US Marines hold positions as an amphibious
assault vehicle (AAV) rolls past during an amphibious landing exercise
on a beach at San Antonio in Zambales province on April 21, 2015, as
part of annual Philippine-US joint maneuvers some 220 kilometres (137
miles) east of the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (AFP)
American
forces will gain access to at least eight military bases in the
Philippines following a new bilateral agreement, reports say.
The eight bases would give the US military the most access since it evacuated forces from its Philippine bases in 1990s.
Philippine
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang told Manila’s ABS-CBN
News on Monday that the bases, which will not necessarily be limited to
eight, were specified during an October meeting with the commander of
the US Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear.
The decision was
made based on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a bilateral
document signed last year, whose constitutionality is yet to be approved
by a Philippine court.
According to the website of the American newspaper Stars and Stripes,
two of the bases, Antonio Bautista Air Base and Naval Station Carlito
Cunanan in Palawan, would provide the US military with rapid access to
the disputedSpratly Islands in the South China Sea. A
US Marine amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) makes its way to shore after
leaving an amphibious transport dock ship during a landing exercise on a
beach at San Antonio in Zambales province on April 21, 2015, as part of
annual Philippine-US joint maneuvers some 220 kilometers (137 miles)
east of the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. (AFP)The
announcement followed a joint military drill by the US and the
Philippines in the region, gripped by historical disputes involving
China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam over the islands.
Beijing
claims sovereignty over almost the whole of the South China Sea and
observers believe America’s efforts to increase its presence in the
region are aimed at containing China.
The Asian power has
frequently warned the United States to be cautious in its words and
actions with regard to territorial disputes.
NT/NT
