Home
Philippines says U.S. military to upgrade bases, defense deal intact
By Manuel Mogato | MANILA
The United States will upgrade and build facilities on Philippine military bases this year, Manila's defense minister said on Thursday, bolstering an alliance strained by President Rodrigo Duterte's opposition to a U.S. troop presence.
The Pentagon gave the green light to start the work as part of an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a 2014 pact that Duterte has threatened to scrap during barrages of hostility towards the former colonial power.
"EDCA is still on," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference.
EDCA allows the expansion of rotational deployment of U.S. ships, aircraft and troops at five bases in the Philippines as well as the storage of equipment for humanitarian and maritime security operations.
Lorenzana said Washington had committed to build warehouses, barracks and runways in the five agreed locations and Duterte was aware of projects and had promised to honor all existing agreements with the United States.
This week, Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, who headed the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee, proposed $7.5 billion of new military funding for U.S. forces and their allies in the Asia-Pacific.
The geopolitical landscape in Asia has been shaken up by Duterte's grudge against Washington, his overtures towards erstwhile adversary China, and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has indicated it may take a tough line on China's activities in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has said it wants no part in anything confrontational in the strategic waterway and will not jeopardize promises of extensive Chinese trade and investment, and offers of military hardware, that Duterte has got since he launched his surprise foreign policy shift.
Lorenzana said the Philippines had asked China for two to three fast boats, two drones, sniper rifles and a robot for bomb disposal, in a $14 million arms donation from China.
The arms package would be used to support operations against Islamist Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines, he said.
"If these are quality equipment, we will probably buy more," he said.
Lorenzana said Russia was offering hardware such as ships, submarines, planes and helicopters.
As with China, those offers have come as a result of a charm offensive by Duterte, who has praised Russia and its leadership. He last year said if Russia and China started a "new order" in the world, he would be the first to join.
Duterte was infuriated by U.S. expressions of concern about extra-judicial killings in a campaign against drugs he launched after he took office in June.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-usa-defence-idUSKBN15A18Z
By Manuel Mogato | MANILA
The United States will upgrade and build facilities on Philippine military bases this year, Manila's defense minister said on Thursday, bolstering an alliance strained by President Rodrigo Duterte's opposition to a U.S. troop presence.
The Pentagon gave the green light to start the work as part of an Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), a 2014 pact that Duterte has threatened to scrap during barrages of hostility towards the former colonial power.
"EDCA is still on," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference.
EDCA allows the expansion of rotational deployment of U.S. ships, aircraft and troops at five bases in the Philippines as well as the storage of equipment for humanitarian and maritime security operations.
Lorenzana said Washington had committed to build warehouses, barracks and runways in the five agreed locations and Duterte was aware of projects and had promised to honor all existing agreements with the United States.
This week, Republican U.S. Senator John McCain, who headed the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee, proposed $7.5 billion of new military funding for U.S. forces and their allies in the Asia-Pacific.
The geopolitical landscape in Asia has been shaken up by Duterte's grudge against Washington, his overtures towards erstwhile adversary China, and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration has indicated it may take a tough line on China's activities in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has said it wants no part in anything confrontational in the strategic waterway and will not jeopardize promises of extensive Chinese trade and investment, and offers of military hardware, that Duterte has got since he launched his surprise foreign policy shift.
Lorenzana said the Philippines had asked China for two to three fast boats, two drones, sniper rifles and a robot for bomb disposal, in a $14 million arms donation from China.
The arms package would be used to support operations against Islamist Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines, he said.
"If these are quality equipment, we will probably buy more," he said.
Lorenzana said Russia was offering hardware such as ships, submarines, planes and helicopters.
As with China, those offers have come as a result of a charm offensive by Duterte, who has praised Russia and its leadership. He last year said if Russia and China started a "new order" in the world, he would be the first to join.
Duterte was infuriated by U.S. expressions of concern about extra-judicial killings in a campaign against drugs he launched after he took office in June.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-philippines-usa-defence-idUSKBN15A18Z
» utube 5/21/24 MM&C Oil - Revenues - Exchange Rate Recovery - IQD Inevitable
» Political bloc: Progress has lost all its cards in the House of Representatives
» The Finance Committee holds its first meeting to study the budget schedules
» Agricultural associations demand penalties against those who market spoiled wheat
» Central Bank sales increased at today's auction
» Iraq is close to completing a final plan to develop Baghdad International Airport
» The government takes a number of new decisions
» The first parliamentary meeting to discuss the general budget schedules... agreeing to host two mini
» Learn about dollar sales outlets for pilgrims
» It includes 6 paragraphs... The House of Representatives holds a new session
» The House of Representatives votes on the proposed Second Amendment Law to the Election Commission L
» Parliamentary Finance: Voting on the budget tables will not exceed next June 9
» Al-Rafidain Bank: Launching the process of selling the dollar to pilgrims exclusively at 3 thousand
» The rise of Bitcoin, the second largest cryptocurrency, jumps by more than 22%
» A representative from the front: Al-Halbousi directed the representatives to create chaos in Parliam
» Dhi Qar Energy announces the imminent establishment of a private company for the governorate’s elect
» The Sunnis are calling on the Shiites for help to resolve their differences, and Big Brother is resp
