Aquino confident Edca will stand scrutiny

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III is positive that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) will stand scrutiny amid critics questioning its constitutionality.

 “We are reasonably confident that anybody looking at it objectively will be able to say that we have met all the stipulations in the Constitution,” Aquino told media at the sidelines of the 24th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Myanmar.

The President said it was expected that some sectors would try to derail the agreement between the Philippines and the United States.

“Consistently when they were reporting to me, we kept on working on fine-tuning it to make sure that it adheres completely with the Constitution,” he added, referring to the government’s negotiating panel.

Signed on April 28, the Edca grants US forces access to facilities under the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The agreement’s constitutionality has repeatedly been questioned, especially since it was not submitted for approval by the Senate.

In an earlier interview with Malacañang reporters, Ambassador Eduardo Malaya, a member of the negotiating panel, said the Edca clearly states that its provisions respect the Philippine Constitution, in addition to prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons and establishment of permanent military bases.

But Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago insisted that the agreement violated three provisions of the Constitution:

*that a treaty or international agreement should be approved by at least two-thirds of the members of the Senate,

*that foreign military troops shall not be allowed in the country except under a treaty concurred in by the Senate,

*that the country will be free from nuclear weapons.

While the government has assured that nuclear weapons will not be allowed inside the Philippine territory, there is no clear system on how authorities will be able to check US vessels and detect the presence of nuclear weapons.

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