The president of the Philippines assures that the US bases will be “distributed” throughout his territory

March 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, has confirmed that the four new US military bases to be created in his country will be “spread out” throughout its territory.

“There will be some in the north, others around Palawan, some further south. They will be to defend our east coast, but there is also the element of our continental shelf, it is something that we have to take into account,” he detailed in statements to the press, collected by ‘Manila Times’, in response to accusations by China, which assured that the United States is trying to “surround and contain” Beijing.

In early February, the United States reported that it will have four new military bases in the Philippines, where it will be able to build facilities to store and supply equipment after both countries agreed to apply the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

This agreement took place amid growing tensions in the region due to pressure from China in the South China Sea. Specifically, the Philippines and China are embroiled in a territorial dispute over overlapping claims to the sea, where Beijing has seized areas and built artificial islands with military-capable facilities.