MANILA: Philippine defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro said on Tuesday there has only been ‘marginal’ use of Philippine bases accessible to the US military due to land issues.
Treaty allies the Philippines and the United States have a 12-year-old Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that allows a rotational presence of American military in Philippine bases without establishing a permanent presence.
In 2023, president Ferdinand Marcos Jr expanded the number of bases that the US can use to nine, including areas that face Taiwan and the South China Sea.
Teodoro, however, said the development of these sites has been marred by delays, and noted that some of the bases do not have an air force presence.
“The use of the EDCA sites has been marginal because some of these, we still have to settle the land and tenurial issues,” Teodoro told broadcaster ABS-CBN in an interview.