The Philippines Supreme Court on Tuesday declared constitutional a
security deal with the United States allowing an increased U.S. military
presence in the former U.S. colony as tension rises in the South China Sea.
Dozens of anti-U.S.
activists held protests outside the court denouncing the deal as a de facto
basing agreement that would make the Philippines a launching pad for military
intervention in the region.
Manila has long been
a staunch U.S. ally and the pact is widely seen as important for both sides,
worried by China's increasingly assertive pursuit of territorial claims in the
disputed South China Sea.
The court voted 10-4
to deny a petition of some lawmakers and activists to declare the Enhanced
Defence Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) unconstitutional because it surrendered
Philippine sovereignty to a foreign power.
"EDCA is not
constitutionally infirm," said Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te.
"It remains consistent with existing laws and treaties that it purports to
implement."
In Washington, U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Ash Carter welcomed the
court's decision as they began talks with their Philippine counterparts on
security and economic issues, including tensions in the South China Sea and the
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
"The United
States has an iron-clad commitment to the security of the Philippines,"
Kerry said in opening remarks. "To that end we welcome the Philippines
Supreme Court's decision ... (and) look forward to implementing this
accord," he added.
Philippine Defense
Minister Voltaire Gazmin said security cooperation with the United States had
become more intertwined amid increasing tensions over the South China Sea.
"While we
grapple with non-traditional security concerns and natural ... disasters,
traditional security challenges, to include territorial and maritime disputes,
remain ... fundamental concerns," he said. "Given this strategic
context, we should be in a position to address such common concerns, as well as
contribute to regional peace and stability."
The pact, signed days
before U.S. President Barack Obama visited the Philippines in 2014, will allow
U.S. troops to build facilities to store equipment for maritime security and
humanitarian and disaster response operations, in addition to giving broad
access to Philippine military bases.
U.S. Senate Armed Services
Committee Chairman John McCain called it "a landmark agreement ... (that)
will bring our alliance to a level of cooperation and integration that we have
not witnessed in decades.
"As Manila
finds itself the target of Chinese coercion in the West Philippine Sea and is
looking to Washington for leadership, this agreement will give us new tools to
... expand engagement with the Philippine Armed Forces, and enhance our
presence in Southeast Asia," he said in a statement.
McCain said he
looked forward to implementation this year of a congressional Maritime Security
Initiative he has championed that will provide resources to build the maritime
capacity of the Philippines and other Southeast Asia countries.
Philippine military
officials say there has been an increase in U.S. exercises, training and ship
and aircraft visits in the past year under Obama's "rebalance" of
U.S. forces and diplomatic efforts to Asia in the face of China's rise, but the
pact would take the relationship a step further.
China claims almost
all the South China Sea, which is believed to have huge deposits of oil and
gas, and has been building up facilities on islands it controls.
Brunei, Malaysia,
Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims. Tension rose this month
when China began test flights on Fiery Cross Reef, one of three artificial
islands where Beijing has constructed airfields.
(Reporting by Manuel Mogato in Manila; Additional
reporting by David Brunnstrom, Andrea Shalal and Lesley Wroughton in Washington)
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