US forces may use PHL bases only in 'extreme emergency,' Palace clarifies
The United States may station its forces in Philippine military bases only in an extreme emergency, which the present North Korean situation does not yet qualify as, Malacañang said Sunday.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said that the present situation does not yet warrant such a scenario of the US' being allowed to station troops in the Philippines.
"Only in the case of extreme emergency ang digmaan, hindi in the present situation. Yan ang context na sinabi ni Sec. Gazmin," she said on government-run dzRB radio.
Last Friday, National Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the government was prepared to undertake "extreme measures," including allowing US bases in the country, in the event of an "extreme emergency" on the Korean peninsula.
"Kasama sa trabaho niya as SND ang tingnan ang posibleng mangyari in matters pertaining to national defense. That was a scenario being talked about by the Secretary of National Defense," Valte added.
On Saturday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the RP-US Mutual Defense Treaty calls for joint action if either the Philippines or the United States is attacked.
"It would then be logical to assume that in the event of an attack on the Philippines or on our treaty ally, the US would be allowed to use our bases."
US forces vacated Clark Air Base in 1991 and Subic Naval Base in 1992 after the Senate rejected a treaty that would have extended the US' lease. — BM, GMA News
0 comments:
Post a Comment