Marcos: No request from US for Pinoy troops if Taiwan tension rises

WASHINGTON - President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. responded an outright "no" when asked if the United States government requested Filipino soldiers to be deployed to Taiwan once tension escalates.

Marcos was queried if the US asked the Philippine government to contribute Filipino troops to combat operations should war break out between US and China over Taiwan.

“No. The short answer is no,” Marcos said.

Marcos disclosed that the US also never asked for the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to be used as staging points for any attacks against other nations.

“To be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that we will use, that the United States will use the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive actions against any countries,” Marcos said.

“The United States has never said that this is a possibility and we’ve also made it clear to our end that this is not the purpose of those sites and this is not the way that they will be used,” he added.

The President also mentioned that he personally guaranteed to Chinese Foreign Minister Qiin Gang, who recently visited Manila, that these sites would not be utilized as military bases that will be used to attack other countries.

“No, these are not intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone, any country, not China, not any country… again we turn back to the simple concept of our foreign policy and it is the we’re continuing work that we would like to be involved in the pursuit of peace and that continues to be the case,” he explained.

Malacañang recently announced four new EDCA sites: Naval Base Camilo Osias in Sta Ana, Cagayan; Lal-lo Airport in Lal-lo, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; and Balabac Island in Palawan.

Existing EDCA sites are Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu, and Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro City.

China has since criticized the latest EDCA sites, saying that this will only draw the Philippines into conflict.

Marcos and United States President Joe Biden have expressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

In a joint statement of the two leaders following their meeting at the White House, it was said that they have affirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait as an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.

China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949. China has since viewed democratic Taiwan as part of its territory.

The US, for its part, has been deliberately ambiguous on whether it would defend Taiwan militarily.—LDF, GMA Integrated News