This handout photo taken on February 1, 2023 and released by Western Mindanao Command shows US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (right) shaking hands with Westmincom commander Lieutenant General Roy Galido (left) shortly after arriving at the Westmincom headquarters in Zamboanga City, in southern island of Mindanao. (PHOTO / WESTERN MINDANAO COMMAND / AFP)
WASHINGTON – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to the Philippines this week is expected to bring an announcement of expanded US access to military bases in the country, a senior Philippines official said on Tuesday.
US officials have said Washington hopes for an access agreement during Austin's visit, which began on Tuesday, and that Washington has proposed additional sites under an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) dating back to 2014.
Manila's priorities in its agreements with Washington were to boost its defense capabilities and interoperability with US forces and to improve its ability to cope with climate change and natural disasters, the official said
"There's a push for another four or five of these EDCA sites," the senior Philippines official said. "We are going to have definitely an announcement of some sort. I just don't know how many would be the final outcome of that."
Manila and Washington have a mutual defense treaty and have been discussing US access to four additional bases on the northern land mass of Luzon as well as another on the island of Palawan.
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EDCA allows US access to Philippine bases for joint training, pre-positioning of equipment and building of facilities such as runways, fuel storage and military housing, but not a permanent presence. The US military already has access to five such sites.
The Philippines official said increased US access needed to benefit both countries.
"We don't want it to be directed to just for the use of the United States purely for their defense capabilities … it has to be mutually beneficial," he said.
"And obviously, we want to make sure that no country will see … anything that we're doing … was directed towards any conflict or anything of that sort," he added.
Manila's priorities in its agreements with Washington were to boost its defense capabilities and interoperability with US forces and to improve its ability to cope with climate change and natural disasters, the official said.
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He said that after cancelling an agreement for the purchase of heavy-lift helicopters from Russia last year, Manila had reached a deal with Washington to upgrade "a couple" of Blackhawk helicopters that could be used for disaster relief.
"The deal with Russia was very attractive because for a certain budget we were able to get something like 16 of these heavy-lift helicopters," the official said. "Now with the United States, obviously their helicopters are more expensive, so we're looking at how we can fit in the budget that we've had."