By PRINCE GOLEZ
Manila Reporter
MANILA — The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will be “mutually beneficial” for the Philippines and the United States, Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya yesterday said.
“The Philippine panel, which is an interagency panel, worked hard so that our Philippine national interest can be pursued and protected,” Malaya said in a press briefing in Malacañang.
He stressed that the agreement is consistent with Philippine laws, the Constitution and relevant jurisprudence.
The provisions contained in the defense pact, he said, have legal and constitutional support and are guided by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“A member of our negotiating panel is Undersecretary Francisco Baraan of the DOJ. He is assisted by a senior lawyer in that department who specializes in international law,” Malaya said.
Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, on the other hand, said the Philippine negotiating panel pushed for implementing arrangements that would be “defensible” under the country’s laws.
It is also preparing for the presentation of EDCA to members of Congress, he said.
The number of US troops and the timeframe of their stay in the Philippines were among the contentious provisions of EDCA.
Batino clarified that the stay of US troops in the Philippines will be “temporary” and that the number of troops would vary depending on the activities approved by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the US Pacific Command.
“There is a clear language under EDCA that the parties do not authorize the permanent military presence or the establishment of a base by the US,” he said./PN
