The Philippine government is exploring the potential use of sites permitted for US forces under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) as possible evacuation locations for Filipinos from Taiwan or South Korea in the event of an armed conflict.&nbsp;
This revelation came to light during a Senate committee on foreign relations hearing chaired by Senator Imee Marcos, who has expressed concerns about the EDCA potentially dragging the Philippines into a conflict between the US and China over Taiwan.&nbsp;
Testifying at the hearing, Department of National Defense officer-in-charge Carlito Galvez emphasized that the well-being of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Taiwan is their primary concern.&nbsp;
"As far as we&rsquo;re concerned, if there&rsquo;s an attack on Taiwan by Chinese forces, our main goal is really to first, look out for the welfare of our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) in Taiwan. That&rsquo;s our primary goal. And we have talked to our counterpart (US) that that&rsquo;s our primordial concern. That&rsquo;s why the EDCA sites that we have considered, those that are in the north," Galvez responded.
He further disclosed that they have discussed with US officials the use of EDCA sites in the northern part of the country for possible humanitarian evacuations, particularly from Taiwan.&nbsp;
Additionally, they are closely monitoring tensions in the Korean peninsula due to North Korea's recent missile tests.&nbsp;
Galvez also mentioned ongoing discussions with United Nations representatives on preparations for mass evacuation of not only Filipinos but also other nationals from potential conflict areas.
Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian&nbsp;earlier&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/china-advises-ph-to-oppose-taiwan-independence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advised</a> the country to oppose Taiwan's independence and avoid stoking the fire by offering the United States access to military bases near the Taiwan Strait if it had a concern about the 150,000 Filipino workers employed in Taiwan.
However, he immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/huang-statement-misunderstood" target="_blank" rel="noopener">clarified</a>&nbsp;that his statement has been misquoted and misinterpreted.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. <a href="https://www.dzrh.com.ph/post/pbbm-to-talk-with-huang-xilian" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> he will talk with Huang Xilian following his advice to the Philippines regarding the China-Taiwan conflict echoing that there may be an "element of lost in translation" in the statement.

you might like

PH eyes EDCA sites as OFW evacuation amid rising Taiwan, South Korea conflict