The National Executive Committee of the National Democratic Front (NEC-NDF) has described the recently-approved Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) as “a flagrant trampling of Philippines sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
In an official statement, the NEC- NDF said the manner of negotiations between the Philippines and the US was sub rosa, with the people not knowing that Filipino negotiators were doing and even Congress not being apprised about a so-called agreement that runs afoul of the Senate decision in September 1991 to kick the US military bases out of Philippines territory.
“Negotiated in secrecy, preventing the Filipino people from knowing its contents until after it was signed during the visit of US President Barack Obama on April 28, 2014, the Edca allows US military and civilian personnel and contractors and all kinds of materiel unimpeded entry and use of so-called Agreed Locations rent-free anywhere in the country,” NEC-NDF said.
“To cite a few provisions of the Edca to show the indecent extent of privilege given to the US, Article IV, Number 3 of Edca: Equipment, Supplies and Materiel, provides, ‘The prepositioned materiel shall be for the exclusive use of US. The US forces shall have control over the access to and disposition of such prepositioned materiel and shall have the unencumbered right to remove such prepositioned materiel at any time from the territory of the Philippines,’” it added.
Furthermore, Number 4 of the same Article 4 stipulates: “US forces and US contractors [companies and firms, and their employees, under contract or subcontract to or on behalf of the US Department of Defense] shall have unimpeded access to Agreed Locations for all matters relating to the prepositioning and storage of defense equipment, supplies and materiel, including delivery, management, inspection, use, maintenance, and removal of such equipment, supplies and materiel.”
From such provisions in Edca, the NDF said, “It is clear that the US forces can undertake numerous activities which can amount to using the Philippines as a launching pad for US wars of aggression.”
NDF said it will oppose Edca, adding that “the NDF program firmly upholds the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Philippines. It is resolutely against the US bases and calls for the abrogation of unequal agreements such as US-RP Military Assistance Agreement, the US-RP Mutual Defense Treaty, the Visiting Forces Agreement and Mutual Logistics Support Agreement. The NDF program declares that no foreign power shall be allowed to set up military bases on Philippines soil or use Philippines territory as a launching pad for military operations abroad.”
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