By Junex Doronio
JUST LIKE “THE TERMINATOR” movie character who said “I’m back,” former senator and defeated presidential candidate Panfilo “Ping” Lacson made his presence felt again when he tweeted for the inclusion of Pag-asa Island in Palawan province as an additional site for American troops and their equipment in the country in accordance with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the United States and the Philippines.
The original five EDCA sites are 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; and Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
“Now that focus is on Barangay Pag-asa, Kalayaan, Palawan, let’s push for an EDCA site on the island and test the resolve of our Mutual Defense Treaty partner in maintaining stability in the West Philippines Sea,” Lacson tweeted on Sunday, October 8.
In April, the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. gave US forces access to four more military camps to strengthen the defense alliance. These are 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.
The former senator was apparently referring to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty that obligates the United States and the Philippines to help defend each other in major conflicts. It applies to armed attacks on either of their armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft anywhere in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea.
Lacson — who may run for Senate again in 2025 — made the proposal to test the US commitment to keeping stability in the West Philippine Sea in the wake of China’s aggressive territorial claims. (ai/mnm)