Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said that with or without the construction of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) facility in Balabac, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will send additional troops to Palawan to boost its external defense posture.
Teodoro said the presence of troops from the U.S. Armed Forces will also depend on the activities being conducted or whenever they need to respond to untoward events such as calamities and disasters.
“Pero year-round, may interoperability exercises tayo hindi lang sa U.S. kundi maging sa ibang bansa – ang Australia ay may VFA at ang Japan ay pumirma na tayo ng reciprocal access agreement na nakasalang ngayon sa Senado,” Teodoro said in a press briefing at the Tactical Operations Wing West (TOW West) on Thursday, September 12, noting that interoperability exercises will depend on the need and the schedule of troops.
“Pangalawa, wala man ang EDCA sites na ito ay dadagdagan namin ang kasundaluhan natin dito. Tandaan natin na ang EDCA sites ay Philippine bases,” he added.
He also stated that whether the US joins or not, military exercises will still be conducted.
“Pero dahil nag-i-interoperate tayo, mas mabuti na meron ding logistical capability ang US na nakalatag dito para sa ganun, ang common activities na ginagawa natin ay mas madali,” he said.
Meanwhile, Teodoro said he visited military facilities in Palawan, particularly naval installations in Ulugan and Oyster bays, and the ongoing construction of the EDCA site in Balabac, to check infrastructure developments which are part of the priority projects for the country’s external defense posture that he said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed to fast-track.
“We want to make sure na ang air force facility at naval facility natin doon (Balabac) ay ma-fast track at i-synergize namin yun kasi we want to make it a functional and holistic operating base of PAF,” he said.
“Ito ay kailangan natin for our external defense posture, para ma-protektahan ang sovereign rights natin sa WPS and ito ay magiging backbone ng CADC natin,” he added.
He further stated that the establishment of the EDCA is important to establish a “credible deterrent from our AFP lalo na sa kapanahunan ngayon na very volatile ang geopolitical situation sa buong mundo.”
He said that while the EDCA site in Balabac will still need around 2-3 years to be completed, they are making sure that the construction will be unhampered.
“Magiging forward operating base ng PAF yan para yung air defense capabilities natin, ma-extend lalo sa southwest,” he said.
