Article Posted on : - Apr 28, 2014

A file photo.

MANILA (AP): The United States and the Philippines have reached a 10-year pact that would allow a larger US military presence in this Southeast Asian nation as it grapples with increasingly tense territorial disputes with China, according to two Philippine officials and a confidential government primer.

The Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, which would give American forces temporary access to selected military camps and allow them to preposition fighter jets and ships, is due to be signed on Monday at the main military camp in the Philippine capital, Manila, shortly before the arrival of President Barack Obama, the officials said.

Obama's visit is the last leg of a four-country Asian tour that also took him to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

The two officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss details of the pact ahead of its signing.

The defence accord is a new milestone in the longtime treaty allies' relationship and would help address their respective dilemmas. With its anemic military, the Philippines has struggled to bolster its territorial defence amid China's increasingly assertive behavior in the disputed South China Sea. Manila's effort has dovetailed with Washington's intention to pivot away from years of heavy military engagement in the Middle East to Asia, partly as a counterweight to China's rising clout.

"The Philippines' immediate and urgent motivation is to strengthen itself and look for a security shield with its pitiful military," Manila-based political analyst Ramon Casiple said. "The US is looking for a re-entry to Asia, where its superpower status has been put in doubt."

The convergence would work to deter China's increasingly assertive stance in disputed territories, Casiple said. But it could also further antagonize Beijing, which sees such tactical alliance as a US strategy to contain its rise, and encourage China to intensify its massive military buildup, he said.

A Philippine government primer on the defence accord did not indicate how many additional US troops would be deployed "on temporary and rotational basis," but it said that the number would depend on the scale of joint military activities to be held in Philippine camps.

Hundreds of American military personnel have already been deployed in the southern Philippines since 2002 to provide counter terrorism training and to serve as advisers to Filipino soldiers, who have been battling Muslim militants for decades.

The agreement states that the US would "not establish a permanent military presence or base in the Philippines" in compliance with Manila's constitution. A Filipino base commander would have access to entire areas to be shared with American forces, according to the primer.

There will be "utmost respect for Philippine sovereignty," it said.

Disagreements over Philippine access to designated US areas within local camps had hampered the negotiations for the agreement last year.