DND: EDCA sites not in Iran's crosshairs, not used to stage assaults

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

March 2, 2026 | 1:28pm

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the worst US-Iran fighting in decades, the Department of National Defense said on Monday, March 2, that the Philippines' EDCA sites are not in Iran's crosshairs and that a review of the agreement is unnecessary.

DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said the hostilities are confined to the Middle East and that Iran has targeted only countries it shares maritime or land borders with. The Philippines, he said, is neither a participant in the conflict nor a threat to Tehran.

"There is no credible direct threat to the Philippines or facilities therein," Andolong told reporters.

The statement came after Sen. Erwin Tulfo called for a review of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement as he warned the country's EDCA installations could also become targets amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

"Our EDCA sites are Philippine facilities. They do not belong to the US, nor are they being used to launch or stage assaults against another country," the DND spokesperson said. "They are for joint training, HADR, and the defense and security of our country."

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been clear that the sites "will not be used for offensive action," the spokesperson added.

In a separate statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also stressed that the EDCA sites are not "U.S. bases."

"Access granted to U.S. forces is rotational and primarily geared toward interoperability, logistics prepositioning, disaster response, and humanitarian assistance," the AFP added.

The DND said it respects the Senate's oversight role and will cooperate with any inquiry.

What the sites are  

EDCA, signed in 2014, allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended periods and to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases. It explicitly prohibits permanent American basing.  

There are currently nine EDCA sites in the country: Basa Air Base in Pampanga, Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija, Lumbia Air Base in Cagayan de Oro, Antonio Bautista Air Base in Palawan, and Mactan-Benito Ebuen Air Base in Cebu — the five original locations — plus four added under the Marcos administration Philstar.com: Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor dela Cruz in Isabela; Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan; and Balabac Island in Palawan.

The nine sites have not been without controversy at home, even before the US and Iran's fighting spiraled into a full-blown conflict this weekend.

Critics — led primarily by progressive groups and some lawmakers — have long argued that EDCA effectively allows the US to use Philippine territory for its own strategic interests, particularly in a potential conflict over Taiwan.

China has repeatedly used the existence of these EDCA sites to accuse the Philippines of kowtowing to Washington's military interests especially in the South China Sea.

The conflict that triggered the debate. The conflict erupted Saturday when the US and Israel launched joint strikes across Iran, hitting targets in Tehran and other provinces. Iran retaliated by launching waves of missiles and drones at US military installations in the Middle East, striking bases in Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. 

The Pentagon confirmed that at least three US service members had been killed and at least five seriously wounded as of Sunday, March 1.