Creation of EDCA site at Phl Rise proposed

The country’s eastern seaboard where the mineral-rich Philippine Rise is located should also be protected from potential intruders, just like the West Philippine Sea where China has been making repeated incursions, a senior lawmaker said yesterday.

- DELON PORCALLA

Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of the second district of Surigao del Norte proposed the establishment of a naval facility in the province under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the United States to protect the Philippine Rise.

Barbers commended Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro for the establishment of a naval detachment in Aurora to “protect the Philippines’ sovereign rights over the Philippine Rise.”