Agreement giving US access to 5 bases to boost PHL capabilities --DND

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 20): Agreement giving US access to 5 bases to boost PHL capabilities --DND

The Department of National Defense (DND) said on Sunday the agreement giving the United States access to five Philippine military bases will greatly boost the country's capabilities.

"We are greatly pleased that the hard work put into by both parties has reached this milestone of an outcome. This would greatly advance our capabilities not only for maritime security, as we train together, but more importantly, our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capacity," DND spokesperson Dr. Peter Paul Galvez said.

The military facilities identified are the Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan near the South China Sea; Basa Air Base in Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro City; and the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu.

According to a joint statement issued by Philippine and US officials after a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Friday, they had agreed on the rotation of US military personnel under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which went into effect last January.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=868565