President Ferdinand Marcos said one of the four new site for Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) will be in the province of Palawan.

Marcos did not yet name the other sites where the new EDCA facilities will be built as he noted that it should be formalized first with the United States.

"We’ll make a formal announcement. But yes they have been identified and before I announce it, we will formalize it with our partners in the United States so that we will not preempt their plan," he said in a press conference after the Philippine Army's 126th Founding Anniversary celebration in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City on Wednesday.

"There are four extra sites scattered around the Philippines. There are some in the North, there are some around Palawan, there are some further South. It’s really to defend our eastern coast. But there is also element that is there because of our continental shelf which is on the eastern side of Luzon. So that’s something also that we have to look out for," he added.

In interview during the groundbreaking of the EDCA runway rehabilitation in Basa Air Base, Floridablanca, Pampanga on Monday, Defense Officer in Charge (OIC) Senior Undersecretary Carlito Galvez Jr. confirmed that Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba has approved the establishment of EDCA facilities in the province.

Galvez said even Camarines Sur Rep. Miguel Luis Villafuerte also expressed his support for the establishment of EDCA facilities.

"Even during our visit in Camarines Sur, even Cong. Villafuerte said that we are very open to the EDCA sites because it is fronting to the Benham rise," he said.

Aside from the four additional site, the five existing sites under the EDCA includes Cesar Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Airport Base Station in Cagayan de Oro, Benito Ebuen Airbase in Cebu and Antonio Bautista Airbase in Puerto Princesa in Palawan. Robina Asido/DMS