Philippine Supreme Court upholds US military accord: spokesman

[FrodosPet]

Source: AFP via Yahoo

The Philippine Supreme Court ruled Tuesday a military accord with the United States was constitutional, paving the way for a greater presence of US forces in the former American colony as tensions simmer in the South China Sea.

The 10-year agreement, signed in 2014 but not implemented due to legal challenges, will see more US troops rotate through the Philippines for war games and help their hosts build military facilities.

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US President Barack Obama also pushed hard for the Enhanced Defense Co-operation Pact (EDCA) as part of his so-called strategic "pivot" to Asia that has involved expanding American military presence in the region.

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The first accord commits the United States to come to the aid of the Philippines in case of external aggression, while the second paved the way for US troops to engage in exercises in the Southeast Asian nation.

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Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/philippine-supreme-court-upholds-us-military-accord-spokesman-071532160.html;_ylt=AwrXoCCzxJRW.CQAvpjQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByb2lvbXVuBGNvbG8DZ3ExBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--

[FrodosPet]

1. Philippines urges ASEAN pressure on China for rules on disputed sea

http://news.yahoo.com/philippines-urges-asean-pressure-china-rules-disputed-sea-104845299.html

Reuters January 8, 2016 5:48 AM

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday urged Southeast Asian neighbors to put pressure on China to agree on a binding code of conduct to ease tension in South China Sea following Chinese test flights to an island it has built.

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China claims almost the whole of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year, and has been increasingly assertive in staking its claim.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines have rival claims to parts of the sea, which is believed to have rich deposits of oil and gas.

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China landed two test flights on one of the islands on Wednesday, four days after its first landing on the 3,000 meter (10,000 feet) runway on a reef in the Spratly Islands.

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