The United States may station troops at the Philippine Navy base here under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
Local officials disclosed that a team of US servicemen, accompanied by US embassy staff, inspected the Camilo Osias Naval Base facility in Barangay San Vicente here recently.
Located on the northern tip of Cagayan, Camilo Osias base has maritime and territorial jurisdiction over the country’s northern frontier – a portion of the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
A local official who saw the five US visitors said they were “introducing themselves as tourists... and proceeded to inspect the naval base.”
The local official asked not to be named, saying he is not authorized to speak on issues of national concern.
The base has a port and an airfield that can accommodate C-130 cargo planes, one of the requirements being considered by the US military leadership on the planned increased deployment of forces in the country.