Philippines To Allow US Military Facilities Inside Its Bases

Amid a territorial dispute with China, the Philippines on Thursday said it let the US build facilities inside its military bases.

The terms of the pact is expected to boost the American troop presence and the two countries will hold further talks later this month as they seek to wrap up an agreement, Philippine Defence Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino said at a briefing in Manila today. “It’s safe to say there is already consensus” on the access issue.

The negotiations come as a territorial dispute escalates between the Philippines and China over resource-rich shoals in the South China Sea. The Philippines, a US treaty ally, lacks the military power to deter China from contested waters rich in oil, gas and fish and has asked the United Nations to rule on disputes, a process China has rejected, according to the Bangkok Post.

With its military capabilities dwarfed by China's the Philippines has been looking for more diplomatic and military support from the United States, its former colonial ruler and longtime ally, according to an AFP report.

A decades-long dispute over rival claims to parts of the South China Sea has sharply worsened over the past two years, with the Philippines accusing China of bullying and violating international laws.

The US ended its permanent military presence in the Philippines with the closing of the Subic Bay base after the lease ended in 1991. The US rotates 500 troops into the southern Philippines each year to aid in counter-terrorism operations, while 6,500 come annually for exercises, according to the Philippine military.