Philippines gives US troops access to another four bases

WORLD, Feb. 02 (YPA) – The United States and the Philippines announced that they have struck a deal that to give US troops access to another four bases in the Southeast Asian country, which is seeking to counter the Chinese expansion.

Philippine and US officials said in a joint statement on Thursday that Washington and Manila had agreed to extend an existing agreement to include four new sites “in strategic areas of the country.”

The agreement to expand cooperation in “strategic areas of the country” was made during a visit by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

But the new administration of President Ferdinand Marcos seems eager to reverse this trend.

“The Philippines and the United States are proud to announce their plans to accelerate the full implementation of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement by agreeing to identify four new locations in strategic areas of the country,” the statement claimed.

The two countries have a decades-old security alliance that includes a mutual defense treaty and the 2014 EDCA pact, which allows US troops to rotate through five Philippine bases, including those near disputed waters.

E.M