The Visayas Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (VISCOM-AFP) assured Cebuanos yesterday that the province remains safe and secure despite the presence of an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) site at Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas Central Visayas media forum, Col. Joel Benedict Batara, Assistant Chief of the Unified Command Staff for Civil Military Operations, VISCOM-AFP, and Lt. Col. Israel Galorio, AFP-VISCOM Chief of the Public Information Office, assured that the EDCA site in Mactan does not pose a security threat.

"We need the EDCA site as we learned lessons during Typhoon Odette in 2021 where we needed staging areas for the relief operations," Galorio told Daily Tribune.

"The EDCA site will be utilized for humanitarian, disaster, and calamity missions," he stressed.

Batara noted that EDCA is a political decision by the Marcos administration aimed at fostering good relations not only with the United States but also with other countries such as Japan, Australia, and recently Vietnam.

He reiterated the AFP's stance to seek peaceful and diplomatic solutions, particularly regarding disputes in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

EDCA concerns

The Association of Philippine China Understanding (APCU) and Hakbang Ng Maisug-Cebu have expressed concerns about the potential threat from China posed by the EDCA site at Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base.

At an Anti-War Congress held in Cebu City, APCU chairman Herman Tiu Laurel remarked, "Hindi po Ito guni-guni, this can happen to Cebu City, it can happen in Cagayan de Oro City kung saan may US military bases pwedeng nangyari po ito doon."

He referenced World War II, highlighting the use of atomic bombs by US pilots on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, and noted that the Philippines is a site of proxy conflicts between the United States and China.

Former Duterte campaign spokesperson and APCU Executive Vice President Peter Tiu Lavina emphasized that Cebu could become a target due to the EDCA site at Mactan Ebuen Air Base.

"Pwedeng tamaan ang targets dito sa Pilipinas isa na ho dyan ang Mactan, hindi lang yung air force base meron diyang mahalagang civilian centers, Lapu-Lapu City, ang ating Mactan Export Processing Zone of course ang ating civilian airport lahat yan masisira na magdadalang pinsala hindi lang sa buhay pati sa ating imprastraktura," Lavina said.

Atty. Vic Rodriguez, former Executive Secretary under President Marcos Jr., stated, "Tayo ay pro-Filipino, tayo ay pro-Philippines and we are saying no to war and no to US military bases. This is the underlying reason why we are here today and we will continue to go around the country and gather and stand as one."

He announced that the campaign "No to US-BBM Proxy War, No to EDCA Bases" will continue nationwide.

"EDCA is nothing but a forward deployment of US armaments inside our military camps. Mas malala ito sa US bases agreement malinaw ang terms, may bayad, may termino at pwedeng sakupin ng review ng oversight function ng senado o ng gobyerno," said Jeffrey Celiz, a former member of the National Operational Command (NOC) of the New People's Army (NPA) and now a host of Sonshine Media Network, Inc. (SMNI) in Davao City.

Other EDCA sites

In addition to Mactan Ebuen Air Base, other EDCA sites in the country include Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City, Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan Valley; Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan Valley; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; and Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga.

The last legal US Military Bases Agreement in the Philippines was rejected by the Philippine Senate in a 12-11 vote, citing the agreement as "one-sided."

Article XVIII, Section 25 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states, "Foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by other contracting State."