Fears of retaliatory attacks on EDCA sites unfounded, says Defense chief

The Manila Times

Fears of retaliatory attacks on EDCA sites unfounded, says Defense chief  Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on March 3, 2026 tags as unfounded concerns that Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites around the country are potential targets for Iran’s retaliatory attacks because the Philippines is a military ally of the United States. The United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28 which triggered Tehran to strike back and attack American bases in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are nine EDCA sites in the Philippines -- the Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga; Fort Magsaysay Military Reservation in Nueva Ecija; Lumbia Airport in Cagayan de Oro; Antonio Bautista Air Base in Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu; Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan. Teodoro echoed the earlier statement of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that the military installations are not US-controlled bases and remain under the full ownership, control and management of the Philippine military.  VIDEO BY KRISTINA MARALIT  Check out our Streaming Channel: https://streaming.manilatimes.net/  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe  Visit our website at [https://www.manilatimes.net](https://www.manilatimes.net/)  Follow us: Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion  Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital  Check out our Podcasts: Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #TheManilaTimes #TMTNews #EDCA #Philippines

Transcript

00:00No, that is unfounded dahil hindi natin mahihahambing ang sitwasyon sa Middle East dito sa Pilipinas.

00:08At ang ating mga bilateral at multilateral na mga aliyansa ay para sa defensive purposes at deterrent purposes lamang.

00:19Sa kabila ng mga agam-agam, dapat nga lalong pagtibayin ang ating bilateral and multilateral alliances para mapagtibay ang defensive

00:32posture ng Pilipinas.

00:35Itong mga agam-agam na ito, ulitin ko, walang basihan.

00:40Sa ngayon, ulitin ko ang sinabi ng Armed Forces, walang direct threat.

00:45Sa siguridad na Republika ng Pilipinas in a military sense, itong nangyayari sa Middle East sa ngayon.

00:54Sa kabila nito, nakikipag-ugnayan ang DND sa ibang mga departamento sa pamamagitan ng ating mga DAFA.

01:03At iba pang mga opisyal, ako rin bilang chairperson ng NDRIMC, para tumulong sa DMW, DFA at ibang mga ahensya

01:16na mapangalagaan ang kaligtasan ng ating mga mamamayan sa lugar.

01:21At humanap ng paraan kung papaano sila may repatriate.

01:26Tulong-tulong ito sa lalong madaling panahon.

01:29Ngayon, ulitin ko ang ating mga alyansa na marami pang mangyayari ay para sa defensive purposes lamang at for deterrent

01:43purposes na matagal na dapat ginawa.

01:47Sa kabila kasi ng mga paurong-sulong na policies noong araw, matagal na ito dapat.

01:53So, para erase ito na ihahambing ang sitwasyon sa Middle East dito sa Indo-Pacific, that's based on a false

02:05premise.

Category

Transcript

Comments

Recommended