Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA
FORT SAN FELIPE, Philippines—Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin expressed hope the Supreme Court will issue a favorable ruling on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) amid China’s increasing aggression in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
“We are hoping for a very positive verdict on the Edca. It will be a very big help in the sense that there will be a joint use of facilities and use of equipment by both armed forces,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Philippine Navy’s 117th anniversary here.
A ruling from the SC is expected next month or July.
The Edca, signed between the US and Philippine militaries last year, allows the US to expand its presence in the country by building its own facilities and storing its assets in selected Philippine military bases. The move is seen to counter China’s creeping expansion in the West Philippine Sea.
China has made rapid progress in its reclamation activities in the West Philippine Sea since last year. The US says it has reclaimed about 2,000 acres since 2014.
China claims most of the West Philippine Sea, resulting in overlapping claims with neighboring countries including the Philippines. The disputed sea is believed to hold vast amounts of oil and gas reserves.
Gazmin said that had the US bases in the country not been dismantled, this would not have turned out this way.
The Philippines hosted the US’ largest naval base in the world outside of the US mainland. The US withdrew from Subic in 1992. The naval facility was established in 1898 when the US took over the archipelago from Spain.
Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal off Zambales, was the site of the tense stand-off between the Philippines and China in 2012. Chinese fishermen were discovered by Philippine authorities to have illegally collected corals, live sharks and giant clams. An attempt to arrest the fishermen was made but they were stopped by Chinese maritime surveillance ships.
The tension has continued since then, as Filipino fishermen experience being driven off from the shoal by China.
Some lawmakers claim the Edca is unconstitutional, insisting that any agreement on the presence of foreign military bases, troops or facilities need concurrence by the Senate. They also say that it violates the prohibition of nuclear weapons in the country.