By Sam Ramos
During a recent Town Hall Forum on the Philippines-United States Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and Facilitated Activities, concerns were raised about the operational status of Lumbia Air Base in Barangay Lumbia, one of the original five sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). “Despite being an EDCA location, Lumbia Air Base remains under the operational control of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), which retains full ownership and control of the site,” says LtC Francisco Garello Jr, DPAO Head, 4th Infantry Division, of the Philippine Army.
Lumbia, formerly known as Lumbia Airport and Cagayan de Oro Airport, serves as a minor air base and home to the PAF’s 15th Strike Wing and other operational units. Although the base has been selected by the U.S. military to build storage and pre-positioning facilities under the EDCA, the Philippine government maintains complete control over its operations.
The EDCA, signed in 2014, allows the U.S. to rotate forces and access designated Philippine military bases, where they can build infrastructure, such as storage facilities, in preparation for humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR). However, the U.S. is not permitted to establish permanent military bases in the country.
Lumbia’s role as an EDCA site enables the U.S. military to pre-position equipment, including supplies, ordnance, and vehicles, while ensuring readiness for disaster response and potential military conflicts. The Philippine Armed Forces (AFP), through its air units, retains operational control of the air base, and only specific U.S. personnel can operate from these facilities to support the AFP.
The forum also emphasized the critical role of EDCA in facilitating rapid responses to humanitarian crises, such as Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and, more recently, Severe Tropical Storm Kristine. The U.S. military’s involvement in such operations is strictly limited to humanitarian and disaster relief activities, without participation in active military combat operations within the Philippines.
The EDCA aims to bolster the interoperability between the U.S. and Philippine armed forces, strengthening their ability to address shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural disasters. However, as emphasized during the forum, the U.S. forces’ involvement remains strictly controlled and subject to the limitations set out by Philippine law and agreements.
Lumbia Air Base’s strategic importance under EDCA underscores the continuing partnership between the U.S. and the Philippines in safeguarding regional security and disaster response capabilities.