Former President Rodrigo Duterte disclosed that Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian had alerted him to the potential for China to view the Philippines as a “target” due to its enhanced cooperation with the United States.
Duterte shared this information during his program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” which aired over SMNI.
According to Duterte, although the Philippines does not have any conflicts with China, Ambassador Huang expressed concerns about the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country.
Under EDCA, US forces are allowed to rotate through Philippine military bases and store defense equipment and supplies.
Duterte cautioned that the United States might deploy “nuclear warheads” to these locations.
According to Duterte, it would be naive to believe that the US would only bring conventional warheads.
“Nuclear bombs are far too different… I think, or I believe, not think, that the Philippines would be a graveyard if war comes,” he stressed
The former president also asserted that there are 17 EDCA sites, but the government officially recognizes only nine, contradicting his statement.
In April, Malacañang announced four additional EDCA sites: Camilo Osias Naval Base in Cagayan, Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan, Camp Melchor de la Cruz in Isabela, and Balabac island municipality in Palawan.
The Chinese Embassy expressed concerns about these new sites, suggesting that the Philippines could be drawn into interference in the Taiwan issue due to their proximity to the new EDCA locations.
The previously identified EDCA sites include 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.
EDCA is part of the Mutual Defense Treaty signed between the Philippines and the United States in 1951, committing both countries to support each other if attacked by an external party.
