Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Erwin Tulfo is considering reviewing the presence of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites in the country amid fears that Iran may launch missile attacks in the Philippines as part of its retaliatory efforts against Israel and the United States (US).
US troops have been given expanded military access to the Philippines through EDCA under the administration of President Marcos Jr. Signed in 2014, EDCA is a pact between the Philippines and the US that aims to deepen their defense cooperation under the Mutual Defense Treaty.
Tulfo acknowledged the urgent need to review EDCA sites in the Philippines to forestall the possibility of Iranian forces striking the country with drone and missile attacks. The ongoing US-Israel war on Iran saw the deaths of Iran's top leaders, including its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, chief of staff of the armed forces Abdolrahim Mousavi, and defense minister Aziz Nasirzadeh.
He expressed concern that the Philippines could become the next target of Iran’s reprisal attacks due to expanded EDCA sites, as made evident by Iran’s launching of a barrage of retaliatory missiles in the Middle East, including those in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, and Jordan, which hosted US military bases, though most were intercepted.
The deadly move was seen as a reprisal for the Israel-US joint military strikes against Iran.
“With all these instances and events that are happening, where other countries are targeting American facilities, perhaps you're right that we should review the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement because we might be targeted,” Tulfo said partly in Filipino in a radio interview on Sunday in response to concerns about EDCA sites in the Philippines.
“It’s high time. Since I'm the chairman of foreign relations, I need to look into this and consult the Senate leadership on this issue,” added Tulfo, who just took over the post last month from Senator Imee Marcos.
As of 2026, there are nine EDCA sites in the Philippines. Those in the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu were installed as early as 2016.
Four more were added under the current administration, namely, Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan; Camp Melchor de la Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac in Palawan.
Expanding the US military footprint in the Philippines through EDCA sites has fueled concerns of escalating tensions with China, among others, though Marcos had vowed that he would not let it be used for “offensive actions.”
EDCA sites are not, in effect, US military bases, but they allow American forces to utilize those of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Marcos a U.S. ‘puppet’
By allowing the “aggressive” and “unchecked” expansion of the US troops in Philippine military bases, Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte lamented that the Marcos administration effectively “paint[ed] bullseyes on Filipino soil.”
He said the continuing presence of EDCA sites is a “grave national concern,” which merely invites “retaliation, escalation, and entanglement in wars that are not ours.”
He also raised concerns that this could turn the Philippine communities, airports, and seaports into potential battlegrounds.
“In basic military doctrine, any territory made available to foreign forces automatically becomes a legitimate target,” Duterte argued.
“The Philippines should stand as a sovereign nation, not as collateral damage in another country’s war,” he added.
The Philippines, under Rep. Duterte’s father and Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, pivoted to China for economic considerations and eased tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
However, shortly after assuming office, Marcos pivoted back to the US and has since adopted a bold stance against Beijing, which brazenly continues to assert jurisdiction in the entire South China Sea, which overlaps the WPS, notwithstanding the 2016 arbitral ruling that favored Manila’s claims.
Rep. Duterte contended that by allowing expanded EDCA sites, the government is forsaking the interests of Filipinos and acting as a mere “compliant puppet” of the US.