All Air Force bases up for US use – PAF chief

Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado, Philippine Air Force Commanding General. BONG LOZADA/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Air Force chief on Wednesday said that all existing air force bases in the country are open for use of American troops once all legal roadblocks to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement are cleared.

Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado, PAF Commanding General, confirmed that all eight bases are open for use once they and their American counterparts decide on the matter.

“We are offering the existing bases that we have,” Delgado said at the Villamor Airbase. “Such things, though, are still subject to negotiations and it still has to be discussed with our American counterparts.”

Militant leaders filed motions to the Supreme Court on May 26 declaring the Edca unconstitutional stopping the bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the United States in its tracks.

On May 29, the Edca panel said that they are confident that the agreement would push through.

Delgado, however, could not pinpoint a single air base that the Americans would use as the talks between the two countries have yet to produce results.

“All Air Force-occupied bases are being taken into consideration,” he said.

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