MANILA, Philippines — With four new sites identified under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, the United States sees its infrastructure investments in both old and new locations to total as much as $100 million by the end of the 2023 fiscal year.
The US government’s 2023 fiscal year started last year, October 1, and it will end on September 30, 2023. Washington has so far invested over $82 million to develop projects across the existing five locations in Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Palawan, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro.
Related Stories
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III expects the financing to "spur job creation and economic growth" in local communities.
"These sites will support combined training exercises and interoperability between our forces to ensure that we’re even better prepared for future crises," Austin said in a joint press briefing early Wednesday, Manila time.
The additional EDCA investment is also separate from the additional $100 million allocated for foreign military financing for medium lift helicopters that the US announced last year.
Washington and Manila engaged Wednesday in their third 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue, where Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo and Defense Officer-in-Charge Carlito Galvez Jr. engaged with their counterparts Austin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The meeting comes just as the 38th iteration of Balikatan or the simulated war games between US and Philippine military forces begins.
READ: Balikatan 2023 to test cyber security defense, hold live fire drill
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has greenlighted the designation of four additional sites, which will be located in Cagayan, Isabela, and Palawan. Manalo said "much work" is needed with the new sites, including the terms of use of the Philippine military bases.
Some local government units and leaders — for example, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba — were previously opposed to having an EDCA site in their provinces. However, Marcos Jr. said he explained the agreement's importance and how EDCA can be good for local communities.
READ: Palace: Four new EDCA sites will be in Cagayan, Isabela, Palawan
Under the 2014 agreement, US troops will be allowed access to select Philippine military bases that they can use for joint training exercises with Filipino counterparts and to store equipment for humanitarian relief efforts.
During the ministerial dialogue, the US and the Philippines committed to combine military training and EDCA projects with activities that engage communities. Specific programs to expand a community’s access to safe water, healthcare, sustainable fishing, biodeversity conservation, among others, will be facilitated through the US Agency for International Development.
"EDCA is a key pillar to our alliance. It provides us the opportunity to train together, to increase interoperability," Austin said.
"It’s something that you’ve got to work on each and every day and so the addition of these EDCA sites puts us in a position to be able to not only train together but also respond to meet the needs of the Philippines in the event of a crisis like a natural disaster or a requirement to rapidly provide humanitarian assistance."