» A former MP reveals: Türkiye ignored solving the problem of oil exports... for this reason
» Parliamentary Legal: Political differences hinder the passage of important laws
» MP: Parliament does not have the right to propose amending the salary scale...for this reason
» Deputy: Parliament continues to perform its oversight and legislative duties
» Khamenei to Al-Sudani: Mokhbar has a great responsibility and will continue to cooperate with the Ir
» "Al-Eqtisad News" publishes the full decisions of the Council of Ministers session
» The Central Bank determines the branches for selling dollars to pilgrims
» Iraq intends to deliver the capacity of the northern refineries to 600 thousand barrels per day
» Referring the 2024 budget tables to Parliamentary Finance
» Former MP: Türkiye ignored solving the oil exports problem for this reason
» Parliamentary Electricity expects: power supply will reach 16 hours this summer
» In the document... Al-Mandalawi refers the draft Federal Budget Law 2024 to the Parliamentary Financ
» Parliamentary Finance Committee to / NINA /: Today the committee meetings will begin to discuss the
» Opening of the optical access network project today in Basra
» The blacklist for the “theft of the century” increases to nine names... secret investigations and wa
» Revealing the effects of Raisi’s death on Iranian-Iraqi relations
» Details of the telephone call between the Sudanese and the Ukrainian President
» The Council of Ministers approves the appointment of 17 general directors in various ministries and
» After the events of the presidential election session... parliamentary calls to activate the Conduct
» A slight increase in the dollar exchange rates in Baghdad
» In the document.. referring the 2024 budget schedules to Parliamentary Finance
» Parliament will vote next Wednesday on the draft law on public holidays
» The Minister of Justice discusses Iraq's report on the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discr
» Al-Fateh: The current parliamentary session did not adhere to the laws
» What are the reasons for the World Bank’s demand to reform the retirement system in Iraq?.. Economic
» The Iraqi Trade Bank announces facilities for the health sector with external transfer operations
» Transport announces the reduction of the airspace designated for military aviation for the internati
» Components of the Kurdistan Region issue a statement regarding the decisions of the Federal Court
» Christian writer: The Federal Court’s decision to reduce component seats is worse than canceling the
» Oil signs a contract to develop the Mansuriya gas field
» The Minister of Resources announces a 6-pronged plan to organize water management
» Baghdad blames international oil companies for obstructing Ceyhan pipeline exports
» The real estate market in Kurdistan...a new recovery after bitter years of stagnation
» Parliamentary Health: The latest AIDS infections came from beauty centers
» Deputy: There will be no session soon to elect the Speaker of Parliament
» The Central Bank announces approved dollar sales outlets for pilgrims
» The end of this month.. Will the trial census include the Kurdistan region?
» Optional retirement guarantee comes into effect!
» The Council of Ministers issues decisions regarding lagging projects and financial reform
» Al-Sudani arrives in Tehran to participate in the funeral of the Iranian president and his companion
» Floating the Iraqi dinar A solution to fill the "gap" of its turbulent price against the dollar
» MM&C 5/21/24 Big and scary.” What did financial experts say about the unprecedented 2024 budget?
» Biden extends the state of national emergency in Iraq for an additional year
» utube 5/18/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar - Iraq Central Bank - IMF - UNAMI - World Bank - Key Votes Tabled -
» utube 5/21/24 Iraqi Dinar | The NDA Dinar EXPOSE: Big News Release Hold Your Dinar | Iraqi Dinar N
» Iraq is getting rid of the yoke of debt to face the snake of financial waste
» An Iraqi court begins electronic work with the systems for issuing legal arguments and divisions
» Government statistics on the number of lagging projects in Iraq
» Within the budget... Parliament renews its keenness to fix financial allocations for the development
» The Minister of Oil directs the achievement of high flow in the movement of products and the develop
» “The deficit rate is large.” An economic message to the House of Representatives regarding the 2024
» Al-Kadhimi reveals the date for approving the general budget schedules
» Al-Mandalawi calls for holding periodic meetings before and after enacting the budget to ensure fair
» Minister of Justice Dr. Khaled Shawani chairs the meeting of the National Committee for Writing Inte
» Parliamentary Finance: We are working to keep the budget away from political influences
» A Kurdish movement shows the goals of the Turkish presence in northern Iraq
» In harmony with the government’s performance...the majority coalition calls for the election of a yo
» Parliamentary Oil: The region receives sums of money from Baghdad as a “courtesy”
» Deputy: The gas import bill will begin to decline starting in 2025
» State real estate monitoring indicates 8,250 encroachments on public property
» An economist explains the reasons for reducing government support for “enhanced” gasoline
» Al-Maliki's coalition: The Diyala problem is closely linked to the issue of choosing the Speaker of
» Collecting signatures to add the item on the election of the Speaker of Parliament to the agenda
» The central bank sells more than $271 million at auction today
» The Iraqi Parliament receives the 2024 budget schedules
» The service effort implements 3 water projects in an Iraqi governorate
» Iraq announces the reactivation of an electrical project that has been stalling for ten years
» What are the reasons for the World Bank’s demand to reform the retirement system in Iraq?.. Economic
» Ministry of Interior: Closing more than 800 violating tourist facilities during the past four months
» The launch of the conference “Legislative and supervisory cooperation between the federal and local
» Al-Sayhud: The attempt to thwart the session to elect the Speaker of Parliament is intended to place
» The Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers discusses with the Regional Director of the
» (Development Road) provides 6 million job opportunities
» Al-Sudani heads the meetings of the Development Fund and the Supreme Council for Youth
» A study to establish an institute for tourism and archeology in the ruins of Babylon
» Environment: Legal landfill sites do not exceed 28%
» Security forces await restructuring
» More than 900 educators receive “entitlements” from the Education Fund
» The judiciary grants Christians and Turkmen in the region five seats in the Kurdistan Parliament
» A "negative" political outlook towards progress after Saturday's incident... and expectations of its
» The Democrat comments on the "Federal" decision regarding the representation of the components: Corr