy food from local farmers.
This developed as US and Philippine troops fired a salvo of rockets at a warship representing an enemy vessel in the disputed South China Sea on Wednesday, in the final exercise of the allies’ largest-ever military drills.
It was the first time the countries had conducted a joint live-fire exercise in the hotly contested waters, which China claims almost entirely.
President Marcos, who has sought stronger defense ties with the United States, sat in an observation tower with US and Philippine officials watching the event in Zambales province north of Manila.
“No Hollywood effects this morning, this is an old-fashioned training,” said Lt. Col. Nick Mannweiler, a US Marine Corps public affairs officer.
The live-fire drill kicked off with the US HIMARS precision rocket system launching a series of rounds at a decommissioned Philippine Navy corvette anchored about 22 kilometers off the coast.
The objective was to sink the decades-old ship, which represented an enemy vessel approaching the Philippine shore.
That was followed by artillery units lined up along a grassy field firing rockets at floating drums 10 kilometers offshore.
About 1,400 marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and coast guardsmen from both countries took part in the live-fire exercise in San Antonio, Zambales, which involved detecting, identifying, targeting, and engaging a target ship using a variety of ground and air-based weapons systems.
The sinking of the ship served as the highlight of the 38th iteration of the Balikatan exercises.
“This training increased the exercise’s realism and complexity, a key priority shared between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US military,” said Lt. Gen. William Jurney, commander of US Marine Corps Forces, Pacific, and the US director for the exercise.
“Together we are strengthening our capabilities in full-spectrum military operations across all domains,” he added.
The drills aim to boost Manila’s military capability while serving as a US show of support for its Asian ally as China’s assertiveness in the region grows stronger.
Nearly 18,000 troops have taken part in the annual exercises dubbed Balikatan, or “shoulder to shoulder” in Filipino.
Wednesday’s event “demonstrated new potential and revitalized the strength of our militaries while we continuously forge an ironclad alliance,” the Balikatan director for the Philippine military, Maj. Gen. Marvin Licudine, said in a statement.
The drills, which began on April 11, have involved helicopters landing on an island off the northern tip of Luzon, nearly 300 kilometers from Taiwan.
The Americans also showed off their Patriot missiles, considered one of the best air defense systems in the world.
This year’s Balikatan follows a deal announced earlier this month for US forces to use an increased number of bases in the Philippines, including one near Taiwan, which China considers to be part of its territory.
The exercises and growing US access to Philippine bases have angered China, which has accused the United States of endangering regional peace and trying to drive a wedge between Manila and Beijing.
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, including the Spratly Islands, ignoring an international ruling in 2016 in favor of the Philippines.
It is the first Balikatan to be held under Mr. Marcos, who has gravitated towards the United States since taking office last June.
Relations had weakened under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who had favored China over the United States.
Marcos is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House next week to discuss among other things the growing tension over the South China Sea and Taiwan.
After watching the live-fire drills, President Marcos expressed hopes that the country could benefit from enhanced cooperation with the United States through these joint military drills.
Balikatan 2023 marks the 38th and the largest iteration of the joint military exercises.
The weapons systems used in the war games consisted of US and Philippine artillery, High-Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and the Avenger air defense systems.
State-of-the-art combat aircraft were also mobilized including AH-64 Apache attack helicopters, Philippine Air Force FA-50 Golden Eagle fighter-attack aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons, US Marine F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, and the US Air Force Special Operations Command AC-130 Spectre gunships.
One of the most anticipated weapons from the US arsenal was the HIMARS, a full-spectrum, combat-proven, all-weather, 24/7, lethal and responsive, wheeled precision strike weapons system.
The weapon was widely used by the Ukrainian forces fighting against the Russian invaders on their eastern front. With AFP