“Why is Abaya not suggesting Sangley for EDCA?” asked PGKM Chair Ruperto Cruz referring to former Cavite representative and now Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya. “The former US facility can have a seaport and an airport,” he said.
“Why are they telling us what to do by pointing to Clark as a site for EDCA?” asked Cruz.
“If they really want a permanent base for EDCA, then Sangley is the best location,” he added.
Cruz said Clark and Subic are already declared by law as freeports and if they will be considered for EDCA, there will somehow be some disruptions in their operations.
On the other hand, nothing will be interrupted at Sangley, he pointed out. “The retardation of any development will not happen at Sangley,” he explained.
Cruz said the PGKM has been consistent ever since with its advocacy of a dual airport because Clark airport is the catalyst for development of not only Central but also Northern Luzon.
“We welcome EDCA for our defense but Clark and Subic should be spared,” he said.
Cruz said if there are seven wings of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) in Clark, then six must go and only one should remain for security purposes.
Cruz also clarified that the PGKM is not suggesting other provinces for the PAF “just because we don’t want them here.”
Cruz said in the not so distant past, the Americans had said that they would give up Clark but not Subic because the latter has a deep seaport and their requirement for a runway can also be accommodated in Subic.
But the abrogation of the Military Bases Agreement in 1991 made that moot and academic, he recalled.
Now, because of vested interests, they want to disrupt the economic development of Clark and Subic by offering them as sites for EDCA, he said.
Obviously, Abaya has conveniently forgotten Sangley because he wants to sabotage the development of Clark and Subic, he said.
Cruz said Sangley Point can be a base for US military purposes for long term use. The same can also be true with Poro Point in La Union or even Palawan, he added.
“But please spare Clark,” he stressed. Based on reports, Manila had offered Washington eight bases where it may build facilities to store equipment and supplies under the EDCA.
The facilities offered to the Americans were Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Camp Antonio Bautista and a naval base in Palawan; Camp Benito Ebuen and the naval base in Cebu; Lumbia air field in Cagayan de Oro; and Clark.
The Americans are also seeking access to three civilian seaports and airfields on Luzon, including Subic Bay which is a former US naval base.
