Gazmin, Del Rosario to be summoned in next Senate Edca hearing

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will summon Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario for the next hearing on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) after being dissatisfied with the explanations of the Philippine defense negotiating panel.

“No, I’m not satisfied with their explanations,” Senator Sergio Osmeña III, member of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, told reporters after he questioned the panel headed by Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino.

During the hearing, Osmeña questioned several provisions of the agreement that should be clarified, particularly on the cleanup of toxic wastes.

“There’s no real tight provision on cleanup and remediation [of toxic wastes],” Osmeña said.

He cited Article 9 paragraph 3 of the agreement that states, “US forces shall not intentionally release any hazardous materials or hazardous waste owned by it.”

“So if the release was unintentional, they can get away with it?” Osmeña asked during the hearing.

He said toxic wastes left by US forces in Subic and Clark have not been removed up to now.

Asked if the agreement was one-sided, Osmeña said: “Not necessarily one-sided, but there are some items there that I would have wanted clarified.”

The Edca was signed by Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippine Philip Goldberg a few hours before US President Barack Obama’s visit to the country last April 28.
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