A MEMBER of the House of Representatives is supportive of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) that the country recently signed with the United States, given the country’s current tiff with China over territorial issues.
Liberal Party Rep. Rodolfo Biazon of Muntinlupa said the House is looking at the agreement, which allows the rotation of a bigger number of US troops into the country, based on need, and not out of legal question as being raised by some members of the Senate, particularly Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
“I definitely support this agreement because as chairman of the national defense committee, I am not only representing interest of the people in Muntinlupa. I am representing an interest, national in scope, and that is security of this country,” Biazon said.
Biazon was at the Armed Forces General Headquarters in Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Monday, to witness the formal opening of the Philippines-US Exercise Balikatan 2014 involving more than 5, 000 Filipino and American troops. The war games and accompanying civic action activities will last for nearly two weeks and will be held in different areas around the country.
The Philippines and the US signed the Edca on Monday last week. The agreement will pave the way for the country’s hosting of a bigger number of US soldiers and their equipment and other materiel in selected military camps and bases.
Officials justified the signing of the agreement, saying it was an assurance against China’s aggressiveness in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) or even from a possible attack by Beijing.
Biazon, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces and a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1961, agreed that there may be differences in view among the legislators over the agreement, but he said he was looking at it based on the need and not out of constitutionality. “The concern of the Senate is the constitutionality of the agreement, in reference to the power of the Senate to ratify any agreement, however, to me, as chairman of the defense committee in the House of Representatives, I am going to take a look at it on the question of need,” Biazon said.
“I consider the acts of China in blocking our resupply [ship to Ayungin Shoal], in driving our fishermen [from Bajo de Masinloc], as acts that put to risk the lives of our fishermen... that put to risk the lives of our soldiers in Ayungin Shoal,” he added.
Biazon added that the agreement “does not in any way violate the Constitution or even need a ratification by the Senate. “There had been debates in the past about the need for any agreement whether you call it executive or international agreement to be ratified by the senate. At this point, I do not think there is a need to ratify,” he said.
“The records of proceedings of the Constitutional Commission of 1986 is very clear. If an agreement will contain, one, the issue of political in nature, if the agreement is permanent or if the agreement requires changes in existing policies. Definitely, any one of that will require any agreement to be ratified by the Senate,” he added.
Biazon said the Edca is not also permanent, having a coverage period of only 10 years, and it does not even change of the existing policies. “This [Edca] is designed only to enhance the three existing treaties between the Philippines and the United States,” he said.
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