Is EDCA necessary?

 

Is the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States a treaty or just an executive agreement?

We say: it doesn’t matter.

 Under the EDCA, the US will be allowed to build structures, store as well as preposition weapons, defense supplies and materiel, station troops, civilian personnel and defense contractors, transit and station vehicles, vessels and aircraft for a period of 10 years. It was signed by officials of both countries hours before US President Barack Obama arrived in the Philippines for his state visit on April 28 to 29, 2014.

After the Senate invoked last week its position that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States is a treaty that needs concurrence of the Senate, it is the turn of the Supreme Court (SC) to decide on the constitutionality of EDCA based on the same legal issue today.

The two main petitions against EDCA were filed in May last year. Petitioners said the EDCA violates provisions on national sovereignty, territorial integrity and interests, freedom from nuclear weapons and autonomy of local government units in the charter.

EDCA is needed because of one thing: the very real threat posed by China's frenzied military build-up and aggressive island-building activities in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea.

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