EDCA up for review by Duterte’s legal team

From Update.Ph (Oct 5): EDCA up for review by Duterte’s legal team



Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Wednesday said the legal team of President Rodrigo Duterte is now reviewing the Philippines-United States’ Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

”Regarding the EDCA needing a President’s signature, I just like to say that the President’s legal team is currently addressing the matter,” Abella said in a press briefing.

During last Sunday’s 37th Maskara Festival in Bacolod City, President Duterte said the EDCA was just an executive agreement since it was not signed by former President Benigno Aquino III.

President Duterte has said EDCA was signed in 2014 only by former Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.

Last Monday, President Duterte said he might, under his presidency, break up ties with America and would rather establish alliances with Russia and China.

”He said that he might, okay? Let’s base in on that. He might. It is not a definite yes, it’s not a definite no. He said he might. Okay?,” Abella clarified when asked for comment.

Abella also explained that President Duterte is not leaning towards Russia and China.

”It (is) just that he has expanded his options. He is simply broadening his options in relationship,” he said.

”So you can tell that the tenor is not so much what economic benefits he can get from the country but that he is getting respect. And that’s exactly what the President apparently is wanting. He wants the Philippines to be on equal footing with others whether they’re big or not,” he added.

President Duterte’s threat to break ties with the United States has emanated from the US’ criticism of the Philippine government’s intensified war against illegal drugs.

“The way he expresses himself, it is still that he wants an independent foreign policy. In other words, the breaking may not necessarily be a breaking up of alliances in that way,” Abella said.

“Going back to the statement that he has made, it is basically expressing an independent policy. That it is not exclusive, that it is inclusive, that we are not be held down by any just one treaty, for example,” he added.

Last July, the Supreme Court has declared with finality that EDCA is constitutional agreement which provides for an increased rotational presence of US troops and use of Philippine military facilities by US forces.

The Philippines and the US have a Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951 and a Visiting Forces Agreement inked in 1998.

http://www.update.ph/2016/10/edca-up-for-review-by-dutertes-legal-team/10051