Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. stated on Thursday that no country has the right to question the Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement (Edca) installations in the Philippines.

The Edca locations are located within Philippine military bases where US soldiers are permitted to rotate and store defensive equipment and supplies.

China has previously questioned the additional Edca stations, particularly those near Taiwan.

It claimed that the deal was formed so that Washington could "encircle and contain China," involving the Philippines and Taiwan.

In response, Teodoro stated that the proximity of the new Edca facilities in Taiwan is only a "geographical accident," emphasizing that these places were picked with the country's national interest in mind.

The country now has nine Edca locations. Malacañang announced the four new Edca installations in April namely, Camilo Osias Naval Base in Sta. Ana town and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan province; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac, Palawan province's southernmost island

Three of these prospective sites, in Cagayan and Isabela, are relatively close to Taiwan, a self-governing island that China considers a renegade province ripe for reunification.

The five other Edca sites are Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, which is closest to the Kalayaan Group of Islands; Basa Air Base in Pampanga, the home of the Philippine Air Force's fighter planes; Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, the country's largest military camp and a frequent location of Philippine-US military exercises; Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu; and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City.

Teodoro stated that all of these locations, notably the four new ones, require rapid development.