US can use Philippines bases in war with North Korea
Filipino Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario says his country will allow the United States to station its troops at military bases in the Southeast Asian country if Washington goes to war with North Korea.
“The Philippines is ready to cooperate with and help the United States if it goes to war with a hostile nation such as North Korea,” Rosario said in a statement on Saturday.
He added that the US “would be allowed to use our military bases.”
Rosario made the remarks after the US and the Philippines launched joint military exercises involving over 8,000 troops, a dozen US F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, and three warships.
The Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) maneuvers began on April 5 and are to last until April 17.
This comes amid mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula and rising prospects of an impending war between the United States and North Korea.
Tensions sharply heightened after the US dispatched nuclear-capable B-52s and B-2 stealth bombers to participate in joint military drills with South Korea.
The moves prompted Pyongyang to step up its war rhetoric, authorizing its army to launch preemptive nuclear strikes on the US.
North Korea has also said its military should be prepared to attack “all US military bases in the Asia-Pacific region, including the US mainland, Hawaii, and Guam,” in addition to South Korea.
