MALOLOS CITY—A militant lawyers’ group deplored the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) signed on Monday by Philippine and US representatives for granting the American military expanded basing rights in the county.
This, even as US Ambassador Philip Goldberg said EDCA will not open military bases, and added that the US does not intend to establish permanent military presence in the country.
For his part, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said that EDCA is based on the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), while Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, a former senator and military general, said constitutional provisions banning military bases in the Philippines is not absolute.
In a one page statement issued through Lawyer Edre Olalia, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) said “playing footsie with a pompous ‘frenemy’ only gave the Philippines nothing but indignity and ignominy.” The NUPL said EDCA “spites, ridicules, and lays to waste the lessons learned from the sordid tales from the howling wilderness of Samar, the gritty and seedy world of Subic and Clark, and the damaged reefs of Tubbataha.
Today the EDCA says it will welcome back the US troops.” The statement also claimed that “rushed US-PH agreement on expanded military basing rights is an offertory to a master coming home to visit a glorified slave.”
The NUPL also hit non-disclosure of the EDCA terms as a “as a deep affront to our independence and democracy
that deserves its day in court, here and elsewhere.” Golberg and Gazmin signed EDCA hours before the arrival of US President Barack Obama on Monday.
In a live statement aired over DZBB radio, Golberg said that the agreement came after eight rounds of negotiations in eight months He said that EDCA was signed to not only address the increasing complex challenges of the 21st century like terrorism and transnational crimes but improve responses to natural calamities like super typhoon Yolanda.
He also said that it is based on key number principles and shared values of the US and the Philippines like commitment to rule of law, respect to Philippine sovereignty, mutual recognition of the individuality of both governments and the understanding that the US does not intend to establish a permanent military presence in the Philippines.
Before he ended his statement, Goldberg stressed that that EDCA will not open military bases in the country. For his part, Gazmin said EDCA manifested not only to deepen relationship between two countries, but understanding common goal to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
He said that EDCA is based on MDT signed in 1951. Gazmin added that EDCA is needed because “alliances evolve, partnerships develop, and engagements mature.” Biazon said that he has not read the content of the agreement but noted that constitutional provision banning US bases in the country is not absolute.
He said that the constitution is clear that establishment of such requires a treaty between two nations. With regards to the EDCA, he said that if it involved public funds, Congress will surely take a look at it and will require Senate concurrence.
