MANILA, 16 Jan. (PIA)—President Benigno Aquino III on Friday stressed that the 2014 agreement between the United States and the Philippines seeks to bolster the U.S.–Philippine alliance.
In his speech during the 2016 East-West Center Association International Conference at the Manila Hotel, Aquino said Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), is an "enhancement" of the Philippines and United States' defense capabilities, "rather than a threat to anyone else." “The basic logic behind EDCA is interoperability, and anybody who is reasonable will see that this agreement is an enhancement of both our countries’ abilities, rather than a threat to anyone else,” Aquino said.
He said EDCA has a very practical purpose for developing the country’s armed forces.
“All the modern hardware carries a significant price tag, yet with EDCA, we have a chance to try the cutting-edge equipment and see just how suitable they are to our needs, without having to buy them first,” Aquino said.
He said the country’s Armed Forces can learn from them the strengths and shortcomings in using such equipment from the US.
On the other hand, Aquino said the U.S. gets to learn from the Philippines how to make do with fewer resources, which in a conflict situation is always a high probability if not an intense possibility. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the EDCA between the Philippines and the US.
The validity of the pact provides for the increased rotational presence of US troops in the country. (PIA-NCR/RJB/SDL/PIA-NCR)
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