What are the benefits of increased rotational presence of US forces in PH? Palace makes a list
InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA -- Sealing an agreement for an increased rotational presence of American forces in the Philippines will bring in wide-ranging benefits for the country, a Palace official said.
The agreement, which will be buoyed on existing agreements with the US such as the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Mutual Defense Treaty, will certainly help the Philippines in terms of technology transfer and disaster response, Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a press briefing in Malacanang on Monday.
“The reason why it helps is because there’s some technology transfer, there’s knowledge sharing between the American forces and the Philippine forces when they do conduct military exercises,” Lacierda told reporters.
“It improves the quality of the Philippines’s defense in terms of preparedness. And let me also emphasize that a part of this rotational presence is now focusing on disaster preparedness and disaster reduction,” he added.
The Philippine government sees a big improvement when it comes to increased rotational presence particularly when the American military sent its assets to Central Visayas in the aftermath of typhoon Yolanda.
The US sent ships, planes, helicopters, and military vehicles to assist in transporting relief goods, supplies, and equipment in the affected Visayas region.
Why it does not need Senate concurrence?
A new agreement does not need ratification of the Philippine Senate because an increased rotational presence pact with the US will be built on previous agreements already ratified by the Senate.
“It is an agreement that builds upon... or to be implemented based on the provisions of the Mutual Defense Treaty, as well as the Visiting Forces Agreement. Both agreements have been ratified by the Senate,” Lacierda said.
“So in the view of the Executive branch, these are mainly provisions which implement both treaties that have already been previously ratified by the Senate.”
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