Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. on Saturday visited Lumbia Air Base, one of the nine agreed locations under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States.

Teodoro, with Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition and Resource Management Salvador Melchor Mison, Jr. and key officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led by Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr, inspected the location of the approved and funded Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) warehouse.

Once completed, the warehouse is expected to support the rapid deployment of essential supplies in both field missions and HADR operations.

Teodoro also checked the location of two other approved EDCA projects in Lumbia, the Air Traffic Control Tower, and certain portions of the airfield's runway.

Teodoro emphasized the strategic importance of Lumbia as one of the country's major operating bases to support various missions of the AFP in Mindanao.

Continued basing developments, aside from the projects under EDCA, are seen to enhance Lumbia Air Base's operational effectiveness, enabling it to accommodate air reserve forces and provide essential support to HADR operations during emergencies in the Mindanao Region

EDCA provides for the joint utilization of AFP and US Forces, as well as access to agreed locations in the Philippines under the ambit of the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement. Department of National Defense