The United States has pledged $100 million, equivalent to ₱5.5 billion, worth of assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for its purchase of disaster-response chopper and for other non-combat operations, Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Friday.
In a statement, Galvez also said that the US likewise provided additional funding for the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), from $82 million to $100 million.
"This brings the total of the US’s pledge of support for the HADR helicopters and EDCA projects to ₱11 billion," he said.
Meanwhile, the Defense Chief also reported that 21 mayors of Cagayan province gave their support for the establishment of EDCA sites in the province.
"[W]e expect this number to increase, with one municipality even intimating the possibility of donating a tract of land for the use of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)," he added.
Malacañang earlier announced that the four additional EDCA sites are located at Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta. Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz, Isabela; and Balabac Island, Palawan.
"The benefits of developing these sites cannot be understated, especially on the continued modernization of the AFP. The new locations, especially Balabac in Palawan and Camilo Osias Naval Base in Cagayan will strengthen our maritime domain awareness and security, serving as stations and shelters for our radar local monitoring systems (LMS) and new assets such as the Navy's offshore patrol vessels and corvettes, which are now under construction, as well as the future multirole fighters for the Air Force," Galvez explained.
According to the Defense Chief, various projects in the EDCA sites such as warehousing and storage for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR)-related materiel are expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
