Petitioners reassert their objections to EDCA pact

In a 146-page memorandum, petitioners and intervenors in the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) petitions reiterated that the Philippine government committed grave abuse of discretion in entering into the bilateral pact which violates Filipinos' national interest and instead is "outrightly lopsided in favor of the US."

 

The groups filed their memorandum after two sessions of oral arguments at the Supreme Court.

They want the Supreme Court to declare the controversial EDCA between the Philippines and the United States as illegal. 
 

"Petitioners believe that EDCA will not lead to modernization... The agreement does not say how the AFP will acquire X amount of weapons, ammunition, vehicles, vessels and technology in exchange for the use of our facilities," they said.

 

The petitioners and intervenors claimed that Article XI of the EDCA on resolving disputes arising from the deal would give US forces, as well as its private contractors, immunity from Philippine law. Disputes according to the bilateral deal should be resolved only through a procedure "subject to consultation."

 

They also insisted that the EDCA is not an implementing agreement of the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement.  — ELR/KG, GMA News